© Griffith Institute, Oxford OX1 2LG
Concept and direction: Jaromir Malek
The diary and journal for 1923 have been scanned with the financial support of the Manchester Ancient Egypt Society
[Note: all dates have been standardized.]
Transcript: Sue Hutchison
Editing: Elizabeth Fleming, Diana Magee, Ana I. Navajas Jimenes, Jaromir Malek
Scanning: Hana Navrátilová
Image editing: Jenni Navratil
The first two books in which this excavation season is recorded are small (19.5 by 12 cm) appointment books, Lett's No. 46 Indian and Colonial Rough Diaries 1922 (catalogued in the Grifith Institute Archive as TAA Archive i.2.21) and 1923 (TAA Archive i.2.22), which contain only the briefest of notes (these are given in italics in the transcript which follows).
The third book is a large ring-binder (Walker's Loose-Leaf Books, 33 by 21.5 cm) entitled Notes, Diary, and Articles, Referring to the Theban Royal Necropolis and the Tomb of Tutankhamen (TAA Archive i.2.1). It contains extended entries written in ink. They are in Howard Carter's own hand (except for those between December 6 and 27, 1922 which are by A.C. Mace) on pages 25-53.
The transcript presented here has been only very slightly edited, for example by correcting misspellings and eliminating duplication or omission of words. For easier reading, such changes have not been marked but scans of the pages of these diaries will be available here soon and may be consulted for exact details.
...
House
Paid salaries Dec. up to date
to Cook 10LE on a/c
(Note see 3LE before)
Gardiner arrived
Go Luxor. Contesa, barber, lunch Merton, see Mamour morning,
Bank,
Gardiner commenced upon the inscriptions upon objects.
Gardiner commenced upon the various inscriptions and texts upon the objects of the Ante- chamber.
Motor & Chauffeur arriving 10 am.
Motor and chauffeur arrived.
Gardiner left.
Gardiner left.
Lunch Contesa
Lunch Contesa send car 12 noon
Merton 4pm house.
Blumenthal
Left for Cairo to meet Ld. C.
Received request from Lacau, Ross Taylor, and Ld Allenby to
allow Egyptian press to
visit tomb Monday.
Left for Cairo to meet Lord Carnarvon.
Received wire from Lacau, Ross Taylor, and Lord Allenby, re
the Egyptian press visiting
the tomb.
Arrived Cairo.
Went to Ministry with Ld C & K.B. where we met the P.M. Nessim
Pasha, the Min. of
P.W.D., Sirry Pasha, Abd El Hamid Suleman Pasha & Lacau where
arranged about local
Press to visit one day every week. Local Press visited
tomb.
Went to Ministry with Ld. C. & K.B., where we met the P.M. Nassim Pasha, The Min. of the P.W.D. Sirry Pasha, the Under Sec. for State P.W.D. Abd El Hamid Suleman Pasha, and Lacau, where we arranged about the question raised by them regarding the local Press and visit to tomb one day every week - i.e., Tuesdays.
Advise Breasted.
Returned with Ld. C. to Luxor
Returned with Ld. C. and Lady E. to Luxor.
Arrived Luxor. Ld. C. put up at Winter Palace.
Arrived Luxor - where we inspected the progress of the work in the afternoon
To be invited.
Lacau, Breasted, Arch. Com., Ministere - Sarwat, Ismail Sedky,
Simaila , Izzeb
Pachas
Museum employees.
Countess & Sucrerie (Note Queen Spain.)
Landauer, Dr. Howell.
S.E. Mohamed Bey Moussa to see tomb per author. Per
Lacau.
Paid Salaries to date
Abd El Aal 3
Taha 2
Hussein 2
Rehaan 2.10
9.10
To Cook LE6
to Cook 3
" " 10
" " 6
19
Lunch Mr Merton.
Ld. C. went Cairo - re Engelbach and Tewfik Boulos
Ld. C. went to Cairo - re Engelbach and Tewfik Effendi Boulos, inspectors of the S. des. A.
Examined seals with Breasted
Examined seals with Breasted.
Preparations for opening sealed doorway.
Examined seals with Breasted
Made preparations for opening sealed doorway to sepulchral chamber. Examination of seals continued with Breasted.
Opened sealed doorway
before officials Etc. before
1 Abd El Hamid Pasha Suleman, 2 Lacau, 3 Lythgoe, 4 Winlock, 5
Sir W. Garstin, 6
Breasted, 7 Gardiner, 8 Engelbach, 9 Tewfik Boulos, 10 Ibrahim
Effendi, 11 Mace, 12
Callender, 13 Lucas , 14 Burton, 15 Ld. C, 16 Lady E.
Opened sealed doorway before the following visitors and officials:
Abd El Halim Pasha Suleman, Under Sec. of State
P.W.D.
Lacau. Dir. Gen. S. des. A.
Engelbach. Chief Insp. Up. Eg. S. des A.
Ibrahim Effendi. Insp. Luxor S. des A. and Tewfik Effendi
Boulos.
Sir William Garstin
Lythgoe and Winlock
Mace, Callender, Lucas, and Burton.
Ld. C. and Lady E.
and others.
Preparations for visitors tomb Tutankhamen
Breasted examined seals.
Preparations for official opening and visitors to tomb.
Breasted continued examining seals.
Queen of Belgians visited tomb
Official visits to opening tomb Tutankhamen
Given up to visitors.
Queen of the Belgians and numerous visitors to official
opening.
Press to tomb of Tutankhamen
Given up to visitors.
Press to tomb.
Visitors to tomb of Tutankhamen.
Given up to visitors.
Visitors to tomb Tutankhamen
Given up to visitors.
Visitors to tomb of Tutankhamen
Given up to visitors.
Visitors to tomb of Tutankhamen
Given up to visitors.
Visitors to tomb Tutankhamen
Given up to visitors.
Visitors to tomb
Given up to visitors.
Closed tomb of Tut.ankh.amen
Closed tomb for season. Which undertaking took until the end of the 28 Feb.
Completed covering up tomb Tutankhamen
Ld. C. went Aswan.
Mace left for Aswan.
Ld. C and staff left for rest. Ld. C. went to Assuan.
Paid Salaries
Abd El Aal. 3 10.000
Taha 2 9.100
Hussein 2 - 900
Rehaan 2.10
9.10
Cook Dec. 6 = 4LE, Jan. 1 = 10LE, Feb. 5 = 6LE = 20LE:
Dec. 6. Jan. 1. Feb 5. Total to date
to Cook. 4LE X 10LE X 6LE:X today 5LE = 25 LE.
to Sofragi. LE: 5 on a/c Total to
date
5 LE:
Callender went to Erement
Went Luxor. Lunched Mr. George Blumenthal
(15 Bd. Montmorency - Auteuil 38.16)
Luxor
Went Erement - Returned Gurna
Bethells & Martineaus
Lucas returns 11.am
Callender " 6pm
Ld C. return Luxor
Restarted work at No. 15
Resumed work in tomb No. 15., the laboratory.
Queen of the Belgians visited the Lab.
3pm Q of Belgians
Lady Evelyn left for Cairo.
Eve left for Cairo.
Dine Maxwells
Lunch Martineau
Arranged with Ld. C. for completion of the season's
work.
Ld C. left for Cairo
Lord Carnarvon left for Cairo.
Habub Basla came.
Left Gurna for Luxor - Cairo on account of Lord C's illness.
Left for Cairo owing to Lord C's illness.
Arrived Cairo.
Found Ld. C. very ill with an acute attack of erysipelas and blood poisoning.
Ld. C. developed pneumonia. Lady Carnarvon arrived.
Received a.m. Lythgoe for E.S. Harkness N.Y. the sum of LE
973.750 for two
Paps.
purchased of Nahman
Paid to Nahman L773.750
" " self 200.000
________
973 750
Lord C. died 2 a.m.
Poor Ld. C. died during the early hours of the morning.
Johnny arrived soon after.
Lady E. left with Porchester per P. & O. for Marseilles
Eve left per P. & O. for London with Porchester.
Lady C. and Johnny left with poor Ld. C's remains per P. & O. by sea.
Lady. C. left Cairo 11pm.
with Ld C's remains & Johnnie
to Blumenthal.
Scarab 103 L cost 85
(lion hunt)
Dad (faience) 20 " 15
__ ___
123 100
Turkoman 15 cent.
Specimen compound bow of horn, wood & ligament.
Left Cairo for Luxor - 8 pm.
Returned to Luxor to resume and finish up the season's work in the laboratory.
Returned Luxor - Gurna.
To Callender 50.760 exs to date -
" " 4.000 salary servants March advanced
54.760
Note
Charged LE15 for Rail. exs. March 20 - April 16th.
Lady C. left per P. & O. "Malova"
with Ld. C.'s remains & doctor Johnnie
Found Mace, Lucas, Callender and Burton had progressed much with the recording of the objects.
26 photos to Hall. Mena house.
2 " " " " 20th
3 Notes " " "
Lythgoe leaves Alex per Sphinx
Blumenthal " Alex " "
Lacau called
- send Lacau demands for time
Crown Princess Menem of Abyssinia
Crown Princess Menin of Abyssinia visited the Laboratory.
Gardiner leaves for Syria
Paid Salaries of Abd El Aal
Rehaan up to March 31st.
Taha
Hussein
Sent 30 photos objects from Ante-chamber. to Robinson Metro. Mus. Art. N.Y.
Photos Blumenthal
Description of antiques
Bury Ld C. 11am Beacon Hill
Send Lacau advice regarding transport of material
Tutankhamen
Gardiner returns Cairo
Paid Salaries April to date:
Abd el Aal 3.000
Taha 2.000
Hussein 2.000
Rehaan 2.100
9.100
see March 3
Total
to Cook. on a/c 25LE. + today nil = 25
" Sofragi " " 5" + today. LE:10 = 15
Lucas left.
Gardiner leaves Alex for England.
Burton finished.
Burton left for Cairo.
Packed cases
Burton left for Europe.
Commenced the final packing of objects.
Packed cases
Packed cases
Packed cases
Packed cases
Packed cases
Inspected barge for transporting cases to Cairo - (Sucrerie barge & tug Luxor). Made inventory of cases.
Sorted negatives.
Cases completed and packed.
Merton comes to tea.
Preparation for transport.
- i.e. stacked case on cars for early morning start
Made preparations for transport of cases to river
Merton came
Cars with 34 cases containing 89 boxes started at sun-rise
this morning. Arrived midway
of canal bank 6pm.
Transport of cases started at sunrise and reached the middle of the canal bank 5pm.
Restarted transport 9 cases sun-rise this morning. & placed
on tow boat 10am in
presence of Maamur. Engelbach & others ready for down river
trip to Cairo - to start the
following morning
See chauffeur
Transport continued. Reached the Gov. barge on river 10am.
Barge started for Cairo early in the morning with an escort of police, Antiquity guards and Ibreheem Effendi.
Engelbach & Inspector to B. el. M 5pm.
(?) left for Cairo.
Omar Mataui
Address Frank Wade
`Sphinx Office'
P.O. Box. 990. Cairo.
P.d. Balance of Salaries to May 31st
Abd el Aal Ahmed 3.000
Taha Ahmed 1st boy 2.000
Hussein Ibrahim 2nd boy 2.000
Ahmed Ali Sofragi (27 Dec. 1922) 22.500
Ali Abou Zeid. Cook (21 Nov. 1922). 53.000
Rehaan 2.100
84.600
Nov 21. 1922, to May 21, 1923 = 6 months @ 13 LE = 78.000
less monies paid
25
Ali Abou Zeid P.58
53.000
27 Dec 1922 to 27th May 1923 = 5 months @ 7.500 LE: =
37.500
less monies paid
15.000.
Ahmed Ali. Paid 26
22.500
Left for Cairo
Arrived Cairo
Exs. transport car and chauffeur
Saw Lacau arranged opening principal objects for Exhibition
Museum
Objects to be listed in special book.
35pt. taxi.
1. Garaging car. E.A.S.T. Co. or Ford Car Co.
2. Papyri New York. to England for mounting.
3. Concession in safe at bank.
4. Money.
Cases arrived 5pm at Cooks Wharf Ghezira
Cabled Mary, Maxwell, Lady C.
Cases and barge arrived Cooks Wharf 5pm.
Damascus inlaid box.
Cases arrived and placed in the Cairo Museum - arranged for
these to be opened (&
exposed on view in Mus.) for the morrow Tuesday 8.pm.
Cases transported to Museum.
Unpacked certain number of objects for C.M.
Unpacked certain number of capital pieces to be placed on view in Museum.
Arranged objects in cases Cairo Museum.
Exs. Abd el Aal.
Fare 206 300 cash
transport 5 222
11 ___
___ -78
222
Exs. transport Ford Car - Luxor - Cairo.
Freight. 763.5 12.000 Cash
Octroi 38.5 11.110
Fares. 206.
Ibraheem 103 .890
____
1111.0
leave via Alex per Vienna
Left Cairo 8.15am for Alex.
Went on board SS. Vienna. left 1pm
Left with Mace for London per SS. Vienna via Venice.
June 3+ 4 = 7
July 3" 35 4 7
August 3" 4 7
Sept. 3" 4 7
Oct. 3" 11 4 7
35
Arrived Venice 2.30pm
Left for London 7pm per Simplon Express
Arrived London via Boulogne & Folkestone.
Arrived London (Victoria) 4.15pm
Saw Lady E.
Arrived London via Boulogne & Folkestone 4.15pm.
Saw Lady C. Opened letter at B. England
This text is also published in Discussions in Egyptology 32 (1995), but the electronic version has been revised and updated.
(October 19, 2010)
Go to the excavation diaries for 1923-4.