Ancient Egypt Rises Again as Water Recedes

FrontLines ^ | December 2009-January 2010 | Analeed Marcus

[SunkenCiv]

Medinet Habu lies miles away from the more famous Luxor and Karnak Temples but, unlike these two World Heritage Sites on the Nile's East Bank where a USAID-funded dewatering project has slowed the rate of deterioration, the West Bank temple continues to decay due to groundwater intrusion. Building structures become porous and cracked by rising groundwater levels. The wall surfaces where hieroglyphics and drawings are etched have begun falling away.

"The surface is sloughed off the stone, like skin," Johnson said.

Though some buildings have stood since 2000 B.C., neighboring sugarcane irrigation has caused water levels to rise and bring salt into the base of the ancient buildings, Johnson said. When the water recedes, salt crystals swell and shatter the fragile stone. Field scientists also fear that global climate change has begun to speed the ruin of these ancient structures.

"If the damage were allowed to continue, temples like Karnak and Luxor would start to collapse. You'd see structural failure," Johnson said. "There are places where the stone is literally turning to sand before your eyes... It's so wet and saturated."

USAID has spent $100 million in 30 years to preserve the ancient monuments, USAID's Egypt Director Hilda Arellano said. USAID has worked on more than 70 antiquities conservation projects at 30 historical sites.

"It's the challenging projects that are always the most important and the most rewarding," she said.

[SunkenCiv]

At the 3,300-year-old Karnak Temple, dedicated to the ancient Egyptian god Amun, USAID-funded archeologists from the American Research Center in Egypt and Chicago House inspect and preserve a recently-discovered room. The room has yet to be seen by tourists and retains much of its original colors and ancient etchings. [Analeed Marcus]

"FrontLines is published by the Bureau for Legislative and Public Affairs, U.S. Agency for International Development"

[SunkenCiv]

· join list or digest · view topics · view or post blog · bookmark · post a topic · subscribe ·
	Gods Graves Glyphs	To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list. GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother, and Ernest_at_the_Beach
·Dogpile · Archaeologica · LiveScience · Archaeology · Biblical Archaeology Society · · Discover · Nat Geographic · Texas AM Anthro News · Yahoo Anthro & Archaeo · Google · · The Archaeology Channel · Excerpt, or Link only? · cgk's list of ping lists ·

[edpc]

Though some buildings have stood since 2000 B.C., neighboring sugarcane irrigation has caused water levels to rise and bring salt into the base of the ancient buildings, Johnson said. When the water recedes, salt crystals swell and shatter the fragile stone. Field scientists also fear that global climate change has begun to speed the ruin of these ancient structures.

Yeah, but let's completely ignore the fact irrigation is what's causing the problem. What idiocy.

[GSP.FAN]

So buildings that have been covered since 2000bc are being revealed.
What kind of SUV’s where the Egyptians driving that caused this disaster?

[SaraJohnson]

It’s always somthin’.

[Bernard Marx]

What idiocy

Here's your answer: "FrontLines is published by the Bureau for Legislative and Public Affairs, U.S. Agency for International Development

[ZULU]

“Field scientists also fear that global climate change has begun to speed the ruin of these ancient structures. “

They LOST me when they got to this drivel.

[wildbill]

If the irrigation of neighboring sugar cane fields is raising the water table, the global warnming mention completely is a non sequitur.

Unless the argument is that only global warming has made Egypt hot enough to raise sugar cane which it was not able to do over the last 2000 years. It was able to irrigate agriculture only since the famous hockey stick showed that all natural weather phenomina are the result of Man.