Before entering the Fayum area we had to stop at certain check points. We were hoping to make it through without any of the guards realilzing that the fan was packing Americans. Unfortunately we did not succeed. They could have made us turn around but instead they sent police security to follow us around everywhere we went. It is rather intimidating, because unlike the police back in the states, these guys carry machine guns. To my knowledge they don't actually have bullets, and in all reality, a lot of officialish people around Egypt are carrying machine guns for the "security" of others. (sorry marcia, don't freak out! It's safe i promise!)
The Fayum is basically a region in Egypt between the Nile and the desert. It really is a bizarre landscape...you go from endless sandy desert, to lush tropical palm trees, with watered fields sourced by Nile channels. I saw everything today from archaeological siles, to Fayum village life.
Our first stop was at Karanis or Kom Aushim. It had amazing preservation! I was absolutely blown away. It dates to the late Roman Period. Here I got to see residential areas, temples, baths, pottery, so so much. It is one of my favorites so far that I have seen.
Here is an aerial view of the North Temple at Karanis, that's my roommate in standing in it.
Here is a window of the structure that looks out onto the Fayum landscape, you can see green!
These next two are more from inside the temple, that's my professor standing in there (he didn't know I was taking the picture, he hates having his picture taken- which I think is actually an archaeologist thing because i really do too)
Here are some residential structure remains:
Again amazing preservation from a grecco roman site. Look at this bath, some of the fresco is still naturally preserved:
THIS WAS MY BIGGEST BREAKTHROUGH THOUGH:
Being the zooarchaeologist that I am, at this site I managed to find this:
It is a lizard skeleton. When I showed Richard this ensued:
Kelly: "Hey Look! A frog skeleton! Actually no- it's a lizard."
Richard: "Ah yes! A lizard...a modern one though."
Kelly: "Actually, it's GECKO-Roman"
Richard: "HEY GUYS KELLY MADE HER FIRST ARCHAEOLOGY JOKE!"
It was well received...I have crossed the threshold into professional archaeology woo!
Next we went to Hawara. Hawara had a Middle Kingdom Pyramid, tombs, and cemetary.
After Hawara we went for a long ride through the Fayum villages. This is actually some of the more eye opening events of the experience. I was dying to capture more photos of village life in the Fayum, but it is really hard to do this without appearing as though these people are supposed to be on display for me to see. My roommate, who has done a lot of field work in Syria and throughout the Middle East said that she was very uncomfortable with the way we took to get to the next site. The villages were crowded with people and the roads were narrow, if they decided to surround our vehicle or protest us being there in any way, we would have been left with few options in terms of assuring our safety. The police security followed behind us still, but her point was that, in places like Iraq, the security makes it a point to take travelers away from these villages, not through them. Here are some of the pictures, the first two are just along the way before entering the village
Next we went to Lahun. Again another Middle Kingdom Pyramid (at this point I have seen all of the middle kingdom pyramids) as well as a small pyramid (it is not well preserved) for a queen, and some mastabas:
Finally we went to Maydum, where one of the pyramid ruins is thought to have collapsed. The Pharoh for this pyramid is still under debate, but it sprang up sometime between the constructions of the bent pyramid and the Red Pyramid that were constructed at Dahshur. This is actually really awesome to see...it is one of the best preserved pyramids, except you can only see the standing core...the outside finished is no longer there...reasons why? Well, we just can't be sure...it may not have even collapsed, that could just be a good way to sell books. I went inside this pyramid, the journey a lot like tunneling through the red pyramid. After we went down and then up into the tomb shaft, the oxygen levels were much different and I found it very difficult to breathe. I tried to just stay calm throughout most of it...I could not tell if I was having some sort of panic attack, or getting really claustraphobic...finally someone else mentioned the difference in oxygen levels and I at least felt relieved that it wasn't just something in my mind...it was literally more difficult to breathe in there...either way I wanted to get out pretty quickly, we didn't stay in too long.
After the trip we ate at this restaurant which was AMAZING...the best hummus I have had, ever, with homemade pita. MMMMmmmmm
Some people have been asking me about mailing addresses: don't bother sending stuff. I appreciate the thought, especially because I really miss my orange trident gum, but it would be weeks before packages actually ever got to me because they open and inspect them, and then turn around and charge me a fee for having to inspect them. The other day Richard and I went to the market- by far one of the more comforting places I've been here- and I got some Coffee Mate Creamer and granola bars, and alternative chewing gum, and I was quite giddy for those 3 things. I have been commended on how low maitenence I am- ha if you guys can believe that! Even that whole peeing in the desert thing: get this...so it just so happens that I only needed to pee in the desert my first day here. There is a "bathroom" next to the lab, but when I was there it was full and so a big vaccum truck had to come clean it out. One of the project leaders, Maryann, said she never really used it and just always picked a spot outside and that it was fine since the toilet hole room was a new addition to the project. I never actually knew when or if it got cleaned out so I just get going to my mastaba spot. The other night i was talking to my roommate and i asked her about what to do during menstruation (The last thing I need is to see one of those pyramid dogs running around with my tampon in its mouth- how mortifying would that be). She explained that she either dropped it down the hole or just wrapped it and threw it in the waste basket. I told her that I hadn't even gone in there yet and that I had just been going outside. Surprised, she said that I was very brave and back before the makeshift bathroom they used to go in teams. I finally did try that bathroom and its gross...none of that!
Okay it's time for bed now: per usual i love/miss/hope everyone is doing well plus ignore my typos~!
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