Monday, July 24, 2017

Ancient Egypt July 24

The mysteries that still surround King Tut, Ancient Egypt's youngest pharaoh
Carsten Frenzl from Obernburg, Germany

A team of archaeologists have discovered Tutankhamun's wife tomb, but many questions still remain

Earlier this month a team of archaeologists discovered evidence of a previously unknown tomb in Egypt's Valley of the Kings. It could belong to King Tutankhamun's wife, Ankhesenamun. . . .  The fate of Tutankhamun's wife is not the only mystery that surrounds the pharaoh, perhaps the most famous king in Ancient Egypt's history.

Ancient Egypt’s Animal Mummies Are Hiding Secrets Beneath Their Wrappings
Baboon Appliqué from an Animal Mummy. Possibly from Saqqara, Egypt. Ptolemaic Period, 305–30 B.C.E. Linen, 51/2 x 23/8 in. (14.2 x 5.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum; Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.272E. (Photo: Gavin Ashworth, Brooklyn Museum)

Millions of animal mummies have been found in Egypt, but experts are only beginning to understand their true purpose.

Egypt is world famous for its mummies, especially those with royal ties. However, while the ancient empire’s pharaohs Tutankhamun, Hatshepsut and Ramses II rank among its most prominent archaeological discoveries, lesser known but equally significant finds include millions of mummified animals.

National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation receives 453 artefacts

Before displaying, the artefacts shall be subjected to first aid restoration and documentation.

After its first phase soft opening, the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation (NMEC) received on Monday 453 different artefacts from the first and second Egyptian dynasty that were stored at the Egyptian museum, according to a statement published at the Ministry of Antiquities’ Official Facebook page.

King Tut's Wife May Be Buried in Newly Discovered Tomb

Note: May is the key word. It seems likely there is a tomb. It MIGHT be Ankhesenamun's.

Famed archaeologist Zahi Hawass and his team say they've found evidence of a tomb that could belong to King Tut's wife.

The archaeologists eventually plan to excavate the new tomb, which is located near the tomb of the pharaoh Ay (1327-1323 B.C.) in Egypt's Valley of the Kings, Hawass told Live Science.

Omm Seti in the Abydos Archives

When thinking of famous Egyptologists, the name Bulbul Abdel Mageed probably doesn’t ring a bell. It might not occur to you that it is the name of someone who had tremendous love and admiration for ancient Egyptian civilization, especially for the Temple of Seti at Abydos. Bulbul was a very distinctive individual and scholar of Abydos, better known as Omm Seti.

Petrie, The Ten Temples of Abydos, Harpers Magazine, November 1903 Issue
At Abydos, c. 1915

A rare contemporary article by Petrie that shows the process he went through as he tried to understand the earliest history of dynastic Egypt. Beware the error in dates, and the different use of names, and some real 'howlers' from a modern point of view, but do enjoy the early archaeological processes.

The village where ancient Egypt lives on

Zeinab Badawi's quest to uncover the history of Africa continues with a visit to the Pharonic Village in Cairo, where she explores the most famous civilisation on the continent - the ancient Egyptians.

I went to Pharonic Village on my first visit to Cairo; it was both glorious and cheesy.

Pharaonic Getting a Deluxe Retail Copy

Pharaonic is a game that released last year in digital format only as part of the ID@Xbox program. It's described by many as a side-scrolling Dark Souls in 2.5D and is set in ancient Egypt. Intriguing as that might sound, it seems to have slipped under many people's radar with only 276 of our members having played it.

TT82, the tomb of Amenemhat

Amenemhat lived during the first half of the 18th dynasty and had his tomb prepared during the reign of Thutmosis III, in the necropolis of Thebes, on the hill currently occupied by the village of Sheikh Abd el-Gurnah.

If one is primarily interested in his main offices, "steward of the Vizier", and "scribe who reckons the corn in the granary of divine offerings of Amun,” he appears to us as a subordinate personage. He seems the servant of another, and a simple scribe in an immense institution which has hundreds of such servants.

Tausret: Forgotten Queen and Pharaoh of Egypt book review



Pictures of the week

  1. Bullock among papyrus reeds (faience). New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, Amarna Period, ca. 1353–1336 BC. Now at the Louvre.
  2. A grain mummy is in the shape of Osiris and lays in a wooden coffin with a falcon lid. The grain mummy is filled with barley or grain and then water is poured over it. When the barley or grain starts to grow the mummy becomes the symbol of new life and a good harvest. These grain mummies were ofter used in temples rituals and were buried inside the temples compounds. Osiris is wearing the red crown of Upper Egypt. Egyptian, Hellenistic Period, 330 - 30 B.C. Location and date unknown. Source: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston