Sunday, April 4, 2010: The 4th week starts
The Umm el-Biyara team is close to the shutting down of their camp site on the plateau for this year’s survey campaign, as soon as the last measuring point is taken by the measurement team consisting of Will Kennedy and Guido Teltsch (guided by structure lady Maxie Maria Haufe). As they were on a beer trip at Aquaba during the weekend, nobody really knows if this will take one day or another whole week ...
At the Aslah Triclinium excavation work is going on. For the last week no more trenches will be opened, so there will be enough time to wash and study the pottery and to finalize all work ontime.
Monday, April 5, 2010: Easter at Petra
The easter weekend also had a small impact on the daily life in the camp. Wiltrud Wenning took the opportunity to create a wonderfull easter tree and to decorate some very nice table decorations consisting of an ficus leave with chocolate eggs on top of it. And Maxie Maria Haufe painted a whole carton of eggs in different colors. Everything was a real pleasure, not only to look at, but also to eat it.
The afternoon life consisted (as usual) of washing, laying out and classifying the collected pottery sherds on the old tent platforms in front of Nazzal’s camp. During this work there are always interresting talks developping – be it on a rather professional or on a personal level –, and there is always a funny story of the day to laugh about. Some of the team even sit outside after the sun has set and darkness has fallen upon good old Petra.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010: World of Wonders at Petra
Today two journalists of the German print media Welt der Wunder arrived at Petra to get to know better the excavations itself and daily life of archqeologists in Petra. With Stephan Schmid qnd Robert Wenning they had to experts at hand, and they seemed quite pleased about the adventures and the tasks of today’s explorers in the field. We are eager to buy the edition of Welt der Wunder with the petra report in it.
On Umm el-Biyara Stephan Schmid and André Barmasse were spending the last night in the tent in the cave before all the stuff will brought down again on donkeys and stored for the next year’s excavation season. The three weeks camping have shown that there are no major problems for two people staying up. Instead, for an excavation season it is not suitable for the team members to walk up on Umm el-Biyara every day, to dig and to go back down to Nazzal’s camp again. But if more then two people stay up there are some major infrastructural and hygenic problems to solve.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010: Last night on Umm el-Biyara
Ultimate day’s work on Umm el-Biyara was to draw and number the saved architectural elements and to take photos of all the structures found during this year’s survey campaign. Some of the architectural stones were carried down to Nazzal’s camp on donkey, some were to heavy and had to be left up on Umm el-Biyara.
In the evening all members of the excaation team were invited by one of the workmen at the Aslah Triclinium to a nice barbeque in Beidha, a quiet and wonderful landscape near Petra. The chickens roasted on that camp fire were most delicious, and it was really hard to leave some in the plate for the family, but we followed this custom, knowing that this way we might get invited another time.
Thursday, April 8, 2010: The excavation team dissolves
As of this day the excavation team is slowly dissolving itself. Its members begin to pack their stuff – and together with it of course all their memories of this year’s unforgettable spring campaign in Petra – and are heading home again. Piotr Bienkowski already left Petra two days ago with direction back to England, Laurent Gorgerat and André Barmasse were driving today back to Amman together with Stephan Schmid, who had to fullfill some administration duties before the weekend. Luckily, the people from Germany stayed until Saturday, and therefore had enough time to clean up the camp.
And while Laurent Gorgerat and André Barmasse prepared for an excellent Lebanese dinner in the capital Amman, people worked at the Nazzal’s camp right into the deepest night. Besides cleaning there was also a need to finalize all the digital plans, for which around ten thousands of metric points were taken with the Leica satellite system.
Friday, April 9, 2010: Flying home to Switzerland
The two guys from Basel again stayed at the Institut du Proche-Orient at Amman, but they had to get up very early in order to avoid a long wait at the airport. Fortunately, they already checked in at the city terminal check-in of Royal Jordanian yesterday. But as Laurent Gorgerat had his GPS and field glasses in the hand luggage and André Barmasse was stupid enough to take pictures of the police checking Laurent’s bag, they had to slightly wait a little bit. But after a nice flight they landed safely at Zurich airport.
