Visiting Egypt for the first time as an Egyptology student is, in my view, a rite of passage, and one that I had not experienced myself until this winter.
In February, I was invited by Dr Chauvet to join the Mut Temple Project (a collaboration between the University of Liverpool and Johns Hopkins University) for a month-long study season. Thanks to the generous funding of the AHRC NWCDTP, this opportunity marked an important step in both my academic and personal journey, allowing me to encounter and immerse myself in the physical and cultural context of the place that has fascinated me since childhood for the first time.
Acclimating to Luxor
Going from the quiet and rainy Liverpool winter to a place of heat, sun and constant stimulation, I must admit that I was overwhelmed upon my arrival in Luxor. The chaos and endless traffic noise, the calls to prayer echoing from the mosques, and the sheer heat were unlike anything I had experienced before. Of course, I had been told to expect this (and to bring a decent set of earplugs for sleep!), but not for the weather, which I had been told would be on the ‘cool side’ (28°C in February is not ‘on the cool side’ by anyone’s standards!). As is the case with many things, you can’t fully comprehend something until you experience it firsthand. Excited and more than a little tired from the journey, I went to bed that evening, wondering what my first day on site would entail.
The sun rising behind the palm trees on the morning walk to the Mut Complex:
My first week on site
Bleary-eyed and jet-lagged after our bright and early wake-up call at 5:30, we headed to the site. The sight of the sun rising behind the palm trees that greeted me upon the approach to the Mut complex quickly became a view that I looked forward to seeing each morning. After a tour of the site by Dr Chauvet (and an introduction to the adorable temple puppies), I was trained on the fundamentals of object photography as part of an archaeological mission. While I had experience in photographing objects from my time volunteering at the Garstang Museum, I soon learned that photography on site was an entirely different matter, in which you must adapt and react to challenges posed by the elements. The wind was a competent adversary, causing me to regularly chase wayward object labels as they blew away from us. The rest of my first week at Mut passed in a whirlwind of similarly new experiences. Each day on site, I was learning something different, whether it was through observing Dr Ashraf Senussi as he worked on the site’s ceramic finds, receiving training on how to accurately register finds from previous seasons with Dr Marie-Lys Arnette, or documenting the contents of the storage magazine.
Working on some photography of pottery:
Growing in confidence
I soon fell into a rhythm, and my initial sense of shock and overwhelm gave way to a feeling of familiarity and growing confidence. Crossing the road no longer felt like an insurmountable task (I learned to trust Dr Chauvet when she repeatedly assured me that, as long as I didn’t run, cars would avoid me), the calls to prayer became a comforting way to mark the passing of time, and I quickly began to pick up more Arabic that allowed me to engage with people beyond my woefully limited repertoire of ‘thank you’ and ‘good morning’. Trips after work into Luxor gave me the perfect opportunity to practice, and I soon found myself befriending the locals, both human and feline.
At the Mut Complex, this growing sense of familiarity translated into a newfound confidence in my work. Tasks that initially felt daunting - handling fragile potsherds, registering finds with precision, and correctly setting up the photography equipment – became second nature. I started to feel a real sense of satisfaction and pride in the fact that we were contributing, even in a small way, to the understanding of a site which has been studied by scholars for generations.
Making friends with the local souq cats:
Reflection
As my time with the Mut Temple Project drew to a close, I found myself reflecting upon how much had changed in just a month. The place that had once felt overwhelming to me had become, in many ways, familiar and a source of great joy. The heat, the lively energy of the city, the pace of life, things which had initially startled me, had become part of my daily experience.
I can say with confidence that leaving Luxor was certainly more difficult than arriving. For someone who has long held a fascination with Egypt and its culture, this trip was not just a journey to a place I had studied: it was a complete immersion into a world that challenged, inspired, and ultimately deepened my connection to the field I hope to contribute to for years to come.
The ‘Liverpool’ team: Matthew Exley, (myself) Hannah Osborn, Violaine Chauvet:
