A belated Happy Birthday to Richard Sellicks and thanks again to him for sharing some terrific photographs, this time a really excellent set from the 19th Dynasty tomb KV47, showing off its wonderful colours. Siptah was the son of Seti II. I was there at Christmas and I was really charmed by it.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Minerva May/June 2011
Minerva
Thanks to Jack Edwards for pointing out that there is an exerpt from the article "Pharaohs of Nubia," which appears in the print version of Minerva magazine. It is accompanied by five excellent photographs.
Northern Sudan is a place of immense space, wonderful sunsets, friendly people and fascinating archaeology. Relatively few tourists visit the region and many people are unaware of the contribution of this land to African and Egyptian history.
While the ancient history of northern Sudan is fascinating, piecing it together is painstaking work, and there is a chronic lack of funding for archaeological excavations. Research is further hindered by the legacy of Egypt-centric interpretations, variation on the names of the pharaohs, uncertain chronology, different interpretations of the area covered by ‘Nubia’, and the distinction between Upper and Lower Nubia. Geographical boundaries are now so arbitrary that it is not possible to exactly equate modern regions to those of ancient times, and interpretation is complicated by the use of the name ‘Ethiopia’ by ancient writers when referring to the area south of Egypt.
Book Review: Contesting Human Remains / Ethics and Burial Archaeology
Minerva Magazine
Minerva currently has a review of two books looking at ethics and the handling of human remains. There have been discussions about the handling of mummified remains by museums. The debate at the Manchester Museum is a good example.
In the UK, human remains are currently a matter of contention and debate. On 4 February 2011, 40 archaeology professors wrote an open letter to Kenneth Clarke published in The Guardian, objecting to the current license conditions for excavating human remains that had been imposed on archaeologists by the Ministry of Justice since 2008. These conditions stipulate that UK archaeologists must rebury all human remains within two years of their exhumation.
The two books under review, individually and in combination, provide the context that led to this letter being composed, and together constitute a new voice for mortuary archaeology in the UK. Jenkins and Sayer both achieve their aims of writing fluent and well argued accounts of how the study and display of human remains from mortuary contexts constitute a long-standing aspect of British research culture and popular science.
20th century courthouse in Alexandria makes Egypt's antiquities list
Ahram Online (Nevine El-Aref)
The distinguished Court of First Instance courthouse in downtown Mahatet Raml, Alexandria made Egypt’s Antiquities list. Accordingly, it will be subject to restoration.
The court building was inaugurated in 1937 by King Farouq as a court complex for the Mixed Courts at the time. The two-story building houses various first instance courtrooms, a library and a basement, which is used as a prison for criminals and suspects.
The Minister of State for Antiquities Affairs, Zahi Hawass and Minister of Justice Mohamed Abdel Aziz el Gendy embarked on an inspection tour today of the courthouse.
Hawass concluded that the building is suffering serious decay. Its foundation is highly impacted by subterranean water and cracks are spread all over its walls. He noted it is impossible to pump the whole building at once, so it will have to be done in phases. The first maintenance phase alone is expected to cost LE 40 million (roughly $6.8m).
Monday, May 16, 2011
Rock carvings found near Nile, Sudan
Live Science (Owen Jarus)
An archaeological team in the Bayuda Desert in northern Sudan has discovered dozens of new rock art drawings, some of which were etched more than 5,000 years ago and reveal scenes that scientists can't explain.
The team discovered 15 new rock art sites in an arid valley known as Wadi Abu Dom, some 18 miles (29 kilometers) from the Nile River. It’s an arid valley that flows with water only during rainy periods. Many of the drawings were carved into the rock faces — no paint was used — of small stream beds known as "khors" that flow into the valley.
Some of the sites revealed just a single drawing while others have up to 30, said lead researcher Tim Karberg, of the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster in Germany.
Egypt recovers Ramesside statue
Ahram Online
Al Masry Al Youm
Ahram Online
The Antikhenmuseum in Basel, Switzerland will return to Egypt a limestone relief depicting a hunting scene from the daily life of its owner. The relief is dated to the fifth dynasty of the Old Kingdom (c. 2649-2134 BC) and it is 51cm high x 83cm in width.
The artefact will return to Egypt later this week as part of the repatriation campaign of Zahi Hawass, minister of state for antiquities affairs (MSAA), who, in 2002, when he was still the secretary general of what was then the Supreme Council of Antiquities, threatened to cut scientific and research ties with any museums, universities or other institutions that held stolen antiquities from the country.
The Basel museum volunteered to return this piece immediately after discovering that it was a stolen from Saqqara.
Al Masry Al Youm
Egypt has made arrangements with Swiss authorities to return an Egyptian limestone painting currently held at the Antikenmuseum Basel (Basel Museum of Ancient Art) in Switzerland.
The 51cm-high painting is from the fifth pharaonic dynasty and depicts fishing and daily life scenes, according to a statement on Wednesday from the Antiquities Ministry.
The statement said the return of the painting to Egypt is part of a plan by the ministry to retrieve Egyptian artifacts smuggled out of the country.
Ahram Online
The inspection ordered by the ministry of state for antiquities affairs of a newly recovered red granite statue reveals that it is a genuine artefact, dated to the Ramesside period, almost 3300 years ago.
The statue features an unidentified priest seated behind two ancient Egyptian deities; Osiris and Isis. The statue is 56cm high by 28cm in width and bears hieroglyphic texts.
Interpol to publish photos of Egyptian artefacts missing post-revolution
Ahram Online (Nevine El-Aref)
The Interpol mission representative to Egypt, Stephen Tifaut and Egypt antiquities minister, Zahi Hawass, focus today on how to help find and return the 1228 missing objects from museums and archaeological sites in the aftermath of the January 25 Revolution.
Mohamed Abdel Maqsoud, the general supervisor of the minister’s office told Ahram Online that Interpol will publish photos of the missing objects in the international market, a measure that will help in recovering these objects. The rules governing the restitution of stolen objects are found in the 1970 UNESCO convention.
Interpol routinely follows-up with Egypt in its efforts to restituate missing objects and trace international antiquities traders, but this visit, according to Hawass, "is a security measure to help recover objects, if any were smuggled out of the country."
More re opening of Medinet Maadi
Gadling
Al Ahram Weekly (Nevine El-Aref)
Last week a new ancient site opened to the public in Egypt--a temple of the crocodile god Sobek.
Medinet Madi is located in Egypt's Faiyum region, a fertile area around a lake at the end of a branch of the Nile called Bahr Yusuf ("The River of Joseph").
The temple features a long avenue lined with sphinxes and lions, plus an incubation room for hatching the eggs of sacred crocodiles. You'd think these crocs would live the good life, splashing around the swamps and gnawing on a sacrificial victim or two. Instead they were mummified and sold to pilgrims. Check out the gallery for a couple of photos of crocodile mummies.
Al Ahram Weekly (Nevine El-Aref)
Lying in the parched desert at the southwestern edge of Fayoum, the most easterly of the Western Desert oases, are the ruins of a city that flourished during the Middle Kingdom of ancient Egypt and in subsequent periods up to Roman times.
The site, now known as Madinet Madi (City of the Past), is considered to be the most important and impressive archaeological site in Fayoum. The ruins reveal Madinet Madi's vast and impressive span of Egypt's history that began 4,000 years ago.
It all began with a village called Dja, which was founded as part of the large scale reclamation in the area around the lake in Fayoum of what was realised to be fertile land. During the reign of King Amenemhat III, construction was begun of a temple dedicated to the cobra goddess Renenutet and the crocodile god Sobek of Shedet. The construction was completed by his successor Amenemhat IV.
Authorities arrest police officer for possessing artifacts
Al Masry Al Youm
A police officer and two others with three statues in their possession have been arrested.
A security source said they were apprehended on Wahat Road, in 6th of October City in Giza, when a police ambush stopped their car for inspection.
"The three artifacts are of the head of the pharaonic queen Nefertiti. One is 7cm long, and the other two measure 15cm. They are suspected to be antiquities," said the source.
Hawass in Alexandria
drhawass.com
Together we inspected the complex of Sarai el Hakhania Court, which is located in El Manshia Square, Mahatet El Raml in Alexandria. This building came under the MSA’s responsibility in 2001. It was built in 1886, was refurbished during King Farouk’s reign in 1937 and again during the presidency of Gamal Abdel Nasser when a whole new floor was added.
In 2001 the building was registered as an Islamic-Coptic Period monument. In 2010 the Minister of Justice wrote to me to report that new cracks in the structure had appeared. I formed a committee to investigate, but unfortunately there was a fire on the upper floor of the building during the committee’s research. The fire damaged part of it very badly and the committee reported that an even bigger restoration project was then needed.
Heritage of modern Egypt
The Cairo Landmarks Preservation Commission
Cairo Observer
From Khedive to Revolution
Al Ahram Weekly
Cairo Observer
Al Ashraf Street
Cairo Observer
Imagine if there was such a thing! and there should be, after all Cairo has some of the world’s most important, beautiful and significant historic monuments. Many of Cairo’s historic buildings are not museum pieces, they are living, lived and inhabited elements of a complex urban fabric. historic preservation and landmark status (if we follow already existing and very successful models) help these buildings continue to be inhabited and part of the community, but landmark status and preservation can raise the economic, historic, cultural and touristic potential of Cairo’s endlessly interesting urban fabric.
From Khedive to Revolution
Al Ahram Weekly
One of Cairo's most visible city landmarks is destined never to be seen in the same way again. Before the 25 January 2011 revolution, Tahrir Square was just one of several important squares in the capital. Ramsies Square boastsed the train station and the minibus terminus. Ataba might have lost its former charm, but it was still home to one of the country's main commercial centres.
With the revolution, all this changed. Tahrir became symptomatic of revolution, a household name worldwide, and an inspiration to oppressed people everywhere. A French squaree has even been renamed Tahrir.
Cairo Observer
Al Ashraf Street
Al Ashraf Street is slightly south and east of Ibn Tulun Mosque. Historic cemetaries fall in the area between Al Ashraf Street and Salah Salem (right of the image) while to the west of Al-Ashraf are Nasser/Sadat era housing known as al-Masaken (left of the image)
Al Ashraf Street leads to midan Sayeda Nafisa. The street is about 4 meters wide and on one side has little shops (barber, café, refreshments, etc) while on the other the street is lined by some of Medieval Cairo’s many shrines, mosques and historic houses in between more recent self-built houses. I went there last week with my friend Gamal who challenged me that he will take me to some beautiful buildings that I had never seen.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Medinet Madi featured crocodile nursery
Discovery News (Rossella Lorenzi)
With photo of the heavily restored site.
With photo of the heavily restored site.
Egyptian authorities put another archaeological site on the country’s tourist map yesterday by opening a visitor center at Madinet Madi in the Fayoum region south of Cairo.
Founded during the reigns of Amenemhat III (about 1859-1813 B.C.) and Amenemhat IV (about 1814-1805 B.C.) of the 12th Dynasty, Madinet Madi contains the ruins of the only Middle Kingdom temple in Egypt.
Approached by a paved processional way lined by lions and sphinxes, the temple was dedicated to the cobra-headed goddess Renenutet, and the crocodile-headed god, Sobek of Scedet, patron god of the region.
Now almost forgotten by tourists, the site was swarming with pilgrims in ancient times.
Indeed, 10 Coptic churches dating from the 5th to 7th centuries and the remains of a Ptolemaic temple dedicated to the crocodile god were unearthed in the past decades by renowned Egyptologist Edda Bresciani of Pisa University, who has been excavating the area since 1978.
How to preserve the Norwich shroud
British Museum (Nicole Rode)
With photos.
With photos.
Now we’ve worked with curators and scientists to (safely) get as much information as we can, it’s time to ensure the next stage of the shroud’s life, as a studied and enjoyed museum artefact, doesn’t cause it to deteriorate.
So what are our options? After opening up the shroud, one option would be to leave it exactly like this and simply put it into good storage. As long as it was on a carrying board, stored flat in dark place, like a drawer unit, it would be fairly stable and allow for occasional study by individual scholars.
Leaving the textile in this state, however, completely prevents the many other roles the shroud might be asked to perform: it would really be too vulnerable for extensive study, and certainly wouldn’t be able to go on display, or be shipped to national and international venues for loan. In light of this we decided we needed to go further in stabilising it.
News from the Theban Mapping Project
Theban Mapping Project (Kent Weeks)
Thanks to Kate's News From the Valley of the Kings blog for the information that Kent Weeks has added an updated about KV5 to the TMP website, above 31 page document PDF format. I is dated to the end of March but like Kate I missed it.
For many of you, the most interesting activity this season will be the continued clearing of KV 5. After three seasons of difficult work, we have finally exposed the walls and floor of chamber 5, a room that we are now confident was used as a burial chamber for one of the sons of Rameses II. Unfortunately, we don’t know which son was buried there, but we now have a good idea what the scenes and text that once decorated its walls looked like, and we can identify the dramatic change its architecture underwent, perhaps when the son died unexpectedly. The results of our excavations are reviewed in the report that follows.
The first Museum management institute in Egypt
Ahram Online
Luxor Times Magazine
In an attempt to develop the skills of Egyptian curators and restorers to meet the level of their counterparts abroad, the Ministry of State for Antiquities Affairs (MSAA) is to establish the first ever institute for Museology in Egypt.
The Institute will train curators on the recent technology used in museums for better display, restoration and museological education.
Training in the Institute will last for two years, and its curriculum will be created to meet the accreditation requirement set by the Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education two years after the school’s foundation. This will allow the school to offer MA and PhD programs in museum studies and heritage management.
Luxor Times Magazine
This announcement was made after Dr. Zahi Hawass meeting with James Bever (USAID director).
Ministry or Antiquities (MOA) announced the plans to establish an institute specialised in developing the Egyptian museums ‘curators skills and train them on the latest scientific techniques in the museums management. The institute in co-operation with the United States and the duration of the study will be 2 years and accredited by ministry of higher education to offer Master and Phd degress in museum sciences.
Celebrating the site of Madinet Madi
drhawass.com
Press release. Medinet Madi in the Faiyum depression (to the southwest of Cairo) used to be very isolated. The idea of an eco-lodge being built on its doorstep sounds very odd.
The Minister of State for Antiquities, Zahi Hawass, and the Italian Ambassador to Egypt, Claudio Pacifico, will be celebrating the end of the second phase of the Madinet Madi Development Project in the Fayoum governorate and the opening of its visitor center on Sunday, May 8, 2011.
This project is part of a broader development plan called the Institutional Support to Supreme Council of Antiquities for Environmental Monitoring and Management of the Cultural Heritage Sites (ISSEMM), which began in 2005. It was made possible with a generous grant of €3,500,000 from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Italy.
Madinet Madi is one of the most important archaeological sites in the Fayoum region. It was founded during the reigns of Amenemhat III (c. 1859-1813 BC) and Amenemhat IV (c. 1814-1805 BC) of the 12th Dynasty (c. 1981-1802 BC). It contains the ruins of the only Middle Kingdom (c. 2030-1802 BC) temple in Egypt. This temple was dedicated to the cobra-headed goddess, Renenutet, and the crocodile-headed god, Sobek of Scedet, patron god of the region and its capitol, Scedet. During the Ptolemaic period (332-30 BC), the temple was enlarged and the city enhanced.
Since 1978, the University of Pisa has carried out exploration work at Medinet Madi. Ten Coptic churches dating to the 5th-7th centuries AD have been discovered, as have a Ptolemaic temple dedicated to two crocodiles, which incorporated a unique barrel-vaulted structure used for the incubation of crocodile eggs, and a Roman period fortified camp dating to the reign of Diocletian (284-305 AD). In 2004, with support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Italy, the University restored blocks bearing four hymns to the goddess, Isis, written in ancient Greek.
This new development project aims to preserve the monuments of the city of Madi and make it a more tourist-friendly visitor destination. So far, the project has successfully cleared the archaeological site there of intrusive sand and restored its monuments. Comprehensive archaeological survey and mapping of the site have also been undertaken, as has the building of a visitor center and eco-lodge as well.
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