[possibly by both George Horsfield and Agnes Conway]
One grave in South group produced pots of no great interest. At the N. end the Tomb remarked yesterday has grown more interesting – a doorway with an arched moulding over an architrave has appeared North of the Crack. The doorway was found from inside and is now in process of being dug out. One piece of pottery has turned up. Red painted in black – new pattern – fragment. A.E.C. and Dr. Nielsen went to the Wady el Darraj, after seeing the Khazneh, to find Dalman’s 4th sanctuary of El Kantarah – Dr Nielsen found this and regarded it as quarry cutting, after A.E.C. had got tired of looking and departed with Mahmud to the Wady Muzlim to see the Sik tunnel. This is a huge cutting in the white rock; very long and very impressive. She walked the whole length of the wady, with Mahmud’s help, till it suddenly ended in the Sidd el Magin. There are remains of a stone built arch towards the N. The rock pools were full of water at the bottom of precipices of red sandstone; and Mahmud 4 times lifted her down the precipice and waded with her in his arms to safety! Photographed houses on El Habis in the afternoon. Reference: [unsigned, possibly Horsfield, G. and Conway, A.] 1929 (transcribed by A. Thornton). Petra Exploration Fund Diary. "Business Papers to be Kept", Horsfield Collection Box 8, UCL Institute of Archaeology, 6 May: 68-69. [By George Horsfield] May 12th. Busy packing. May 13th. Do. May 14th. Do. Went to El Khazna and spent an hour there – it is curious – examined stone cutting – all surfaces finished with fine [blank] irregularity, to give texture. The carving is feeble and characteristic – and it Syrian. The effect is rich and the animals remind me of those found on Jerash. There is a curious Greek feel about it. Yet the character of the scanthus is something like the Hadrianic capitals. These want careful comparison of scanty material. I think it is early - but the straight columns are doubtful for the Syrians knew how to do these. There must be more material for comparison in Syria and Asia Minor.
The statues with horses on either hand are curious – the personage is standing in both cases clothed in a toga on the ground and the horse dames behind him. They are hideous in their diseased remains. Reference: Horsfield G. 1929 (transcribed by A. Thornton). Petra Exploration Fund Diary. "Business Papers to be Kept", Horsfield Collection Box 8, UCL Institute of Archaeology, 12-14 May: 76-77. |
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