More re recent Faiyum discoveries

The Spanish media have been far more interested in the discovery of a stone tablet with the name of the early king Scorpion. Most of the news accounts refer to the king as "mythological" but there is evidence for his existence in the form of the Scorpion macehead found at Hierakonpolis and serekhs inscribed on vessels found elsewhere in Egypt. No tomb for this king has been found at Abydos, where the other early Thinite rulers were buried, so it has been speculated that if he was indeed a ruler he may have been associated exclusively, in this role, with Hierakonpolis in the south. One would need to see exactly what this new plaque or palette involves, but it could be a very siginficant find.

Here's a round up of the main news summaries on the subject of the other discoveries made in the Faiyum.

Egypt State Information Service

The Egyptian archeological mission of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) unearthed a huge group of fishing and sewing tools and jewelry made of animal bones north of Lake Qaroun in Fayyoum governorate.

In statements on Tuesday 12/5/2009, Culture Minister Farouq Hosni said that the mission also discovered a number of caves and shelters used by Prehistoric man.

SCA Secretary General Zahi Hawwas said that the preliminary studies conducted by the mission showed that this archaeological site was not used only by Prehistoric man but it was used throughout the various historical eras till the Islamic era.

iol.co.za

An Egyptian archaeological team has found prehistoric fishing gear, sewing equipment and jewellery all made from animal bones, as well as pottery and coins, near an oasis south of Cairo, officials said on Tuesday.

Culture Minister Faruk Hosni said in a statement: "An Egyptian archaeological mission working near El-Karn island on Lake Qarun in Fayoum has found a large amount of fishing tackle, sewing equipment and jewellery made from animal bone dating back to prehistoric time."

"The mission also found caves used by prehistoric man," he said.

"The most important item is an awl made of animal bone and granite, which shows that prehistoric man devised many ways to sew leather," Khaled Saad, who headed the mission, was quoted as saying.

La Nacion

Entre los descubrimientos más espectaculares de los científicos egipcios se cuenta una placa con el nombre del misterioso rey Escorpión, sobre cuya identidad no se ponen de acuerdo hasta el día de hoy los egiptólogos.

Se cree que gobernó en la época anterior a las dinastías, hace unos 5.100 años, sobre un territorio que cubre gran parte del Egipto actual. En el sitio arqueológico al norte del lago Qarun se hallaron asimismo coloridos brazaletes de vidrio que se estima proceden de la misma época.

Entre los objetos más antiguos hay puntas de flecha, así como adornos y agujas hechos con huesos de animales. También se descubrieron cuevas y viviendas sencillas en las que se cree habitaban los humanos prehistóricos. El jefe del Consejo, Zahi Hawass, dijo que las cuevas fueron reutilizadas también más tarde.

Además se encontraron monedas y pesas de la época greco-romana, así como restos de telas bordadas y platos de la época del califa Al Zhafer (1149-1154).

Afrique en ligne

The Egyptian team also discovered whale vertebrae and fossils of seals, sawfish as well as crocodile and turtle parts.

Medical equipment and weapons made of animal bone were also unearthed, he said.

"During excavation, the mission found antiquities from the Pharaonic, Greek, Roman and Islamic periods," the country’s top archaeologist Zahi Hawass said.

The team also found a rare block which dates back to 3150 BC, depicting the mythical leader known as the Scorpion King, as well as colourful mosaic plates with engravings of the Fatimid caliph Al-Zafir.

See the above websites for more.