Welcome to the Wednesday Weekly, your weekly dose of links to Egyptology news, articles, blogs, events and more.
NEWS.COM.AU
SA Museum finds German Egyptologist Maximillian Weidenbach's treasured diary
http://www.news.com.au/national-news/south-australia/sa-museum-finds-german-egyptologist-maximillian-weidenbach8217s-treasured-diary/story-fnii5yv4-1226740610633?from=public_rss
THE STAR ONLINE
by Maggie Fick
Hope glimmers for demoralised Egyptian tourist industry
http://www.thestar.com.my/News/World/2013/10/14/Hope-glimmers-for-demoralised-Egyptian-tourist-industry.aspx
CAMBRIDGE LIBRARY COLLECTION BLOG
New addition to the blog
The Father Of Egyptology
http://cambridgelibrarycollection.wordpress.com/2013/10/14/the-father-of-egyptology/
ARCHAEOLOGY MAGAZINE
Tattooing in Ancient Egypt
Faience Figurine and Bowl
http://www.archaeology.org/issues/107-features/tattoos//1352-faince-egypt-amunet-hathor-bes
HAIR AND DEATH IN ANCIENT EGYPT
by María Rosa Valdesogo Martín
Hair is Vegetation in Ancient Egypt
http://hairanddeathinancientegypt.wordpress.com/2013/10/17/hair-is-vegetation-in-ancient-egypt/
The Rite recalls the Myth. The Hair gives Breath of Life and Virility in Ancient Egypt
http://hairanddeathinancientegypt.wordpress.com/2013/10/21/the-rite-recalls-the-myth-the-hair-gives-breath-of-life-and-virility-in-ancient-egypt/
THE WASHINGTON POST
by Mohamed Ibrahim
Looting Egypt's heritage
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/looting-egypts-heritage/2013/10/18/8a1effdc-380d-11e3-8a0e-4e2cf80831fc_story.html
WWW.HISTORY.COM
Hungry History by Stephanie Butler
Eat Like an Egyptian
http://www.history.com/news/hungry-history/eat-like-an-egyptian
ANCIENT WORLDS
New posts by Bryan Sitch
Fragmentary Ancestors Figurines from Koma Land Exhibition
http://ancientworldsmanchester.wordpress.com/2013/10/16/fragmentary-ancestors-figurines-from-koma-land-exhibition/
Ancient Worlds on Holiday - Egypt in Rhodes
http://ancientworldsmanchester.wordpress.com/2013/10/21/ancient-worlds-on-holiday-egypt-in-rhodes/
THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART
The Charles K. Wilkinson Lecture Series
The Art Of Burial - Part 1
A Beautiful Burial: Decorating an Old Kingdom Mastaba Chapel by Ann Macy Roth
http://youtu.be/3i8q94B3Fys
The Art Of Burial - Part 2
Adornment For The Afterlife: Jewelry And Identity At Ur And Nimrud by Kim Benzel
http://youtu.be/19huwDXE3K4
The Art Of Burial - Part 3
In Quest Of Paradise: Accommodating Death In Islam by Lisa Golombek
http://youtu.be/PpsnAGxR3C0
THE BOSTON GLOBE
Article by Sebastian Smee
Harvard's Semitic museum is set for big changes
http://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/theater-art/2013/10/19/harvard-semitic-museum-trove-treasures-set-for-big-changes/vQSD5tZtOaUdw2QjPh5BzK/story.html
EGYPT INDEPENDENT
by Al-Masry Al-Youm
Egypt recovers ancient statue thanks to German family's will
http://www.egyptindependent.com/news/egypt-recovers-ancient-statue-thanks-german-family-s-will
METRO
by Shane Gibson
Mummy coming to Winnipeg
http://metronews.ca/news/winnipeg/824511/mummy-coming-to-winnipeg/
EM HOTEP
New addition to the site:
The New Kingdom Chariot - An Em Hotep Interview with Kathy Hansen
http://emhotep.net/2013/10/20/periods/new-kingdom/the-new-kingdom-chariot-an-em-hotep-interview-with-kathy-hansen/
EGYPT EXPLORATION SOCIETY
EES Cairo Lecture: Dr Mansour Boraik: Recent Activities of the Supreme Council of Antiquities on the East Bank at Luxor
http://www.ees.ac.uk/events/index/238.html
AHRAM ONLINE
by Nevine El-Aref
Tomb of Head of Pharaohs Physicians of fifth dynasty discovered
http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/84509.aspx
EGYPT AT THE MANCHESTER MUSEUM
New post by Anna Garnett
A Colourful Goddess: Hathoric Pottery Decoration
http://egyptmanchester.wordpress.com/2013/10/22/a-colourful-goddess-hathoric-pottery-decoration/
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Tomb of Head of Pharaohs Physicians of fifth dynasty discovered
The tomb of the Head of Physicians of Upper and Lower Egypt during the fifth dynasty is found in Abusir Necropolis
by Nevine El-Aref , Tuesday 22 Oct 2013
The tomb of the fifth dynasty Head of Physicians of Upper and Lower Egypt, Shepseskaf-Ankh, was discovered in Abusir Necropolis - 25km from the Giza plateau, during excavation by a Czech archaeological mission.
The tomb is carved in limestone and consists of a large open court, eight burial chambers for Shepseskaf and his family members, and a very distinguished huge false door engraved with the various titles and names of Shepseskaf-Ankh. Among the titles he held were, ‘The priest of god Khnum,’ who provides life, and ‘The priest of Sun temples’ for several fifth dynasty kings.
Ali Al-Asfar, deputy-head of the ancient Egyptian section at the Ministry of State of Antiquities (MSA) pointed out that some of the titles engraved on the false door reflect the social status of Shepseskaf-Ankh, who came from an elite ancient Egyptian family.
"Although it is the third tomb of an ancient Egyptian Physician to be found in Abusir, it has important historical and archaeological significance," said Mohamed Ibrahim, Minister of the MSA. He explains that the tomb belonged to one of the distinguished physicians who was close to the ruler kings and owned a senior official position during the reign of the pyramid-builders.
Director of the Czech mission, Miroslav Barta, stated that individual tombs in Abusir were constructed from the mid-fifth dynasty onwards, and many priests and officials who worked in the Pyramid complex during the reign of the Kings of Abusir and the Sun Temples were buried there.
Abusir is an extensive Old Kingdom necropolis that served as one of the main elite cemeteries for the ancient Egyptian capital of Memphis. It houses the remains of 14 pyramids, which served as burials for the fifth dynasty kings as well as a number of tombs and sun temples.
by Nevine El-Aref , Tuesday 22 Oct 2013
The tomb of the fifth dynasty Head of Physicians of Upper and Lower Egypt, Shepseskaf-Ankh, was discovered in Abusir Necropolis - 25km from the Giza plateau, during excavation by a Czech archaeological mission.
The tomb is carved in limestone and consists of a large open court, eight burial chambers for Shepseskaf and his family members, and a very distinguished huge false door engraved with the various titles and names of Shepseskaf-Ankh. Among the titles he held were, ‘The priest of god Khnum,’ who provides life, and ‘The priest of Sun temples’ for several fifth dynasty kings.
Ali Al-Asfar, deputy-head of the ancient Egyptian section at the Ministry of State of Antiquities (MSA) pointed out that some of the titles engraved on the false door reflect the social status of Shepseskaf-Ankh, who came from an elite ancient Egyptian family.
"Although it is the third tomb of an ancient Egyptian Physician to be found in Abusir, it has important historical and archaeological significance," said Mohamed Ibrahim, Minister of the MSA. He explains that the tomb belonged to one of the distinguished physicians who was close to the ruler kings and owned a senior official position during the reign of the pyramid-builders.
Director of the Czech mission, Miroslav Barta, stated that individual tombs in Abusir were constructed from the mid-fifth dynasty onwards, and many priests and officials who worked in the Pyramid complex during the reign of the Kings of Abusir and the Sun Temples were buried there.
Abusir is an extensive Old Kingdom necropolis that served as one of the main elite cemeteries for the ancient Egyptian capital of Memphis. It houses the remains of 14 pyramids, which served as burials for the fifth dynasty kings as well as a number of tombs and sun temples.
Source: http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/84509.aspx
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Museum Pieces - Scene from the Great Harris Papyrus: Ramesses III before the gods of Memphis
 |
| (Photocredit: British Museum) |
Ramesses III stands praying before Ptah, Sekhmet and Nefertem. The accompanying notes are these:
Ptah the great, "South-of-His-Wall." lord of "Life-of-the-Two-Lands."
Sekhmet the great, beloved of Ptah.
Nefertem, protector of the Two Lands.
I tell the prayers, praises, adorations, laudations, mighty deeds, and benefactions, which I did for you in your presence, O Resi-inebef. (South-of-His-Wall)
Height: 42.500 cm
EA 9999/43
From Thebes, Egypt
20th Dynasty, around 1150 BC
At forty-two metres, the Great Harris Papyrus is one of the longest papyri still in existence from ancient Egypt. It is divided into five sections, with hieratic text and three illustrations of the king and the gods accompanied by hieroglyphic texts.
The first three sections describe the donations made by King Ramesses III (1184-1153 BC) to the gods and temples of Thebes, Heliopolis and Memphis. Each of these sections is illustrated, the king making offerings to three of the deities from each area. The amounts were colossal: The list relating to Thebes alone includes 309,950 sacks of grain and large quantities of metals and semi-precious stones.
This vignette is the third of those at the beginning of the papyrus. The king worships the gods of Memphis, one of the main administrative cities of Egypt. He holds the crook and flail, and wears clothing reserved for the king, including the banded cloth head-dress, sash, triangular-fronted kilt and bull's tail. Each god or goddess is shown in his or her most typical form. The close fitting and ornate costumes are typical of the traditional clothing the deities were thought to wear.
S. Quirke and A.J. Spencer, The British Museum book of anc (London, The British Museum Press, 1992)
Sources: http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/aes/s/scene_from_the_great_harris_pa.aspx
Translation from:
James Henry Breasted, Ancient Records Of Egypt, vol 4 § 305
Eat Like an Egyptian
By Stephanie Butler
Archeological discoveries have told us much about how ancient Egyptians worshiped, celebrated and mourned. But these scientific finds have also provided tantalizing clues about how–and what–this complex civilization ate. From grains like emmer and kamut to cloudy beer and honey-basted gazelle, this week’s Hungry History focuses on the meals of ancient Egypt.
Bread and beer were the two staples of the Egyptian diet. Everyone from the highest priest to the lowliest laborer would eat these two foods every day, although the quality of the foods for the priest would undoubtedly be higher. The main grain cultivated in Egypt was emmer. Better known today as farro, emmer happens to be a fairly well balanced source of nutrition: it’s higher in minerals and fiber than similar grains. Breads and porridge were made from the grain, as well as a specially devised product that modern-day archeologists call “beer bread.”
Beer bread was made from dough that used more yeast than normal breads, and it was baked at a temperature that didn’t kill off the yeast cultures. Brewers crumbled the bread into vats and let it ferment naturally in water. This yielded a thick and cloudy brew that would probably disgust our modern palates. But it was also nourishing and healthy, and filled in many nutritive deficiencies of the lower-class diet.
Archeological discoveries have told us much about how ancient Egyptians worshiped, celebrated and mourned. But these scientific finds have also provided tantalizing clues about how–and what–this complex civilization ate. From grains like emmer and kamut to cloudy beer and honey-basted gazelle, this week’s Hungry History focuses on the meals of ancient Egypt.
Bread and beer were the two staples of the Egyptian diet. Everyone from the highest priest to the lowliest laborer would eat these two foods every day, although the quality of the foods for the priest would undoubtedly be higher. The main grain cultivated in Egypt was emmer. Better known today as farro, emmer happens to be a fairly well balanced source of nutrition: it’s higher in minerals and fiber than similar grains. Breads and porridge were made from the grain, as well as a specially devised product that modern-day archeologists call “beer bread.”
Beer bread was made from dough that used more yeast than normal breads, and it was baked at a temperature that didn’t kill off the yeast cultures. Brewers crumbled the bread into vats and let it ferment naturally in water. This yielded a thick and cloudy brew that would probably disgust our modern palates. But it was also nourishing and healthy, and filled in many nutritive deficiencies of the lower-class diet.
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Egypt’s stolen heritage
By Mohamed Ibrahim, Saturday, October 19
Mohamed Ibrahim is Egypt’s minister of state for antiquities and a professor of Egyptology at Ain Shams University in Cairo.
Egypt’s future lies in its history, particularly its archaeological history. For hundreds of years the mystery and wonders of the pyramids, the sphinx and the Valley of the Kings have attracted visitors from around the world. Tourism is the lifeblood of Egypt’s economy and touches the lives of most Egyptians, whether they work as tour guides, restaurant owners, craftsmen or bus operators. Egypt’s history holds the prosperity of the country’s future generations, including that of youths — more than 40 million Egyptians are age 30 or younger — who are seeking opportunities.
But thieves are raiding our archaeological sites and selling their findings to the highest bidders. They are taking advantage of Egypt’s security situation to loot our nation’s economic future and steal from our children.
Egyptians need the people and the government of the United States to support our efforts to combat the systematic and organized looting of our museums and archaeological sites. Imagine a world in which the stories of King Tut, Cleopatra, Ramesses and others were absent from the collective consciousness. And with much of our history still waiting to be discovered under the sand, the potential losses are staggering. Antiquities theft is one of the world’s top crimes — after the trafficking of weapons, narcotics and people — but it is seldom addressed.
Mohamed Ibrahim is Egypt’s minister of state for antiquities and a professor of Egyptology at Ain Shams University in Cairo.
Egypt’s future lies in its history, particularly its archaeological history. For hundreds of years the mystery and wonders of the pyramids, the sphinx and the Valley of the Kings have attracted visitors from around the world. Tourism is the lifeblood of Egypt’s economy and touches the lives of most Egyptians, whether they work as tour guides, restaurant owners, craftsmen or bus operators. Egypt’s history holds the prosperity of the country’s future generations, including that of youths — more than 40 million Egyptians are age 30 or younger — who are seeking opportunities.
But thieves are raiding our archaeological sites and selling their findings to the highest bidders. They are taking advantage of Egypt’s security situation to loot our nation’s economic future and steal from our children.
Egyptians need the people and the government of the United States to support our efforts to combat the systematic and organized looting of our museums and archaeological sites. Imagine a world in which the stories of King Tut, Cleopatra, Ramesses and others were absent from the collective consciousness. And with much of our history still waiting to be discovered under the sand, the potential losses are staggering. Antiquities theft is one of the world’s top crimes — after the trafficking of weapons, narcotics and people — but it is seldom addressed.
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Wednesday Weekly # 5
Welcome to the Wednesday Weekly, your weekly dose of links to Egyptology news, articles, blogs, events and more.
EGYPT AT THE MANCHESTER MUSEUM
by Campbell Price
Texts in Translation #11: A 'kings list' from Abydos (Acc.No. 2939)
http://egyptmanchester.wordpress.com/2013/10/12/texts-in-translation-11-a-kings-list-from-abydos-acc-no-2939/
EGYPT CENTRE, SWANSEA
New addition to the blog by Carolyn Graves-Brown
Tattoos, Sex and Dancing Girls - With a Nubian Connection
http://egyptcentre.blogspot.nl/2013/10/tattoos-sex-and-dancing-girls-with.html
HAIR AND DEATH IN ANCIENT EGYPT
by María Rosa Valdesogo Martín
Hair is Maternity in Ancient Egypt
http://hairanddeathinancientegypt.wordpress.com/2013/10/10/hair-is-maternity-in-ancient-egypt/
Hair is Water in Ancient Egypt
http://hairanddeathinancientegypt.wordpress.com/2013/10/14/hair-is-water-in-ancient-egypt/
IN THE ARTIFACT LAB
New addition to the blog by Molly Gleeson
A new face in the lab
http://www.penn.museum/sites/artifactlab/2013/10/12/a-new-face-in-the-lab/
EGYPTIAN'S
New blogpost by Timothy Reid
Sacred Sexuality in Ancient Egypt
http://tim-theegyptians.blogspot.nl/2013/10/sacred-sexuality-in-ancient-egypt.html
EGYPT AT THE MANCHESTER MUSEUM
by Campbell Price
Texts in Translation #11: A 'kings list' from Abydos (Acc.No. 2939)
http://egyptmanchester.wordpress.com/2013/10/12/texts-in-translation-11-a-kings-list-from-abydos-acc-no-2939/
EGYPT CENTRE, SWANSEA
New addition to the blog by Carolyn Graves-Brown
Tattoos, Sex and Dancing Girls - With a Nubian Connection
http://egyptcentre.blogspot.nl/2013/10/tattoos-sex-and-dancing-girls-with.html
HAIR AND DEATH IN ANCIENT EGYPT
by María Rosa Valdesogo Martín
Hair is Maternity in Ancient Egypt
http://hairanddeathinancientegypt.wordpress.com/2013/10/10/hair-is-maternity-in-ancient-egypt/
Hair is Water in Ancient Egypt
http://hairanddeathinancientegypt.wordpress.com/2013/10/14/hair-is-water-in-ancient-egypt/
IN THE ARTIFACT LAB
New addition to the blog by Molly Gleeson
A new face in the lab
http://www.penn.museum/sites/artifactlab/2013/10/12/a-new-face-in-the-lab/
EGYPTIAN'S
New blogpost by Timothy Reid
Sacred Sexuality in Ancient Egypt
http://tim-theegyptians.blogspot.nl/2013/10/sacred-sexuality-in-ancient-egypt.html
Monday, October 14, 2013
Triad statue of Ramses II might indicate a second temple
A statue discovered last November points out to further possibilities in Tell Basta area in Al-Sharqiyah
A newly-discovered statue of Ramses II in Al-Sharqiyah might mean that the 19th dynasty was present in the area. The red granite statue is 2.47 metres tall and approximately 1.9 metres wide. It was found during the excavations of the German-Egyptian archaeological mission near the Bastet temple at Tell Basta. According to the mission’s blog run by the team director Dr Eva Lange, the statue was reportedly found last November, but needed further research to properly identify the three figures.
The 19th Dynasty statue was found flanked by the deities Hathor and Ptah Hotp.
According to the Ministry of Antiquities’ Facebook page, the area is considered one of the most ancient archaeological sites: “The oldest findings there date back to the fourth Dynasty. It was an important religious centre and one of the capitals of Ancient Egypt. Due to its location [at] the eastern entrance of Egypt, this area faced the comers from the east across Sinai, witnessing many conquerors and invaders, therefore having historical and geographical importance that still needs to be discovered.”
Dr Lange described the find in Dromos Square on the mission’s blog as “unexpected”. “Dromos Square is situated on the axis [that] leads from the temple of Bastet to the city itself. Precisely on this axis, we started to excavate new squares in order to investigate the building history of that area. Assuming that traces of the once-monumental, stone-paved Dromos, doubtless the most important street of the city in the Late Dynastic Period, or of its demolishing process, should be hidden here, we excavated huge disturbed layers of mud brought by rainfalls and the inundation as well as windblown sand. The characteristics of those layers and the discovered pottery showed us that this area lay open as wasteland for a very long period of time, at least from the Early Roman Period onwards,” wrote Dr Lange.
The features were not completely discernible, due to the area’s climate, which aided the wear and tear process. They could not find any inscriptions on the front of the statue, but they did find some on the back of it: “Features of a cartouche, revealing the prenomen of Ramses”. However, further studies were needed to accurately identify the three figures.
According to the Ministry of Antiquities, the mission discovered a second statue made of sandstone: “The statue carries an ancient Egyptian text, pointing out that it is a present to the gods Bastet, Sekhmet and Hor Akhty.”
The discoveries might indicate a second temple in the area. The two statues were transferred to the open-area museum in Tell Basta.
Source: http://www.dailynewsegypt.com/2013/10/07/triad-statue-of-ramses-ii-might-indicate-a-second-temple/
A newly-discovered statue of Ramses II in Al-Sharqiyah might mean that the 19th dynasty was present in the area. The red granite statue is 2.47 metres tall and approximately 1.9 metres wide. It was found during the excavations of the German-Egyptian archaeological mission near the Bastet temple at Tell Basta. According to the mission’s blog run by the team director Dr Eva Lange, the statue was reportedly found last November, but needed further research to properly identify the three figures.
The 19th Dynasty statue was found flanked by the deities Hathor and Ptah Hotp.
According to the Ministry of Antiquities’ Facebook page, the area is considered one of the most ancient archaeological sites: “The oldest findings there date back to the fourth Dynasty. It was an important religious centre and one of the capitals of Ancient Egypt. Due to its location [at] the eastern entrance of Egypt, this area faced the comers from the east across Sinai, witnessing many conquerors and invaders, therefore having historical and geographical importance that still needs to be discovered.”
Dr Lange described the find in Dromos Square on the mission’s blog as “unexpected”. “Dromos Square is situated on the axis [that] leads from the temple of Bastet to the city itself. Precisely on this axis, we started to excavate new squares in order to investigate the building history of that area. Assuming that traces of the once-monumental, stone-paved Dromos, doubtless the most important street of the city in the Late Dynastic Period, or of its demolishing process, should be hidden here, we excavated huge disturbed layers of mud brought by rainfalls and the inundation as well as windblown sand. The characteristics of those layers and the discovered pottery showed us that this area lay open as wasteland for a very long period of time, at least from the Early Roman Period onwards,” wrote Dr Lange.
The features were not completely discernible, due to the area’s climate, which aided the wear and tear process. They could not find any inscriptions on the front of the statue, but they did find some on the back of it: “Features of a cartouche, revealing the prenomen of Ramses”. However, further studies were needed to accurately identify the three figures.
According to the Ministry of Antiquities, the mission discovered a second statue made of sandstone: “The statue carries an ancient Egyptian text, pointing out that it is a present to the gods Bastet, Sekhmet and Hor Akhty.”
The discoveries might indicate a second temple in the area. The two statues were transferred to the open-area museum in Tell Basta.
Source: http://www.dailynewsegypt.com/2013/10/07/triad-statue-of-ramses-ii-might-indicate-a-second-temple/
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