Theban Tomb 110 Epigraphy & Research Field School: Graduation 2018

With the last official day of the field school on Thursday, we decided to have our graduation ceremony and party on the Friday after. Will and JJ spent Friday morning, as always, doing a bit of work at the flat and at Chicago House, and partaking of our last koshari for the season.

At 4:45 we were collected by Hazem and set off for the ferry, where Abu Ghalan was waiting to bring everyone from the east over to the west. We were joined on the boat by Ahmed ElNasseh and his daughter, Yaser and his family, Mario and his wife, Amira and her family, Mahmoud, and Rasha. Hala and Rehab, on the other hand, missed the boat! They therefore had to be collected afterwards. Our trusty driver Mohammed met us on the west and drove us all to Sheikh Ali’s / Marsam, where those from the west were already waiting: Alaa Talaat, Walid, Hussien, Sayed and Safaa and their children, Mahmoud Hassan, Alaa Hussein and his family, Abu el-Hagag and his children, and Abd elGhany. We were joined this year by some of our colleagues from the west bank teftish, Fathy Yassin, Bahaa Abdelgaber, Ramadan Ahmed, and Ahmed Boghdady. And, of course, Abu Gomaa, Abu Hamada, and our second west bank driver Abu Amaar, with his children.

After returning the portfolios and tubes of drawings to our students, and speaking to them a little bit about the coming October-November field school, and once Hala and Rehab arrived, we began the official ceremony. As in years past, there was quite the receiving line for each student, and many photos to record the moment. In addition to their certificates, our returning students who participated in the illustration field school each were given a drawing board to assist them with their future work. Our new students each received a copy of the BM publication of the Tomb of Nebamun, as had been given in the past. Certificates awarded and photos taken, it was Will and JJ’s turn to show their appreciation for all the work that Yaser, Sayed, and Hazem had done over the course of the field school. We gave each of them a book that we thought would be of particular interest and use.