Excavation and restoration project in meidum (egypt) 1997-2004

Between 1997 and 2004, the Clos Archaeological Foundation conducted four campaigns at the Meidum archaeological site. The works carried out were as follows:

• Topographic survey of the site: A trilingual plan has been prepared that includes both identifiable structures on land and work areas attached to different objectives of the mission, as well as all archaeological elements that are not visible but which appear in earlier works.
• Restoration-preservation of mastaba no. 16: After conducting the tests necessary in order to determine the most suitable materials, emergency measures were taken in sectors exposed by other missions. Finally, a reconstruction test was conducted on a small section of wall next to the chapel of Nefermaat as a proposal that could be applied along the whole length of eastern face.
• The location and excavation of archaeological structures: according to records, to the east of the mastaba of Nefermaat there is a sector of necropolis comprised of two sepulchral ensembles that consist of two chapels excavated in the rock with various wells and sepulchral chambers. The persons buried are in a foetal position resting on their left-hand side, and have virtually no funerary equipment.  A number of fragments of ceramics have been recovered from the wells and the chapel. These fragments indicate that these tombs date from some time between the start of the 4th Dynasty and the end of the 5th Dynasty.