We stood in the ruined fort looking down at the sea. Each one of us was exhausted from months of excavation, but feeling rejuvenated by our climb to the top of Castle Island. From our vantage point we could watch the ocean churn amongst the reefs lying out beyond the small barrier islands. Far beneath […]

It was darker than normal this morning.  The sky was overcast and the air was heavy; rain was on the horizon.  Breakfast, as per usual, was some form of rice. Today the kitchen served the mushroom rice balls that Doug has become so fond of. I myself prefer beef pho or the occasional bread and […]

The Polish magnetometer team arrived at the dig house just short of 9am.  Their leader, Tomasz Herbich, who is fiercely Polish with a grey mane and arching eyebrows, was accompanied by two younger fellows who were going to do the brunt work.  Rafaat, my second-hand man, was available to chauffeur us around the site.  He’s […]

At the dawn of civilization in the Nile Valley, people settled upon four levees of the Mendesian branch of the Nile.  These sandy embankments protruded from the landscape in a southwest to northeast direction and provided the earliest settlers a safe abode from the annual floodwaters.  Here the first settlement of Mendes, initially known as […]

May 14th 2010- It was just after 9am and the streets of Zamalek were relatively quiet.  The mosque on Marashly Street was jam-packed with men attending Friday morning prayer.  Lime green mats were strewn across the street to accommodate the masses.  Birds fluttered overhead in the trees, the air was warm but not sweltering yet.  […]