The Petra Temple

The Temple of the Winged Lions from the air.

This is the archaeological site I worked on in 2002 and 2005

Dr. Philip C. Hammond

Dr. Philip C. Hammond was the Director of the Temple of the Winged Lions excavation in Petra Jordan.

He had been excavating archaeological sites in Jordan for more than fifty years when this picture was taken. This was the last time he visited the dig site in 2005. Sadly he died before we could return.

Dr. Hammond was an awesome archaeologist and I learned a lot from him in the two years I dug with him and the summer I visited his home for a week and studied his library and samples from the dig.  I long to go back to Petra and finish the dig. It is almost done but no one is digging there now. Some day!

Ten Years Ago

It is time to walk down memory lane of ten years ago when I was on my second trip to Petra and my first to dig with Dr. Hammond at the Temple of the Winged Lions.

Seated at the table are Lin Hammond the dig administrator, Dr. Philip Hammond the dig director and Eudora Struble the Field Supervisor. This picture was taken in Amman the night before drove to Petra.

Eudora was a young woman whom I met on my dig in Ashkelon in 1999 and we remain friends. She is now writing her doctoral dissertation for the University of Chicago.

Six weeks of excavation were ahead of us and they were the leadership team that kept us on track and very active.

Another Papyrus Ebers Rx

A Remedy to Regulate Evacuation

Honey

Sasa-seeds

Wormwood

Elderberry

Berries of the uan-tree

Kernel of the ut’ait fruit

Caraway

Aaam seed

Xam seed

Sea salt

Form into a suppository and put into the rectum.

I wondered when those suppositories were invented. 3400 BC! Doctors!!!

Recipes from "The Papyrus Ebers"

I received a Christmas gift from my youngest darling daughter in the form of a book about an archaeology find of Egyptian Papyrus dating from about 3400 BC. The papyrus is a book of recipes for a doctor to prescribe for various aliments of the day. I will begin to share some of them with you over the next week.

For Constipation

A Remedy to clear out the body and get rid of the excrement in the body of a person:

Take the berries of the Castor oil tree – Chew and swallow down with beer in order to clear out all that is in the body.

Some things never change! 

Future Digs

Always in my mind I am looking forward to the next dig. When and where that will be I still do not know I only know that I long to go dig in the dirt.

There is a dig in Petra that I would love to finish but it looks like it will take a very long time before another university picks up the license to dig there. As I turn 70 on my next birthday I begin to wonder if I will get that chance. I am encouraged by having worked with others who were digging well into their eighties.

Roman Fresco in Petra

In this picture you see what is left of a fresco on an inside wall of a Roman Administration Building in Petra.

The rather rough wall was covered with very thick plaster to even it out and then had wonderful paintings all over it. To colors were brilliant and the scenes enchanting. 

This was one of many that were being removed for preservation and study at Brown University. Once the fresco's are uncovered the weather would have destroyed them in short order. 

I was glad that I was there to see it in place before it was removed.