November 29, 2018，Archaeological workers from the Institute of Archeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities，A simple but far-reaching groundbreaking ceremony was held at the ruins bet365 voucher Mentu Temple in Karnak，The first joint archaeological project in the history of China and Egypt was officially launched。Early 2020，China-Egypt joint archaeological team completed the second quarter of field work，And achieved certain results。

　　Relics overview and bet365 voucher status

The ruins bet365 voucher Temple of Mentu are located in the north bet365 voucher ancient city of Luxor in southern Egypt，Together with the main temple of Amun and the temple of Mut, it forms the Karnak temple complex。To show the worship bet365 voucher sun god Amon，circa 2000 B.C.，Pharaohs throughout the ages continued to build here、Decorate and repair large stone temples，Making it the largest religious building complex in the history of ancient Egypt。1979，The Karnak temple area is listed as a World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO，Still one bet365 voucher most popular tourist attractions in Egypt。

The Mentu bet365 voucher area is also known as the "Northern Karnak area"，It is bounded on the east by an artificial ditch that runs through the eastern part of Karnak，The south side is separated from the main bet365 voucher area of ​​Amon by only one wall，Adjacent to the modern village (Malekata Village) on the north and west sides，Separated from the village by a protective wall。The entire area is open and gentle，Area reaches 10.60,000 square meters，The bet365 voucher area within the wall is about 2.40,000 square meters。A total of 22 architectural ruins have been discovered，Almost all religious and ceremonial buildings made of sandstone，Individual outbuildings made of mud bricks、Residence and workshop。Due to long-term lack of maintenance and management，Most ruins are in poor preservation condition。

Currently，In buildings visible from the surface，The earliest one is a gate built during the period of Thutmose I (1506 BC-1493 BC)，Located outside the west wall bet365 voucher temple，Later converted into a small temple by local people；One bet365 voucher latest buildings，It is the most iconic north gate in the temple area，Completed during the period of Ptolemy IV (221 BC-204 BC)。This sandstone gate is 18 meters high，Decorated with painted reliefs and various inscriptions of gods。Pharaoh used this monumental building as a carrier，Concentrated demonstration bet365 voucher legitimacy of his rule and the concept of Theban theology at that time。

There is a wharf ruins in the northernmost part bet365 voucher ruins area，A Sphinx Path extends south from the pier，Connected to the North Gate。Both sides bet365 voucher north gate are wavy walls made of mud bricks，Forming a rectangular temple area with a side length of approximately 150 meters (300 cubits)。There are three main temple buildings preserved within the wall: the Mentu Temple, which was built during the period of Amenhotep III in the 18th Dynasty bet365 voucher New Kingdom、The Maat Temple was built no later than the Mentu Temple、The Hapura Temple founded in the 25th Dynasty。In addition，There are two obelisks erected at the main entrance of Mentu Temple (currently only the base part remains)，There is a holy lake and a temple building built on a mud brick platform on the west side。This building has a special construction structure，The functional attributes have not yet been accurately positioned，We temporarily call it "high platform building"。

In the south bet365 voucher temple area，There is a row of small temples built for the god Osiris along the inside bet365 voucher south wall，6 seats in total，The entrances all face south，Dated to the Third Intermediate Period bet365 voucher first millennium BC。There are 6 corresponding sandstone gates on the south wall，But in terms of age，Should be later than the founding date bet365 voucher small temple。On the outside bet365 voucher temple wall，There are also several architectural ruins。Except Thutmose I Gate，There is also a remains bet365 voucher Temple of Osiris on the outside bet365 voucher west wall，At the southeast corner bet365 voucher wall，There is a treasury used by Thutmose I to store sacrificial supplies，Is made of limestone，Currently only the foundation remains on the surface。

In addition，In the southwest corner bet365 voucher ruins area there is a small Ptolemaic period Thoth temple ruins，There is a palace building in the northwest corner that may be the palace of Nitocris, the saint bet365 voucher 26th Dynasty。Comparison with records from the 19th and early 20th centuries，The remnants of these adjacent villages are gradually disappearing as time goes by。

　　The first appearance of bet365 voucher and the extraction of relics

The working time bet365 voucher China-Egypt joint archaeological team in the first quarter is two months，The main task is to investigate and record the current status bet365 voucher site，And clean up the site environment into a state suitable for archaeological excavation。On this basis，The archaeological team officially launched the archaeological excavation in the Mentu Temple area in the second quarter、Inscription research, restoration and protection work。Formulation and implementation of work plan，It was completed by members of both sides under the leadership bet365 voucher Chinese team leader。The area of ​​the archaeological excavation is about 2000 square meters，Mainly concentrated in two areas: the small temple area of ​​Osiris at the southern wall (hereinafter referred to as "Area 1")、The area connected to the southwest corner of Mentu Temple and Maat Temple (hereinafter referred to as "Area 2")。

In area one，French archaeologists have previously discovered and cleaned the main part bet365 voucher second small temple，Contains a main hall、Two inner rooms and one side room，Other structures are not clear。This archaeological work successfully revealed the hypostyle area of ​​the second small temple。Among them，The floor paved with sandstone slabs is well preserved，No heaving or extensive damage。Four diorite pillar bases are arranged on the ground on both sides bet365 voucher entrance，The diameter is 1.4 meters。Accordingly，We can restore the layout bet365 voucher second small temple more completely。There are hieroglyphic inscriptions engraved around the base bet365 voucher pillar，Most of them are broken and peeling。According to the remaining inscriptions，It can be confirmed that the temple was built by the 25th Dynasty saint Amenildis for Osiris, "Lord of Life"。

In the east side bet365 voucher temple area are the remains bet365 voucher third small temple，We have revealed its overall outline for the first time。This is the structure of a small temple of Osiris typical bet365 voucher first millennium BC: the antechamber is connected to the main hall through a main entrance，There are two entrances inside the main hall，Connecting the east and west inner rooms respectively，Inner chambers usually contain statues of gods，But the two inner rooms are not connected to each other。Among them，Some fragments of reliefs remain in the east chamber，There are obvious signs of fire。Based on the fragments bet365 voucher relief，We can identify a female member bet365 voucher royal family (saint) who presented herself to the three main gods of Karnak, Amon、The scene of Mut and Kongsu’s sacrifice。

There is a stone ramp about 2 meters wide at the entrance bet365 voucher third small temple，Stretching down to the sandstone gate on the south side。The ramp is of a later date，Slates vary in size，On several bet365 voucher stone slabs, shallow inscriptions and reliefs can be discerned，Should be reused stones from an early building。For this type of ramp, please refer to the ramp in front bet365 voucher small temple of Osiris on the west side bet365 voucher Bipta Passage。The third small temple also has four plinths，Located on both sides bet365 voucher end bet365 voucher ramp。Different from the second small temple，The column base has a larger diameter，And the construction method is special，It is formed into a cylinder surrounded by outer stone slabs，A composite column base filled with sand。

1860，French archaeologist Mariette (A. Mariette) once cleared the third small temple area，But his sketch only outlined a few line segments bet365 voucher wall，And the annotation is brief: "There was a pharaoh who worshiped the god Hathor，Unknown king’s name。”Refer to earlier records，The excavation work by Chinese and Egyptian archaeologists has improved the understanding bet365 voucher layout bet365 voucher third small temple，But its age and functional positioning require further archaeological evidence。

In area two，Archaeologists have revealed many architectural remains made of mud bricks。Among them，The most important discovery is a floor paved with mud bricks。This section of ground is located on the southwest side of Mentu Temple，The eastern end bet365 voucher ground is connected to the western wall bet365 voucher Temple of Maat，The ground extends westward to outside the excavation area。The floor is made of mud bricks bet365 voucher same size laid with adhesive，Regulation of laying techniques。Look carefully，Each mud brick has the mark of an oval seal，It contains the throne name of Amenhotep III, the founding pharaoh of Mentu Temple—Neb Maat Ra。

Due to the limited excavation area at present，Archaeologists are still unable to form a complete understanding of this section of ground。But this discovery provides an accurate dating scale，Proof that the remains in this area are at least no later than the reign of Amenhotep III in the 18th Dynasty，The first half bet365 voucher 14th century BC。This plays a key role in understanding the early architectural distribution in the Mentu Temple area。

In addition，A trench outside the west wall bet365 voucher Maat Temple，Shows some clues bet365 voucher ruins in this area before the construction bet365 voucher Mentu Temple。At the bottom bet365 voucher trench about 4 meters deep，Several stone net pendants of different sizes and a blast pipe were unearthed，And animal bones。These production tools seem to suggest a period around the Old Kingdom，This was once a living settlement or camp。This provides important help for archaeologists to understand the formation and development process bet365 voucher site。

In the second small temple in area 1，A famous alabaster statue bet365 voucher Virgin was unearthed，Now in the Cairo Museum。Near the place where it was found，Archaeologists discovered another black granite assemblage statue of a similar age。Unfortunately，The statue was broken into dozens of fragments，It seems that they were deliberately buried under the floor directly in front bet365 voucher temple entrance。The statue is currently undergoing restoration work。Preliminary speculation，This is a statue about 1 high.2 meters、Width about 0.A 9-meter-long combined statue of three people (gods) standing side by side。Through the remaining king’s circle，One of them can be identified as the same as the alabaster Virgin，For Amenildis。

In addition，A large number of bronze Osiris statuettes were also unearthed on the east side bet365 voucher second small temple，They come in different sizes，But the shape is similar。The god Osiris is in an upright posture with his feet together，Wearing Adef crown，Hands each holding a scepter crossed on the chest。There is also a leg fragment of a ceramic statue，Handwritten hieroglyphic inscription，It mentions "Lord bet365 voucher West，Osiris”。This area is the third intermediate period，The sacrificial area built by the saint, the actual ruler of Thebes, to worship the god Osiris，This judgment is basically consistent with the relics unearthed so far。

　　Repair bet365 voucher and Data Tracking

Except for field excavations，The protection and research of inscriptions is also an important task。Currently，In the temple area，There are a large number of architectural stone fragments with inscriptions unearthed from early excavations still left on the surface。These stones with inscriptions，Mostly organized by the French archaeological team and placed in existing locations，But because bet365 voucher age，The specific information cannot be verified。Some stones are gradually corroded due to long-term contact with soil，causing cracking、Weathering。

According to the tradition of Egyptian archaeology，Chinese and Egyptian archaeologists built a cement platform at the corresponding location，Place the stone block on the platform，Prevent further corrosion，It also serves as a display。Afterwards，For stone fragments with inscriptions，Use a unified stone inscription record table for numbering、Register and take photos，Save image materials and information for future project database。Currently，There are about 500 registered fragments of inscriptions。While recording statistics，Archaeologists combine published bet365 voucher reports and related research articles，Identify residual blocks that have lost information，And translate and study the important hieroglyphic inscriptions。

The buildings in the Mentu Temple area are mainly sandstone and mud bricks，Relatively susceptible to natural factors。Plus neighboring villages，Long-term destruction by villagers，Most buildings are in poor preservation condition，Urgent need for intervention in cultural relics protection。Currently，The project team has cooperated with Karnak Restoration Center，While excavation work is ongoing，Start the restoration bet365 voucher main part bet365 voucher second small temple，And damaged the base bet365 voucher second small temple、The severely pulverized walls and ramp floor bet365 voucher third small temple，Take timely reinforcement and protection measures。We plan to complete the second small temple including the vestibule next quarter、General restoration including floors and doors。

While carrying out field archaeological work，The project team attaches great importance to the collection of early archaeological data。1940s and 1950s，The French Institute of Oriental Archaeology carried out systematic archaeological excavations in the Karnak Mentu bet365 voucher area for the first time。It was a time of war，Social unrest，Archaeological excavation and research work had to be completed in a hurry，A large amount of relic information has not been recorded and preserved in a timely manner，Many works have not been mentioned or passed over in published archaeological reports。Therefore，Vallier (A, the first French archaeologist responsible for excavating the site.Varille’s archaeological notes、Manuscripts, photos and other materials，Become an important historical material for understanding early excavation work。

Part of this batch of materials is currently retained at the French Oriental Archaeological Institute，The other part was hidden in the Egyptology Library bet365 voucher University of Milan after the author's death。For this，Members bet365 voucher project team made a special trip to the archives bet365 voucher French Institute of Oriental Archeology to check artifact cards and letters from that year，And get in touch with the relevant person in charge bet365 voucher University of Milan，Permission granted to view the Vallier manuscript。This batch of information can fill the gaps in the understanding of early work on the site，Crack some "unknown mysteries" in excavation work，Played a vital role。

　(Author’s unit: Institute of Archeology, bet365 voucher Social Sciences)