The equipment proposed for the project and described below represents an original technical innovation in the field.

Research on the propagation nature of the rock and soils in Egypt will convince the reader of the wisdom of using sonic devices for developing Images of the Valley subsurface[1]. Simply stated, in rock near the Nile, radar is blind. Also in that research appears the need to do propagation and imaging studies "hands on" and "on location".

If this equipment research bears fruit, the results will create a rush of demand. This will begin throughout areas of interest in Egypt. Then it would spread by license to the rest of the world. Such an outcome could ensure the continued funding of archaeological study for a good period to come.

The process is quite simple. The researchers decide what area of the rock to survey. Then they lay a chain of geophones on the surface in a near straight line. They place a seismic source (sounder) nearby. The sounder sends a single signal into the ground. The response from the geophones is recorded, each to its own channel. (MIDI capable recorders will do for that purpose.) The line of geophones is then moved and the process repeated. The number of recording moves depends on the capabilities of the Central Processing Unit(CPU).

In any event, positioning the probes and receivers at varying distances will provided guidance on the spot. The number of probes used in an interesting area and the nature of the signals returned determines the detail of the images such scans can give. The morphology of those images is the main purpose of the CPU, as is the processing of the video images taken during the work. It is essential that the researchers see every bit of information from each sounding as they possibly can. Second looks require second soundings.

The CPU would stay on board the vessel where the required clean and air-conditioned environment could be provided (see below). The signals go by microwave from the Sounding Processors to the CPU. For "hands on" probing at the Valley work site or elsewhere, a laptop can provide immediate rough results.

This is far beyond what is available off the shelf at present and would represent a major breakthrough in Egyptology. Because of the unusual dielectric conditions of Nile Valley geological conditions radar (electroma- gnetic) imaging works rarely or poorly. Imaging technique with electromag- netics is well advanced, but because of coupling problems, acoustic imaging techniques were less so. We have an advance in hand and want to use it.

This technique has already been tested in another venue. A group at Shiqmim in the Negev Desert in Israel has used a similar system. The team, headed by Tom Levy[2], used the technique to create tomographic cross- sections, that is, images of vertical slices of the ground below the line of microphones. In the evening, they applied certain proprietary software to produce three dimension color images of the volume in question. They did this on a workstation jammed into a rental van. Subsequent excavation proved the accuracy of their work.

The approach just described, though it covered much smaller areas that we had planned, has the advantage of being quicker to set up. With our more sophisticated image processing equipment, this technique could allow speedy coverage. With the numbers of natural fissures and fractures in most Nilotic bedrock areas, the approach allows quick analysis of changes in rock morphology.

The technology proposed is innovative. Its introduction to the field and its use presents certain logistical challenges. The equipment is new. It requires a highly stable environment. Hotel suites or apartments are expensive and distant from the site. A large motorhome cannot provide the uninterruptible power supply the equipment needs. A single power failure can destroy days'worth of precious data. Most of the gear needed would come from North America and in its most powerful versions usually adheres to North American power standards.

To consult back and forth on operating of this equipment with its sources in North America, an independent power supply is essential. If the project were a little more routine, we would not need this unusual requirement. Once it becomes routine, the need will disappear.

If any of this gear crashes, the loss of data could cause months of delay. Hence, surge free and continuous power is vital. Diesel generator systems require space. Space of the sort envisaged is not possible on usual wheeled accommodation. Further, space is a consideration for mobile homes or large trailers. Space must be rented and must be convenient.

Besides sand, Egypt has one space facility in abundance: the Nile. In Appendix A are illustrations of a small river boat and a small map of the West Bank at Luxor. This would meet the need for secure and easy access to our equipment and its processing computers. The riverboat, with its hydraulic driven paddlewheels, may seem dated but the drive gear works well in very shallow and driftwood ridden waters. Repairs to the propulsion are easy, rapid and cheap.

Its noted layout shows no accommodations but it can fully provide for four people continuously with small changes. Further, the vessel can hold easily all the computer equipment and the small all-terrain vehicle for local use. The vessel is essentially a large floating motor home. If necessary, it can be fully and powerfully air-conditioned. Also, its diesel drive auxiliary system can allow it to function nearly silently when not connected to mains. This makes it easy to use equipment made or bought in North America without retrofitting it to other voltages and frequencies. As pointed out earlier, this feature will save a significant amount of time getting the subsurface imaging systems working and making the usual exchanges of gear that speedy execution often needs.

Where any shelving bank exists, the vessel can winch herself ashore. The drawings do not show demountable sets of wheels that, together with the off-road vehicle already mentioned, would allow the vessel to move over roads.

Its height, when the tophamper folds, is less than a tractor-trailer. During the summer, when traffic in the Kings' Valley is light or non-existent, the vessel could be "moored" right near the work site. In any event, its presence in the canal off the village of Qurna would make work much easier.

1. "Electromagnetic Sounder Experiments at the Pyramids of Giza". Washington, D. C.: National Science Foundation, May 1975, pp. 65 - 73.
   
   
2. A. J. Witten, T. E. Levy, J. Ursic and P. White. "Geophysical Diffraction Tomography: New Views on the Shiqmim Prehistoric Subterranean Village Site (Israel)," Geoarchaeology 10:185-206 (1995).

Previous. - Next. - Home page.