General view of the excavation areaGeneral view of the excavation area

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  The household staffThe household staff

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  Raising baskets with a cable winch from the underground rooms of the Eye TempleRaising baskets with a cable winch from the underground rooms of the Eye Temple

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  Food containersFood containers

 

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Agatha Christie and archaeology

Tell Brak (1937-38)

Tell Brak is one of the most impressive archaeological sites in the Near East. It rises to a height of over 40 metres and occupies an area of some 60 hectares, dominating the landscape of the lower Wadi Jaghjagh in north-eastern Syria. Max and Agatha first saw Brak in November 1934, but first spent two seasons at the smaller site of Chagar Bazar 'before attempting to come to grips with so formidable a mound'.

Max began excavations there in the spring of 1937, returning there in the spring and autumn of 1938. Agatha was with him throughout these campaigns, and in the spring of 1938 they were joined by her daughter Rosalind. Agatha did all the photography, even developing the photographs herself, and helped with the cleaning and recording of the finds. Agatha much preferred Chagar Bazar to Brak, which was much more desolate than it is today, with no settled inhabitants apart from an Armenian community on the Wadi Jaghjagh, where they rented a large, derelict house.

Main illustration: General view of the excavation area.
Other Views: The household staff: Dimitri, Mansurm Subri, Ali, Ferhid and Michel; Raising baskets with a cable winch from the underground rooms of the Eye Temple; Food containers.
(All photographs by Agatha Christie, Tell Brak, 1938)