When Currelly began work at South Abydos in January 1903, Petrie’s main camp was located about 3 km away in North Abydos. Currelly therefore built a small hut for himself in South Abydos at the base of the cliffs above the tomb of Senwosret III.
In 2004, we excavated this hut to gain a better understanding of Currelly’s work and his lifestyle in South Abydos. While conducting this “archaeology of archaeology,” we recovered orange peels, fish bones, opened cans of food, pieces of fabric, buttons, a rubber shoe sole, and numerous pieces of paper. The latter included instructions for preparing cocoa, an English newspaper, a literary magazine, and an envelope postmarked at Alexandria. The most intriguing of all was a note written by Currelly to the main camp asking for more candles to be delivered, presumably to illuminate the work inside the tombs of Senwosret III and Ahmose. Apparently he never sent the note. The hearth inside the hut was still full of charcoal—the remains of Currelly’s last fire at Abydos in April 1903. It looked as if he had left only a week before.