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Friday, August 31, 2018

Newsletter Osirisnet Août - August 2018

https://www.osirisnet.net/news/n_08_18.htm?en

Newsletter Osirisnet Août - August 2018

Aidez l'équipe du Gebel el Silsila Project !Support the Gebel el Silsila Project!

A small, but unique hieroglyphic fragment:
"Sobek, Lord of Kheny"

La super équipe qui travaille depuis des années sur le site du Gebel el Silsila lance une souscription via la plateforme de crowdfunding Kickstater pour financer une fouille originale: qu'est ce qui a bien pu se passer pour que le temple de Sobek disparaisse ?
"L'archéologie au Gebel el-Silsila est vraiment passionnante. Nos fouilles nous ont sensibilisé au devenir d'un temple à Sobek démoli depuis longtemps. Nous cherchons à comprendre quand, comment et pourquoi le dieu crocodile et son édifice sacré ont été abandonné, ayant perdu les faveurs du clergé local et peut-être même celles du pharaon lui-même.
Nous partagerons nos découvertes avec vous au travers d'une publication richement illustrée écrite par notre équipe et avec des images étonnantes faites par nos photographes. Nous présenterons ainsi pour la première fois la fouille sur le site d'un temple, avec ses blocs de construction démantelés et détruits, ses fragments de décor et les objets de dévotions que nous y trouverons".

Landscape overview
of the Temple of Sobek

The Gebel el-Silsila Team is asking your help - they are raising funds (via Kickstarter) for their next campaign: looking for a temple of Sobek at the site.
"The archaeology at Gebel el-Silsila is astonishing and mind-blowing. With our excavation we are increasing awareness of a long lost temple, unveiling the secrets of when, how and why the crocodile-god and his sacred edifice was abandoned, no longer being in favour with the local (or domestic) priesthood and perhaps even the pharaoh himself.
We will share our discoveries with you through a beautifully illustrated publication written by our team and with stunning imagery produced by our photographers, presenting for the first time the excavations of a temple with its dismantled and destroyed building blocks, fragments and artefacts of devotions still preserved inside of it, dumped into its western part".
And the team concludes: "Sobek, make yourself ready, hear our call, here we come!"

Les squelettes du grand sarcophage d'Alexandrie: 2 hommes, 1 femmeSkeletons from huge Egyptian sarcophagus are two men, one woman

Photos: Egypt Ministry of Antiquities

Skeleton N°2

Dans la newsletter du mois dernier, j'avais rendu compte de l'ouverture - très attendue mais très décevante - du grand sarcophage en granit noir trouvé à Alexandrie. Il ne contenait que de l'eau rougeâtre et nauséabonde provenant d'un égout, dans laquelle baignaient les os désolidarisés de trois squelettes. La couleur particulière de l'eau était due à la décomposition des bandelettes et autres tissus dans l'eau d'égout.
Le Ministère des antiquités vient de publier une mise au point:
► le premier squelette appartient à une femme âgée de 20 à 25 ans, avec une taille d'environ 160 à 164 cm.
►Le deuxième appartient à un homme âgé de 35 à 39 ans, avec une taille comprise entre 160 et 165,5 cm.
► Le troisième squelette est celui d'un homme âgé de 40 à 44 ans, de haute taille, entre 179 et 184,5 cm. Il existe une cavité osseuse à la partie postérieure droite du crâne, correspondant à la cicatrice d'une trépanation de 17 mm de large qui révèle que le personnage a survécu un certain temps avec cette cavité
. Les inhumations à l'intérieur du sarcophage se sont probablement déroulées en deux phases consécutives, puisque les corps ont été posés les uns sur les autres.
L'équipe a également trouvé trois feuilles d'or avec des dessins. Leur signification est encore obscure, mais Jack Ogden, le président de la Society of Jewellery Historians a accepté de faire quelques commentaires. L'un des dessins est un serpent qui n'a pas de capuchon, a dit Ogden, ce qui se rencontre souvent dans les bijoux égyptiens. Les serpents sans capuchon "ont une connotation de renaissance - ils perdent leur peau - et sont donc parfaits dans un contexte funéraire". Les serpents sans capuchon "étaient apparemment liés à la déesse Isis".
Un autre dessin montre une branche de palmier ou un épi de maïs, deux motifs communs "liés à la fertilité et à la renaissance".
Le dessin le plus énigmatique montre peut-être la capsule d'un pavot à opium dans une chapelle.

Gold sheets

In last month's newsletter I reported on the much anticipated but very disappointing opening of the large black granite sarcophagus found in Alexandria. It contained only reddish and nauseating water from a sewer, in which the bones of three skeletons floated uncoupled. The strange color of the water resulted from the mixing of the sewage water with the remains of the decomposed skeletons' wrappings.
The Ministry of Antiquities has just published an update:
► the first skeleton belongs to a woman between the age of 20 to 25 years, with a height around 160 to 164 cm.
►The second one belongs to a man between the age of 35 to 39 years, with a height ranging between 160 to 165.5 cm.
► The third skeleton belongs to a man between the age of 40 and 44 years and its height was between 179 to 184.5 cm. Studies on the right bone located on the back right of the skull shows a rounded healed cavity of 17 mm wide (trepanation) which reveals that the character has survived a long period of time with this cavity, which thus was the result of a trepanation.

opium poppy in a shrine (?)

Most probably the burying processes inside the sarcophagus were carried out on two consecutive phases, as every skeleton was found on top of one another.
The team also found three sheets of gold with drawings. Their signification is still obscure, but Jack Ogden, the president of the Society of Jewellery Historians, made the following comments. One of the drawings is a snake that doesn't have a hood, Ogden said, noting that this is commonly seen in Egyptian jewelry. Unhooded snakes "had connotations of rebirth — they shed their skin — and thus [are] perfect in a funerary connection," said Ogden. Unhooded snakes "were seemingly connected with the goddess Isis".
Another drawing shows a palm branch or ear of corn, both of which are common motifs "related to fertility and rebirth," Ogden said.
The most enigmatic drawing show what may be the seed pod of an opium poppy within a shrine, although Ogden emphasized that he cannot be certain what the drawing shows.

Le plus ancien (?) fromage du monde trouvé à Saqqara. N'en mangez pas !'Cursed' Mummy Cheese Might Be the World's Oldest

Photo: Université de Catane

Vous êtes frustré de n'avoir pas pu boire le jus rougeâtre contenu dans le grand sarcophage découvert à Alexandrie ? Vous êtes impatient de pouvoir goûter "le plus ancien" fromage du monde que des archéologues de l'université de Catane viennent de retrouver dans une tombe du Nouvel Empire à Saqqara ? Je ne vous le conseille pas, il est contaminé...!
Le fromage en question a été découvert dans la tombe de Ptahmes, ancien maire de Memphis et haut fonctionnaire pendant les règnes de Sethy I et de Ramsès II (XIIIe siècle av. J.-C.) parmi une grande cachette contenant des jarres d'argile brisées (El-Aguizy O., BIFAO 2010, 110, 13-34 et Staring N., BIFAO 2015, 114, 455-518). À l'intérieur d'une des jarres cassées, ils ont remarqué une "masse blanchâtre solidifiée", poudreuse. À côté se trouvait un morceau de tissu probablement utilisé pour recouvrir et protéger le contenu de la jarre. La texture de ce tissu suggère que la nourriture qu'il protégeait était solide lorsqu'elle a été enterrée aux côtés de Ptahmes il y a quelques 3300 ans ; en d'autres termes, la trouvaille n'était probablement pas un pot de lait avarié.

La caractérisation protéomique biomoléculaire de cet échantillon archéologique montre que la substance est un produit laitier obtenu en mélangeant du lait de brebis/chèvre et du lait de vache.

Pour les biochimistes, c'est probablement le plus ancien résidu archéologique de fromage trouvé à ce jour.
Mais est-ce vraiment le cas ?
Selon Bettina Arnold, professeur au Département d'anthropologie de l'Université du Wisconsin-Milwaukee, qui n'a pas participé à l'étude, "la façon dont on définit le "fromage" par rapport aux autres types de produits laitiers fermentés (le yaourt, le kéfir...) doit être prise en compte (....) techniquement, un "fromage" découvert dans deux momies féminines au Xinjiang, en Chine, en 2014 serait plus vieux.
Autre surprise, la présence dans la masse fromagère de Brucella melitensis, une bactérie qui est responsable de la Brucellose.

La détection, effectuée à l'aide d'un peptide spécifique, fournit une preuve biomoléculaire directe "convaincante" de la présence de cette infection au cours de la période Ramesside, pour laquelle on ne disposait que de données paléopathologiques indirectes. Pour mémoire, la brucellose était très présente à l'époque romaine : un cinquième des squelettes retrouvés à Herculanum, ensevelis suite à l'éruption du Vésuve de 79, en portaient des traces.

Researchers from the University of Catania (Italy) have discovered in 2013-14 in Saqqara the "world's oldest" cheese, and it is contaminated...! The discovery was made inside the tomb of Ptahmes, former mayor of Memphis and a high-ranking official during the reigns of Seti I and Ramesses II (13th century B.C, thus, about 3,300 years old) among a large cache of broken clay jars (El-Aguizy, O., BIFAO 2010, 110, 13−34 ; Staring, N., BIFAO 2015, 114, 455–518). Inside one of the fragmented jars, they noticed a powdery, "solidified whitish mass". Nearby, they found a scrap of canvas fabric that was likely used to preserve and cover the ancient blob of food. The texture of this fabric suggested that the food had been solid when it was interred alongside Ptahmes a few millennia ago — in other words, the find probably wasn't a jar of ancient spoiled milk.
Biochemists said it was probably the oldest archeological solid residue of cheese ever found to date. The biomolecular proteomic characterization of this archeological sample shows that the constituting material was a dairy product obtained by mixing sheep/goat and cow milk.

Moreover, the presence of Brucella melitensis, a bacterium responsible for Brucellosis (aka Malta Fever), has been found in the sample. The disease is commonly spread from animals to humans through unpasteurized milk and contaminated meat. The detection has been attested by specific peptide providing a reasonable direct biomolecular evidence of the presence of this infection in the Ramesside period, for which only indirect paleopathological evidence has been so far provided (Pappas, G.; Papadimitriou P., Int. J. Antimicrob. Agents 2007, 30, 29−31 ; Bourke, J. B.; Medical History 1971, 15 (4), 363–375).
But is this the oldest cheese ever found?
According to Bettina Arnold, a professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, who was not involved in the study, "How one defines 'cheese' as distinct from other forms of fermented milk products, such as yogurt, kefir" is important when discussing this issue [...] technically a "cheese" discovered in the burial of female mummies in Xinjiang, China, in 2014 is older.

L'homosexualité dans l'antiquitéHomosexuality in the Ancient World

Photos : J. Bodsworth & T. Benderitter

Niankhkhum & Khnumhotep

Une mise au point courte mais intéressante sur ce qu'on sait des sexualités "alternatives" en Grèce, à Rome et en Égypte.
La conception moderne de la sexualité repose sur une catégorisation stricte des désirs personnels - hétérosexualité, homosexualité, bisexualité, pansexualité, etc. Dans le monde antique, ces mots n'existaient pas et les concepts qu'ils sous-tendent n'étaient pas nécessairement analogues aux notres.
Les attitudes envers l'homosexualité dans l'histoire récente ont influencé la manière dont nous percevons la sexualité dans le monde antique. Les premiers historiens et archéologues considéraient les sexualités alternatives à travers le prisme de leurs propres codes sociaux, et leur discours sur ce sujet était souvent embarrassé et formulé à l'aide d'euphémismes (quand le sujet n'était pas tout simplement occulté). Depuis, des progrès importants ont été faits, mais le vécu des sexualités alternatives de l'antiquité reste largement méconnu.
C'est particulièrement vrai dans l'Égypte ancienne, où les documents écrits sur ce sujet sont quasiment inexistants. Sur la question de l'homosexualité, c'est le mastaba de Niankhkhnoum et Khnoumhotep, à Saqqara, qui est considéré comme une preuve par certains. On y trouve une représentation des deux hommes face à face, enlacés et semblant près de s'embrasser, pose la plus "osée" permise par le canon du décor égyptien. Cependant, il ne s'agit aucunement d'une preuve et cette représentation peut correspondre à celle de deux frères jumeaux, tous deux manucures du roi Nyouserrê, très proches l'un de l'autre ici-bas et qui voulaient le rester dans l'au-delà (et désirant peut-être aussi diviser en deux le prix de la tombe…). À supposer même qu'il s'agisse d'une relation homosexuelle entre les deux hommes, le mastaba ne nous apprend finalement pas grand chose sur cette sexualité alternative.


Niankhkhum & Khnumhotep

The modern conception of sexuality relies on a strict categorisation of sexual appetites and personal desires – heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality, pansexuality, etc. In the ancient world, however, these words did not exist and the concepts they represent were not necessarily analogous to our modern understanding of sexuality.
Attitudes towards homosexuality in recent history have coloured the perspective through which we view the nature of sexuality in the ancient world. Early historians, archaeologists and antiquarians viewed notions of alternate sexual identity through the lens of their own social mores, and their discussion of these sexual identities was often stilted and couched in euphemism (when it wasn't downright ignored).
Modern scholarship has done a great deal to explore the history of sexual identities in ancient cultures and, though progress is slow, there is now a wider consensus on the existence of alternate sexual practices in the ancient world. Despite this, the application of modern labels to sexual identities in antiquity still provides an inadequate exploration of the lived sexual identities of ancient peoples.
Attitudes towards same-sex relationships in ancient Egypt are hotly debated due to a lack of surviving literary evidence. Perhaps the most famous case study regarding Egyptian homosexuality is the tomb of Khnumhotep and Niankhkhnum, two Overseers of Manicurists in the Palace of King Nyuserre. The two men were buried together in a joint tomb at Saqqara, and have been considered by some scholars to be the first recorded same-sex couple in history. A great deal of this argument is based on the interpretation of tomb decoration showing the two men standing nose-to-nose and embracing, the most intimate pose allowed by the decorum of Egyptian art. The dearth of solid evidence provides space for a great deal of supposition, but unfortunately such supposition tells us little of use about the practicalities of ancient Egyptian engagement and understanding of same-sex relationships and alternative sexual desires.

Les premières momies seraient beaucoup plus anciennes que ce que l'on croyaitAncient Egyptians Were Making Mummies Much Earlier Than Thought

Photo: Stephen Buckley/University of York

La momie S. 293 est le plus ancien corps conservé au Musée égyptien de Turin, où il est entièrement visible, enroulé en position fœtale. On a longtemps pensé qu'elle avait été conservée naturellement, préservée par l'action du sable chaud et sec du désert. En fait, le corps présentait des traces de produits chimiques qui seront couramment utilisés dans la momification 2500 ans plus tard.
Stephen Buckley, de l'Université de York, a montré que la momie avait sur la peau des traces d'huiles végétales et animales, d'extraits de plantes aromatiques, de gomme végétale et de résine de pin. L'analyse est superposable à celle d'une découverte similaire faite en 2014 sur des textiles funéraires datant de 4300 avant J.-C. Le même mélange d'ingrédients sera également retrouvé sur des momies préparées des milliers d'années plus tard.
De plus, "cette recette d'embaumement était utilisée non seulement sur un site, mais dans toute l'Égypte", explique Buckley. "Cela suggère qu'il y a eu suffisamment d'interactions interculturelles et d'échanges d'idées pour que cette recette puisse être utilisée dans une vaste zone du sud de l'Égypte, avant la constitution d'un État égyptien.
La plus grande différence entre les pratiques de momification préhistoriques et celles des périodes ultérieures est l'introduction de tombes fermées. L'ancienne recette d'embaumement n'était alors plus suffisante pour arrêter la décomposition. Pour résoudre ce problème, les embaumeurs ont développé la pratique d'enlever les organes du mort et de plonger le corps dans le natron afin d'extraire toute l'humidité des tissus.

A mummy that was long thought to have been naturally preserved showed traces of compounds that were commonly used in Egyptian mummification 2500 years later. Mummy S. 293 is the earliest preserved body in the Egyptian Museum in Turin, where it is fully visible, curled in a fetal position. The body has been classified as 'natural' mummy, preserved through the action of the hot, dry desert sand.
Stephen Buckley of the University of York, revealed signs of an embalming recipe on the mummy, suggesting its preservation was no accident of nature. Buckley and his colleagues found the mummy had traces of plant and animal oils, aromatic plant extracts, plant gum and pine resin. The analysis matches a similar finding in 2014 when Buckley's team got their hands on funerary textiles dating from 4300 B.C. They found the combination of ingredients found on the Turin mummy and on mummies prepared thousands of years later. "This embalming recipe was being used not just at one site, but across Egypt," says Buckley. "It's suggesting that there was enough cross-cultural interaction and exchange of ideas to allow this common embalming recipe to be used in the southern parts of Egypt over some distance before there was an Egyptian state.
The biggest differences between the mummification rituals of prehistoric Egyptians and those of later periods is the introduction of sealed tombs. The ancient embalming recipe wouldn't have been enough to halt decomposition in a closed stone box. For that, embalmers developed the practice of removing the organs from the deceased and coating the body inside and out with natron, to draw all moisture from the tissues.

Découverte de 2 stèles (?) ptolémaïques à Kom OmboArchaeological mission studies 2 ancient pieces discovered in Kom Ombo

Photos : Egypt Ministry of Antiquities

Le moins que l'on puisse dire, c'est que les informations autour de cette découverte sont rares et imprécises. Les deux monuments mesurent 2 m de haut et sont en grès.
► Le premier est cintré, avec un disque solaire à sa partie haute. On y trouve le roi Ptolémée XII, son épouse Cléopâtre V et leurs filles, ainsi que 29 lignes de texte hiéroglyphique.
► Le second concerne également Ptolémée XII, qui assomme un prisonnier devant une divinité. On trouve aussi un texte de 29 lignes en hiéroglyphes et un autre de 33 lignes en démotique.

The least we can say is that the information around this discovery is rare and imprecise. Both monuments are said to be 2 m high and made of sandstone.
► The first one is curved, topped with a solar disk. It shows King Ptolemy XII, his wife Cleopatra V and their daughters, and 29 lines of hieroglyphic text.
► The second also concerns Ptolemy XII, who smites a prisoner in front of a divinity. There is also a text of 29 lines in hieroglyphics and another of 33 lines in demotic.

Le radiocarbone permet la datation absolue des carbonates de plomb dans les cosmétiques antiquesAbsolute dating of lead carbonates in ancient cosmetics by radiocarbon

Abstract : Le carbonate de plomb est l'un des principaux composés qu'étudient l'art et de l'archéologie, car il est utilisé dans la peinture et les cosmétiques depuis l'Antiquité. La datation au radiocarbone par spectrométrie de masse avec accélérateur est généralement appliquée aux restes organiques. Ici, nous l'étendons au carbonate de plomb, un matériau inorganique. Nous démontrons que les carbonates de plomb peuvent être datés. Nous montrons également que les poudres de maquillage naturelles et manufacturées peuvent être discriminées par le radiocarbone. Nous trouvons que la cérusite utilisée pour les cosmétiques était un minéral naturel pendant le Royaume d'Egypte et ensuite un composé synthétisé fabriqué par les Grecs de l'Antiquité. De plus, nous confirmons que la phosgénite a été produite artificiellement par les Egyptiens il y a environ 3500 ans. Nos résultats confirment l'expertise des anciens Egyptiens et des Grecs dans la synthèse chimique des cosmétiques. La détection du radiocarbone dans le carbonate de plomb est très prometteuse pour l'histoire de l'art et fournit un nouvel outil pour l'authentification des peintures par la datation du pigment blanc de plomb.

Abstract: Lead carbonate is one of the major compounds of art and archeology used as an ingredient in paint and cosmetics since Antiquity. Accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon dating is usually applied to organic remains. Here we extend radiocarbon dating to lead carbonate, an inorganic material. We demonstrate that lead carbonates can be dated. We also show that natural and manufactured make-up powders can be discriminated by radiocarbon. We find that cerussite used for cosmetics was a natural mineral during the Egyptian Kingdom and then a synthesized compound manufactured by the ancient Greeks. Furthermore, we confirm that phosgenite was artificially produced by the Egyptians about 3500 years ago. Our results confirm the expertize of ancient Egyptians and Greeks in the chemical synthesis of cosmetics. The detection of radiocarbon in lead carbonate holds great promise for art history and provides a new tool for the authentication of paintings by dating the lead white pigment.

Nouvelle publication : La chambre de khephren-Analyse architecturale

Après "la chambre de Chéops", "la chambre de Meidoum", "la chambre de Snefrou", Gilles d'Ormion et Jean-Yves Verd'hurt viennent de publier "la chambre de Chephren" aux éditions Actes Sud.
La pyramide de Khephren est étudiée ici d'un point de vue strictement architectural, qui a l'avantage d'offrir une prise concrète à l'analyse. Après avoir évoqué le contexte architectural de l'époque, les auteurs abordent le problème de la construction de la pyramide de Khephren. Évitant les grandes théories, ils relèvent des détails qui prouvent un processus d'édification des pyramides en plusieurs phases. Au cours de cette enquête captivante, les indices s'accumulent, jusqu'à ce rebondissement: l'élément principal, preuve du caractère funéraire de la chambre supérieure, se révèle être une contre-preuve!
Afin de sortir de l'impasse après ce constat surprenant, les auteurs infléchissent leur recherche en procédant par analogie avec d'autres cas comparables, ce qui leur permet d'assembler une à une les pièces manquantes du puzzle. De cette façon, ils parviennent à établir la probabilité de l'existence d'une chambre inconnue et à déterminer l'emplacement de son accès.
Ils ont alors entrepris de vérifier leurs conclusions en ayant recours à la microgravimétrie et au radar géologique. La concordance des résultats obtenus par ces deux procédés différents valide les conclusions de l'analyse architecturale avec un fort degré de probabilité.
Malgré son caractère technique, ce livre est tout public. Ces travaux éclairent de données fondamentales le processus de construction des pyramides et donnent à penser que des chambres funéraires inviolées se trouvent peut-être encore dans quatre d'entre elles.

Les Pass en ÉgypteThe Pass in Egypt

Merci à Daniel Berubbe pour ces informations pratiques, qui ne nécessitent pas de commentaires.

Thanks to Daniel Berubbe for this practical information, which does not require comments.

--   Sent from my Linux system.

Thursday, August 30, 2018

What happened to Sobek? Digging the crocs at Silsila - HeritageDaily - Archaeology News


https://www.heritagedaily.com/2018/08/what-happened-to-sobek-digging-the-crocs-at-silsila/121554

What happened to Sobek? Digging the crocs at Silsila

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Image Credit : Gebel el Silsila Project

Crowdfunder on a journey to solve the mystery of what happened to the crocodile-god Sobek & his Temple at the ancient site of Gebel el-Silsila in Egypt.

As a unique site in Egypt it contains archaeological records of over 10,000 years of human activity, with Prehistoric rock art, Pharaonic grand monuments, Graeco-Roman infrastructure and administration buildings; incredible testimonies of a thriving ancient past.

The Temple of Sobek was re-discovered in 2015, situated on a sandstone outcrop, once holding structures build from sandstone, limestone and details in granite. Chronologically, we can trace at least three royal families: Thutmoside, house of Amenhotep III, and Ramesside. In addition, Romans were active here during the time of Trajan-Antonius Pius, although at a time when the temple was already long gone.

(Video link) Not much was known about the temple until 2015 when an initial survey was conducted by the team, following a map from the early 20th century and notes from the 1980's. Previous records describe in few words a destroyed Temple of Ramses II, but no comprehensive excavation was carried out. The results of the 2015 survey and following excavations were beyond all expectations.

In the main temple area, hundreds of sandstone and limestone fragments were recovered, containing hieroglyphs and relief decoration, some preserved in their original colour. But we also found foundation deposits, votive offerings, and items of daily life; all witnessing of the temporal development of the temple's past.

In 2017 another, adjoining structure was discovered to its west, containing yet more and vivid information, revealing the Horus-name of Ramses II and the title of the crocodile-god as "Sobek, Lord of Kheny". Inscribed fragments from the reigns of Amenhotep III and Ramses II showed us that there was once a grand interior door. Objects of veneration, such as a small votive figurine of a crocodile, were also found. So was a kiln, coins, ostraca and fishing equipment from the Roman era, long after the destruction of the temple.

Sobek – the crocodile God 

The crocodile-god Sobek (literally meaning "crocodile" in ancient Egyptian) was the principal deity of Gebel el-Silsila and the only god entitled "Lord of Kheny". He was worshiped there since at least the 12th Dynasty.

However, no records of the god are attested at Gebel el-Silsila after the Ramesside period. Instead, we can notice a complete eradication of crocodile images, in which the figures and name of Sobek are erased. Graffiti of later periods instead show a crocodile as a defeated enemy, representing the maleficent snake-god Apophis of the Underworld, harpooned by the mighty falcon-god Horus; Sobek had become a face of evil.

Certainly, there is a distinct change in religious practice, and the Theban triad with Amun-Re, Mut and Khonsu replaces Sobek as the most important deities at Gebel el-Silsila. This change is noticeable elsewhere in Egypt to, and it is believed to reflect socio-political changes during the Third Intermediate Period, but so far, scholars have failed to explain why, how and exactly when.

By studying the artefacts discovered in the Temple of Sobek at Gebel el-Silsila, the project hopes to find answers to these questions. We hope to find clues to this mystery, and piece together the jigsaw puzzle that makes the story of Sobek, Lord of Kheny.

"We would like to understand why the temple was destroyed and why Sobek became a maleficent villain instead of Silsila's divine benefactor. Solving the mystery of Sobek also includes opening a window into the daily life on site: who were the people active there? Were live crocodile kept there captive as was the case in nearby Kom Ombo Temple? Who were the priests and what did their daily activity look like? Of course, another intriguing and driving question is how the temple actually look in its complete form?! We need Your help to find the answers and do this!" says a project contact

The excavations

The entire temple was completely dismantled, down to its foundation blocks during antiquity – or at least that was what we thought during the first season! The ancient surface of the temple was covered by blown-in sand and modern debris, including cement and slag left from the construction of the modern canal and associated bridge. The excavations of the main temple in 2015 revealed a structure of approximately 35 x 18 m, which included four dressed floor levels, column bases, inner and outer walls, and archaeological evidence for at least four different chronological periods. The remains of five dressed and raised column bases were located, and so was a raised and dressed platform with dressed sandstone surface, parts of which have received linear positioning marks that indicate the location of interior and exterior walls, including four chambers.

Excavations continued in 2017 with focus on an area known to the team as "Temple Mound", which is a small mound of silt, sand and debris accumulated around a tamarisk tree over the years since abandoned in antiquity. The mound rose from a few centimetres to several meters above the natural sandstone slope. Below the modern rubble was found a layer of ancient debris of predominantly dressed and decorated sandstone and limestone fragments and pottery sherds. Further below was a layer of pure Nile silt, brought by the annual inundation. Underneath we found dressed and aligned sandstone blocks, together with several fragments from the original temple and artefacts indicating cultic life.

The Crowdfunder

The work planned for the winter of 2018-2019 will extend the excavation area towards the south and north respectively in order to understand the function(s) of the various structures, but also towards the east with the aim of connecting this new structure with the main temple.

So far, neither the main temple, nor its western structure have been fully excavated. In the western part, the project estimates that 2/3 remain to be excavated, while 1/3 remains of the main temple. The reason the temple has not been excavated fully is partially due to time restriction, but mainly financial. The project needs to employ more local workers and have time for their experts to analyse all the finds in detail.

Header Image Credit : Gebel el Silsila Project

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THE B-LIST: Mystery, mysticism and mummies — uncovering adventure in the deserts of Egypt | The Times


http://www.mywebtimes.com/2018/08/29/the-b-list-mystery-mysticism-and-mummies-uncovering-adventure-in-the-deserts-of-egypt/ag0ftm0/

THE B-LIST: Mystery, mysticism and mummies — uncovering adventure in the deserts of Egypt

From Indiana Jones to Lara Croft, Nathan Drake to Captain Nemo, you've just got to love a good adventure built around a treasure hunter.

And while the lost Incan cities of Peruvian jungles, Mexico's fabled Fountain of Youth and mountainous Chinese ruins make for memorable settings, there's one place known for magic treasure that never fails to fire the imagination: Egypt.

With its awe-inspiring pyramids full of mummified royalty and golden funerary treasure, vast pantheon of animal-headed gods and evocative hieroglyphs carved across tomb walls, Egypt has long been a favorite haunt for relic hunters, historians and thrill-seekers.

The ancient culture there inspired its own unique branch of archaeology: Egyptology. And from the sci-fi spin of "Stargate" to the classic action of "Raiders of the Lost Ark," Egypt has proved that a desert land can be rich with fictional opportunities. Here are just a few of the best stories set there:

6. "THE EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURES OF ADELE BLANC-SEC" (2010). Intrepid writer and lady adventurer Adèle Blanc-Sec (Louise Bourgoin) eagerly sets men on fire, rides a pterodactyl, dons disguises to infiltrate a prison and resurrects mummies to cure her injured sister. Fair warning: this gonzo French adventure set in 1912 is a bizarre film, based on the unusual comic series by Jacques Tardi, and isn't to everyone's tastes. But it's great fun watching Adèle discover — then order around — the polite mummy Patmosis.

5. "THE ILLUSION OF MURDER" by Carol McCleary. Reporter Nellie Bly is in the middle of her journey around the world, trying to best the record of 80 days set by Jules Verne's hero, Phileas Fogg, when she stumbles onto murder in Egypt. McCleary takes a real world, historical heroine, plenty of authentic, turn-of-the-century atmosphere, and a dash of mysticism and intrigue to craft a compelling yarn that'll keep you up all night.

4. "THE MUMMY" (1959). Archaeologist John Banning (Sir Peter Cushing) must face off against the mummy Kharis (Sir Christopher Lee) that was awoken by his ill-fated father; complicating matters further, it turns out Banning's wife, Isobel (Yvonne Furneaux), is also the reincarnation of the Princess Ananka, Kharis' long-lost love. The Boris Karloff original may be lauded, but this Cushing/Lee version is vastly more entertaining; as Cushing's biggest fangirl I may be biased, but I urge everyone to give this take a chance.

3. "PYRAMIDS" by Sir Terry Pratchett. On the mystical Discworld, the desert country of Djelibeybi (pronounced "jelly baby") is ruled by powerful pharaohs with god-like powers. Things get sticky when the latest pharaoh dies and his son, Pteppic, returns from studying abroad at the Assassin's Guild to take the throne and finds the immortal advisor, Dios, standing in his way. Pyramid power leads to the country falling through time as the gods descend and the dead rise with all of the humor and pointed commentary you expect from comedic literary genius Pratchett. It's a laugh-out-loud ride from start to finish.

2. THE AMELIA PEABODY SERIES by Elizabeth Peters. The wildly outspoken and irrepressible Englishwoman Amelia Peabody always does what she wants, whether that's travel the world, supervise archaeological excavations, solve mysteries or romance the bad-tempered Egyptologist Radcliffe Emerson. Beginning in the Victorian age and ending just prior to WWII, the Peabody series covers a vast gamut of historical adventure, romance and criminality amidst Egyptian ruins. Peters (the pen name of Barbara Mertz, an accredited Egyptologist as well as a best-selling novelist) does a masterful job of lampooning cliches of the genre, never hesitating to make Peabody as ridiculous as she is heroic for the sake of entertainment.

1. "THE MUMMY" (1999). ACCEPT NO SUBSTITUTES, FOLKS. This is the gold standard of Egyptian-based adventure. It's the 1920s. Librarian Evelyn Carnahan (Rachel Weisz) and her wastrel brother Jonathan (John Hannah) uncover the lost city of Hamunaptra with the help of ex-soldier Rick O'Connell (Brendan Fraser). Our heroes join the warrior Ardeth Bay (Oded Fehr) to fight the mummy Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo) as he unleashes the plagues of Egypt and tries to resurrect his love, Anck-Su-Namun (Patricia Velasquez). The cast is phenomenal, the plot rousing and the dialogue wonderfully quotable. This is one of those "lightning in a bottle" perfect movies that delights from start to finish and is, unquestionably, a modern classic. I've seen this movie over a hundred times (no exaggeration) and it still makes me happy every time — talk about a timeless treasure.

• ANGIE BARRY is a page designer and columnist for The Times. To suggest future topics for The B-List, which covers pop culture, history and literature, contact her at abarry@shawmedia.com.

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Egypt wants its own robot citizen: Bloomberg | TahawulTech.com


https://www.tahawultech.com/news/egypt-wants-its-own-robot-citizen-bloomberg/

Egypt wants its own robot citizen: Bloomberg

Egypt is reportedly planning to build its own version of Sophia, the robot that was granted Saudi citizenship to dramatise the kingdom's plan to build a $500 billion futuristic city.

According to a report by Bloomberg, the unnamed Egyptian copycat will be responsible for answering questions about the civil service law, the Cairo-based al-Mal reported on its website, citing Saleh El-Sheikh, head of the Central Agency for Organisation Administration.Robots

Three companies are being considered to develop the artificial intelligence platform, media reported.

It's unclear why a robot is needed to answer questions about the law, especially as Egypt's bloated public sector employs more than 5 million civil servants. El-Sheikh didn't provide details on projected costs, Bloomberg reported.

The venture reflects the government's ambitions to reshape the nation through mega-projects whose value has been questioned and economic reforms that have pinched hard even as they draw investment. Work is under way to build a new multi-billion administrative capital, and the government has widened the Suez Canal. Construction is also underway on a museum to house Egypt's treasured antiquities.

The efforts have met with mixed reviews in Egypt. Many in the impoverished nation of over 96 million complain that the money is being spent on vanity projects at a time when austerity measures have made life even tougher. But officials argue that the measures, which included floating the currency and slashing subsidies, are key to winning over investors and reviving economic growth.

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Manal Mikhail Becomes Egypt’s First Female Coptic Governor | Egyptian Streets

https://egyptianstreets.com/2018/08/30/manal-mikhail-becomes-egypts-first-female-coptic-governor/

Manal Mikhail Becomes Egypt's First Female Coptic Governor

Manal Awad Mikhail was sworn in on Friday before Egypt's President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi as the new governor of Damietta, becoming Egypt's first ever female Coptic Christian governor.

Mikhail is the second woman to be appointed governor of Egypt. In 2017, Nadia Ahmed Abdou became the first ever female governor of Egypt after being appointed governor of Beheira.

A number of new governors were appointed on Friday as governors. The appointments also included a number of deputy governors, including five female deputy-governors in the governorates of the Red Sea, Giza, Beheira, Al-Qaloubiya, and Al-Wadi Al-Gedeed.

Mikhail's Education

Mikhail, 51, graduated with a degree in Veterinary Science from the University of Benha followed by a Master's Degree and a PhD in Natural Sciences from the University of Alexandria in 1999.

In the past twenty years, Mikhail has held several positions related to her studies. She served as a member of the Egyptian Poultry Medical Association, the International Poultry Veterinary Association, the Egyptian Society for Immunology and the Veterinary Society.

In 2007, Mikhail won the 'State Encouragement Award' in the science category for her research and studies into the immune systems of livestock, including on the impact of specific strains of viruses and infections.

Recent Employment

In 2015, Mikhail joined the Ministry of Agriculture's Institute of Veterinary Serums and Vaccines for Research and Studies. Shortly afterwards, Mikhail was appointed deputy governor of Giza.

As deputy governor, Mikhail was responsible for the development of disadvantaged communities in the Giza governorate.

Mikhail was responsible for coordinating a number of activities with both local and international non-governmental organisations and managed a number of local projects.

Mikhail was also responsible for managing street vendors and for a campaign to ensure they operate legally.

According to Youm7, Mikhail's efforts saw her receiving a UNESCO Learning Ciy Award in 2017

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Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Untold stories of the Solar Boat - Al Ahram Weekly


http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/News/25273.aspx

Untold stories of the Solar Boat

Many unusual stories relate to the discovery of the Pharaoh Khufu's Solar Boat on the Pyramids Plateau in Giza, writes Zahi Hawass 

Egyptology is an exciting and rewarding field, and every discovery has a story behind it. The discovery of the Solar Boat of the Pharaoh Khufu in 1954 is one of the most interesting. 

At that time, Mohamed Zaki Nour was chief inspector of antiquities at Giza, and Kamal Al-Mallakh was a young architect in the then Antiquities Service. The area south of the Great Pyramid was buried under debris reaching a height of seven metres. But the idea of removing it came only after a visit by king Saud of Saudi Arabia, who commented on the debris during a visit. Al-Mallakh, being an ambitious and energetic young man, set his workmen to the task. Their chief was Garas Yani, an Upper Egyptian who had been trained by some of the best foreign archaeologists. 

In July 1954, Yani uncovered several huge limestone blocks lying next to each other at ground level. It was obvious to him that they covered a large pit. In great excitement, he went to look for Al-Mallakh and found him in a downtown Cairo café with his close friends, the famous writer Anis Mansour and Maurice Guindi, a correspondent for the news agency United Press International. As Mansour relates the scene, Yani was bursting with excitement as he called Al-Mallakh on the telephone when they were having lunch, saying "Mr Al-Mallakh, we have found the boat of Khufu." 

Whether with the advantage of hindsight, or as the result of an inspired guess at the time, Al-Mallakh said he had been convinced from the first that the southern enclosure wall had been built closer to the Pyramids than the northern and western walls precisely to conceal one or more boat pits, and that Yani had also known this. Be that as it may, the announcement caused great excitement, and the group left the café in haste, jumped into Mansour's car, and headed for Giza. Mansour recalls that the car broke down on the Pyramids Road from overheating. "The curse of the Pharaohs," he said. 

When Al-Mallakh arrived at the site, he found that the 41 limestone blocks seemed to be supported on a metre-wide shelf, and he broke through a massive slab to reveal a deep vault beneath his feet. His excitement grew, and his whole face lit up with a smile as he realised that a boat indeed lay inside and moreover appeared to be in a remarkable state of preservation. For the first time in 4,500 years, the sun shone on the timbers of the great cedar-wood vessel. 

Guindi wasted no time in publishing an article on the find with UPI, and the New York Times ran story after story about the discovery of the Solar Boat. Anis Mansour later told me that he had called the distinguished Egyptologist Selim Hassan for his opinion about solar boats, and that meanwhile Al-Mallakh had embarked on a lecture tour in the United States to talk about the discovery. Ever charismatic, the now famous Al-Mallakh shared his passion for Egypt with academic audiences across the country and gave various television and radio appearances. The tour was a great success. 

When Al-Mallakh returned to Egypt, the journalist Mohamed Hassanein Heikal convinced then president Gamal Abdel-Nasser that the site was well worth a visit. Together with an entourage of military officers, Nasser visited it. He listened as Al-Mallakh explained the discovery and its significance. Mansour, who was there, said he had heard Nasser say to Al-Mallakh that "I did not come to see the discovery. I came to encourage you in your work." 

However, at this point, the evil nemesis the ancient Egyptian god Seth decided to churn things up. It seems he almost never leaves us alone. Al-Mallakh was criticised by the Antiquities Service for publishing the discovery without its permission, and it was decided to send him to its Legal Affairs Office, which decided to cut 15 days from his monthly salary as a punishment. 

Later, Zaki Nour, an antiquities inspector at Giza, claimed that he should have had the credit for the discovery. Meanwhile, Abdel-Moneim Abu Bakr, dean of the Department of Egyptology at Cairo University, wrote an article outlining six points supporting his theory that the vessel was not a solar boat at all, but a funerary barge that had been built to transport the body of the deceased Pharaoh from the capital Memphis to the Pyramid site. 

I have reviewed Abu Bakr's notes, and I have not found enough evidence to support his theory. In fact, during the excavation chips of cedar and acacia wood were found in the pit, along with traces of mud plaster covering the limestone blocks over it. In my opinion, this provides evidence that the Boat was built close to where it was buried.

Moreover, there is no indication that it was ever used on the Nile. For one thing, the deckhouse is not big enough for a comfortable journey, and for another it does not have any windows. The most important evidence, recently discovered in Wadi Al-Jarf near Suez, is a papyrus that tells us that the Pharaoh lived in a palace at Giza and not in Memphis.


with a small replica of the boat; the dismantled Solar Boat as found by Al-Mallakh; the boat pit with the limestone slabs

FIGHTING FOR HIS BELIEFS: Needless to say, Al-Mallakh continued to regard the vessel as a solar boat connected with the age-old myth of the sun god eternally journeying across the heavens.

Imagine his frustration, then, when he had left the Antiquities Service and the boat that had given him instant fame was taken out of his hands. He fought like a tiger for his views, and he ultimately lost his life in the battle. Even when he was no longer involved in the project, he continued to visit Giza to watch Haj Ahmed Youssef, chief restorer at the Antiquities Service, supervising the excavation and reconstruction of the oldest boat in the world. 

Limestone blocks covering the pit were lifted using huge cranes, and a resinous solution was applied to the fragments of ancient matting to lift them up without damage. A platform had to be built over the working area to enable Youssef to conduct operations without putting pressure on the boat itself. Eventually, the ancient timbers were lifted, treated, and restored. Built for a king, this vessel had been dismantled before being buried, and Youssef almost single-handedly spent 14 years putting this giant jig-saw puzzle back together. Al-Mallakh could only watch from the sidelines. 

Al-Mallakh was a truly remarkable man. When he died in 1987, Egypt lost one of its most beloved sons. His appearance, resembling a Pharaoh and being tall and upright with a high forehead and a receding hairline, made him stand out on Cairo's crowded streets. Though he was forced out of the Antiquities Department, he was not the kind of person to harbour grievances. He turned his attention to journalism instead and became a reporter for Akher Saa magazine and Al-Akhbar newspaper. At this point he reinforced his friendship with Anis Mansour, and together they shared many adventures. I enjoyed reading about some of those in Mansour's weekly column Ayamna Al-Helwa (Our Sweet Days) in Al-Ahram. 

However, the two men were opposites. Al-Mallakh led an active social life and published little, while Mansour was not socially inclined and published more than 200 books. They were friends and rivals. They competed with each other, but they were as inseparable as twins. Mansour, a Muslim, and Al-Mallakh, a Copt, forever teased one another and entered into intellectual arguments. Their special friendship will never be forgotten, and when I became a close friend of Anis Mansour, he used to tell me stories about his friendship with Al-Mallakh. 

When Al-Mallakh joined Al-Ahram and became the editor of its back page, he also made this his own. Writing in an appealing style that became his calling card, he was read by everyone. The headline was in his handwriting, and the page became so popular that many Al-Ahram readers began their day by reading the paper from the back.

We could not wait to see what he would write each day. He had imagination, talent, and an enormous interest in his own country and especially in Egyptology. In those days, not much was written in the press about the subject, but he described discoveries in simple language that made people love Egyptology. He encouraged me a lot when I became an antiquities inspector at Giza, and he even used to write about me using the expression "the young archaeologist".

 He predicted a good future for me, saying to me one day that "you have the talent and the personality to be the director of Egyptian Antiquities." I will never forget one Friday when I was with him when suddenly a famous actress came into the office. He said, "my dear, your appointment is at 11. You will need to wait in the other office while I finish speaking to Zahi Hawass." I could not believe that he had said this to such a famous actress.


the dismantled Solar Boat as found by Al-Mallakh

A SECOND BOAT: One day, I borrowed a car from my friend Ezzat Al-Saadani, a writer in Al-Ahram. It was a Volkswagen and the petrol gauge was broken. 

Al-Mallakh and I drove to Giza, and while we were coming back the car ran out of petrol in front of the Television Building in Cairo. Al-Mallakh and I began to push the car, and people stared at him, scarcely able to believe that this famous writer was pushing the car. He was a character that every Egyptian recognised, first coming up with the idea of the Cairo International Film Festival and appearing a lot on TV.

Even after I went to the University of Pennsylvania in the US as a Fulbright fellow to study for my doctoral degree, I visited him when I returned to Egypt on vacation. One day, he invited me for lunch at Anis Mansour's villa in Giza. There, I met important personalities, including the writer Tawfik Al-Hakim. The domestic video camera had just been invented at the time, and Al-Hakim was quite taken with it, happy to watch images of himself on the screen. He wanted to test out his appearance, being concerned about how he looked from one angle or another, and which was the most flattering. I remember he wiggled his moustache to see if it was noticeable on TV.

Toward the end of Al-Mallakh's life, the Antiquities Service gave permission for the magazine National Geographic to investigate the Second Boat pit at Giza, and he was upset about not being included on the team. He fought for his rights, but to no avail. One night he called me at 9pm and talked for two hours about how upset he was at this treatment, his voice containing great sadness. I left for the United States the following day to attend the opening of a Ramses II exhibition in Denver, Colorado. Imagine my shock when I was awakened some days later by a call from Dorothea, his sister-in-law, telling me that he had passed away. I cried for two hours, my sorrow being perhaps even greater than what I had felt on the death of my own father.

After the restoration of the Second Boat, I hope the two boats can be exhibited together in the new Boat Museum currently being built near the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza. I cannot stand the ugly building that currently contains the first boat beside the Great Pyramid, and I planned to transfer it when we began to build the new Grand Egyptian Museum.

The story of the Solar Boat never ends, but I hope I have been able to give Al-Mallakh the credit he deserved as the one who first discovered it. I myself was able to prove that it was indeed a solar boat that the Pharaoh, as a god, would symbolically use for his voyages by day. It was called by the ancient Egyptians the "mandjet" boat, while the one used for the night journey was known as the "msketet". 

The oars of the boats were used to kill the wild beasts of the underworld, and the people would continue to worship the Pharaoh after his death as a god.

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Egyptian-American team wraps a dig season after documenting 800+ Middle Kingdom tombs | Luxor Times


http://luxortimesmagazine.blogspot.com/2018/08/egyptian-american-team-wraps-dig-season.html


The joint team of Ministry of Antiquities and University of Alabama in Birmingham (UAB) wrapped up their season at Lisht necropolis.

Mr. Adel Okasha (Director of Cairo and Giza Antiquities) said that the team finished the documentation, mapping and 3D topographic survey of south Lisht as 802 tombs were documented which represent a group of Middle Kingdom tombs previously excavated.


The tombs which are laid along the rocky edge of the area belong to individuals and have their own architectural style.
The tombs vary between the rock-cut, topped by upper mud brick structure or limestone tombs.

Mr. Okasha also said that this survey is vital as it provides a database of information on the Middle Kingdom cemeteries including the social hierarchy, religious rituals as well as the daily life in the capital of Egypt during the Middle Kingdom (Itj-Tawy).
The archaeological mission directed by Prof. Sarah Parcak has worked also on continuing the excavation and cleaning in the tomb of "Antef" the overseer of the army during the reign of Senusret I who held the title of "Royal Seal Bearer" which was discovered by the mission in 2016. You can check more on the tomb discovery HERE

The 2016 discovery landed the mission "Luxor Times Egyptology Award" in 2017 as one of the "Top 10 Discovery of the Year 2016". The ceremonies were held at the Ministry of Antiquities in Cairo and the award was received by Mr. Adel Okasha on behalf of the team.



#Egypt #Egyptology #Archaeology #LuxorTimesEgyptologyAwards #MiddleKingdom

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