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Thursday, February 28, 2019

Newsletter Osirisnet Février - February 2019


https://www.osirisnet.net/news/n_02_19.htm?en

Newsletter Osirisnet Février - February 2019

Plus de quarante momies viennent d'être trouvées à Touna el-Gebel More than 40 ancient mummies from Ptolemaic period found at Tuna el-Gebel

Photos: Egypt Ministry of Antiquities

Voici l'annonce exceptionnelle évoquée dans la newsletter du mois dernier : une quarantaine de momies d'époque ptolémaïque ont été découvertes sur le site de Touna el-Gebel, qui se trouve en Moyenne Égypte, près de la ville de Minya. Elles ont plus de 2 000 ans, mais sont "en bon état de conservation".
Parmi ces momies, "douze sont celles d'enfants, six celles d'animaux (chiens surtout) et le reste celles d'hommes et de femmes adultes.
Pour voir ces momies, il faut descendre en bas d'un puits étroit, de neuf mètres de profondeur. Il débouche sur vaste salle dans laquelle s'ouvrent de nombreuses petites chambres funéraires qui contiennent les corps brunâtres. Certaines momies ont été placées dans des sarcophages en pierre ou en bois, tandis que d'autres ont été enterrées dans le sable ou posées à même le sol ou dans des niches. Les corps sont bandelettés, avec parfois des inscriptions en démotique. Quelques fragments de cartonnage provenant des masques mortuaires recouvrant les épaules et la tête, ou les pieds, sont parfois présents. Des ostraca (tessons de poteries ou éclats de calcaire) et des fragments de papyrus ont également été découverts sur place.
Il s'agirait d'une tombe collective, appartenant à une famille de "l'élite de la classe moyenne".

Here is the exceptional announcement mentioned in last month's newsletter: in "a maze of tombs", about forty mummies from the Ptolemaic period have been discovered on the site of Tuna el-Gebel, which is located in Middle Egypt, near the city of Minya.
Among these mummies, "twelve are those of children, six those of animals (especially dogs) and the others those of adult men and women".

To see these mummies, you have to go down a narrow well, nine metres deep. It leads to a vast room in which many small funeral chambers open, containing brownish bodies.
It is a familial grave, which belongs to "a family from the elite middle class". The grave consists of a number of burial chambers inside which lay some forty human mummies of different genders and age, including children. All are in a good conservation condition. The mummies are wrapped in linen, and sometimes bear Demotic inscriptions. Mummies of men and women still bear fragments of the colorful cartonnage (a material made of linen or papyri and covered in plaster) that once covered their heads and feet.
The methods used in burying the mummies inside this maze of tombs varied. Some of them were buried inside stone or wooden sarcophagi while others were buried in sand or laid on the floors or inside niches.
Ostraca and fragments of papyri were also found in the tomb, he said, which helped reveal that it could date to the Ptolemaic, early Roman and Byzantine periods.

Un atelier de sculpture datant du Nouvel Empire trouvé au Gebel el-SilsilaNew Kingdom workshop uncovered in Gebel el-Silsila

Photos: Gebel el-Silsila Project

La mission suédoise de l'Université de Lund dirigée par le Dr Maria Nilsson et John Ward, a découvert un atelier de sculpture monumentale sur grès sur le site archéologique de Gebel el-Silsila. La mission a trouvé, au fond d'un puits profond comblé par les débris des époques postérieures, les restes d'un atelier de sculpture avec l'ébauche d'un grand criosphinx (sphinx à tête de bélier) mesurant environ 5 m de long, 3,5 m de haut et 1,5 m de large. Le contexte archéologique suggère une datation de l'époque d'Amenhotep III. Le nouveau sphinx est le troisième trouvé sur le site, qui a par ailleurs fourni la plus grande partie du grès utilisé dans les temples et monuments de l'Égypte ancienne.
Le sphinx nouvellement découvert comporte un autre sphinx plus petit au niveau de son ventre ; cette petite chose était peut-être une statue d'entraînement taillée par un apprenti. À proximité, un sculpteur a entrepris de tailler dans la paroi l'uræus destiné à ceindre la tête du plus grand des criosphinx mais la pièce est restée à l'état d'ébauche grossière.
Par ailleurs, des centaines de fragments inscrits de hiéroglyphiques appartenant à un naos détruit, également de l'époque d'Amenhotep III, ont aussi été découverts, ainsi que des morceaux d'un obélisque, y compris sa pointe.
On ignore pourquoi le grand sphinx et les autres pièces n'ont pas été achevés. Peut-être le décès du souverain a-t-il entraîné l'arrêt du travail ou les ouvriers ont-ils repéré une fissure dans la roche. Plus tard, les débris issus de l'activité des carrières romaines ont enterré les sphinx dans les décombres.

The Swedish mission from Lund University led by Dr. Maria Nilsson and John Ward, has discovered a New Kingdom sandstone workshop and several sculptures during excavations carried out at Gebel el-Silsila archaeological site. The mission unearthed a large criosphinx (ram-headed sphinx) measuring approximately 5 m long, 3.5 m high, and 1.5 m wide from a deep pit of quarry debris dumped there during the Roman era.
The evidence suggests that the sphinx was carved around the end of the reign of pharaoh Amenhotep III.
The new sphinx is the third one found at the site, which was the source of much of the sandstone used in Ancient Egyptian temples and monuments.
The newly unearthed sphinx was found with a smaller sphinx sculpture nestled along its belly; that small sculpture may have been a practice statue carved by an apprentice. Both sculptures are rough-cut and prepared for transportation, but were likely abandoned at Gebel el-Silsila as the larger sculpture fractured. Centuries later, Roman quarry activity buried the sphinxes in spoil. Nearby the practice piece, a rough-cut uraeus was also uncovered; it was made to crown the head of the larger criosphinx.
Hundreds of fragments inscribed in hieroglyphs that belong to a destroyed naos of Amenhotep III, were also discovered. In addition, parts of an obelisk, including its pyramidion, were retrieved.

Ce qu'on trouve sous les maisons pas loin des pyramides Egypt police finds ancient burial site while investigating illegal dig at house near Pyramids

Photos: Egypt Ministry of Antiquities

Un habitant du district de Nazlet el-Samman, proche des grandes Pyramides de Guiza, a creusé illégalement sous sa maison à la recherche d'antiquités. Il a ainsi pratiqué deux excavations, une mesurant 1,5 m de profondeur, et l'autre 4 m de profondeur. Une des excavations mène dans un corridor qui débouche dans une pièce de 2,5 X 2 m. Il s'y trouvait une fausse porte et un puits creusé dans le rocher.
L'autre excavation mène à une pièce dans laquelle on trouve deux triades de statues debout, taillées directement dans le rocher. Elles ont subi des mutilations volontaires au niveau de la tête et des jambes.
Le développement incontrôlé des constructions ces dernières années (en particulier après le printemps arabe de 2011) a permis à la ville du Caire de se rapprocher de la zone archéologique de Guiza, ce qui apparaît clairement lorsqu'on parcourt le Plateau. Le danger pour ce site majeur est immense.

Everything is in the title!
A resident of Nazlet el-Samman district near the Pyramids of Giza, had illegally dug under his house looking for ancient artefacts. One of the excavations was 1.5 metres deep and the second 4 metres deep. Within one excavated area, a corridor led to a rock-hewn 2 metres by 2.5 metres room. Inside the room was a false door, and a well carved into the rock.
In the other excavation, a room housing six wall-relief statues was discovered. Some of the statues had smashed heads and legs.

Le squelette d'une jeune fille entourée de deux crânes de bovins à MeidoumSkeleton of a teenage girl found at Meidum, alongside two bull skulls

Photos: Egypt Ministry of Antiquities

Des archéologues égyptiens travaillant sur le site de la pyramide de Meidum, sous la direction d'Omar Zaki, ont fait une étrange découverte dans un mastaba jouxtant la pyramide. Il s'agit de la tombe d'une jeune fille dans laquelle se trouvaient deux crânes de bovidés. La fillette avait environ 13 ans; elle reposait en position foetale et ses ossements étaient tassés dans une petite fosse. Les deux crânes, ainsi que trois vases en céramique constituaient les seules - et bien curieuses - offrandes. On ignore les causes du décès de l'enfant, mais on peut le dater d'environ 4600 av. J.C., époque à laquelle Houni, dernier roi de la IIIe dynastie commença la construction de la pyramide, qui sera poursuivie par le premier roi de la IVe dynastie, Snéfrou.

An Egyptian archaeological mission directed by Omar Zaki, is working in the area of Meidum pyramid, east of Al-Mastaba No. 17. It came across a strange tomb, with the skeletal remains of a 13-year-old girl huddled inside, a squatting position. The team also found two bull skulls and three ceramic vessels nearby that were likely placed as funerary offerings. While the sex and approximative age have been determined, much about the burial and the offerings are still unclear. How or when did the young girl die is a mystery, though the experts say the site itself dates back to the end of the Third Dynasty roughly 4,600 years ago, as it is thought that the construction on the Meidum pyramid began at the command of the Third Dynasty's last pharaoh, Huni, and was continued by Snefru, the first pharaoh of the Fourth Dynasty.

Un atelier de construction navale et de réparation dans le SinaïAncient workshop for construction of boats uncovered in Sinai

Photos: Egypt Ministry of Antiquities

Les fouilles effectuées par une mission égyptienne sur le site archéologique de Tel Abu Seify, situé à 3 km à l'est du canal de Suez, dans le nord du Sinaï, ont mis au jour les vestiges d'un bâtiment en calcaire qui était autrefois un chantier naval, destiné à la construction et la réparation des bateaux pendant la période ptolémaïque et romaine. Le site aurait été l'emplacement de la forteresse romaine de Silla. Le chantier naval dispose de deux cales sèches pour la construction et l'entretien des navires, séparées par un bâtiment rectangulaire. Le plus grand dock est à l'est et ses murs d'enceinte ont une largeur de 6 m. Les deux murs s'étendent vers le sud en direction du lac antique sur environ 25 mètres de long. Lorsque le lac et la branche du Nil qui l'alimentait, se sont asséchés, la plupart des gros blocs de calcaire ont été retirés de leur emplacement d'origine pour être réutilisés ailleurs.

Excavations carried out by an Egyptian mission at the Tel Abu Seify archaeological site, located 3km to the east of Suez Canal in Northern Sinai, uncovered the remains of a limestone building that was once a workshop for the construction and repair of boats and vessels during the Ptolemaic and Roman periods. The site is said to have been the location of the Roman fortress of Silla. The shipyard contains two dry docks to build and maintain ships, with a rectangular building between them. The bigger dock is to the east and its surrounding walls are 6 m wide. Both walls extend to the south towards the old lake for about 25 meters long. Most of the large limestone blocks were taken out of their original place to be reused at later time after the port was no longer in use when the lake and the Nile branch dried out.

Serge Sauneron, The Priests of Ancient Egypt

La traduction anglaise de l'ouvrage incontournable de Serge Sauneron "Les prêtres de l'Égypte ancienne" est téléchargeable gratuitement au format pdf sur le site Internet Archive... mais pas la version française. Heureusement vous pouvez vous la procurer en livre à un prix dérisoire (j'ai même vu une offre à 0,90€ sur Priceminister)

We seldom report about downloadable books in pdf, but we warmly recommand this one to the English speaking readers. It's the English translation of a famous French book by the great Egyptologist Serge Sauneron, who died too young on an Egyptian road.

Nouvelle publication

À l'occasion de la grande exposition "Toutankhamon - Le trésor du Pharaon !", qui se tiendra à Paris du 23 mars au 15 septembre 2019, Florence Quentin vient de publier "Dans l'intimité de Toutankhamon. Ce que révèlent les objets de son trésor" aux éditions First (16,95 €). Florence Quentin, diplômée d'histoire de l'art, d'égyptologie et journaliste, est connue notamment grâce à la publication il y a quatre ans du "Livre des Égyptes", dont elle avait la direction.
L'ouvrage dont nous parlons ici est résolument tourné vers le grand public, et intéressera même ceux qui n'ont pas de connaissances particulières en égyptologie. L'auteur s'en explique clairement dans un avertissement :
À chaque début - et parfois en fin - de chapitre, j'ai fait le choix de "fictionner" certains épisodes de la vie du jeune roi afin d'incarner par touches ce que fut son existence, d'humaniser les objets luxueux de sa tombe en les replaçant dans leur décor d'origine. Et ainsi, je l'espère, de mieux représenter le passé. De l'éclairer sous un autre angle. Les lacunes dans nos connaissances sont donc ici comblées par l'imagination qui, "mise au service de la raison, est la faculté essentielle qui permet de représenter et de penser l'histoire" (Rémi Besson). Pour autant, ces récits liminaires romancés ne sont pas sans fondement et s'appuient sur des éléments provenant de sources fiables.
Quant aux épisodes qui ont trait à la découverte et aux fouilles de la KV622, ils sont inspirés directement des récits d'Howard Carter et des membres de son équipe ou encore, de documents ultérieurs montrant par exemple que l' archéologue britannique avait déjà pénétré dans la tombe avant son ouverture officielle.
Il en résulte un livre de 300 pages, agréable à lire. S'il ne saurait être classé parmi les ouvrages universitaires, il permettra de préparer de manière vivante une visite à l'exposition.

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Dig into these 5 astounding displays from Nat Geo’s ‘Queens of Egypt’ exhibit - The Washington Post


https://www.washingtonpost.com/express/2019/02/27/dig-into-these-astounding-displays-nat-geos-queens-egypt-exhibit/?utm_term=.d3e03b105786

Dig into these 5 astounding displays from Nat Geo's 'Queens of Egypt' exhibit

To be clear, pharaohs exist in the National Geographic Museum's new exhibit, "Queens of Egypt." But they're decidedly overshadowed by the women — legendary queens like Nefertari and Cleopatra VII, and the ordinary mothers, sisters and daughters who lived 2,000 to 3,500 years ago. "I enjoy that we put the pharaohs' role second, because that usually comes first," says exhibition content specialist Erin Branigan. "It's really about women in Egypt and the many roles they occupied," brought to life through more than 300 artifacts, such as jewelry, statues and sarcophagi (stone coffins). The 14,000-square-foot exhibit, which opens Friday, is one of the largest in the museum's history. Here's a closer look at some of the objects on display.


Museo Egizio, Turin

Nefertari's grave goods

Queen Nefertari was the first "great royal wife" of Pharaoh Ramses II. (The pharaohs typically had numerous wives — each serving a different purpose, like political advancement — but one was designated the primary, or great royal, wife.) When Nefertari died, she was buried in a spectacular tomb in the Valley of the Queens. Her grave was robbed soon after it was sealed, but a handful of objects that may have belonged to the queen were recovered when the tomb was discovered in 1904, including sandals (she wore a size 9), a pair of mummified lower limbs and a djed-pillar amulet that symbolized stability. Also recovered were 34 wooden shabtis, small figures designed to perform physical labor for the deceased in the afterlife. "They wanted the afterlife to be a life of leisure, so they came up with these little shabtis to activate," Branigan says. When the deceased were inevitably called upon to do work by a god, the shabtis would handle the tasks instead.


Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, Leiden, Netherlands

Scarab ring

This gold and steatite ring — made around 1292 B.C. — was likely worn by both men and women to confer protection and indicate prosperity and status. (Gold was worn only by the wealthy elite.) The ring invokes protection from Khepri, the scarab beetle god, whom the Egyptians considered responsible for the sun rising each day. "The scarab pushes a little ball of dung in front of itself, which it lays its eggs in," Branigan says. "So they thought there was a great celestial scarab that pushed the ball of the sun over the horizon and across the sky. They were sun worshippers." An engraving on the ring reads, "May you become a praised one, enduring in the temples."


Museo Egizio, Turin

Statue of Bastet

Many Egyptian gods had animal forms and characteristics — like Bastet, the goddess of domestic joy, who appeared as a cat or a woman with a cat's head. She was associated with the moon, birthdays and healthy pregnancies, Branigan says, and was "reputed to possess the magical power to stimulate love." No wonder she was popular. In one myth, the lion-headed goddess of battle, Sekhmet, was sent to Egypt to fight the enemies of her father, the sun god. She "became so bloodthirsty that she tried to destroy all of mankind," Branigan says. "To control her, the gods gave her red beer, which she mistook for blood." She downed it all, got quite drunk and turned into Bastet, the goddess's gentle, domesticated form.


Museo Egizio, Turin

Statue of Mut

Ancient Egyptians worshipped an array of gods and goddesses who each served a unique, important purpose. Mut, whose name means "mother," was a goddess of war and considered the "mistress of all the gods," a role model for Egyptian women. A heavy limestone statue of Mut is featured at the center of the exhibit; she is distinguished by her headwear, a double crown that represents upper and lower Egypt. "It was originally part of a couple's statue, so it would have had two figures," Branigan says, noting that the other half represented the god Amun-Ra, Mut's husband. The location of the other half of the statue is unknown.


Caroline Thibault

Layered mummy

The ancient Egyptians believed the deceased couldn't reach the afterlife unless their body was preserved — which meant that when someone died, he or she underwent a 70-day mummification process. Embalmers washed the body, waxed the skin and removed the internal organs, Branigan says, and the corpse was dehydrated for about 40 days before being wrapped in linen and resin. A layered case featured in the exhibit showcases the components of a typical Egyptian burial: The top layer contains the coffin lid, followed by a false lid for additional protection, the mummy mask and several amulets that provided protection and luck, and beneath that, the mummy itself — in this case, a man named Petament. The bottom layer is the coffin base. "We're able to show how the mummy would have been encased," Branigan says. "The coffins they used were sort of like Russian nesting dolls."

National Geographic Museum, 1145 17th St. NW; Fri. through Sept. 2, $15.


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World’s only tool-using vulture, the Egyptian vulture, risks being lost forever | BirdLife


http://www.birdlife.org/worldwide/news/world's-only-tool-using-vulture-risks-being-lost-forever
28 Feb 2019

World's only tool-using vulture risks being lost forever

Hailed for its intelligence and majesty, the Egyptian Vulture was admired and worshipped throughout history. But decimated by poisoning, electrocution and illegal trophy hunting, the bird that was once an Ancient Egyptian hieroglyph is now Endangered. Can we save it before it's too late?

The Egyptian Vulture was once nicknamed the              "Pharaoh's Chicken" © BirdLife Europe
The Egyptian Vulture was once nicknamed the "Pharaoh's Chicken" © BirdLife Europe
By Jessica Law

The Egyptian Vulture is one of seven flagship birds in our Flight for Survival campaign to raise awareness of the scope and scale of the illegal killing of migratory birds.

Faced with a challenge as tough as an ostrich egg, lesser scavengers may quail. Not the Egyptian Vulture. One of evolution's great problem-solvers, this ingenious raptor will set off in search of a suitably sharp pebble. Once it has found one of the right dimensions, it will swing its neck down and fling it upon the egg. If it doesn't work the first time, it will try again. It almost always gets its dinner.

It's not just pebbles. The Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus also uses twigs to roll up wisps of wool and take them back to line its nest. Such behaviour was first recorded by astonished Victorian naturalists visiting the African continent – but the people of Africa had known it was special for a long time. In ancient Egypt, the species was sacred to the goddess Isis and hailed as a symbol of royalty, protected by law. It was so iconic and widespread that it was nicknamed the "Pharaoh's Chicken" and even used as a hieroglyph.

If only modern humanity had the same respect for this species. Today, it is facing challenges even the great problem-solver of the bird world can't overcome. On its 5000-kilometre migration between European breeding grounds and sub-Saharan wintering grounds, it risks being poisoned by lethal farming chemicals, electrocuted by powerlines, or shot down by poachers and stuffed as macabre trophies.

Only one in seven Egyptian            Vultures reach adulthood © BirdLife Europe
Only one in seven Egyptian Vultures reach adulthood © BirdLife Europe

The devastation has been wholesale. The European population has plummeted by 50% in the past 40 years, and worldwide, only one in seven juveniles reaches adulthood. For a long-lived species whose lifespan can stretch to 30 years, every bird killed has a profound impact on future numbers.

Illegal killing is a particular problem in the Balkans. Birds that escape poisoning or electrocution may instead be shot down and sold as trophies on the Western European black market. The population has plummeted by more than 80% in the past 30 years, and now only 70 pairs remain. But a more unusual threat is also at play. Eggs and chicks are often stolen straight from the nest and sold to egg collectors, or raised in captivity to be kept in zoos or private aviaries.

In response, our Partner the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB) are doing everything in their power to safeguard the Egyptian Vultures that pass through their country. They have set up nest-guarding schemes to protect breeding grounds from human disturbance. They have satellite-tagged Egyptian vultures to track their movements and better understand where and how to protect them. And they run a much-needed captive-release program to bolster wild populations, aided by breeding centres across Europe.

They're also leading something that, like the vulture, goes beyond national borders. With the help of 13 other countries along the vulture's migration route, together with BirdLife Partners*, BSPB is spearheading an ambitious new project, "Egyptian Vulture – new LIFE". One of the main aims of this initiative is to set up a string of "vulture safe zones". These are areas cleared of poisoning hazards and supplied with suitable, safe food.

Poisoning is a serious threat to vultures worldwide, and comes from multiple sources. Farmers may leave out poisoned bait to eliminate livestock predators such as lions and wolves, with vultures becoming the unintended victims. Less directly but no less devastatingly, many vultures are killed by the veterinary drug diclofenac, which is used as a painkiller on farm animals, but is deadly to the vultures that scavenge upon deceased livestock. Although Diclofenac has been outlawed across Asia, it has, in a shocking step backwards, recently been approved for veterinary use in Europe. BSPB is part of the campaign to reverse this decision.

Egyptian Vultures put a huge amount of effort into breeding and raising their young. Couples perform magnificent aerial courtship displays and work together to care for their brood. After all this effort, having their young stolen from the nest or poisoned before they have the chance to breed themselves is unthinkable. It's true that Egyptian Vultures occasionally feed on ostrich eggs, but only ones that are infertile or have been abandoned by their parents – they certainly don't deserve a fate like this. We will not accept a one in seven survival rate – we won't rest until all juveniles have the chance to live a long and natural life.

Help the Egyptian Vulture and other migratory birds by supporting our Flight for Survival campaign, which follows the journeys of seven flagship species and highlights the work of our Partners in combatting illegal killing "blackspots".


* The Egyptian Vulture: New Life project is supported byBirdLife Partners Doga Dernegi (BirdLife in Turkey), Hellenic Ornithological Society (BirdLife in Greece), RSPB (BirdLife in the UK), BirdLife Africa and BirdLife Middle East.

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Pictures: Grand Egyptian Museum receives 249 artifacts - Egypt Today


http://www.egypttoday.com/Article/4/66372/Pictures-Grand-Egyptian-Museum-receives-249-artifacts
FILE - One of the antiquities transferred to GEM FILE - One of the antiquities transferred to GEM

Pictures: Grand Egyptian Museum receives 249 artifacts

Thu, Feb. 28, 2019
CAIRO - 28 February 2019: The Grand Egyptian Museum received a total of 249 artifacts from the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir and Tal Basta area in Zagazig.

The most significant among the antiquities transferred is a triangular statue of pink granite, depicting King Ramses II, and on his side the Pharaonic gods Ptah and Hathor.

The statue was uncovered during the excavation works of the Egyptian-German mission in Tal Basta area.

Also, a distinctive collection of colored limestone statues depicting the great statesmen and scribes of the ancient kingdom and a group of imaginary doors made of limestone decorated with inscriptions and cartridges of King Bebe were transferred to the Grand Egyptian Museum.


Have a look

-(10) (1)

73050-المتحف-المصرى-الكبير-يستقبل-249-قطعة--(6)

95226-المتحف-المصرى-الكبير-يستقبل-249-قطعة--(15)

116626-المتحف-المصرى-الكبير-يستقبل-249-قطعة--(7)

136769-المتحف-المصرى-الكبير-يستقبل-249-قطعة--(13)

150156-المتحف-المصرى-الكبير-يستقبل-249-قطعة--(10)

172412-المتحف-المصرى-الكبير-يستقبل-249-قطعة--(3)

292267-المتحف-المصرى-الكبير-يستقبل-249-قطعة--(12)
 


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Wednesday, February 27, 2019

Ram-Headed Sphinx Abandoned by King Tut's Grandfather Found in Egypt


https://www.livescience.com/64870-ram-headed-sphinx-egypt.html

Ram-Headed Sphinx Abandoned by King Tut's Grandfather Found in Egypt


Ram-Headed Sphinx Abandoned by King Tut's Grandfather            Found in Egypt
Workers dig a trench to excavate a large stone "criosphinx" (a sphinx with a ram's head) from quarry rubble at the Nile-side side of Gebel el-Silsila.
Credit: © The Gebel el-Silsila Project 2019

A ram-headed sphinx carved from sandstone more than 3,000 years ago has been found in Egypt.

Digging at the ancient quarry site of Gebel el-Silsila near Aswan, Egypt, archaeologists and workers unearthed the 11.5-foot-tall (3.5 meters) sphinx from a deep pit of quarry debris dumped there during the Roman era. The sphinx was sitting in an ancient carving workshop, where the team also found hundreds of stone fragments holding hieroglyphs and a carving of a coiled-up cobra that once crowned the sphinx.

The statue's presence at the quarry is something of a mystery, but it might have been a canceled order, said Maria Nilsson, an archaeologist at Lund University in Sweden and the director of the Gebel el-Silsila excavation. The evidence suggests that the sphinx was carved around the end of the reign of pharaoh Amenhotep III (King Tut's grandfather), Nilsson told Live Science. When the pharaoh died, the sculptures he commissioned might have been abandoned. [See Photos of the Ram-Headed Sphinx at Gebel el-Silsila]

The Gebel el-Silsila site sits along the banks of the Nile. The site was once a quarry, but recent excavations have revealed that it was also home for the quarry workers and their families. Nilsson and assistant project director John Ward have found a necropolis for men, women and children onsite. They've also found carved statues of well-off officials and an unlooted tomb full of a watery soup of human remains.

The ram's head — missing its uppermost part              — sticks out of the ground at Gebel el-Silsila.
The ram's head — missing its uppermost part — sticks out of the ground at Gebel el-Silsila.
Credit: © The Gebel el-Silsila Project 2019

The newly unearthed sphinx is a criosphinx, or a sphinx with a ram head. (The full term for the more famous person-headed sphinxes found in Egypt is "androsphinx.") The broken top of the sphinx's head has been sticking out of the rubble that covered it since antiquity, Ward said. Beginning last year, workers on the dig excavated tons of rubble to reveal the entire statue all the way to its base, or plinth.

At the base of the statue, the archaeology team found the broken carved cobra, known as a uraeus, which was a symbol of royalty. They also found a "baby sphinx" — a small sphinx that an apprentice might have carved for practice. Surrounding the statues, Ward said, were tiny iron shavings from chisels and very fine sandstone chips, left behind by artisans carving 3,370 years ago.

Near the sphinx, the team found hundreds of fragments from a collapsed "naos," or shrine, of Amenhotep III. This pharaoh, the son of Thutmose IV, ruled Egypt from around 1390 B.C. to around 1350 B.C., during the New Kingdom era. A large stone fragment with text written in red ochre dating back to the opening of the quarry was found among the remnants of the structure; epigraphers are working to translate it, Ward said.

The massive sphinx would have been carved from a sandstone block weighing 10 metric tons (22,046 pounds), Ward said. It looks like an unfinished version of sphinxes found at the Khonsu Temple at Karnak, a site of ruins not far from Luxor. There is no obvious reason that the sphinx was abandoned at the quarry, Nilsson said. It does have a thin crack along its front, but the damage is unlikely to be bad enough to ruin such a large statue, she said. It's possible that when Amenhotep III died and his son took the throne, the old pharaoh's work projects were halted.

"One of the aspects that we are considering is whether or not it was left because of the change in rulership," Nilsson said.

The discovery was documented by a National Geographic film crew and is featured in Episode 5 of the series "The Lost Treasures of Egypt." Footage from the discovery will also be shown on the show "Secrets of Egypt's Valley of the Kings," on Channel 4 in the UK in March.

A huge amount of work remains to excavate the quarry rubble around the new sphinx, Ward said. The rubble is nearly 12 feet (3.5 m) thick over the layer that dates to the statue's creation.

"We've got an immense task ahead of us to clean all of this tonnage of quarry spoil to reveal all of this New Kingdom layer," Ward said.

Originally published on Live Science.

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The Honest Truth: Curator scrolls back the years to shine light on ancient Egypt - Sunday Post


https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/the-honest-truth-curator-scrolls-back-the-years-to-shine-light-on-ancient-egypt/

The Honest Truth: Curator scrolls back the years to shine light on ancient Egypt

Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics in the Temple of Ramses II            (DeAgostini/Getty Images)
Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics in the Temple of Ramses II (DeAgostini/Getty Images)

ANCIENT Egypt Discovered is one of three new permanent galleries opened last week at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.

Senior curator Dr Margaret Maitland tells Bill Gibb the Honest Truth about one of the earliest and most fascinating civilisations.


When did you know you wanted to become an Egyptologist?

When I was six years old. I read a book on ancient Egypt in our school library, went home and told my parents that I wanted to become an Egyptologist. My interest was really reaffirmed at university. I was completely spellbound, being able to hear these ancient people speak in their own words. We have some amazing Egyptian writing in the gallery, including an important historical inscription by a general who fought in many battles under six different pharaohs.

What was your vision for Ancient Egypt Rediscovered?

I wanted to create a gallery that would challenge stereotypes and inspire visitors to learn more. The opening coincides with the 200th anniversary of the first ancient Egyptian objects entering National Museums Scotland's collections and this gallery showcases and interprets the full breadth of our internationally significant collection.

 

How extensive is it?

We explore how this incredible culture developed across more than 4,000 years. The gallery spotlights the remarkable stories of individual objects and the people who made, owned, and used them, as well as those who eventually rediscovered them, such as Alexander Henry Rhind, a Scot who was the first archaeologist to work in Egypt.

Dr Margaret Maitland of the National Museum of Scotland (Phil Wilkinson)

 

What can visitors to the new gallery expect to see?

Most of the gallery is presented chronologically. Further displays compare burials in different periods and look at how monumental building shifted from pyramids to temples. The stories of specific individuals are told, exploring what their lives were like at a particular time and place. These include Tairtsekher, a girl who lived in the village of the workmen who built the tombs in the Valley of the Kings.

 

What are some of the standout objects?

A particular highlight is the intact burial of an unknown woman who was probably a member of the royal family at Thebes while northern Egypt was under foreign control. The only intact royal burial outside of Egypt on display is her beautiful gilded coffin and exquisite gold jewellery, finely-crafted pottery and other decorative items. Also on display are the only double coffin ever found in Egypt and a decorative box of King Amenhotep II. One of the most striking pieces in the gallery is also one of the smallest; a tiny, gold catfish pendant, which is a masterpiece of ancient Egyptian goldsmithing and may have been worn at the end of a plait in a girl's hair.

 

From hieroglyphics to Mummy masks, why are people so fascinated by the objects of ancient Egypt?

There's such a wealth of material preserved from ancient Egypt – more surviving evidence than most other ancient cultures – which is great fuel for understanding and imagination. People find the monuments, gold, and burial practices particularly captivating.

 

What's the most unusual object on display?

I'd have to say a stripy sock, which is colourful and in fantastic condition. The big toe is separated so that it could be worn with sandals.

 

What is the biggest misconception people have about ancient Egypt?

People forget it was a culture that lasted for thousands of years. To put things into perspective, Cleopatra lived closer in time to the present day than to the building of the Great Pyramid of Giza.

Most people will be unaware that for over a third of its history, ancient Egypt was dominated by foreign rulers.

These encounters influenced the occupiers and Egypt itself, whether it was fashionable hairstyles or technologies like the wheel and chariot.


Visit nms.ac.uk/seethewholestory

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Tuesday, February 26, 2019

Fwd: University of Manchester Online Courses in Egyptology

From: egyptologyonline LS <egyptologyonline@manchester.ac.uk>
Date: Friday, February 22, 2019
Subject: University of Manchester Online Courses in Egyptology
To: egyptologyonline LS <egyptologyonline@manchester.ac.uk>


Dear Sirs

 

I am writing to remind you about the online courses that we offer to those with an interest in Egyptology.  The courses include:

 

·         Our 3 Year Online Certificate in Egyptology

·         Our 2 Year Online Diploma in Egyptology

·         A suite of short, 6-week Online Courses in Egyptology

 

A complete list of our offerings can be viewed here: http://www.egyptologyonline.manchester.ac.uk/

 

In addition, we are delighted to be offering a new two year, part-time online Master's in Egyptology, further details about which can be found here: http://www.egyptologyonline.manchester.ac.uk/study/masters-egyptology/

 

We would be grateful if you could share these details with any members that might be interested.

 

With best wishes

 

 

Lisa

----------------

Lisa Monks

School of Biological Sciences

Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health

University of Manchester

G.483 Stopford Building

Oxford Road, Manchester

M13 9PT UK

Tel 00 44 (0)161 275 5606

 


Researchers Sent an Egyptian Mummy Into a Particle Accelerator–Here’s What They Found


https://www.theepochtimes.com/researchers-sent-an-egyptian-mummy-into-a-particle-accelerator-heres-what-they-found_2815296.html

Researchers Sent an Egyptian Mummy Into a Particle Accelerator–Here's What They Found

February 25, 2019 Updated: February 25, 2019

Researchers are using a high-energy particle accelerator to peer inside the remains of an ancient Egyptian mummy, which contains the body of a young girl.

The girl is estimated to have been approximately 5 years old when she died nearly 2,000 years ago, just west of the Nile River. Researchers believe she died of malaria or smallpox, according to Northwestern University.

The Hibbard mummy is being examined to determine the "quality of her bones and what material is present in her brain cavity," the university stated in a news release on Nov. 27.

"This is a unique experiment, a 3-D puzzle," said Stuart R. Stock, research professor of cell and molecular biology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, in the news release.

"We have some preliminary findings about the various materials, but it will take days before we tighten down the precise answers to our questions."

The mummy is of Roman-Egyptian origin, and it is among 100 "portrait mummies" in the world, meaning, they have a painting of the dead individual in the mummy wrappings over the person's face.

(Screenshot from NorthwesternU YouTube channel video)

According to an Argonne National Laboratory press release, the mummy weighs around 50 pounds. The Advanced Photon Source facility of Argonne National Laboratory is the firm carrying out the scan of the mummy.

The CT scan revealed that a small object was wrapped against the child's stomach.

"The resolution on the CT scan is such that we can only barely make out a shape. We think it's some sort of stone, but we're not sure," Olivia Dill, a first-year art history Ph.D. candidate, told PBS. There's also shards of a bowl-shaped object inside the skull.

The Hibbard mummy. (Northwestern University)

"The shards within the skull do not show any evidence of crystallinity," Stock told the broadcaster. "I am inclined to think the shards are something noncrystalline like solidified pitch."

"It's a person who has been prepared for burial in a very specific and very careful way to ensure a successful afterlife," Dill added. "Learning that through this project and this class has been very humbling and touching."

Burial Site

In February 2019, about 50 mummies were found in Minya, south of Cairo, Reuters reported

Archaeologist brushing mummy inside stone coffin in Tuna El-gebel Region, Minya, Egypt, on Feb. 2, 2019. (Screenshot/Reuters)

Those mummies, according to researchers, dated back to the Ptolemaic dynasty that ruled Egypt.

The mummies, 12 of which were of children, were discovered inside four, 40-foot burial chambers in the Tuna El-Gebel site.

The identities of the mummies are not yet known, stated Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Mostafa Waziri.

mummies found in egypt6
Wrapped mummies inside burial site in Tuna El-gebel Region, Minya, Egypt, on Feb. 2, 2019. (Screenshot/Reuters)
Wrapped mummies inside burial site in Tuna El-gebel Region, Minya, Egypt, on Feb. 2, 2019. (Screenshot/Reuters)
mummies found in egypt1
Wrapped mummy inside burial site in Tuna El-gebel Region, Minya, Egypt, on Feb. 2, 2019. (Screenshot/Reuters)

Other details are not clear.

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Bees and flowers


https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/letters/bees-and-flowers-1.3805087

Bees and flowers

Sir, – I enjoyed Paddy Woodworth's recent article on bees ("More to Irish bees than honey, hives and dancing", Weekend, February 23rd).

It brought to mind a papyrus text I published some years ago from the second-century AD Egypt, which, although fragmentary, concerned a dispute involving beekeepers, shepherds and flowers. The best sense I could make of the petition was that sheep had wandered, or been intentionally sent by shepherds, into fields that had been rented by beekeepers for their bees. Sheep had a bad reputation in Egypt for damaging crops, and there were laws to deal with the offence, but this text was the only instance I could find of sheep eating, or damaging, flowers meant for bees.

Virgil, in his beautiful poem the Georgics, does advise beekeepers to find a location where "neither sheep nor butting goats will trample the flowers" (neque oves haedique petulci/ floribus insultent – Georgics 4.10-11).

Conditions in modern Ireland differ greatly from the hot and arid land of ancient Egypt, where flowers and trees were in short supply, but I just wonder whether any of your readers know of cases in which beekeepers rent land not just for somewhere to locate their hives, but to preserve specific pasturage for their bees. – Yours etc,

BRIAN McGING,

Department of Classics,

Trinity College Dublin,

Dublin 2.

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Egypt Exploration Society | Sounds of Roman Egypt


https://www.ees.ac.uk/Event/sounds-of-roman-egypt

Sounds of Roman Egypt

The Petrie Museum has a range of sound-making artefacts from Roman Egypt. These include bells, reed panpipes, pottery rattles, cymbals, and wooden clappers. The exhibition demonstrates how researchers used laser-scanning technology to create 3D virtual models. These models were then 3D printed in plastic to create replica objects. Some of the models were also used to create craft replicas in materials like ceramic, wood, and bronze. All these replicas form an integral part of this exhibition together with 3D digital models based on the laser scans.

Visitors can see the original Roman instruments displayed alongside the modern replicas, and learn about how they were used in the Roman period. The exhibition reveals how different instruments were used to create particular experiences, for instance the role of instruments within religious and ritual activities, in the Egyptian home, and in processions and performances. Sound-making objects were important not only for entertainment, but also had practical uses in everyday life, for instance as toys, protective amulets, and to make alert or alarm sounds.

Some replicas are also available to be handled and played, with additional sound recordings providing an evocative illustration of the sounds of Roman Egyptian life. The sound recordings have been created using computer software that mimics the acoustic qualities of specific interior and exterior spaces. Information about Roman-period buildings, from archaeological remains in Egypt, is used in the software to allow us to hear the sounds of the instruments as though they were being played within these ancient spaces. Further evidence from ancient sources, such as musical texts from papyri documents, has allowed authentic tunes, rhythms and scales to be replicated.

There will be a series of associated workshops based around replica instruments aimed at both families and the general public. The workshops provide an opportunity to try out the full range of replica objects, hear live demonstrations, and learn how to play some ancient rhythms. A Key Stage 2 schools learning pack with additional materials will be made available to download from the Petrie Museum website.

This exhibition forms part of the AHRC research project "Roman and Late Antique Artefacts from Egypt: Understanding Society and Culture". The project reveals the social and cultural activities and relationships from daily life in Roman Egypt, through the direct study of artefacts from the Petrie Museum's collection. The artefacts under study are not just musical instruments, but range from weaving tools, to personal jewellery, figurines, shoes, toys, and domestic tools. By assessing details such as materials, wear, repair, and modification on these artefacts, the project seeks to demonstrate the role such objects held – both practically and in terms of sentimental value – in everyday experiences in Roman Egypt. The project also has its own blog where regular research updates are posted: https://blogs.kent.ac.uk/egypt-artefacts/blog/ 

Start:

Location: Petrie Museum of Egyptian and Sudanese Archaeology, Malet Place, London, WC1E 6BT

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A Podcast about demons, dreams & nightmares – Demon Things – Ancient Egyptian Demonology Project


http://www.demonthings.com/a-podcast-about-demons-dreams-nightmares/

In November, Dr. Paul Harrison, author of Profane Egyptologists:The Modern Revival of Ancient Egyptian Religion (2017, Routledge) visited Swansea University. We were lucky enough to have him give a fabulous lecture to our Egyptomania students on Egypt and Esoterica.  It was a great session! A few days later, I interviewed with him, and completed the first in a series of podcasts about Ancient Egypt, dreams, nightmares, demons, and random things that go bump in the night. I highly recommend that you visit his site and listen to the other podcasts on on The Profane Egyptologist  too!

For a direct link to the podcast: https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-3tahi-9ffbcd

Enjoy!

— Kasia Szpakowska

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The Tutu sphinx, demon or diety? – Demon Things – Ancient Egyptian Demonology Project


http://www.demonthings.com/the-tutu-sphinx-demon-or-diety/
On 05/08/18 08:27, Dr. Kasia Szpakowska wrote:
The Tutu sphinx, demon or diety?
Part of a series of posts by the 2017-18 students taking the course CLE343: Supernatural Beings and Demons of Ancient Egypt / CL-M79 Ancient Egyptian Demons led by Dr. Kasia Szpakowska at Swansea University

The Tutu sphinx, demon or deity?
 
by Troy Osiris Llewellyn
 
 
What truly distinguishes an ancient Egyptian demon from a god? You might argue that a deity has power over its subordinates where a demon does not. Perhaps demons have one specific intention, either malicious or 'good'. You might agree with Lucarelli (2003, p.2) who says for the most part, unlike the gods, ancient Egyptian demons were not worshipped at temples. What you certainly could say, however, is that the demon Tutu does not follow any of these preconceptions.
 Brooklyn Museum 37.1509E
Tutu was a demon found primarily in the form of a sphinx, a mythical creature with the head of a man and the body of a lion although different cultures have varying attributes. He is first shown in a tomb from the 27th Dynasty (c.700 BCE) (Kaper, 2003, p.33) and survived well after the dynastic period ended, with a final depiction being dated to the 3rd century AD.
The appearance of Tutu was meant to be menacing. He was muscular and often had a snake for a tail. He is usually found holding an arsenal of deadly weapons like knives, axes or in the stela below, scorpions!
 
 
Penn Museum 65-34-1

Brooklyn Museum 58.98
 
 
His popularity grew as his function became useful. As you can see, Tutu was often depicted alongside other demons. The nasty characters in the top left of the image are called the Seven Arrows. They caused disease, pestilence and death at the whim of the creator goddess Neith. In essence, Tutu was the son of Neith (Kaper, 2003, p.105-107) and this allowed him to assume a sort of hybrid role. He was a powerful demon with the ability to stop the Seven Arrows. This was very useful to the people of Egypt and thus his fame grew as a ferocious guardian against the bad demons of the netherworld.



 
With this fame, Tutu gained his own cult following across Egypt by the 1st century AD. Even Roman emperors like Hadrian paid their respects at his cult temple at Kellis in the western Dakhleh Oasis (see Hope, 1998, pp.803-858 for study on Temple of Tutu at Kellis). Such sites celebrated Tutu's victory over the Seven Arrows and the great serpent Apophis, the manifestation of chaos, in an annual festival. A statue would be paraded outside the temple on a lavish barque (Hope, 1998, p.841) as well as feasting, dancing and singing to match.
 
 
On the other hand, even though Tutu's intentions seemed kind, Egyptians did not see him as an entity to be overwhelmingly loved. In reality he was to be feared. The idea was that unless he was appeased by votive offerings, gifts to his cult such as stela, statues and food, Tutu could just as easily turn his wrath on those who has previously called for his aid. This goes some way to answering why there is little evidence for Tutu in private religion, he was simply too volatile to deal with! (Kaper, 2003, p.207)
 
 
Tutu is a peculiar case of how one supernatural entity can gain a substantial Egyptian following. Whether you think Tutu was simply a demon or something more, the idea that he, for admirable reasons, attained fame far beyond the majority of his demonic associates is something that cannot be denied.
 
Bibliography
 
Hope, C., (1998) Objects from the Temple of Tutu. In W. Clarysse, A. Schoors, & H. Willems (eds.), Egyptian religion: The last thousand years : Studies dedicated to the memory of Jan Quaegebeur (pp.803-858).Orientalia Lovaniensia analecta 84-85. Leuven: Peeters.
Kaper, O. E. (2003). The Egyptian God Tutu. A study of the Sphinx-God and Master of Demons with a corpus of monuments, 119. Orientalia Lovaniensia analecta. Lueven: Peeters Publishing & Departement of Oriental Studies.
Lucarelli, R. (2011). Demonology during the Late Pharonic and Greco-Roman Periods in Egypt. Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions, 11(2), 109-125.
Appendix 
Image 1 -https://sirend.deviantart.com/art/Sphinx-314524907
Image 2 -https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/collections 
Image5-https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=QqYHOGMJ&id=B4BCAE71222C95EA81656211185F8B1D5ED5D10E&thid=OIP.QqYHOGMJxWSCHj1fbqu26AHaFZ&mediaurl=http%3a%2f%2f3.bp.blogspot.com%2f_Xe8oyaZhYpo%2fTP8RKQNLQ6I%2fAAAAAAAAAN0%2fSeLvu3Rz5gM%2fs1600%2ffinalsmall2.jpg&exph=437&expw=600&q=Egyptian+Holidays+and+Festivals&simid=608018503533397549&selectedIndex=12&ajaxhist=0
Image 6 -simplepimple.com/2012/03/the-angry-lion-closeup/ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


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