Exciting news on the block yard project! After several weeks, we're finally able to start putting the blocks onto the benches for conservation with the help of our amazingly strong guys. It's so exciting to see these things finally in their final resting places. Next year, the exposed brick with be covered and painted, but with only a few days left to the season, this is how they have to stay for now. Look how far the project has come:
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| The block yard when we arrived. |
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| After we moved most of the blocks to the other side of the walkway for analysis and so the benches could be built. |
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| Trenches being dug for bench foundations. |
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| Bench foundations poured. |
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| Then the layers of cement, bricks, tar, and sand. |
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| Slowly, they start to look like benches! |
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| A coat of lime paint gets added as a final barrier to water. |
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| 2 benches full of blocks. Don't they look good? |
Next season, Jonathan and I will continue epigraphy, recording, and conservation of the blocks. As of right now, every block has a database entry, a high-quality photo, and measurements. By the end of next season, we hope that every block will also have a full database description (including transliterations and translations of texts) and epigraphic drawings.
