Preserving Egypt's Cultural Heritage

Book excerpt: Sites and artifacts conserved under the direction of the American Research Center in Egypt.Under the directorship of the late Robert K. Vincent, Jr., conservation projects funded by USAID in collaboration with Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities ranged widely in their scope. Information about early animal domestication was compiled from prehistoric sites in the Sinai; the shatteredsarcophagus of Ramesses VI was reassembled in his tomb; exquisite Greco-Roman mosaics were conserved in Alexandria, and fine Coptic wall paintings were cleaned. The wooden door leaves of Bab Zuwayla were saved from decay, and numerous training programs were conducted, including archaeological fieldschools for Egyptian antiquities inspectors.