ANTIQUITIES IN EGYPT MERIT PROTECTIVE MEASURES WORKING WITH ENVIRONMENT, HYDROLOGY AND GEOLOGY

The Antiquities of Egypt are part of an active environment, which brings considerable damage to sites, historic structures and monuments. It is important to conserve large to small sites increasingly harmed by groundwater and invasive moisture. Salt accumulation and degradation of the surface of stone architecture and monuments unfortunately occur along the lower courses and foundations of walls (temple of Ramses III at Karnak north exterior wall; and small temple to Priestess Amernirdas at Medineh Habu).

Water is and was part of temple precincts as each would have a well, sacred lake and often a stepped Nilometer with which to record the height of the Nile. Water was vital to ceremonies and the Nile water was sacred and its floodwaters issued the new year. As temples were built often in the Nile's floodplain, sacred lakes as basins for water and rituals served as Nilometers as well. These pools have long been stagnant and harbor biochemical problems, with which we need help.

A large drain is being excavated this year 2002 to protect the vast temple site of Karnak from groundwater and water use in the adjacent town. Sewage systems are needed or need to be re-set in several towns with important structures. The surrounding town of Esna has sequentially grown, standing now at a level nearly above the full height of the ancient Temple.

The Valley of the Kings is subject to infrequent but harmful flash floods as many of the king's tombs are carved into the foot of this steep valley and their chambers descend further, easily carrying rainwater. We have newly re-routed torrential water in a channel built over the entrance to the Tomb of Seti I. The Tomb of Tutankamon suffers from the humidity from the breath of tourists. Ventilation via ducts and fans helps to reduce this moisture. Among the higher tombs in the terraces to the south of the royal valley, limestone permits seepage of water as in the Tomb of nobleman Rekhmire where sections of wall carving on the interior wall have now utterly crumbled off.

The purpose of this presentation is to introduce some of the problems and recent protective measures at specific sites in southern Egypt. We seek interest in further development of conservation methods to work with conditions imposed by nature, irrigation, town water systems, and even the less obvious, the moisture from the breath of tourists.