Notes and memoranda on various aspects of the tomb
by A. Lucas

Concept & Direction: Jaromir Malek
Transcript: Sue Hutchison
Editing: Jaromir Malek


Floor Rubbish - Antechamber

Dark blue glass
The colouring matter is cobalt and not copper.
See The Tomb of Tut-ankh-Amen Vol II App. II p 171

Small pieces Blue Material
Is artificial frit coloured by a copper compound.
See The Tomb of Tut-ankh-Amen Vol. II App II p 179.

Fragments of Inlay
Translucent fibrous calcite with red resinous cement
See The Tomb of Tut-ankh-Amen Vol II App. II p 167


Pink colour on walls of Antechamber
See "The Tomb of Tut-ankh-Amen Vol II. Appendix II p 164


Segment of a Reed (Floor Rubbish)
Length: 30 cms
External diameter 1.7 cm

The hollow reed has been filled with a material which now forms a hard, black resinous-looking core, the diameter of which is 1.5 cm., the whole probably forming a torch.
The material of the core burns with a luminous and smoky flame: it consists essentially of a mixture of resin and fatty matter. This latter is now decomposed and it is impossible until further work has been done on it to say whether it was originally an oil or a solid fat. The mixture of resin (yellowish) and fatty matter has been attacked by small beetles before it was introduced into the reed, as there are no signs of the core in its present position having been attacked and yet many remains of small beetles are embedded in the material.


Rose Colour on Gold

See "The Tomb of Tut-ankh-Amen Vol II, Appendix II pp 173-174


Sepulchral Chamber - Plaster from Walls
South Wall North Wall
%%
Sand 13.0 11.0
Hydrated sulphate of lime (gypsum) 76.7 78.1
Carbonate of lime, oxide of iron etc. 10.3 10.9
Total 100.0 100.0

The material is an impure plaster of Paris and is practically identical in the two cases.

See The Tomb of Tut-ankh-Amen Vol II. Appendix II pp 162-163.


Sepulchral Chamber - Paint from

Paint
Blue. This is an artificial frit coloured by a copper compound
Green. This is an artificial frit coloured by a copper compound
Red. Red ochre
Yellow Yellow ochre
Blue. ?Black Carbon (coarse - not like soot)

See The Tomb of Tut-Ankh-Amen Vol. II, Appendix II pp 178 - 181


Plaster - Various
a b c d e f
% % % % % %
Sand 11.0 14.5 15.0 15.0 9.0 16.0
Hydrated sulphate of lime (gypsum) 75.9 85.5 78.1 74.4 84.8 66.3
Carbonate of lime, oxide of iron etc. 13.1 trace 6.9 10.6 6.2 17.7
100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

a. Left side of steps
b. Steps where repaired anciently
c. Above lintel of doorway at bottom of steps
d. Right side of doorway at bottom of steps
e. Left side of inclined passage
f. Right side of doorway to Antechamber

All the samples are impure plaster of Paris.

See The Tomb of Tut-ankh-Amen. Vol. II Appendix II pp. 162-163


Sarcophagus

Cement used to repair lid broken anciently.

(a) (b) Sand 14.0 --
Hydrated sulphate of lime (gypsum) 75.9 74.4
Carbonate of lime, oxide of iron etc. 10.1 ...
100.0
This is impure plaster of Paris

The above was given to me by Mr. Howard Carter.
A small specimen of material taken myself from the broken lid at a subsequent date consisted of a mixture of whiting and resin. It is suggested that the main cementing material was gypsum and that it was coated at the top with the mixture of whiting and resin in order to make the light-coloured plaster less noticeable. It was apparently this latter material that Dr. Plenderleith examined. The matter could be settled by the examination of further specimens.

See The Tomb of Tut-ankh-Amen. Vol. II, Appendix II p 168.
do V p 215


Ministry of Public work
Physical Department

Cairo, 14/3/1925

Dear Sir,

In reply to your letter of 9/3/25 to Dr. Hurst, I enclose values of the temperature read at Aswan by means of bright bulb and black bulb thermometers. These are daily maximum values.

You are of course aware that the temperature attained by objects placed in the sun depends very considerably upon the nature of the surface of the objects, but in any case the temperature would in all probability be intermediate between those recorded by the bright bulb and black bulb thermometers.

We have no continuous readings of these thermometers throughout the day, but the values given in the last two columns approximate I think to the average values likely to be experienced at about 9h. The maximum occurs at about 2.30 pm. in December and 3.30 pm. in midsummer.

Yours faithfully,

L. Sutton
Director
Meteorological Service

A. Lucas Esq
c/o Howard Carter Esq.,
Luxor

To Dr. Howard Carter
For information
A.L.
18/3/25


ACTINOMETRIC OBSERVATIONS AT ASWAN

Average daily Highest Recorded in Approx.Temperature at Twelve Year 9h.

Max.Black Max.Bright Black Bulb Bright Bulb Black Bulb Bright Bulb

Jan. 52oC 32oC 62oC 42oC 40oC 20oC
Feb. 55 34 66 44 40 20
Mar. 63 42 71 54 50 25
Apr. 68 46 78 55 55 30
May. 70 49 80 59 60 35
June 73 52 81 58 60 40
July 73 52 80 59 60 40
Aug. 72 51 80 59 60 40
Sept. 70 49 78 57 55 35
Oct. 65 45 74 54 50 30
Nov. 58 39 68 50 45 25
Dec. 52 33 60 41 40 20

To convert to degrees F: divide by 5, multiply by 9 and add 32.

(January 16, 2008)

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