Hopkins in Egypt

One of my favorite things about the Internet is the fact that you can travel to far away places without actually traveling. One benefit for fans of archaeology is that online adventures are becoming more common. Archaeology magazine, for example, conducts several online excavations every year.

The latest in on-line adventures this year comes from the Valley of the Kings, where Johns Hopkins Professor Betsy Bryan, accompanied by photographer Jay Van Rensselaer will take a slew of students beginning early in January 2003. Bryan's third season of excavations for Johns Hopkins (and ninth season at Luxor) takes place in the Temple Complex at Karnak, in the New Kingdom temple of the Goddess Mut, built by Amenhotep III.

The excavations will focus on an area behind the Sacred Lake, in the hopes of finding residential buildings or support facilities for the temple such as bakeries or animal stalls. And this year, it won't take you a plane ticket or your sun hat; you're invited to watch the excavations when they start January 4 from the comfort of your home office.

So sit back, drink some sweet black tea and watch the excavations unfold.