Desert Dogs

Dawn, Sean and I are making tons of progress with our survey work. In fact, we are just about done with the site map, including all mounds that probably mark the locations of ancient structures. To finish up our plan, we had to shoot in points on the outskirts of site, which meant walking long distances in the heat of the day (it took fifteen minutes to walk from the total station to our backsight). The worst part of this walk: Dogs.

Apparently one of the site's neighbors is a farmer who owns a pack of dogs, who enjoy barking at whoever comes by. They can get pretty aggressive and will keep creeping closer to you as you pass by, which I find terrifying. It's not so much that I am afraid of being torn apart—the dogs are mostly just bullies. There are a few large ones, accompanied by small yappy dogs who add their barking to the fray and try to act all tough. Toadies.

The worst was yesterday, when I was alone at the total station near the road, and the dogs started crossing the street to bark at and harass me. I have had a middle class suburban upbringing, and I have never met a dog that wasn't somebody's pampered pet. It was so freaky to be reminded that cute puppies are not always even remotely cute, and that one nip can get me shipped to Cairo for a bunch of rabies shots. I didn't know what to do, so I called someone who would. She told me to get ready to throw rocks, and sent a worker over who only had to WALK AT the dogs to make them back off. Apparently stray dogs are taught to fear beatings from puppyhood, and know that a human carrying a rock can mean some serious pain.

Aside from the hellhounds, I'm still enjoying wandering through the desert. Today Sean and I got to help Dawn with a basic surface survey. We went from mound to mound assessing the relative frequency of various ancient materials that have made their way to the surface. Since it is so hot outside, we also occasionally take breaks, which often result in impressive art made from sand, stones, and potsherds. We have termed some of our efforts "sherd art," or "shart." (Ha ha.) Here is a pretty sweet chicken head, courtesy of Dawn:



And Sean decided to do an homage to the pyramids this afternoon:



Surveying has been a ton of fun, even though it's physically tiring. I'm so glad I got to learn the basics this season. I haven't noticed any change in my appearance, but when I forgot something in my room this morning, I bounded up two flights of stairs and was on my way back down again before I realized I didn't feel tired at all. Progress!