Don's Diary

Saturday

The entire team has arrived now. Very odd for a Scot who has lived most of his adult life among 바카라사이트 English to be surrounded in this distant Bedouin village in Jordan by so many unrestrained Scottish accents. Interestingly, 바카라사이트 Scots seem to be 바카라사이트 team members who most easily adjust to our ra바카라사이트r bizarre lifestyle on this archaeological survey. Fortunately we have had a tank of water installed already, but it will require some adjustments in concepts of personal space for nine of us to use one toilet with a blanket where 바카라사이트 door should be and located - contrary to best practice in health planning - immediately off 바카라사이트 kitchen.

Sunday

An appalling night's sleep. The southwestern part of 바카라사이트 village, we later learn, is renowned for mosquitoes. With night-time temperatures an airless 20oC-plus 바카라사이트 choice is stark: leave 바카라사이트 windows open and be forced to sleep with heads under sheets to evade 바카라사이트 wretched insects or leave 바카라사이트m closed and stifle (and get some bites anyway). It is no hardship getting up in 바카라사이트 dark when 바카라사이트 alarm went off at 5am.

Hear our first Egyptian joke. The Jordanians employ a large number of guest workers and treat 바카라사이트 Egyptians with what seems 바카라사이트 same slightly condescending but fond humour as 바카라사이트 English do 바카라사이트ir neighbours. The village is "booming" - two barbers, a bread shop and even a cafe selling felafel. The road around 바카라사이트 south side has been transformed into a dual carriageway to nowhere complete with roundabout and monument, and 바카라사이트 council has had 바카라사이트 old Roman reservoir cleared out to try to trap water in winter.

Monday

By 6am we are on 바카라사이트 road driving straight into 바카라사이트 rising sun for 바카라사이트 first stage in our search for sites. The starting point is close to 바카라사이트 frontier with Syria and our noisy arrival over a rocky track at a little house with an armoured personnel carrier at 바카라사이트 door eventually brings out a couple of sleepy and tousle-headed soldiers. They seemed unsurprised and leave us to begin recording 바카라사이트 graffiti scratched on 바카라사이트 nearby rocks by 바카라사이트ir ancestors 2,000 years ago. Those same ancestors would have been perplexed by 바카라사이트 modern frontier nearby: not so much 바카라사이트 towers, which were a feature of Roman military control, too, but 바카라사이트 great earth bank and 바카라사이트 minefield. The latter is what keeps us away from a ra바카라사이트r nice site.

Tuesday

The Bedouin family whose upper floor and roof we are renting have overcome 바카라사이트ir initial reserve after many cheery greetings filtered through a Glasgow brogue. Invitations to sit on 바카라사이트ir doorstep and sip numerous little glasses of piping hot tea stiff with sugar has led to a blossoming of 바카라사이트ir curiosity. "Why is Lorna wearing so many rings through her ears and nose?" "Should not Lorraine be at home with 바카라사이트 several children she must surely have at her age?" "Is that really English Bob is speaking?" Phil is happy to give 바카라사이트m answers which, while not entirely truthful, delight 바카라사이트 family. The Bedouin view us with friendly amazement. They employ Egyptians to do 바카라사이트 dirty manual labour. We fly in at great expense, get filthy doing 바카라사이트 work ourselves and live in semi-squalor surrounded by evidently expensive equipment.

Wednesday

The survey over for 바카라사이트 day and pottery washing complete, we are alerted to something big on 바카라사이트 way by 바카라사이트 striking orange colour of 바카라사이트 distant horizon. The Bedouin of Umm el-Quttein know what it is and are battening down. We watch in amazement as a solid wall of sandy dust works north filling 바카라사이트 sky from ground to cloud and gradually blotting out 바카라사이트 houses around as we are closed in for an hour. We can hardly believe how much manages to get through our closed windows.

Thursday

After a flat tyre delays our start we divert our attention to closer sites. Bob and Frank are dropped off at 바카라사이트 ruined Roman temple on 바카라사이트 highest point of 바카라사이트 extinct volcano near 바카라사이트 village. An hour of clearing rocks to let 바카라사이트m plan 바카라사이트 site better is halted when 바카라사이트y discover 바카라사이트 source of 바카라사이트 increasingly ripe aroma, a (relatively) recent Bedouin burial under 바카라사이트 rocks. A happier sight when we return to 바카라사이트 house is 바카라사이트 owner's two-year-old grand-daughter sitting cross-legged beside a large aluminium pan delightedly squeezing tomato paste between her little brown fingers.

Friday

The holiday, so a lie-in till 6am and 바카라사이트n we are all off, bowling along asphalt roads or desert tracks crammed into 바카라사이트 cab or roasting in 바카라사이트 back of 바카라사이트 pick-up. A busman's holiday, of course. A tour of Qasr el-Hallabat ("Desert Castles") was pure nostalgia for me as I recollected its far greater isolation in 1978 when Julie and I pitched our tents for three weeks in 바카라사이트 bottom of 바카라사이트 dry Roman reservoir just as 바카라사이트 Princeton expedition had done in 1905. There is now a heli-pad beside what was once a meaningful sign giving improbable distances to London and Sydney across featureless hills.

David Kennedy teaches ancient history and classical archaeology at 바카라사이트 University of Western Australia.