Northern California ARCE Egyptology Lecture: The non-elite community of Deir el-Ballas

The American Research Center in Egypt, Northern California chapter, and the UC Berkeley Department of Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures invite you to attend a Zoom lecture by Dr. Victoria Jensen, UC Berkeley: In the Shadow of the Palace: The non-elite community of Deir el-Ballas as revealed by the settlement remains and tombs Sunday, June 22, 2025, 3 PM PDT This virtual lecture will be recorded for later posting on the chapter's YouTube channel.                                                             Register in advance for this lecture: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/Mr2bNJKXQu2YtfoJt4pTLw After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. There are a few things you should know before you join the lecture: * Advance registration is required. When you click on the link to "Register in advance for this lecture" you will receive instructions by email on how and when to join, along with a link on which you will click to join the meeting. Save the email, as you will need the link it contains to join the meeting. Please register now. Please do not share the join link with anyone, it is unique to your email address. Try to join at least 10 minutes before the meeting. When you do join the meeting, be prepared to be put in the waiting room until the lecture starts at 3 pm.  This is a security measure. * If you haven't already installed Zoom, I recommend that you download and install the Zoom program (app) well before you try to join the meeting. There IS an option to use your web browser to join the meeting instead of the Zoom program, but the browser interface is limited and depends greatly on what browser and what operating system you're using. * For tutorials on how to use Zoom, go to https://learn-zoom.us/show-me. In particular, "Joining a Zoom Meeting" should show you what you need to do to join our lecture. * All meeting attendees can communicate with everyone, or with individual participants, using the chat window, which can be opened by clicking on the chat button and which you can probably find at the bottom middle of your Zoom viewing screen. Participants will be encouraged to hold their questions for the speaker until after the lecture, and will also be encouraged to address their questions for the speaker to everyone, not just to the speaker, so that all can see them. "Everyone" is the default chat option. If you have any questions, please email arcencZoom@gmail.com. About the Lecture: The site of Deir el-Ballas played a major role in the birth of the New Kingdom as a royal campaign headquarters of the Theban kings during their ultimately successful wars to expel the Hyksos. For several generations afterwards (c. 1550-1450 BC), a non-elite population lived in the shadow of the abandoned palace in this provincial town. Deir el-Ballas was excavated on behalf of the University of California in 1900-1901 by George Reisner under the sponsorship of Phoebe Apperson Hearst, but was never published. Drawing on archival research and examination of hundreds of artifacts from the site that are held in the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology at UC Berkeley, Jensen has reconstructed the excavations of the Hearst Expedition at the site, particularly the cemeteries. Her research examines the community's funerary practices and considers the cultural memory the residents held of their town's illustrious past. About the Speaker: Victoria Jensen is a Senior Research Scholar in the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. She is a past President of the Northern California Chapter of ARCE. Victoria earned her B.A. in Political Science and M.A. in International Relations at the University of Chicago and had a career in grant administration before returning to graduate school to pursue a Ph.D. in Egyptology at the University of California Berkeley, which she received in 2019.  Her dissertation research has just been published as a two-volume monograph in the Harvard Egyptological Studies series, entitled "The Phoebe A. Hearst Expedition to Deir el-Ballas: The non-elite cemeteries of the 17th–19th Dynasties." About ARCE-NC: For more information, please visit https://facebook.com/NorthernCaliforniaARCE, https://www.youtube.com/@NorthernCaliforniaArce, https://arce-nc.org/, or http://khentiamentiu.org. To join the chapter or renew your membership, please go to https://arce.org/membership/ and select "Berkeley, CA" as your chapter when you sign up.

Egyptian archaeologists discover three tombs in Luxor | AP News

https://apnews.com/article/egypt-luxor-necropolis-tombs-new-kingdom-8d9890225f73e8fa88bfa18ef0a2b62a

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https://www.labrujulaverde.com/en/2025/05/identity-of-the-owner-of-luxors-nameless-tomb-discovered/

Ancient Egypt, Archaeology

Identity of the Owner of Luxor's Nameless Tomb Discovered

by Guillermo Carvajal
May 23, 2025

Exterior of the nameless tomb at Luxor. Credit: Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities of Egypt

In the 1970s, a tomb was discovered in the Al-Asasif necropolis on the west bank of Luxor, Egypt, which archaeologists designated Kampp 23. The identity of its owner had remained a mystery since then, as at the time archaeologists were unable to determine the name of its occupant.

Now, an Egyptian-Canadian archaeological mission has succeeded in deciphering the identity of the owner of this nameless tomb. His name was Amon Mes, and he was a royal official who held various positions, such as Mayor of Thebes, during the Ramesside period.

The Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Sherif Fathy, emphasized the importance of this achievement: This discovery enhances our understanding of the role of high dignitaries in ancient Egypt and underscores the state's commitment to archaeological research, he stated.

Detail of the interior of the tomb. Credit: Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities of Egypt

Meanwhile, the Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Mohamed Ismail Khaled, explained that although the tomb had already been documented, its original owner had never been confirmed. Recent excavations made it possible to identify 'Amon Mes' and reveal some of his titles, which raises new questions about his historical influence, he noted.

According to Mohamed Abdel Badie, head of the Egyptian Antiquities Sector, the name Amon Mes was not entirely unknown to researchers, as more inscriptions bearing his titles had been found in other areas of Luxor's west bank: royal counselor, divine father of Amun, tax collector, and even overseer of quarries during a King Ramesses IV expedition to Wadi Hammamat.

Even so, it is still unclear whether all these roles belonged to the same person buried in Kampp 23 or if there were other officials with the same name in later periods.

Sculptures carved in the stone inside the tomb. Credit: Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities of Egypt

The doubt remains, Abdel Badie admitted. It is possible that there was more than one 'Amon Mes' in Thebes, but the evidence suggests that this was a key figure during the New Kingdom.

The tomb is hewn into the rock and has a T-shaped design typical of Ramesside necropolises, with an open courtyard surrounded by mudbrick walls and a pylon on its eastern side. Inside, a corridor connects the chapel with the burial chamber, where statues are carved directly into the stone.

According to Abdul Ghaffar Wagdy, head of the Egyptian side of the mission, the tomb was reused several centuries later. We found remains of painted plaster covering the original reliefs, fragments of the main entrance reconstructed with different materials, and even broken ushabtis, he detailed.

Upcoming excavation seasons could confirm whether all the titles attributed to 'Amon Mes' belonged to the same man or to different officials with the same name, stated Dr. Casey L. Kirkpatrick, the Canadian leader of the project. If it is confirmed that this was a single individual who held so many positions, we would be looking at a figure of exceptional power in Ramesside Thebes.

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FUENTES

Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities of Egypt

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Technology as a Bridge to the Museum | Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures

https://isac.uchicago.edu/programs-events/technology-bridge-museum

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Technology as a Bridge to the Museum

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In the 21st century, the purpose of the museum has been thrown into question, but global conflict and climate change have made it more important than ever that Museums act as repositories and hubs for the dissemination of knowledge. Technology is revolutionizing not only the way museums of all types undertake this mission. From providing new means to store and disseminate collections, to offering new opportunities to inspire, teach, and collaborate with a wider segment of the public than ever before. The conference Technology as a Bridge to the Museum at the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures (ISAC) will provide a forum for exploring how technology can be used to foster relationships between museums of all types and their constituent communities both local and international: scholars, students, communities of origin, and the general public.

Register for the Conference here.

Download the Schedule and Abstracts here.

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Technology as a Bridge to the Museum | Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures

https://isac.uchicago.edu/programs-events/technology-bridge-museum

Technology as a Bridge to the Museum

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1. Home
2. Technology as a Bridge to the Museum

In the 21st century, the purpose of the museum has been thrown into question, but global conflict and climate change have made it more important than ever that Museums act as repositories and hubs for the dissemination of knowledge. Technology is revolutionizing not only the way museums of all types undertake this mission. From providing new means to store and disseminate collections, to offering new opportunities to inspire, teach, and collaborate with a wider segment of the public than ever before. The conference Technology as a Bridge to the Museum at the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures (ISAC) will provide a forum for exploring how technology can be used to foster relationships between museums of all types and their constituent communities both local and international: scholars, students, communities of origin, and the general public.

Register for the Conference here.

Download the Schedule and Abstracts here.

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Ancient Enamel and Modern Insights: Exploring the Oral Microbiome of Egyptian Mummies - BYU Life Sciences

https://lifesciences.byu.edu/ancient-enamel-and-modern-insights-exploring-the-oral-microbiome-of-egyptian-mummies

Ancient Enamel and Modern Insights: Exploring the Oral Microbiome of Egyptian Mummies

By Gillian Garmon,

May 15, 2025

Photo by BYU Photo

At the excavation site of a pyramid built by Pharaoh Snefru near Egypt's Fayoum Oasis, BYU student researchers carefully brushed away centuries of sand and dust to unearth what might be some of humanity's oldest microbial secrets. The remnants of ancient Egyptian life are plentiful and varied, including a unique find: preserved mummy teeth. In the worn enamel and calcified plaque of these ancient teeth, ancient Near Eastern studies major Emily Buss (BA '24) and Carlos Moreno (PhD '25, MMBIO) trace the evolution of oral bacteria—a link between the past and the present that offers insights into ancient diets, oral health, and disease.

This research has evolved into a rich interdisciplinary project, combining history and life sciences to illuminate the evolution of the human microbiome. For Buss, it's a bridge between her fascination with ancient history and her newfound interest in pathology. Moreno is also an essential contributor to the project, providing much-needed expertise in microbiology to help guide the complex DNA extraction process. He ensures that these ancient samples remain uncontaminated. Together, Buss and Moreno are discovering how bacteria in the human mouth have evolved, and that information may inform our understanding of modern diseases linked to oral health.

Photo by Kim Jepperson

"This project is less about exploring the history of the ancient Egyptians, though that research is equally essential," Buss explains. "Instead, it's more about understanding the evolution of modern bacteria."

Moreno elaborates on this point. "We're looking at the continuing evolution of the bacteria that comprises the human oral microbiome, starting with Egyptian mummies and moving forward to our present day," he says. "This progression allows us to ask important questions: 'Are the changes we're seeing a result of diet? What other factors could be playing into this?'"

By comparing their findings with research on Neanderthal and other ancient microbiomes, Buss and Moreno hope their work will contribute to a broader understanding of human evolution. As Moreno puts it, "Our microbes are evolving with us." The history of humanity is interwoven with that of our microscopic companions. As these histories are studied, side by side, new insights emerge.

Photo by Emily Buss

Still in its early stages, Buss and Moreno's project involves setting up lab conditions to isolate ancient DNA without contaminating it and ensuring that precautionary measures are taken to determine what systems can be used to avoid introducing modern DNA. "We have the mummy teeth," Buss shares, "we just need to make sure all the conditions are appropriate to use them."

For Buss and Moreno, this project has been both personally and spiritually transformative. Working with the oral microbiome of mummies has strengthened Buss's medical school applications by showcasing her unique interdisciplinary background. It has also reaffirmed her belief in a higher power guiding her path. "I feel like I've been really led," she shares. "For a long time, I thought my journey would be through Egyptology. But as I've gone through that, other opportunities have allowed me to be distinct and to grow."

Moreno feels gratitude and a sense of purpose as he considers the opportunities he's been given. "I am very grateful to God that He would even provide me opportunities to learn new skills while working on such a cool project," he shares. "I feel like He is in the details when it comes to my education."

Encompassing both the mysteries of ancient Egypt and the evolving story of human health, Buss and Moreno's research offers valuable insights. Their work helps bridge the gap between ancient history and modern science, uncovering connections that let us glimpse into the shared evolution between humanity and the microscopic world that continues to grow alongside us.

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Silver Bracelets Reveal Bronze Age Trade Between Egypt and Greece - GreekReporter.com

https://greekreporter.com/2025/05/14/bronze-age-trade-egypt-greece/

Silver Bracelets Reveal Bronze Age Trade Between Egypt and Greece

By Tasos Kokkinidis

May 14, 2025

Analysis of these bracelets found they are consistent with ores from the Cyclades Islands in the Aegean and Lavrion, east of Athens. Credit: Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities

An analysis of bracelets owned by an Egyptian Queen has found that Egypt and Greece were involved in trade during the Bronze Age, much earlier than previously believed.

Queen Hetepheres was the mother of King Khufu, who would go on to build the Great Pyramid. Her tomb represents the largest and most famous collection of silver artifacts from early Egypt.

While researchers have long known that the ancient Egyptians traded with other civilizations, the new study provides the first scientific evidence that silver was sourced from the Aegean islands in Greece, researchers reported recently in the Journal of Archaeological Science.

"This kind of ancient trading network helps us to understand the beginnings of the globalized world," said the study's lead author Karin Sowada, director of the Australian Centre for Egyptology at Macquarie University.

"For me, that's a very unexpected finding in this particular discovery."

Queen Hetepheres, bearing the title "Daughter of God," represented the direct royal bloodline of the Fourth Dynasty in Egypt, a period of time known as the Old Kingdom (2700 BC – 2200 BC).

For thousands of years, her place of burial remained a mystery until archaeologists came across a shaft in Giza, where they found her empty sarcophagus, in 1925.

The researchers conjectured that Hetepheres had originally been buried near her husband's pyramid in Dahshur, but her son ordered her tomb to be moved to Giza after robbers broke in.

While the whereabouts of her body and gold trappings remain unknown, a number of items were recovered from the tomb, including the bracelets.

Image of ancient bracelets. Credit: Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities

The team, which included researchers from France and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, where the bracelets are stored, scanned fragments to determine the material of which they were made.

While the bracelets were last examined decades ago, Sowada said they had never been analyzed "scientifically to a high degree."

Silver bracelets prove Bronze Age trade between Egypt and Greece

The new analysis revealed the bracelets consist of silver with traces of copper, gold, lead, and other elements.

They were made by hammering cold-worked metal with frequent annealing, which involves heating it to a certain temperature to prevent breakage.

The addition of gold would have helped improve the silver bracelets' appearance and ability to be shaped.

While ancient Egypt was known to be rich in gold, it had no local sources of silver, Sowada said.

"So this period of early Egypt is a little bit terra incognita from the perspective of silver," it was added. Sowada noted that the bracelets represented "essentially the only large-scale silver that exists for this period of the third millennium BC."

"Silver also has the added disadvantage of corroding more easily," she explained, and revealed that it wasn't until the early second millennium BC that "large quantities of silver" were preserved.

Images of ancient bracelets. Credit: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

While ancient Egyptian literature makes mention of materials such as silver and lapis lazuli "in the context of imported commodities," their origins were never preserved, Sowada clarified.

For a "very long time," researchers assumed the silver was extracted from local gold with a high silver content.

However, new analysis of these bracelets has cast doubt on that theory, with lead isotope ratios in the silver from this time period found to be consistent with ores from the Cyclades Islands in the Aegean, and to a lesser extent, Lavrion (Attica in Greece).

"So these bracelets represent a very, very unique opportunity to understand not just the metalworking techniques at this time, but also the trade networks that [existed], which are very important to understanding the emergence of Egyptian state," Sowada concluded.

While lead isotope analysis has been done on other silver objects from the Middle Kingdom —with artifacts stored in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York also believed to have come from mainland Greece—we "just haven't had that scientific evidence before" to show that Egypt was active in the Mediterranean region prior to that, Melanie Pitkin, an Egyptologist, disclosed.

She added that "Egypt having international relations at this time is not surprising, but to be able to use robust scientific evidence to show it with the Aegean or mainland Greece, that is interesting."

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Grand Egyptian Museum receives 163 treasures of Tutankhamun - Egypt Independent

https://www.egyptindependent.com/grand-egyptian-museum-receives-163-treasures-of-tutankhamun/

Grand Egyptian Museum receives 163 treasures of Tutankhamun

 Al-Masry Al-Youm
May 10, 2025

Ceremonial Throne of Tutankhamun

The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) has received 163 treasures of Tutankhamun, arriving from the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir.

This is part of a plan to transport and display the young king's entire collection for the first time in one place, marking a new step toward the museum's official opening.

Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathy inspected the pieces during his visit to the museum's restoration lab, accompanied by CEO of the Museum Authority Ahmed Ghoneim, the Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Mohamed Ismail Khaled, and various museum and ministry officials.

The minister explained in a statement that this step comes as part of the final preparations for the official opening of the GEM, scheduled for July 3.

He noted that the transfer of the remaining pieces belonging to King Tutankhamun will continue over the coming period, according to a specific schedule, which will be displayed in their respective halls at the museum.

Ghoneim confirmed that the transportation work was carried out in accordance with the highest international scientific and technical standards.

The museum's specialized team has prepared detailed condition reports for each artifact, in addition to carefully executing the packaging and transportation work.

He explained that the museum's restoration team will undertake the necessary maintenance and restoration work in preparation for placing the artifacts in their designated permanent display cases, ensuring a comprehensive presentation that befits Tutankhamun's legendary stature.

Khaled provided the minister with a detailed explanation of the most important items that were transferred, including the boy Pharaoh's famous ceremonial chair, which was found in the passageway leading to his tomb, in addition to the gilded wooden compartment for canopic vessels, and a collection of jewelry, pendants, and necklaces made of gold and agate.

The ceremonial chair is one of the finest examples of New Kingdom art, featuring ivory, ebony, faience, and gold inlay. The center of its back depicts the sun disk, topped by the goddess Nekhbet spreading her wings, while the footrest is decorated with gold leaf motifs depicting the nine enemies of Egypt.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Archaeologists unearth tree-lined walkway that led to ancient Egyptian fortress in Sinai Desert | Live Science

https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/ancient-egyptians/archaeologists-unearth-tree-lined-walkway-that-led-to-ancient-egyptian-fortress-in-sinai-desert

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Polish-Egyptian team lovingly rebuild lost statues of Hatshepsut Temple

https://tvpworld.com/86573320/polish-egyptian-team-lovingly-rebuild-lost-statues-of-hatshepsut-temple

Polish-Egyptian team brings lost statues of Hatshepsut Temple back to life with stunning reconstruction

em/ew

 07.05.2025, 02:35

The Polish-Egyptian team has spent decades working at the site. (Maciej Jawornicki, CAŚ UW)

A Polish-Egyptian team of archaeologists and conservationists has completed the reconstruction of more than 20 sculptures at the iconic Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut in Egypt, one of the country's most visited archaeological sites.

The restored sculptures include sphinxes and Osirian statues—depictions of the female Pharaoh Hatshepsut as the god Osiris—which are among the most photographed monuments in Egypt.

"These statues, reconstructed by a member of our expedition, sculptor Wojciech Myjak, are today not only the most recognizable element of the Hatshepsut Temple but also a symbol of tourism on the Nile," said Dr. Patryk Chudzik, an archaeologist from the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology at the University of Warsaw, in remarks to the Polish Press Agency.

The Temple of Hatshepsut, located at Deir el-Bahari on the west bank of the Nile, was built in the 15th century BC. It is widely considered one of the greatest achievements of ancient Egyptian architecture. Nestled at the base of dramatic cliffs in the royal necropolis, the temple draws millions of visitors each year.

The Polish-Egyptian team has spent decades working at the site. During recent excavations, they uncovered additional fragments of statues and pieced them together to recreate the likeness of one of Egypt's most famous rulers.

The Hatshepsut Temple was built in the 15th century BC. (WikiCommons/Ad Meskens)

"It was only modern archaeological excavations that led to the discovery of many fragments of these sculptures," Chudzik said. "When the Polish-Egyptian expedition from the Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology at the University of Warsaw began its work in the Temple of Hatshepsut in 1961, further fragments of sculptures were discovered. Such discoveries are still made today when we conduct excavations in various parts of the temple."

Chudzik explained the team's process: "These fragments are then documented and their original location in the statues is analyzed. Once the reconstruction project is prepared, we then proceed to connect the selected fragments."

The original statues were deliberately destroyed following Hatshepsut's death. Roughly two decades later, her stepson and successor, Pharaoh Thutmose III, ordered the systematic erasure of her legacy as a female ruler. Statues were shattered and reliefs defaced.

The project is part of the long-running work of the Polish-Egyptian Archaeological and Conservation Expedition, carried out in partnership with the University of Warsaw's Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology and the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.

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Latest Northern California ARCE lecture, by Dr. Rita Lucarelli, is now available on YouTube

Dr. Rita Lucarelli's "Teaching Ma'at in Prison," the latest lecture sponsored by the Northern California chapter of the American Research Center in Egypt, is now available on the chapter's YouTube channel. To view it, please go to https://youtu.be/EBn9LCfQqNw . To see what else is available on the channel, or to subscribe to the channel, please go to https://www.youtube.com/@NorthernCaliforniaARCE . If you subscribe, you will be notified whenever a new lecture is posted on the channel. If you have any questions about the channel, please send email to glenn@glennmeyer.net.

Glenn Meyer
ARCE Northern California Publicity Director

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/egyptologist-reveals-mysterious-messages-hidden-in-the-hieroglyphics-on-a-3000-year-old-obelisk-180986531/

Egyptologist Reveals Mysterious Messages Hidden in the Hieroglyphics on a 3,000-Year-Old Obelisk

Jean-Guillaume Olette-Pelletier says he has identified seven sets of crypto-hieroglyphs on the 75-foot-tall structure, which France received as a gift in 1836

Sonja Anderson - Daily Correspondent

May 2, 2025

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The obelisk once stood outside a temple in Luxor, Egypt. Daniel Candal via Getty Images

A French Egyptologist says he has deciphered secret messages engraved on a 3,000-year-old Egyptian obelisk built during the reign of Ramses II.

The 75-foot-tall stone structure once loomed outside a temple in Luxor, Egypt. But since 1836, it's stood at Place de Concorde, a public square in Paris. The obelisk is covered in hieroglyphics—the ancient Egyptians' pictorial writing system—and engraved with both names that Ramses used as king.

During his long reign in the 13th century B.C.E., the pharaoh left his mark all over Egypt, commissioning new structures and even adding his name to older monuments. The Concorde obelisk was one of two red granite columns that Ramses raised outside Egypt's Luxor Temple. In the 1830s, Ottoman Egypt sent one of them to France, where it's remained ever since.

Several years ago, Jean-Guillaume Olette-Pelletier, an Egyptologist at the Sorbonne and the Catholic University of Paris, began studying the obelisk on his neighborhood strolls.

"I would walk up to it and read the hieroglyphs on its surfaces to relax," Olette-Pelletier tells Sciences et Avenir's Marine Benoit. "At one point, I realized something unusual: The hieroglyphs' meaning indicated a direction, that of the entrance to the portico of the Temple of Luxor. But that was just the beginning."

Jean-Guillaume Olette-Pelletier studying the obelisk Jean-Guillaume Olette-Pelletier

Olette-Pelletier couldn't find other research related to his observation, so he began his own. After analyzing the obelisk's engravings with binoculars, he figured out that the pillar contains multiple pieces of code called crypto-hieroglyphs.

Crypto-hieroglyphs were discovered in the 1950s by the Egyptologist Canon Étienne Drioton. They featured "puzzles and wordplay, such as changing the reading direction," according to Artnet's Richard Whiddington.

As Olette-Pelletier tells Sciences et Avenir, "Although some Egyptians could read hieroglyphs, only certain elites were capable of understanding the hidden messages that they could contain, considered a language of the gods."

Olette-Pelletier got to see the Concorde obelisk up close in 2021, when it was surrounded by scaffolding for conservation work ahead of the Olympic Games. Seeing an opportunity, the researcher requested to ascend the scaffolding to examine the upper sections of the obelisk, where he was able to confirm his suspicions.

In its original location, the obelisk towered over the banks of the Nile. Judging by the location and angle of its coded messages, they were probably meant to be read by passengers aboard an approaching boat. As Olette-Pelletier tells Artnet, one message was likely intended for upper-class Egyptians arriving at the temple for an annual festival.

Based on the messages' position, Olette-Pelletier thinks they would have been read by passengers in approaching boats. Jean-Guillaume Olette-Pelletier

"Given the angle of approach, the nobility would have seen the hidden message and reflected: 'The king confirms himself as god incarnate, who cannot be dethroned,'" Olette-Pelletier adds. "It was propaganda aimed at the very high intellectual elite."

Olette-Pelletier happens to be one of the few Egyptologists capable of deciphering crypto-hieroglyphs. In 2021, he published a study translating some cryptographic hieroglyphs upon a small throne of the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun.

In total, Olette-Pelletier identified seven crypto-hieroglyphs on the Concorde obelisk. Some of them, for example, instruct viewers to make offerings to the gods. The researcher plans to detail his findings in a study scheduled for publication in the Egyptology journal ENiM. 

"The use of hieroglyphic cryptography allows us to provide a new reading of pharaonic texts," Olette-Pelletier tells Artnet. "It's an example proving that Egyptology still holds a lot of things waiting to be discovered."

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Tomb art suggests Egyptian sky goddess wore the Milky Way galaxy | Popular Science

https://www.popsci.com/science/egypt-sky-goddess-milky-way/

Tomb art suggests Egyptian sky goddess wore the Milky Way galaxy

Nut may have been influenced the cosmos.

By Andrew Paul

Published May 1, 2025 11:26 AM EDT

Nut's cosmological vignette on the outer coffin of Nesitaudjatakhet in the collection of Odessa Archaeological Museum OAM 52976 (C107). Nut's body is covered in stars as well as a thick, undulating black curve that runs from the soles of her feet to the tips of her fingers. This curve, surrounded by stars on both sides, is reminiscent of the Milky Way's Great Rift. Credit: Mykola Tarasenko / Odessa Archaeological Museum / NASU

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The deities of ancient Egypt oversaw virtually every aspect of existence, with gods and goddesses representing mundane daily activities all the way up to the cosmos itself. But the sky-goddess Nut (pronounced "Noot") had one of the most important roles. Nut literally stood over her earth god brother, Geb, protecting him from the void's floodwaters. She also was pivotal to the solar cycle, swallowing the sun at dusk only to rebirth it every morning. According to evolving research from the University of Portsmouth in the UK, Nut may also have had yet another important association: with the Milky Way galaxy itself. His latest theories are laid out in a study published on April 30 in the Journal of Astronomical History Heritage.

Astrophysicist Or Graur first became interested in Nut's origins while conducting research for a book on galaxies. In exploring various cultures' Milky Way mythologies, Graur was struck by ancient Egyptian written sources that referenced the galaxy, such as the Pyramid Texts, Coffin Texts, and the Book of Nut. After comparing their descriptions with simulations of how the Egyptian night sky looked during those eras, Graur published an initial study in 2024 arguing Nut and the Milky Way were intertwined—perhaps even physically. Specifically, he contended the winter sky manifested in the deity's outstretched arms, while her backbone showcased the summer heavens.

Graur spent the next year diving even deeper into the theory, reviewing 125 images of Nut depicted across 555 Egyptian coffins from nearly 5,000 years ago. While often illustrated as a naked woman clad in stars, certain examples stood out for their differences.

"The texts, on their own, suggested one way to think about the link between Nut and the Milky Way," Graur said. "Analysing her visual depictions on coffins and tomb murals added a new dimension that, quite literally, painted a different picture."

For example, a coffin belonging to the Amun-Re chantress Nesitaudjatakhet shows an undulating black curve crossing Nut's body from her fingertips to her feet, with a relatively equal number of stars on either side of the curve. Graur believes that this archway of stars is meant to represent the Milky Way.

"I think that the undulating curve… could be a representation of the Great Rift—the dark band of dust that cuts [through the] Milky Way's bright band of diffused light," he said.

Graur also pointed to similar curvatures seen in four tombs in the Valley of the Kings, including the one belonging to Ramesses VI. He reigned from the mid-to-late 12th century BCE and his burial chamber ceiling is halved between the Book of the Day and the Book of the Night. Both depictions include back-to-back, arched figures of Nut separated by golden curves spanning from her head all the way down her back. However, this particular curvature variation was otherwise rare in Graur's Nut artwork survey, which he says strengthens the larger theory.

"Although there is a connection between Nut and the Milky Way, the two are not one and the same," he said. "Nut is not a representation of the Milky Way. Instead, the Milky Way, along with the Sun and the stars, is one more celestial phenomenon that can decorate Nut's body in her role as the sky."

The new hypothesis goes beyond providing a more nuanced look at the Egyptian pantheon—it's great material for bedtime tales.

"My interest [in Nut] was piqued after a visit to a museum with my daughters, where they were enchanted by the image of an arched woman and kept asking to hear stories about her," said Graur.

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