Not a first, but still . . .

It's not the first time this has happened, but still . . . . it's a bit unnerving: I haven't found any news to post this morning! It isn't helping much that Goolge Alerts, my faithful assistant in all matters web-related, has chosen to spout gobbledegook today, but no-one else seems to have anything much to say either, and even Jane Akshar has no lecture notes from the Mummification Museum, because the lecture was cancelled.

However, don't forget that Aayko will be updating the EEF website later today with the online version of last Thursday's email newsletter, which is a must-read weekly digest of all the most interesting news on everything from exhibitions, conferences and lectures to the latest digitized publications available online. There are also a couple of News items that I missed, summarized below - I was clearly off on Planet Elsewhere last week.

The newsletter actually contains a HUGE news item which I missed (sorry!) about discoveries dating to the 7th millennium bp in Dakhleh Oasis, and one which is very dear to my own interests: "A group of Poznań archaeologists has discovered new examples of cave paintings dating back to the 7th millennium B.C. in Dakhla oasis, Egypt. Inventory works were run in February till mid-March. They had been commenced by Prof. Lech Krzyżaniak, an eminent specialist of Saharan cave art, of the Archaeological Museum in Poznań, who passed away in 2004 – says Prof. Michał Kobusiewicz of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology at the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN), running the research." The URL for this is http://tinyurl.com/pbco4 (naukawpolsce.pl) but there are other relevant links too - check the EEF newsletter.

There is also an article linked to in the newsletter in Spanish, about the tomb of Djehuty, with photos, including one of the Senet game board about which I posted recently:

http://tinyurl.com/ma2rf (informativos.telecinco.es): "Cuatro vasos para guardar vísceras, un juego de mesa, un papiro considerado mágico dentro de un colgante y exquisitos recipientes para perfumes. Todo esto, dentro de una tumba que fue sellada hace 3.400 años, es el resultado de una excavación arqueológica que científicos españoles realizan en Luxor, Egipto, llamada Proyecto Djehuty. Ésta es ya su quinta campaña, y de momento es la más fructífera."

Roughly translated as: Four canopic jars, one table jug, a magical papyrus, and exquisite perfume holders. All this in a tomb which was sealed 3400 years ago, is the result of an archaeological excavation which Spanish scientists have been carrying out in Luxor, Egypt, called the Djehuty Project. This is their fifth season, and to date the most fruitful.

The project's home page (in Spanish), with dig diary and photos, is at http://www.excavacionegipto.com/. The site was down when I tried to access it, but it has always been reliable in the past so if you have any difficulties with it today, try it again during the week.

The newsletter also points to two excavations recently updated online:

Deir el-Banat, Faiyum Depression, Fourth Season, 2006 (Graeco Roman and Christian)
Russian version: http://www.cesras.ru/arch/db/rep.htm
English version: http://www.cesras.ru/eng/arch/db/rep.html

Kom Tuman, Memphis, Fifth Season (2005-2006)
Russian version: http://www.cesras.ru/arch/memph/rep.htm
English version: http://www.cesras.ru/eng/arch/memph/rep.htm

Thanks to EEF and its helpers for doing such a great job. If you want to subscribe to EEF (it is free of charge) go to:
http://showcase.netins.net/web/ankh/eefmain.html

Cheers

Andie