Groundbreaking visualization and 3D Technologies reveal hidden Ancient Egyptian treasures

20 February, 2014 - 11:27

In a groundbreaking 3D digitization project, Interactive Institute Swedish ICT, Autodesk and CMIV have created a digital copy of the mummy Neswaiu from Medelhavsmuseet in Stockholm. The result is now presented in a new exhibition where the visitors can unwrap and explore the mummy using an interactive touch table. For the first time ever, visitors will be able to hold a 3D printed copy of a golden amulet that the embalmers placed under the layers of wrapping more than 2300 year ago to protect Neswaiu on his journey through the underworld.

Photocredit: Thomas Rydell, Interactive Institute Swedish ICT

"With this project we hope to inspire museums to work with 3D digitization, interactive visualization and 3D printing to make their collections accessible in a new way. In this project we worked with mummies, but the same methods could be used on large variety of objects, such as natural history objects and other historical artifacts." – Thomas Rydell, Interactive Institute Swedish ICT at Visualization Center C in Norrköping.

Today, 3D digitization, modeling and interactive visualization create endless possibilities for museums where the technology can be used for research and education, preservation of collections and to create new visitor experiences. On February 22 2014, the new permanent Egyptian exhibition opens for the public at Medelhavsmuseet in Stockholm. Visitors will both be able to explore a digital reproduction of the mummy Neswaiu and hold a 3D printed copy of the golden amulet with their own hands.

Wednesday Weekly # 22

Welcome to the Wednesday Weekly, your weekly dose of links to Egyptology news, articles, blogs, events and more!


AHRAM ONLINE

By Mohammed Elrazzaz:

Egypt's Widan Al-Faras: The world’s oldest road all but forgotten
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/9/40/94839/Heritage/Ancient-Egypt/Egypts-Widan-AlFaras-The-world%E2%80%99s-oldest-road-all-b.aspx

HAIR AND DEATH IN ANCIENT EGYPT

by María Rosa Valdesogo:

An Egyptian Mourning Ritual from the Cache DB320 in Thebes
http://hairanddeathinancientegypt.com/2014/02/19/an-egyptian-mourning-ritual-from-the-cache-db320-in-thebes/

A double Coffin from Roman Egypt. Double Nut…double Funeral?
http://hairanddeathinancientegypt.com/2014/02/24/a-double-coffin-from-roman-egypt-double-nut-double-funeral/

THE DECORAH NEWSPAPERS

Ancient Egyptian papyri discovered at Luther College
http://www.decorahnewspapers.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=13&ArticleID=33184

THE ANCIENT WORLD ONLINE

MOOC: The Art and Archaeology of Ancient Nubia

This course examines the development of the art and architecture of the cultures of ancient Nubia through what we have learned from archaeology and how that evidence has helped us create the picture we now have of the culture and history of the birth and development of art and civilization in the Nile Valley.
http://ancientworldonline.blogspot.nl/2014/02/mooc-art-and-archaeology-of-ancient.html

IMALQATA

New blogentries:

Ho. W. 1
http://imalqata.wordpress.com/2014/02/18/ho-w-1/

MALQATA MUD BRICK CONSERVATION RAMBLINGS
http://imalqata.wordpress.com/2014/02/19/malqata-mud-brick-conservation-ramblings/

A visit to another Palace City
http://imalqata.wordpress.com/2014/02/20/a-visit-to-another-palace-city/

Local Fauna
http://imalqata.wordpress.com/2014/02/21/1413/

Conservation Never Ends, But This Season Does
http://imalqata.wordpress.com/2014/02/22/conservation-never-ends-but-this-season-does/

Our Inspector Mohammed Ibrahim
http://imalqata.wordpress.com/2014/02/23/our-inspector-mohammed-ibrahim/

EGYPTOLOGICAL

By Andrea Byrnes. Published in Egyptological, In Brief  22nd February 2014

Ancient Egyptian Cosmetic Spoons of the New Kingdom
http://egyptological.com/2014/02/22/ancient-egyptian-cosmetic-spoons-of-the-new-kingdom-12041

ANCIENT EGYPTIAN ANIMAL BIO BANK

Study Day Saturday!
http://ancientegyptbiobank.wordpress.com/2014/02/22/study-day-saturday/

ACROSSBORDERS

New posts by Julia Budka:

The enigmatic “fish dishes” again
http://acrossborders.oeaw.ac.at/the-enigmatic-fish-dishes-again/

The New Kingdom town wall at SAV1 West
http://acrossborders.oeaw.ac.at/the-new-kingdom-town-wall-at-sav1-west/

AMARA WEST PROJECT BLOG

Amara West 2014: house E13.16 and beneath
http://blog.amarawest.britishmuseum.org/2014/02/20/amara-west-2014-house-e13-16-and-beneath/

Amara West 2014: D12.6 – revealing a house room-by-room
http://blog.amarawest.britishmuseum.org/2014/02/22/amara-west-2014-d12-6-revealing-a-house-room-by-room/

Amara West 2014: burial chambers in G244
http://blog.amarawest.britishmuseum.org/2014/02/23/amara-west-2014-burial-chambers-in-g244/

Amara West 2014: Rich stratigraphy — and curving walls — below house E13.5
http://blog.amarawest.britishmuseum.org/2014/02/24/amara-west-2014-rich-stratigraphy-and-curving-walls-below-house-e13-5/

Amara West 2014: geophysics survey
http://blog.amarawest.britishmuseum.org/2014/02/25/amara-west-2014-geophysics-survey/

TT184

Restoration in progress
http://tt184en.blogspot.nl/2014/02/restoration-in-progress.html

ESCHOLARSHIP

UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology

Title:
Dynasties 2 and 3

Author:
Wilkinson, Toby, Cambridge University
http://escholarship.org/uc/item/1hb1s3pn#page-1

THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO

Wenuhotep: Mystery Mummy
http://blog.artic.edu/blog/2014/02/17/wenuhotep-mystery-mummy/

AERA

By Hoda Ossman Khalifa (Inspector, Ministry of State for Antiquities):

It’s Coming Back To Me Now
http://www.aeraweb.org/blog/its-coming-back-to-me-now/

Egypt's Widan Al-Faras: The world’s oldest road all but forgotten

Close to Fayoum lies the world’s oldest surviving paved road, threatened by oblivion and neglect

by Mohammed Elrazzaz, Saturday 22 Feb 2014

“The pyramids and temples of the Egyptian Old Kingdom (early mid-third millennium BC) are testament to an epoch of global significance in the evolution of monumental stone architecture. The basalt quarries of Widan Al-Faras and gypsum quarries of Umm es-Sawan (…) were key production sites in the foreground of this transformation to largescale stone quarrying.” — Elizabeth Bloxam and Tom Heldal

You can think of it as an ancient cultural landscape, or you can think of it as a fossil landscape. One thing is certain: it is the world’s oldest surviving paved road, and — if nothing is done to protect it — it will eventually vanish completely.

Widan Al-Faras quarry road was built some 4,500 years ago in the area situated north of present-day Lake Qarun.

As we approached Widan Al-Faras area ("ears of the mare"), easily recognisable by its twin peaks, we knew we had a tough task ahead: locating a road in the middle of nowhere and stretching into infinity. The road was built for moving blocks of basalt from the Widan Al-Faras mines to the shore of the ancient Lake Moeris, the bigger ancestor of Lake Qarun. The road ended in a quay not far from Qasr Al-Sagha Temple, an Old Kingdom temple still standing north of Lake Qarun. From there, the basalt was moved via Bahr Youssef to the Nile, and from there to the Giza Plateau, where it was used in building sarcophagi and floors of mortuary temples around the Giza Pyramids.

Museum Pieces - Green jasper heart scarab of King Sobekemsaf

Green jasper heart scarab of King Sobekemsaf

 

From the tomb of King Sobekemsaf, Thebes, Egypt

17th Dynasty, around 1590 BC

Length: 3.800 cm

Width: 2.500 cm

EA 7876

A human-headed scarab set in a gold mount

This is among the earliest heart scarabs known, and the first that is known to have belonged to an Egyptian king. It may have been among the items stolen by the tomb-robbers who confessed to stealing from the mummy of Sobekemsaf II at their trial in about 1109 BC (known from a papyrus in the Musée du Cinquantenaire, Brussels and the Pierpont Morgan Library, New York).

The heart scarab was an amulet placed on the chest of the mummy to ensure that the heart, believed to be the seat of intelligence and personality, was not removed. A verse of Spell 30B of the Book of the Dead is roughly incised around the base of the scarab. The appearance of Sobekemsaf's scarab follows the instructions of the spell exactly, being 'made from green stone, mounted in fine gold'.

Spell 30B was apparently very old, perhaps composed during the Old Kingdom (about 2613-2160 BC). A heart scarab of the Thirteenth Dynasty (about 1795-1650 BC) suggests that they were first produced in the Middle Kingdom, around 400 years after the spell was supposedly composed. It seems that a false pedigree was created for the spell, so that it appeared older than it was. This illusion of antiquity is also used to validify the 'Memphite theology' on the Shabako stone.

I.E.S. Edwards, 'Sebekemsaf's "heart-scarab"' in Melanges Gamal Eddin Mokhtar I (Cairo, 1985), pp. 239-245

C.A.R. Andrews, Egyptian mummies (London, The British Museum Press, 1984)

I. Shaw and P. Nicholson (eds.), British Museum dictionary of A (London, The British Museum Press, 1995)

J. Capart, A.H. Gardiner and B. van de Walle, 'New light on the Ramesside tomb-robberies', Journal of Egyptian Archaeol-8, 22 (1936), pp. 169-93

Source: http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/aes/g/green_jasper_heart_scarab.aspx

Wednesday Weekly # 21

Welcome to the Wednesday Weekly, your weekly dose of links to Egyptology news, articles, blogs, events and more!


LUXOR TIMES

New blogentries:

17th Dynasty Rishi coffin discovered in Dra Abu El Naga
http://luxortimesmagazine.blogspot.nl/2014/02/17th-dynasty-rishi-coffin-discovered-in.html

Missing parts of the Colossi of Memnon discovered
http://luxortimesmagazine.blogspot.nl/2014/02/missing-parts-of-colossi-of-memnon.html

Egypt will repatriate Late Period antiquities from French owner
http://luxortimesmagazine.blogspot.nl/2014/02/egypt-will-repatriate-late-period.html

THE ANCIENT WORLD ONLINE

UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology (UEE)
http://ancientworldonline.blogspot.nl/2009/06/ucla-encyclopedia-of-egyptology-uee.html

K. Donker van Heel, A Very Easy Crash Course in Abnormal Hieratic
http://ancientworldonline.blogspot.nl/2014/02/k-donker-van-heel-very-easy-crash.html

EGYPTIAN'S

New blogpost by Timothy Reid:

The Lady of the House
http://tim-theegyptians.blogspot.nl/2014/02/the-lady-of-house.html

THE VANCOUVER SUN

By Mariam Rizk:

Egypt: archeologists find 3,600-year-old mummy; 3 Germans tried for antiquities smuggling
http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/Spanish+team+Egypt+finds+3600yearold+mummy+wooden+sarcophagus/9503559/story.html

AHRAM ONLINE

By Nevine El-Aref:

Rare wooden anthropoid sarcophagus discovered in Luxor
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/9/40/94168/Heritage/Ancient-Egypt/Rare-wooden-anthropoid-sarcophagus-discovered-in-L.aspx

A part of Memnon colossi uncovered in Luxor
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/9/40/94392/Heritage/Ancient-Egypt/A-part-of-Memnon-colossi-uncovered-in-Luxor.aspx

An ancient Egyptian piece of a sarcophagus return to Egypt
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/9/40/94586/Heritage/Ancient-Egypt/An-ancient-Egyptian-piece-of-a-sarcophagus-return-.aspx

SEMITIC MUSEUM

The Sun Temple of Nefertiti: Sex and Death

The discovery of the "lost" sun temple of Nefertiti has revealed new aspects of the Aten cult overseen by the famous Egyptian queen. Jacquelyn Williamson discusses new research that links Nefertiti's temple to funerary activities at Tell el-Amarna and to sexual aspects of regeneration.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzdmfC8fxqw

PAST HORIZONS

Intact 3600 year old Egyptian Sarcophagus Among New Discoveries
http://www.pasthorizonspr.com/index.php/archives/02/2014/intact-3600-year-old-egyptian-sarcophagus-among-new-discoveries

HAIR AND DEATH IN ANCIENT EGYPT

by María Rosa Valdesogo:

Were in ancient Egypt funerals the two Drty mourners more important that the common mourners?
http://hairanddeathinancientegypt.com/2014/02/17/were-in-ancient-egypt-funerals-the-two-drty-mourners-more-important-that-the-common-mourners/

THE GUARDIAN

By Anthony Sattin:

The Nile: Downriver Through Egypt's Past and Present by Toby Wilkinson – review
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/feb/16/nile-downriver-egypt-toby-wilkinson-review

THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS

11th Annual Legacy of Egypt Lecture

Co-sponsored by the Institute of Egyptian Art and Archaeology and the Tennessee Chapter of the American Research Center in Egypt.

"Coffin Recycling: Funerary Culture in a Time of Economic Crisis"

Friday, February 28, 2014
Public Lecture: 7:00 p.m.
Public Reception: 6:30 p.m.
Location: Fountain View Suite (room 350)  
                University Center
                University of Memphis Main Campus
http://www.memphis.edu/egypt/leprohonlecture.php

IN THE ARTIFACT LAB

By Laura Galicier:

The wooden heads, paraffin and a lamp
http://www.penn.museum/sites/artifactlab/2014/02/18/the-wooden-heads-paraffin-and-a-lamp/

IMALQATA

New blogentries:

A Tasty Treat
http://imalqata.wordpress.com/2014/02/11/a-tasty-treat/

Preserving Mud Brick Walls at Malqata
http://imalqata.wordpress.com/2014/02/12/preserving-mud-brick-walls-at-malqata/

To Flatten or not to Flatten
http://imalqata.wordpress.com/2014/02/13/to-flatten-or-not-to-flatten/

A Valentine from Amenhotep III
http://imalqata.wordpress.com/2014/02/14/a-valentine-from-amenhotep-iii/

Rings
http://imalqata.wordpress.com/2014/02/15/1346/

No Matter How You Clean It Up, It’s Still Mud !
http://imalqata.wordpress.com/2014/02/16/no-matter-how-you-clean-it-up-its-still-mud/

Up On The Roof
http://imalqata.wordpress.com/2014/02/17/up-on-the-roof/

AL-AHRAM WEEKLY

By Nevine El-Aref:

Tombs of legendary lovers
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/News/5377/47/Tombs-of-legendary-lovers-.aspx

TETISHERI

By Julia Thorne:

New Egyptology book releases: January 2014
http://www.tetisheri.co.uk/3/post/2014/02/new-egyptology-book-releases-january-2014.html

THE EGYPTIAN HISTORY PODCAST

Episode XXV: A Fire in the South

A Kingdom Divided Against Itself.

The House of Khety, ruling the North, now faces a challenger. Emerging at Thebes,
the House of Intef has emerged as a new confederation. Their emergence comes at
the expense of Ankhtyfy, a local prince who attempted to create his own 
autonomous principality. In the North, the Instructions of Merykare present
a political manifesto for the kings of the House of Khety.
http://egyptianhistory.libsyn.com/episode-xxv-a-fire-in-the-south

UCL MUSEUMS & COLLECTIONS BLOG

By Edmund Connolly:

Divorce, Adultery and Revenge: an alternate Valentine’s Day
http://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/museums/2014/02/14/divorce-adultery-and-revenge-an-alternate-valentines-day/

ANCIENT EGYPT AND A MAPLE LEAF

By Thomas H. Greiner:

Fighting with Robbers: a Blurb about Hatshepsut’s Cliff Tomb
http://thomasgreiner.com/2014/02/11/fighting-with-robbers-a-blurb-about-hatshepsuts-cliff-tomb/

My Precious Lapis: the Quest for the Celestial Stone
http://thomasgreiner.com/2014/02/16/my-precious-lapis-the-quest-for-the-celestial-stone/

DEMONTHINGS - ANCIENT EGYPTIAN DEMONOLOGY PROJECT

Egyptian and Jewish Magic in Antiquity

Contexts, Contacts, Continuities and Comparisons
A Collaborative International Conference in Ancient Magic
6th-9th July, 2015, University of Bonn
http://www.demonthings.com/egyptian-jewish-magic/

ACROSSBORDERS

New posts by Julia Budka:

Drawing ceramics from Sai Island, New Kingdom Pharaonic town: One of the masterpieces
http://acrossborders.oeaw.ac.at/drawing-ceramics-from-sai-island-new-kingdom-pharaonic-town-one-of-the-masterpieces/

End of 2014 fieldwork in the Pharaonic town
http://acrossborders.oeaw.ac.at/end-of-2014-fieldwork-in-the-pharaonic-town/

Pottery from the 2014 season at SAV1 West
http://acrossborders.oeaw.ac.at/pottery-from-the-2014-season-at-sav1-west/

AMARA WEST PROJECT BLOG

Amara West 2014: enigmatic ivory “sticks”
http://blog.amarawest.britishmuseum.org/2014/02/16/amara-west-2014-enigmatic-ivory-sticks/

Amara West 2014: A Nubian perspective on excavating Amara West
http://blog.amarawest.britishmuseum.org/2014/02/17/amara-west-2014-a-nubian-perspective-on-excavating-amara-west/

Intact 3600 year old Egyptian sarcophagus among new discoveries

Researchers and archaeologists working on the Djehuty Project, led by the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), have discovered four noble burials from the 17th Dynasty of Ancient Egypt at the northern end of the necropolis of Dra Abu el-Naga, near Luxor (ancient Thebes), this includes the intact sarcophagus of a man named Neb, who lived around 1600 BCE.

The discovery, during the 12th season of archaeological excavations will shed light on a little-known historical period in which Thebes became the capital of a kingdom that heralded the dominance of Egypt over Palestine and Syria to the north, and Nubia to the south.

The project was led by CSIC researcher José Manuel Galán, Institute of Languages ​​and Cultures of the Mediterranean and the Middle East. His team included 16 Spanish and four other foreign specialists.

The discovery of Neb

Photocredit: Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC)

Neb’s body was found in a burial chamber carved over 1.5 metres deep into the bedrock. The wooden sarcophagus was in remarkable condition, with bright colours and decoration. The bricked-up entrance led the archaeologists to believe that it had never been looted since the coffin had been laid in the tomb.
Inside this small rock chamber lay the anthropomorphic carved wooden casket decorated in the characteristic style of the seventeenth dynasty, called “rishi” (which means “beautiful” in Arabic).

A part of Memnon colossi uncovered in Luxor

Quartzite blocks belong to the colossi of Memnon was discovered Sunday at King Amenhotep III's funerary temple on Luxor's west bank

by Nevine El-Aref , Sunday 16 Feb 2014

The European-Egyptian archaeological mission headed by famed Egyptologist Horig Sourouzian has unearthed a collection of quartzite blocks that had been missing since antiquity from Memnon colossi, at the entrance of King Amenhotep III's temple at Kom El-Hitan on Luxor's west bank.

Egypt's antiquities minister Mohamed Ibrahim told Ahram Online on Sunday that the blocks belong to the northern colossus and depict a part of the statue's arm, painted belt and skirt.

These blocks, Ibrahim went on, were missing since antiquity following an earthquake that led to the destruction of the temple, with the exception of these two colossi which once decorated the temple's entrance gate.

Aly El-Asfar, head of the ministry's ancient Egyptian antiquities section, said that in addition to the 88cm tall and 76cm large blocks, the mission had also uncovered others that were once part of the colossus' royal crown and foundation stone.

"It is a very important discovery," said El-Asfar, adding that the discovery of these blocks will lead archaeologists to reconstruct both colossi and return them to their original glory.

Source: http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/9/40/94392/Heritage/Ancient-Egypt/A-part-of-Memnon-colossi-uncovered-in-Luxor.aspx

Rare wooden anthropoid sarcophagus discovered in Luxor

A 17th dynasty painted sarcophagus belonging to a top governmental official was unearthed at Draa Abul-Naga necropolis on Luxor's west bank

by Nevine El-Aref , Thursday 13 Feb 2014

(Photo: Egypt's Supreme Council Of Antiquities)

A Spanish-Egyptian archeological team working on Luxor's west bank has discovered a rare wooden human-shaped sarcophagus from the 17th dynasty.

The find came during routine excavation work at the tomb of Djehuty, treasure holder for Queen Hatshepsut, at Dra Abul-Naga necropolis.  

The sarcophagus is important for the detailed depictions of bird feather shapes and sizes painted on its lid, motifs that have earned it the title of Feathers Sarcophagi, according to Egypt's antiquities minister Mohamed Ibrahim.

The 2 metre long, 42 cm tall sarcophagus is in very good condition, Ibrahim said, and also engraved with titles of the deceased, which archeologists have not yet been able to identify.

Studies reveal that the sarcophagus belongs to a top governmental official from the 17th dynasty, whose mummy was enclosed inside, said Ibrahim.

The archeological team found two other burials at the site, which were both empty. It is believed that they were robbed in antiquity.

The Spanish mission began excavation work at Djehuty's tomb 13 years ago, when many artefacts from New Kingdom dynasties were found.

Last year the team unearthed a sarcophagus of a 17th dynasty child, along with a number of clay pots and ushabti figurines wrapped in linen.

Excavation at the site remains in full swing, said Gose Galan, head of the Spanish team.

Source: http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/9/40/94168/Heritage/Ancient-Egypt/Rare-wooden-anthropoid-sarcophagus-discovered-in-L.aspx

Drug References Found on Walls of Ancient Egyptian School

By Owen Jarus, LiveScience Contributor   |   February 11, 2014

Archaeologists working in the western desert of Egypt have discovered a school dating back about 1,700 years that contains ancient Greek writings on its walls, including a text about ancient drug use that references Homer's "The Odyssey."

The school — which contains benches that students could sit on to read, or stand on and write on the walls — dates back to a time when the Roman Empire controlled Egypt, and Greek was widely spoken.

In use for less than 20 years, the school structure eventually became part of a large house that contained colorful art, including images of the Olympian gods, the researchers said.

The house and school are located in the ancient town of Trimithis (modern-day Amheida), which is in the Dakhla Oasis, about 200 miles (322 kilometers) west of the Nile River. The house, and some of the art, was first discovered in 1979. In 2001, a new exploration project at Amheida, now sponsored primarily by New York University, led to the discovery of the school, its Greek writings and more art scenes from the house.

Wednesday Weekly # 20

Welcome to the Wednesday Weekly, your weekly dose of links to Egyptology news, articles, blogs, events and more!


AHRAM ONLINE

By Nevine El-Aref:

Ancient mastaba tomb found in Egypt's Dakahliya
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/9/40/93524/Heritage/Ancient-Egypt/Ancient-mastaba-tomb-found-in-Egypts-Dakahliya.aspx

More ancient discoveries in Egypt's Dakahliya: Gallery
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/9/40/93814/Heritage/Ancient-Egypt/More-ancient-discoveries-in-Egypts-Dakahliya-Galle.aspx

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

By A.R. Williams:

Newly Excavated 4,600-Year-Old Egyptian Pyramid Threatened by Development
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/02/140205-egypt-pyramids-edfu-archaeology-science/

THE ANCIENT WORLD ONLINE

New blog entries:

Ancient Egyptian Astronomy
http://ancientworldonline.blogspot.nl/2014/02/ancient-egyptian-astronomy.html

The Oriental Institute's Publications on Medinet Habu
http://ancientworldonline.blogspot.nl/2014/02/the-oriental-institutes-publications-on.html

LUXOR TIMES

New blogposts:

The new discovery is not new
http://luxortimesmagazine.blogspot.nl/2014/02/the-new-discovery-is-not-new.html

Psamtik I is found, 26th Dynasty discovery in Delta
http://www.luxortimesmagazine.blogspot.nl/2014/02/psamtik-i-is-found-26th-dynasty.html

HAIR AND DEATH IN ANCIENT EGYPT

by María Rosa Valdesogo:

Isis the mourner at the feet of Osiris. A matter of sex?
http://hairanddeathinancientegypt.com/2014/02/05/isis-the-mourner-at-the-feet-of-osiris-a-matter-of-sex/

Isis the Mourner at the Feet of Osiris. An Ancient Egypt Birth?
http://hairanddeathinancientegypt.com/2014/02/11/isis-the-mourner-at-the-feet-of-osiris-isis-the-mourner-giving-birth/

DAILY NEWS EGYPT

Pharaoh power-sharing unearthed in Egypt
http://www.dailynewsegypt.com/2014/02/06/pharaoh-power-sharing-unearthed-egypt/

THE CONVERSATION

By Nicola Harrington:

What the new pharaoh tells us about ancient Egypt
http://theconversation.com/what-the-new-pharaoh-tells-us-about-ancient-egypt-22490

EGYPT AT THE MANCHESTER MUSEUM

Call for papers

From Egypt to Manchester: unravelling the John Rylands papyrus collection.
This conference aims to bring together scholars who are working or have recently worked on the John Rylands papyri.
http://egyptmanchester.wordpress.com/2014/02/10/call-for-papers/

AL-AHRAM WEEKLY

Lost dynasty revealed
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/News/5368/47/Lost-dynasty-revealed.aspx

IMALQATA

New blogentries:

Starting up again
http://imalqata.wordpress.com/2014/02/05/starting-up-again/

First Day at the Site
http://imalqata.wordpress.com/2014/02/06/first-day-at-the-site-2/

Study Day
http://imalqata.wordpress.com/2014/02/07/study-day/

OUR HOME AWAY FROM HOME
http://imalqata.wordpress.com/2014/02/08/our-home-away-from-home/

New Work at the North Village
http://imalqata.wordpress.com/2014/02/09/new-work-at-the-north-village/

The Newest Member of the Team
http://imalqata.wordpress.com/2014/02/10/the-newest-member-of-the-team/

LUXOR NEWS

By Jane Akshar:

More about the Amenhotep III/Akhenaton co-regency discovery
http://luxor-news.blogspot.nl/2014/02/more-about-amenhotep-iiiakhenaton-co.html

AERA

New blogpost by Richard Redding:

Animal Bones and the Silo Building Complex
http://www.aeraweb.org/blog/animal-bones-and-the-silo-building-complex/

ANCIENT EGYPT AND A MAPLE LEAF

By Thomas H. Greiner:

The Intrigue of Ancient Byblos
http://thomasgreiner.com/2014/02/08/the-intrigue-of-ancient-byblos/

ANCIENT EGYPTIAN ANIMAL BIO BANK

Mummy recording and exhibition prep at the World Museum, Liverpool
http://ancientegyptbiobank.wordpress.com/2014/02/11/mummy-recording-and-exhibition-prep-at-the-world-museum-liverpool/

DEMONTHINGS - ANCIENT EGYPTIAN DEMONOLOGY PROJECT

‘Magical Spells on Protective Cobra Figurines’ seminar by Kasia Szpakowska

This discussion will focus on preliminary interpretations of religious texts inscribed on clay cobra figurines found near the temple of Osiris at Abydos. The brief inscriptions are written in cursive hieroglyphs down the body of the snake. Whether they constitute a sort of identifying label for the figurines, an abbreviated magical spell, or a recitation for apotropaic rituals is yet to be determined. This is still a work-in-progress so discussions and feedback will be most welcome in preparation for publication.
http://www.demonthings.com/magical-spells-on-protective-cobra-figurines-seminar-by-kasia-szpakowska/

‘Learning is Not Just For Life, But For Death’ lecture by Felicitas Weber

The “Book of the Dead” was the most common guide through the Netherworld for the ancient Egyptians, from the New Kingdom through the Roman Period. This talk will not only introduce this complex corpus of spells and vignettes, but will also show some distinguished peculiar examples of individual religionless.
http://www.demonthings.com/learning-is-not-just-for-life-but-for-death-lecture-by-felicitas-weber/

ACROSSBORDERS

New post by Julia Budka:

The western part of Building A: New finds at SAV1 East
http://acrossborders.oeaw.ac.at/the-western-part-of-building-a-new-finds-at-sav1-east/

AMARA WEST PROJECT BLOG

Amara West 2014: looking behind the colour
http://blog.amarawest.britishmuseum.org/2014/02/05/amara-west-2014-looking-behind-the-colour/

Amara West 2014: the desert survey comes to an end….
http://blog.amarawest.britishmuseum.org/2014/02/08/amara-west-2014-the-desert-survey-comes-to-an-end/

Amara West 2014: another season begins in the ancient town
http://blog.amarawest.britishmuseum.org/2014/02/10/amara-west-2014-another-season-begins-in-the-ancient-town/

LIVESCIENCE

By Owen Jarus:

In Photos: Ancient Egyptian School Discovered
http://www.livescience.com/43248-photos-ancient-egyptian-school-discovered.html

Drug References Found on Walls of Ancient Egyptian School
http://www.livescience.com/43265-ancient-school-discovered-in-egypt.html

What the new pharaoh tells us about ancient Egypt

By Nicola Harrington

Last month’s discovery in South Abydos, in Egypt – of the remains of the pharaoh, Senekbay, which date to the Second Intermediate Period (c. 1750-1550 BC) – sheds new light on a complex and divided period of Egyptian history.

The collapse of the Old Kingdom, the age of the great pyramid-builders, saw the dissolution of central government and the formation of independent states. The unprepossessing tomb of a provincial king named Senebkay not only supports Danish Egyptologist Kim Ryholt’s previously dismissed theory of an Abydos Dynasty, but changes the political landscape of Egypt during the turbulent Second Intermediate Period.

Senebkay’s times and the Abydos Dynasty

Senebkay, who lived around 1650 BC, was ruler of Middle Egypt, situated between kingdoms ruled from Avaris (Tell el-Daba in the Delta) and Thebes (modern Luxor).

Prior to the discovery of the Abydos South cemetery, the only established dynasties were those of the north (the 13th and 15th dynasties, Hyksos) and south (16th). These vied for power until the Theban king Ahmose pushed south and succeeded in reunifying the country at the beginning of what is known as the New Kingdom (1550-1075 BC).

It’s worth noting here that term “dynasty” is a modern artificial academic concept – a means of grouping Egyptian rulers chronologically. It would not have been recognised in the ancient world.

Pharaoh power-sharing unearthed in Egypt

Conclusive evidence that revolutionary pharaoh Akhenaten shared power with his father.

A handout picture provided by the Egyptian Ministry of state for Antiquities on February 6, 2014 shows inscriptions discovered in a tomb in the ancient city of Luxor (Egyptian Ministry for Antiquities/AFP)

AFP –  Egypt’s antiquities ministry on Thursday revealed what it called conclusive evidence that revolutionary pharaoh Akhenaten shared power with his father.

Scholars had long debated whether Akhenaten, who tried to revolutionise ancient Egyptian religion, had shared power with his ailing father Amenhotep III.

The evidence came from the tomb of a pharaonic minister in the southern city of Luxor, inscribed with the cartouches of both pharaohs.

It was traditional for a minister’s tomb to be adorned with the cartouche of the ruler.
The inscriptions found in the minister’s tomb by an Egyptian-Spanish team dated back to a religious celebration marking Amenhotep III’s 30th year in power, roughly eight years before his death and Akhenaten’s ascension around 1,300 BC.

It is “definitive evidence of the co-regency between Amenhotep III and Amenhotep IV,” said antiquities minister Mohamed Ibrahim in a statement, referring to Akhenaten by his early title.

Akhenaten, who tried to impose monotheism with the worship of Aten, the sun disc, later fathered the famed boy king Tutankhamun.

Elsewhere, Egyptian archeologists discovered the mummified body of a woman buried with 180 funerary statues in Daqahleya province, 100 kilometres (60 miles) north of Cairo, the antiquities ministry said on Wednesday.

The number of statues indicates the high social rank of the woman when she died. Her mummy was well preserved.

Source: http://www.dailynewsegypt.com/2014/02/06/pharaoh-power-sharing-unearthed-egypt/

More ancient discoveries in Egypt's Dakahliya

More funerary objects are unearthed inside a mastaba tomb uncovered last week in Dakahliya

by Nevine El-Aref , Sunday 9 Feb 2014

During excavation work carried out Sunday inside a mastaba tomb found in Tel El-Tabila in Dakahliya, a collection of three skeletons, a large collection of ushabti figurines and two tombs were uncovered.

Mohamed Ibrahim, minister of state for antiquities, said in a press release that the three skeletons can be dated to the Late Ancient Egyptian period. A collection of 14 amulets were found buried beside one of them. The most important amulet is one depicting the Triod gods of Amun, Horus and Neftis.

Beside the second skeleton, Ibrahim said, a collection of 29 amulets was found, among them a heart shaped scarab and garnet amulets.

Beside the third skeleton excavators uncovered 12 amulets featuring the Udjat eye of Horus.

Ali El-Asfar, head of the Ancient Egyptian Section at the Ministry of State for Antiquities told Ahram Online that the Egyptian excavation mission uncovered two anthropoid limestone coffins with a mummy inside.

Inside the first coffin the mummy is covered with gilded carttonage and decorated with hieroglyphic text and the cartouche of King Psamtik I from the 26th Dynasty.

The mummy is in a bad state of preservation due to high levels of humidity.