Research Activities | 2016

Kansai University signed an agreement with the Bahrain Ministry of Culture, and began research into preservation and conservation at the Barbar Temple, one of the cultural heritage sites in Bahrain.

In November (2016), Hiroshi Suita, Eriko Oka (Egyptology, Egyptian Society Group), Ahmed Shoeib, Adel Akarish, Maisa Mansour (Cultural Heritage Restoration Group), Atsushi Ito, Hiroaki Tsuruta, Yoshihiro Yasumuro, and Yoshinobu Nakamura (Science and Technology Group) conducted a field work in the Kingdom of Bahrain. In the field, the team measured the entire site by drone, measured the stone strength at the site, and in addition checked the state of preservation of the temple, comparing it to past excavation reports.

In March 2017, Hiroshi Suita, Salah el-Kholy (Egyptology, Egyptian Society Group), Ahmed Shoeib, Adel Akarish, Maisa Mansour (Cultural Heritage Restoration Group), Atsushi Ito, Hiroaki Tsuruta, Yoshihiro Yasumuro, and Yoshinobu Nakamura (Science and Technology Group) conducted a field work at the Barbar Temple and Al-Khamis Mosque in Bahrain. In Barbar Temple, the team continued the previous works by measuring the strength of bedrock in situ, and recording the overhead image of the site by drone. The team also proceeded three-dimensional measuring of the whole site with 3D laser scanner as well as taking photographs of current conditions of the site to compare with the excavation records in the past. Furthermore, the team recorded Al-Khamis Mosque with the drone and 3D laser scanner. Based on the efforts of these surveys, the Center will proceed the full scale study on preservation and conservation of cultural heritage in Bahrain.

The Center conducted a field work in Saqqara, Egypt, from March 3 to 11, 2016. In the field work, which was carried on from the previous work, the team did experiments and discussions that were aimed at strengthening the bedrock of the Idout burial chamber. The interior of the Mastaba burial chamber of Idout consists of fragile bedrock, known as the Mar layer, and the issue of how to strengthen the rock that supports the murals is important. In order to solve this problem, the team is continuing experiments and discussions from the first year. In the season this time, important chemical experiments were carried out that explored the best way of strengthening the bedrock.

From August 6 to August 21, 2016, Hiroshi Suita, Salah el-Kholy, Eriko Oka (Egyptology, Egyptian Society Group), Ahmed Shoeib, Adel Akarish, Maisa Mansour, Rafał Kuhn (Cultural Heritage Restoration Group), Hiroaki Tsuruta, Yoshihiro Yasumuro, Yoshinobu Nakamura (Science and Technology Group), and Mr. Masahiro Ikenaga (Faculty of Environmental and Urban Engineering, Kansai University) conducted a field research at Saqqara, Egypt.

In this season, attendees worked on experiments to strengthen the bedrock in Mastaba burial chamber of Idout, carried out a GPR survey of the ceiling section, and engaged in discussions that were central to deciding the policy for future works. In the discussions, Rafał Kuhn (Cultural Heritage Restoration Group), an expert on restoring Polish mural paintings, and Center members exchanged opinions regarding the conservation in the burial chamber based on the actual state of its preservation, and the members were able to establish more specifically the prospects for the future preservation and restoration activities in the burial chamber. In addition, image measurement was carried out of the shaft section by Yoshihiro Yasumuro (Science and Technology Group) and a survey was conducted of Saqqara village by Eriko Oka (Egyptology, Egyptian Society Group).

In November 2016, Hiroshi Suita (Egyptology, Egyptian Society Group), Ahmed Shoeib, Adel Akarish (Cultural Heritage Restoration Group), Atsushi Ito, Hiroaki Tsuruta, and Yoshinobu Nakamura (Science and Technology Group) of the Center conducted a field research in Saqqara, Egypt. In the season, the team checked the results of the experiment carried out in the 2016 summer, and examined the prospects for future works.

In March 2017, Hiroshi Suita (Egyptology, Egyptian Society Group), Ahmed Shoeib, Adel Akarish (Cultural Heritage Restoration Group), Nobuyuki Fujii (Resercher at CHC) conducted the continuous researches at Mastaba, Idout in Saqqara, Egypt. In this season, the Center held the collaborative workshop among the experts of Poland, Egypt, and Japan. This workshop aimed to extend technical Egyptian murals. Through the lectures on conservation of cultural properties and the practice of facing, detaching and backing of mural paintings using the imitations, the participants exchanged their knowledge and skills on conservation of murals.

From February 20 to 25, 2017, the Center held a Seminar on the Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Properties, following on a seminar held last academic year on the same topic. We invited researchers and technicians at the cutting edge of the fields to address the seminar as lecturers. The Seminar consisted of full-scale lectures, and was open to both students and members of the general public who wanted to learn about the science of cultural properties in a multifaceted manner.

From the Center, the Seminar was given lectures by Hiroshi Suita (Egyptology, Egyptian Society Group), Atsushi Ito (Science and Technology Group), Yoshihiro Yasumuro (Science and Technology Group), and Kosuke Takatori (Science and Technology Group).

Attendees had the chance to learn about a wide variety of topics, ranging from basic know-how about cultural properties to real-life examples of their conservation.

From January 23 to February 5, 2017, Salah el-Kholy (Egyptology, Egyptian Society Group), visited Japan and lectured Kansai University students on hieratic script and Late Egyptian language.

Covering The Tale of the Shipwrecked Sailor, the lecture on hieratic script worked on deciphering and comprehending a text in hieratic. Also, the lecture on Late Egyptian involved practical instruction on grammar, through studying the Instructions of Amenemope. Lectures on such topics as hieratic script and the grammar of the Late Egyptian language are exceptionally precious in Japan, and this lecture program gave students a good opportunity to encounter new knowledge.

Mr. Masakazu Naruse (formerly a member of the Shosoin Temple Office of the Imperial Household Agency) gave intensive lectures on “Scientific Research on Cultural Properties B” from January, 2017.

This lecture courses offered a basic introduction on using the natural sciences in the preservation and conservation of cultural properties, and it aimed to deepen the attendees’ understanding of the application of preservation and conservation techniques by discussing real-life examples of these techniques in action.

On January 25 in 2017, they visited the studio of Mr. Kenichiro Yano, an expert in the restoration of Buddha statues. Participants had the opportunity to get a close-up look at the repair of Buddha statue on-site. Afterwards, the participants learned about restoration methods applied to cultural properties such as metal and wooden artifacts and earthenware at the Gangoji Institute for Research of Cultural Property.

The Center held the class of “Reading of Middle Egyptian Texts” on the three days of November 12, 19, 26, 2016.

The course was designed for those who have some experience learning ancient Egyptian language and for those who were interested in the society and culture of ancient Egypt, and many people participated, including graduates of the introduction course.

In the course, students were able to deepen their knowledge about the culture and society of ancient Egypt by reading the Story of Sinuhe, inscriptions from the Middle Kingdom period, and hieroglyphic texts on a shrine of Tutankhamen whilst at the same time trying out what they learned in the introduction course.

The Center awarded the students who completed all three lectures with the “Reading of Middle Egyptian Texts” certifi cate of completion.

On October 29, 2016, the Center held a public symposium “Preservation of Egyptian Monuments” at the Kansai University Tokyo Center.

At the symposium, there was an activity report by our researchers working on the preservation and restoration of the Mastaba of Idout in Saqqara, as well as reports on the latest on-site conservations from Mr. Sabry Abdel Ghafar and Mr. Shehab Fadel, who are responsible for the preservation and conservation in the Cairo region and Middle Egypt.

In Mr. Abdel Ghafarʼs presentation, he introduced the preservation and conservation activities at the Maya tomb of the New Kingdom period, using the preservation of the murals, which had serious underground damage similar to at Idout, as an example. In Mr. Fadelʼs presentation, he introduced the steady restoration activities at the Malawi National Museum, where many of the cultural artefacts suffered damage or were looted in the 2013 riot.

In addition, based on the ICOM Kyoto Convention (International Museum Conference) to be held in 2019, Nobuyuki Fujii, a researcher at our Center, introduced Egyptian cultural heritage in Japan.

The symposium was attended by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary from the Egyptian Embassy in Japan, and H. E. Mr. Ismail Khairat discussed the importance of cooperative relations with regards to the cultural heritage of Japan and Egypt.

⑴ Hiroshi SUITA(Egyptology, Egyptian Society Group),Tadateru NISHIURA(Cultural Heritage Restoration Group), "CHC Reserch Project in Egypt"

⑵ Ahmed SHOEIB(Cultural Heritage Restoration Group),Adel AKARISH(Cultural Heritage Restoration Group), "Conservation and Restoration of Archaeological Sites in Saqqara"

⑶ Yoshihiro YASUMURO(Science and Technology Group), "Digital Archival System for Restoration in Saqqara"

⑷ Atsushi ITO, Tatsuaki NISHIGATA, Yoshinobu NAKAMURA, Hiroaki TSURUTA(Science and Technology Group), "Investigation of the Mother Rock in Mastaba of Idout"

⑸ Sabry ABDEL GHAFAR(General Director of Conservation ad Restoration of the Greater Cairo, Ministry of Antiquities), "Conservation and Restoration in Giza: Maya Tomb in Saqqara"

⑹ Shehab Hussein Abdel Naser FADEL(General Director of Conservation and Restoration ), "Conservation and Restoration Works in El-Minya: Artifacts of Mallawi National Museum and Archaeological Sites"

⑺ Nobuyuki FUJII (Resercher at CHC, Kansai University), "Egyptian Cultural Properties in Japan"

In August, 2016, a letter of thanks was sent to Kansai University and to Hiroshi Suita (Egyptology, Egyptian Society Group), the director of the Center, from Mr. Mostafa Abdel-Fatah, General director of Giza restoration, and from Mr. Ashraf Youssef, General Director of Saqqara Conservation and Restoration Administration. The letter was an expression of thanks and appreciation for Kansai University’s work in the preservation and restoration of cultural properties in Saqqara, and it expressed expectations for the creation of even stronger relationships between Japan and Egypt in the conservation of cultural properties in the future. Thanks were also conveyed to the Center’s researchers and administration staff.

On July 31, 2016, the Center hosted the “Seminar on Egyptology.” For the Seminar, we invited experts who were currently at the forefront of Egyptian Studies and who gave lectures on the themes of history in ancient Egypt; Early Dynastic Period, Old Kingdom period; New Kingdom period, and Third Intermediate Period (the Libyan Dynastic Period). Each lecture was filled with enriching contents, and not only did they provide outline of the themes in question, but they turned out to be quite thorough, reporting on their research history and recent research trends.

From our Center, Hiroshi Suita (Egyptology, Egyptian Society Group) and Nobuyuki Fujii (Researcher at the Center) gave lectures.

Mr. Masakazu Naruse (formerly a member of the Shosoin Temple Office of the Imperial Household Agency) gave intensive lectures on “Scientific Research on Cultural Properties A” from July 27 to 29, 2016. This lecture courses offered a basic introduction on using the natural sciences in the preservation and conservation of cultural properties, and it aimed to deepen the attendees’ understanding of the application of preservation and conservation techniques by discussing real-life examples of these techniques in action.

On July 29 (Friday), students visited Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties where he explained about the instruments and of methods used for analysis, where Mr. Naruse gave an outline of research using CT scans and terahertz waves, and methods for treating and preserving wood. In the afternoon, they visited Shosoin, where they listened to an explanation on the research and preservation of the treasures there, and they were allowed to observe up close the storage rooms at Shosoin.

From May 28 (Saturday) to June 18 (Saturday) 2016, the center held a class of “Introduction of Middle Egyptian language” which consisted of 4 intensive lectures.

Students studied in these intensive lectures how to read words and recognize word boundaries, how to use a dictionary, as well as the basic grammar as it is seen in actual written materials from ancient Egypt. Through the course, students became able to understand some of the grammatical points of the Middle Egyptian language.

This course was held for those learning the Middle Egyptian language for the fi rst time, but a wide range of people with an interest in ancient Egypt participated, of all ages, including course stsudents from the previous two years.

The Center awarded students who completed all four lectures with the “Introduction of Middle Egyptian language” certificate of completion.