Through Heat and Sand: Egyptology Students’ Fieldwork in Egyptian Museums and Necropolises

Saqqara

Photo courtesy of HSE expedition members

Students of the Bachelor’s in Egyptology at the Institute for Oriental and Classical Studies, HSE Faculty of Humanities, spent ten days in the extreme conditions of the Egyptian heat exploring ancient tombs, creating 3D models of reliefs, and mastering Egyptology not from textbooks but through direct engagement with monuments.

On July 7–16, 2025, a group of seven students completed their field placement in ‘Modern Methods of Studying and Museumification of Ancient Monuments in Egypt’ under the supervision of Ekaterina Alexandrova, Senior Research Fellow, Associate Professor at the Institute for Oriental and Classical Studies, and Academic Supervisor of the Egyptology programme. The training trip was organised in cooperation with the archaeological expedition of the RAS Institute of Oriental Studies at Gebel el-Nour, led by Maxim Lebedev. Thanks to the support of the Faculty of Humanities and external partners, the participants were able to immerse themselves in Egypt’s academic and museum environment, study monuments in situ, and master modern methods of documenting, analysing and presenting ancient Egyptian heritage.

From the Field Diary

• ‘We all successfully endured the ordeal of DAILY trips to archaeological sites, hours of walking in the intense heat, and early starts’—the group overcame various challenges and is proud of the result.
• ‘Crawling on my knees through narrow passages in the Meidum mastaba and swallowing dust (I enjoyed it, I want to do more)’—despite the difficulties, the students fell in love with fieldwork and are eager to continue.ё
• ‘Producing high-quality relief models seems a very worthwhile activity; I would like to try my hand at epigraphy’—the methods of photogrammetry they learned inspired further interest in the field.
• ‘I really liked the general atmosphere—it was friendly. We all went out for dinner together (including the “grown-ups”), shared experiences. Team-building is great’—informal communication proved key to success.

The expedition combined hands-on acquaintance with the latest technologies for recording monuments with critical reflection on the institutional history of Egyptology—a discipline shaped at the intersection of national interests, scholarly traditions, and museum strategies. At the heart of the placement was the comparison of different ways of presenting and publishing Egypt’s heritage—from experiencing monuments in their original natural and architectural context to their display in museum exhibitions and printed editions. The participants studied how antiquities are perceived and interpreted in an archaeological complex, a museum, and an academic publication, analysing how choices of presentation strategy affect understanding of a monument.

This experience is of particular importance in Egypt, where, after the introduction of a strict ban on the export of antiquities in the early 20th century, the country’s museums and archaeological sites became the only spaces providing unique opportunities for the professional development of Egyptologists. Only here is it possible not merely to work with a vast corpus of monuments but also to learn to perceive them in a holistic context—simultaneously as part of an archaeological ensemble, a museum collection, and a scholarly discourse.

Cairo: Museum Collections and First Adaptations

The fieldwork began with some technical hurdles: a three-hour flight delay and a complete mobile network outage in Cairo caused by a fire at a data centre.

First Reactions to Egypt

• Albina: Incredible. I can’t still believe I am here and finally breathing Egyptian air.
• Elizaveta: At last I’m here! The bustle, many people, and the haze over Cairo.
• Victoria: As soon as I left the airport, I felt unbearably hot (like stepping into a sauna). It’s noisy—shouting people and blaring car horns everywhere.
• Uliana: I spent the whole day in constant anxiety, it was stifling, voices in unfamiliar languages were all around me, but once we got into the minibus and reached the hotel, I finally felt calmer.

Once everyday matters were settled (currency exchange, buying SIM cards), the group began work in the old Egyptian Museum on Tahrir Square. Here the students unexpectedly found themselves practising monument identification without the help of captions—since part of the collection is being relocated to the new Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM). They had to apply their knowledge of monument composition and hieroglyphic reading to determine the names of the owners.

From the Field Diary

• Marina: What an immense body of knowledge you need to have! Walking through a museum devoted entirely to our field (and which holds only a fraction of the monuments), in every hall you come across something new and realise it’s impossible to know and understand everything.
• Elizaveta: You need expertise in related disciplines—archaeology, museology and others—as well as knowledge of different spheres of Egyptology: royal power, art, funerary cults, and so on. Of course, it was clear before that one needs a broad range of competences, but here this becomes much more apparent when you see everything in real life.

The visit to the Grand Egyptian Museum demonstrated modern approaches to exhibiting Egyptian heritage. Particularly striking were the interactive installations, including animated reconstructions of the expedition to Punt, scenes from the tomb of Khnumhotep, and a journey through the Duat from the Book of Two Ways.

Giza: Architectural Complexes and Digital Epigraphy

For two days the group studied the Giza necropolis, paying particular attention to the technical aspects of construction. A visit to the temple of Menkaure made it possible to analyse unfinished structures and to understand methods of working construction materials. In the pyramid-builders’ settlement the students gained insight into the social organisation of ancient Egyptian building projects. Practical training in digital epigraphy began with photographing reliefs for subsequent creation of 3D models. The students experimented with shooting from different angles and managing light conditions for computer processing.

The Most Memorable Moments of the Day

• Victoria: Discovering original inscriptions and reliefs on the walls: some of them weren’t especially informative, but even finding a fragment of an inscription in the field brought very strong emotions. In those moments Egyptian culture felt more real than ever—not just pictures on a phone but actual traces of a real ancient civilisation.
• Pavel: Visiting the pyramid-builders’ settlement. In one of the tombs, which we had to climb a hill to reach, there was a wonderfully refreshing draught. At that moment the tomb’s functional and emotional aspects became clearer: on a deeply instinctive level you feel the importance of a cool, enclosed space in the desert, both for the deceased and for the tomb’s visitors.

Saqqara: Chronological Cross-Sections and Epigraphic Material

Two days in Saqqara proved central for understanding the evolution of Egyptian architecture and the development of tomb decoration. The Djoser complex illustrated the transition from mudbrick to stone construction. The mastabas of Ti, Kagemni, and Mereruka presented classical examples of Old Kingdom art, while the pyramids of Unas and Teti, with the Pyramid Texts, contained the earliest religious writings.

The contrast between Old and New Kingdom monuments became especially clear when visiting the New Kingdom necropolis (the tombs of Horemheb, Pay, and Raia). The students documented differences in architectural solutions, the quality and character of hieroglyphs, cult scenes, and ‘scenes from daily life’ that Egyptian artisans placed on chapel walls in different periods.

From the Field Diary

Pavel: Over the past few days I’ve trained my eye quite well in typology. When you look at a relief, an inscription or a statue with your own eyes, especially in its original context, you quickly learn to distinguish which elements are frequent and ordinary, and which are unusual and unique. When all this is scattered across dozens of books, it’s a million times harder to perceive.

Alexandria

The visit to Alexandria broadened the chronological scope of the fieldwork by including the Graeco-Roman period—and provided a welcome sea breeze after several days in desert necropolises. The Catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa and the Graeco-Roman Museum introduced the students to the interplay of Egyptian and Classical traditions.

Lahun, Meidum, Dahshur

Excursions to Lahun (Middle Kingdom) and to Meidum and Dahshur (the pyramids of Sneferu) brought the fieldwork to a close. Particular interest was sparked by mastaba no. 17 at Meidum, where traces of ancient tomb robbers survive—including an original hammer.

What Did the Students Learn?

The fieldwork conditions proved demanding: the heat reached +35–38°C, and the heavy physical exertion required constant effort. ‘Patience, resilience and endurance—these applied to every single day of our fieldwork,’ (from the field diary). Descending into burial chambers was a serious challenge: the steep stairways turned out to be more difficult than expected, especially in cramped conditions with poor ventilation. Even the mastaba chapels became stuffy very quickly. Yet the experience of being in the Egyptian context and encountering monuments in person served as a powerful motivation, offsetting the physical difficulties: ‘It’s amazing to find things you’ve only ever seen in photographs,’ (from the field diary). Despite the challenges, during the placement the students not only adapted to extreme conditions but also mastered specific methods of fieldwork.

Photogrammetry of Reliefs

The students worked through the entire cycle of creating 3D models of ancient Egyptian reliefs. On site they practised photography techniques taking into account light and perspective.

‘I now understand which camera settings to use, what to capture and how, in order to get sharp and meaningful pictures,’—Uliana, from the field diary.

In the evenings—during lectures, in groups and independently—the participants processed the photographs they had taken, creating digital models.

GIS and GPS Coordinates

As part of the fieldwork, the students compiled a database to form a geographic information system (GIS) of the monuments they visited. This required identifying exact coordinates, which in field conditions can be recorded using a mobile phone. Georeferencing the monuments provides a foundation for future GIS projects and for monitoring the condition of the sites (see the interactive map above; additional illustrated maps are currently in preparation).

Epigraphic Analysis

Practical work with hieroglyphic texts on monuments enabled the students to compare field-based reading with study-room methods. They practised recognising eroded and damaged signs and working under poor lighting conditions. ‘Deciphering inscriptions and reliefs turned out to be harder than expected. I’m used to seeing them on a tablet—in high quality, with neat drawings—whereas real reliefs and inscriptions in the field are often barely visible. It’s amazing how experienced Egyptologists manage to read them and make sense of what they see,’—Victoria, from the field diary.

The placement demonstrated the importance of an interdisciplinary approach, combining traditional archaeological methods with digital documentation technologies and contemporary museum practice. Collaboration with Egyptian colleagues highlighted the value of intercultural cooperation in Egyptological research. Acquaintance with current excavations and restoration projects gave the group an insight into the present state of field archaeology in Egypt.

Egyptology is a complex discipline. There is indeed much work ahead of us as future Egyptologists—Elizaveta.

Advice for Future Participants

• ‘For the extreme heat, choose clothing made only from breathable fabrics,’ recommends Victoria. ‘None of our group ever fainted in the desert largely because we were all dressed appropriately (and of course everyone wore a head covering). Listen to your body, and if you feel unwell, inform your supervisor immediately. There is nothing frightening or shameful in that—even if you are the only one, it isn’t a sign of weakness, but rather of responsibility and awareness.’
• Elizaveta advises paying attention to footwear: ‘Before bringing shoes on fieldwork, test them in Moscow (especially if you bought them specifically for the trip), so that you don’t end up discovering in Egypt that they’re uncomfortable and cause blisters.’

Despite the climatic challenges, the intensive programme covered the full spectrum of Egyptian antiquities and laid the groundwork for the participants’ future research projects.