Download a PDF of our 2010 Annual Report - Ancient Egypt ...

18
A Community of Archaeologists:
The AERA Egypt Center
The Center works and we love it! Thank you everyone for
your help. It is now a critical component of our operations
in Giza.
AERA purchased a villa with land near the Pyramids on
February 24, 2009, and in one year we developed it into a
research and education center. The main goals this fiscal year
were to make the center functional for our 2010 field school and
season and to develop plans for additional construction.
Right on schedule we opened the AERA Egypt Center on
March 1, 2010, for our 2010 season, after months of preparation.
In late November, 2009, a construction crew broke ground
on our first addition to the property: a single-story brick building
with rooms for our support staff, a new laundry, kitchen
storeroom, and bathroom. Three months later we completed
the final touches. In keeping with the Middle Eastern tradition
of using rooftops, we turned the top into a large open-air
classroom and work area, 13 × 60 feet, with a white tile floor.
A reed-matting canopy covers half of the area and offers shelter
from the sun. The remaining open area provides natural
light for working. We equipped the space with three large work
tables, chairs, and ample electrical outlets for computers and
Ancient Egypt Research Associates 2009–2010 Annual Report
projectors. For privacy, the construction crew raised the outer
wall of the compound 12 feet. This tall barrier, as it turns out,
also buffers noise from the street, right on the other side of the
compound wall, making for a quieter classroom and villa.
Meanwhile, we outfitted the villa with good quality, functional
furniture. We purchased wicker furniture with cotton
padding for outdoors, good wooden chairs for the dinning
room, and stackable, padded metal chairs for the library/lecture
room. We hired a skilled carpenter, Omar Sha�aban, who
crafted floor-to-ceiling bookcases and a ladder for the archive
room, four large wooden tables for the library and dining room,
two beautiful map cases for our archives, and even beds.
With the support building completed and the villa furnished
by February, we began moving in. The computer/GIS
room allowed us to unpack all of our computers, printers, and
digitizing pads. The building features wireless as well as Ethernet
access in every room. Camilla Mazzucato, GIS Director, spread
out her large digitizing pad. Mari Rygh and Soha Kamel organized
16 years of notes and maps on shelves and in map cases.
We will never again have to pack up all our notes, books, and
delicate equipment for storage during the off-season.