Dusty but happy.
An Enticing Space
One of the great joys (and trials) of leading Study Tours is the unexpected. Students are never happier than when investigating a hole in the ground. This can vary from a hole in an ancient mudbrick wall which had now become the refuge of a young viper from the heat of the day (although not of a dozen cameras!) at Kahun to a shaft in a tomb just asking to be investigated. The latter happened a few years ago.
The tomb of Ramose on the West Bank at Luxor has always been popular with students. The relief are exquisite, the painting still fresh and vibrant. Here too is Amenophis IV (best known by his new name of Akhenaten) in a Window of Appearances scene and separately (and more rarely) in the traditional style of the early 18th Dynasty. All of this makes excellent study material. So too does a hole in the
ground.
Just by the funeral scenes on the left side wall is a ramp leading down into a black
hole. For many years this hole remained invitingly open. It was dusty and the ramp was quite steep. This was clearly the entrance to the burial chamber. It took about 8 years before anyone looked at the hole with more than a passing interest. It was too good an opportunity to miss. There was no light, it was clearly quite slippy given the level of dust but two intrepid explorers decided it was time to find out what lay beyond the entrance. The photograph says it all. Two dusty but contented explorers emerged from the subterranean burial suite looking very pleased with themselves. Was it worth it? Most certainly!
One of the great joys (and trials) of leading Study Tours is the unexpected. Students are never happier than when investigating a hole in the ground. This can vary from a hole in an ancient mudbrick wall which had now become the refuge of a young viper from the heat of the day (although not of a dozen cameras!) at Kahun to a shaft in a tomb just asking to be investigated. The latter happened a few years ago.
The tomb of Ramose on the West Bank at Luxor has always been popular with students. The relief are exquisite, the painting still fresh and vibrant. Here too is Amenophis IV (best known by his new name of Akhenaten) in a Window of Appearances scene and separately (and more rarely) in the traditional style of the early 18th Dynasty. All of this makes excellent study material. So too does a hole in the
ground.
Just by the funeral scenes on the left side wall is a ramp leading down into a black
hole. For many years this hole remained invitingly open. It was dusty and the ramp was quite steep. This was clearly the entrance to the burial chamber. It took about 8 years before anyone looked at the hole with more than a passing interest. It was too good an opportunity to miss. There was no light, it was clearly quite slippy given the level of dust but two intrepid explorers decided it was time to find out what lay beyond the entrance. The photograph says it all. Two dusty but contented explorers emerged from the subterranean burial suite looking very pleased with themselves. Was it worth it? Most certainly!