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KAFR HASSAN DAWOOD
On-Line
THE UNESCO TRAINING PROGRAMME
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The main objective of the UNESCO World Heritage Fund training programme was to provide on-site acquisition of archaeological skill and experience in the course of a “real” archaeological project. This unique opportunity was made possible by the collaboration of several institutions and a vision of training that is not limited to contact between instructors and trainees in a classroom situation away from site, or at a location where they attend and leave.
The training programme consisted of three parts. In Part I, the trainees were introduced to the fundamentals of surveying, mapping, surface collection, geophysical techniques, and excavation. In part II, they attend lectures in a Lecture Hall at the site equipped with an overhead projector, a slide projector, and a white board. In the Third Part, the students, having gained specialized information in specific subjects were equipped to go back to the site to apply their newly acquired knowledge where they were guided by the tutors.
The objectives also included providing the students with a tool kit, which they kept, after the completion of the training programme. They were also provided by hand-outs and technical modules.
In the field, work also continued on the preparation of ‘An Archaeology Field Guide’ in Arabic. The field guide is extracted from a larger work now in preparation by Prof. Hassan and G. J. Tassie.
It was also emphasized throughout the programme the importance of international conventions for the protection of world archaeological heritage and methods of cultural heritage management. Specific attention was paid to the scope, role and mechanics of the World Heritage Convention.
The details of the training programme are as follows:
UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE FUND
TRAINING PROGRAMME
1998/9 KAFR HASSAN DAWOOD, EAST DELTA, EGYPT
PART 1
FIELD METHODOLOGY I
Instructors: Staff
Fundamentals of Excavation methods
Basic Concepts
Grid
Operation
Locus/Context
Lot
Level
Feature
Artefact
Special Finds
Stratum, Strata, Stratification
Mapping
Drawing Sections
Drawing Plans
Identification of Sediments
Microstratigraphy
PART II
TRAINING PROGRAMME LECTURES
Instructional Schedule
10:00-12:00 AM
13:00-15:00 PM
THEME 1
Instructor: Prof. Fekri A. Hassan
Archaeological Excavations and Surveying
Objectives
Sites and Society
From Settlements to Sites
Organizing Archaeological Expeditions
THEME 2
Instructor: Prof. Fekri A. Hassan
Cultural Heritage Management
UNESCO 1970 & 72 World Cultural Heritage Conventions (Scope, role, mechanisms)
1995 UNIDROIT Convention
Recommendation on International Principles Applicable to Archaeological Excavations
THEME 3
Instructor: Dr. M. Abdel Rahman
Surveying
Introduction to topographic maps
Establishing a datum and levelling
Surveying Equipment
The Brunton Compass
The Automatic Level
The Transit/Theodolite
The Alidade
Global Positioning System (GPS)
THEME 4
Instructor: Dr. Hala Barakat
Environmental Archaeology
Plants in archaeological sites
Field recovery of plant remains
Seeds and Fruits
Wood
Phytoliths and other plant remains
Climate and Vegetation
THEME 5
Instructors: Prof. Simon Hillson and Dr. Teri L. Tucker
Excavation and Field Study of Human Skeletal Remains
Bioarchaeology
Bones of the human skeleton
Determination of sex and age
Evidence of accidents, disease, deformities, and work-related anomalies
Teeth
THEME 6
Instructor: Ashraf El-Senoussi
Field Description and Analysis of Pottery
Methods of manufacture
Attribute Analysis
Colour
Temper
Surface
Decoration
Pottery and Society (Gender, Social Organization)
Seriation
Residues
Design Analysis
THEME 7
Instructor: Amanda Sutherland
Field Conservation in Archaeology
Causes of decay and deterioration of artefacts
Post-excavation environment and deterioration
Assessment of the condition of artefacts
Description of the condition of artefacts
Mending
Equipment
Stabilization and Consolidation
Lifting and Recovery in the Field
Packing and Removal
THEME 8
Instructor: Ken Walton
Field Photography in Archaeology
Equipment
Taking Pictures
Film types
Shutter speed
Aperture
Depth of Field
The Photographic Log
Special Tasks
Excavations
Stratigraphic Profiles
Panoramas
Objects
Studio Lighting
Recent Advances in Field Photography (Digital Photography)
THEME 9
Instructor: Professor Adel Yehia
Remote Sensing and Space Archaeology
Aerial Photographs
Mosaics
Satellite Images
Satellite Imaging Radar
Image Processing
THEME 10
Instructor: Professor Adel Yehia
Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
PART III
FIELD METHODOLOGY II (Staff)
Archives
Curation
Preparation of Report
Drafting
Photocopy
Typing
Editing
Production

Figure 30. The northern area of excavations at KHD looking north with site photographer Ken Walton in the centre of the photgraph.

Figure 31. Panoramic view of the site looking West.

Figure 32. A misty dawn start to work, the site of KHD looking East from the roof of the Excavation centre.

Figure 33. View of the southern part of the Western Cemetery looking South.

Figure 34. Northern wing of the Field Archaeology Research and Training Centre

Figure 35. View of the excavated southern part of the Western Cemetery looking West.
Acknowledgements
The 1998/9, UNESCO Training Programme could not have been achieved without Professor Gaballa A. Gaballa’s determination and personal interest in developing a training programme to safeguard Egyptian cultural resources. His directives and frequent interventions, including a visit to the site, have been effective in facilitating our task. We are also indebted to Dr. M. Abdel- Maksoud, who was enthusiastic and supportive of the project. His frequent visits to the site and intimate knowledge of the threats to Egyptian cultural heritage, and his efforts to minimise bureaucratic entanglements are most appreciated. We are also thankful and grateful to Professor Peter Ucko, Director of the Institute of Archaeology, UCL, who has a keen interest in the protection and management of the world’s cultural heritage, and who has been instrumental in encouraging the active participation of the staff and students from the Institute of Archaeology in the current project. We are also thankful to Prof. Adel Yehia for logistic support and for making available the resources of his prestigious scientific institution, the Egyptian National Remote Sensing Centre and Space Sciences.
The training project was first discussed with Mr. L. Lévi-Strauss, and we are most grateful for welcoming our initiative. We are also most grateful to Dr. Georges S. Zouain, UNESCO World Cultural Heritage, for advice and support. We are especially grateful to the National Geographic Society, the Institute of Archaeology, and the Bioanthropology Foundation for financial support.
We are also grateful to the training staff for their patience and enthusiastic dedication under difficult field conditions. We are also appreciative and heartened by the great interest and willingness to learn.
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