[possibly George Horsfield and Agnes Conway]

Worked on two Tomb chambers.  The first was like the second, No. 1 grave, left to right, had a juglet at the foot lying on top of the sand – bones below.  No. 2 had nothing but bones, likewise 3 – 4 had a vase at the feet, a bottle with a long neck at the knees and a basin on the chest – the latter in bits as the cover slabs had caved in – all the whole pieces have received damage to the necks for some reason.  There were no signs of burning or lime – bones fibrous and broke to bits.  
 
No. 2 Tomb Chamber was exactly like No 1 – except that at each side there was a recess.  From left to right – have done Nos. 3 and 4 – there was a woman ? and child and fragments of a copper wire bracelet and a silver one were found.  Nothing else, 4 had nothing at all – the skeleton lay at the bottom – with head in left top corner and knees slightly drawn up and on left side.  The “coffin” was filled with sand in both cases and there were odd human bones in it – the corpse being at bottom – which seems to suggest that there was re-use of material for 2nd burial.
 
The woman and child in No. 3 grave are near the surface – so probably there is another burial under – only part cleared.  Doing this took seven hours morning and afternoon – as I did a lot of clearing myself – in afternoon assisted by Ali and Arif, when it went better.  On finishing this Tomb I go to Siyagh – which will be to-morrow, to see what I can find.  No signs of lime or burning.  The pottery seems late and has been found on rubbish tips.
 
A.E.C. spent the morning on the Deir plateau looking at one of Dalman’s so called sanctuaries, (506) which is nothing at all, and at the impressive Temple platform with remains of columns in position high up on a hill facing the Deir Monument.  Behind this Temple is a very large open-fronted hall with a pedimented niche of the period of the Deir.  Between the hill and the immediate platform of the Deir, a very large circle is outlined, partly with stones and partly by the natural rock. It was artificially levelled inside, and the hall, Temple, circle and Deir must have formed one enceinte probably in connection with the “Opfergesellschaft” of Ovodat referred to in an inscription near the Tomb or Temple.  The caves, partly hewn out of the rock and partly built, in a line with the Deir, look Roman and remind me of the suburb beyond the Sextus Florentinus Tomb. I think they are all rather grand houses with cisterns, large niches etc.  One large room, the farthest N. has the walls out back 2 ft. on each side at a distance of 5 ft. from the ground, and there is a great niche at the end. The level ground is covered with remains of Roman buildings.  Another Weigand [handwritten in pencil] might find as much to reconstruct there as in the central Hellenistic city.   There is one hidden shaft grave and a collection of graves overlooking the Siyagh which I had no time to visit.  Photographed tomb in vain with the wide-angle lense all the afternoon and think it in some ways more suited to the work here than the other. 

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, 30 April: 61-63. 

[possibly by George Horsfield] 
​
Proceeded with Syagh [sic] shaft grave and retrieved a small pot and a lamp.  One grave out of four awaits excavation.  The excavation of the group SE of El Habis proceeded but the result was disappointing as most of the graves had been rifled.  In one case the corpse in an unrifled tomb may be a Christian reuse. This was in the SE group.  The SW group is proceeding and from the shaft of one came fragments of alabaster pots with covers – about 4 but many of the fragments are missing.

Reference: [unsigned, possibly Horsfield, G.] 1929 (transcribed by A. Thornton). Petra Exploration Fund Diary. "Business Papers to be Kept", Horsfield Collection Box 8, UCL Institute of Archaeology, 2 May Part 1: 65. 

[possibly by George Horsfield]

The grave produced nothing but a mass of bones showing no sign of cremation.

Reference: [unsigned, possibly Horsfield, G.] 1929 (transcribed by A. Thornton). Petra Exploration Fund Diary. "Business Papers to be Kept", Horsfield Collection Box 8, UCL Institute of Archaeology, 3 May Part 1: 65. 

[possibly George Horsfield and Agnes Conway]
​
Continued to dig graves on El Habis South – without result as the accumulation inside the shafts is not cleared away.  Found a shaft which was completely hidden and which appears to have never been disturbed – it is to the N.W. of the others.  The graves so far examined all seem to have been opened at some time and their occupants renewed [sic].  
 
A.E.C. went with Dr. Nielsen to see the sanctuaries of El Mataha and Sidd el Magin.  The 1stsanctuary is an altar with somewhat the arrangement of the so-called “brand-altar” of Zibb Atuf, and Dr. Nielsen thinks it far earlier than the Roman suburb of El Nasara in which it stands. The row of cult symbols is in connection with a house next door and has nothing whatever to do with the altar about 30 yards away – the raised lid-less tomb-shaped box of No. 4 is a mystery. The very narrow gorge of Sidd el Magin, which flows between Roman houses on both banks, had water in the pools and was a perfect refuge from the sun, which today was grilling.  The niches along both sides are Hadrianic and the water may possibly have worn down the gorge for 2 yards since the niches were cut. Photographed in the Siyagh 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, 4 May: 67.