Zahi Hawass: The Giza Archives Project
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The Giza Archives Project at the MFA, directed by Egyptologist Peter Der Manuelian, strives to collect, digitize, and make accessible to the world community all the archaeological information about Giza. The Project is based in Boston because the Harvard University–Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition, directed by George A. Reisner (1867–1942), ran the longest excavations at the Pyramids from 1905 to 1947. The MFA in Boston houses the largest Giza archaeological archive in the world in its Ancient World Department.
Since its launch a few years ago, the Giza Archives Web site has posted hundreds of thousands of Giza items online for scholars and students of Old Kingdom culture to browse, study and even download for free. To date, people from over 70 countries have visited the Web site. By intelligently linking different types of data together, Web users can “reconstruct” the archaeological history of any tomb, statue, or monument at Giza. Powerful advanced search features can help students collect and study tomb wall scenes showing subjects such as musicians, livestock, festivals, or craftsmen at work.
By systematically gathering so many archaeological materials, the Giza Archives Project helps the SCA to protect the site for the world community. We can track the history of any tomb or wall scene or inscription, and see how it has changed over time, which provides valuable assistance to our important conservation and restoration work. As time passes and the monuments suffer from the elements, these archival photos and documents only increase in value.
The Giza Archives Web site now includes satellite photography, zoomable plans of countless tombs, and even Google Earth-like aerial photos where you can click on any tomb to see its information. You can also view any one of the 1,300 interactive, 360-degree spinning panoramas from all over the site, both inside and outside the tombs, which is a great way to experience those tombs that must remain closed to visitors in order to protect them.
Future plans include experiments with 3D real-time models of the entire Giza plateau, with links to the archaeological data; geophysical surveys of the site in collaboration with the SCA; and even “augmented reality” computer applications that will bring all the Giza data right to your Smartphone or other handheld device.
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