Monument Lifted from Cleopatra's Underwater City

Originally published December 17, 2009 | Yahoo! News and the Associated Press | by Katarina Kratovac

An underwater research team of Greek archaeologists have just lifted from the Mediterranean Sea a huge nine-tonne granite block from a temple of Isis in Alexandria, near a palace supposedly belonging to Cleopatra VII.

News from the Desk of Zahi Hawass

From November 13 - December 13, 2009 | Zahi Hawass' Blog | by Dr. Hawass

Articles:

• December 13: Tourist Regulations
• December 9: The Tomb of Sa-Iset at Dashur
• November 24: Climate Change and Conservation in Egypt
• November 16: Site Management at Giza

Video:

• December 10: Tomb Robbers in the Valley of the Kings
• December 3: King Tut’s Treasure
• November 26: The Curse of Tutankhamun
• November 20: How Did King Tut Die?

Photos:

• December 7: Tomb of Amenemhab
• December 2: The Mummy of Sitre-In
• November 26: Yuya and Thuya Canopic Jars
• November 20: Seti I Tunnel

The Valley of the Kings Since King Tut

Originally published November 8, 2009 | Zahi Haswass' Blog | by Dr. Hawass

Dr. Hawass reminisces on the anniversary of the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb and speaks about the symposium that was held in celebration of this event and the opening of the Carter Museum and the new entrance at Luxor Temple. Check out the pictures that accompany the blog post.

Nefertiti and the Legacy of Artifacts

Originally published November 6, 2009 | Student Life (Washington University) | by Kemi Aladesuyi

An excerpt from this article--click the above link to read it in full:

Artwork and artifacts from all four corners of the earth fill galleries and star in exhibits in museums across the world. In the world’s most prestigious museums and galleries, taking a stroll through the corridors has become synonymous with meandering through the history of cultures and civilizations that represent every continent on this planet. However, as we move forward into a new age of global awareness and understanding—and past the mantra of rampant imperialism that dominated the last five centuries—it is becoming clear that some of the artifacts that millions of global citizens marvel at today were originally taken from their place of origin illegally.

Egyptian and German Officials to Meet About Nefertiti Bust

Originally published November 6, 2009 | The New York Times | by Dave Itzkoff

This article briefly discusses the first steps toward a peaceful negotiation about the fate of the bust of Queen Nefertiti. I hope, whatever the result may be, that there will be hard feelings among parties or ties severed due to hurt feelings or pride. In my humble opinion, her rightful owner is Egypt if Hawass can prove that the Germans took her illegally, as that's were she was interred. It doesn't matter the origins of Nefertiti herself (Nubia, Macedonia, or other places that have been mentioned)--this comes as a response to one of the comments about the article.

National Geographic Article - Animal Mummies

Published in November, 2009 Issue | National Geographic | by A.R. Williams and Richard Barnes

This five paged article chronicles the history of animal mummies in Ancient Egypt and their role in archaeological and Egyptological history, from first discoveries and illegal activities to the science behind them and artifacts in general.

If you're anything like me and have heard the stories about animal mummies before, you'd quickly read through the paragraphs dedicated to their having been used as fertilizer because, upon their first discovery, there was a surplus. It's a shame they weren't discovered recently, as nowadays, modern archaeology is more about science than a trophy hunt, as the article puts it. It's a good read nonetheless and features one of my favorite Egyptologists, Salima Ikram.

Met Buckles to Hawass' Demands to Return Fragment of Granite Shrine

Originally published October 29, 2009 | The Daily Star | by Joseph Freeman

The latest element in the saga that is Hawass' endeavor to regain ancient Egyptian artifacts from "foreign" museums he believes had purchases said pieces illegally. But more important than this is the anticipation I'm sure for which the Egyptology world (both amateurs and professionals) is waiting: will Germany give up Nefertiti's bust and England the Rosetta Stone? If the Great Sphinx is still standing even having been constantly exposed to the elements for ages, then both of these artifacts, having been coddled within the climatically controlled confines of museums, are fit for transport back home, particularly the Rosetta Stone, which is in fact a lump of rock.

Tutankhamun Finder's Home on Show

Originally published November 4, 2009 | BBC News | by Yolande Knell

After many curious inquiries by tourists, Carter's home away from home, the abode where he studied and cataloged everything to do with his recent discovery in the Valley of the Kings 87 years ago to the day (well, yesterday), has been renovated and opened to the public as a museum.

Needless to say, I'd probably be teary-eyed were I to visit the place. I get that way even in ordinary history museums, for goodness sake! I remember standing before a glass case that housed pewter 17th century dinnerware, so enamored by and lost in the grooves ensconced in the plates that pirates had made with their knifes. I thought, "Wow, real pirates had made those marks." Imagine how I'd react to standing over tools Carter used to poke around in Tutankhamun's tomb! I'm looking forward to visiting this in person when I finally get myself to Egypt.

Photos - The Secrets of Tomb 10A at MFA

Originally published October 22, 2009 | The Phoenix | by the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston

The following is a pictographic slideshow of sorts, illustrating different scenes from tomb 10A, a preview of an upcoming exhibit focusing mainly around a noble named Djehutynakht and his wife. Some of the artifacts include wooden model scenes, a coffin, statuettes, the mummy head of Djehutynakht (with one less tooth, I'd imagine), and vintage photographs from the tomb of Djehutynakht from 1915.

Scientists Pull an Ancient Tooth for DNA

Originally published October 19, 2009 | The Boston Globe | by Carolyn Y. Johnson

A tooth was removed from the head of a 4,000-year-old Egyptian mummy, as the first step in an effort to extract DNA from its pulp. I wonder if they got permission from Zahi Hawass to proceed with this procedure. Usually everything has to go through him first. Me, I'm not one for DNA testing...too much..only because there's only so much of a mummy left, particularly this one, having had several other bits of it extracted and scraped off. Is it really necessary for this testing to be done on this mummy? What sort of revolutionary information will they...ahem...extract from the future results? Certainly, the mystery of this mummy won't be nearly as eye-opening as that of Tutankhamun's mummy. Perhaps it will, but that's a big "maybe."

The section of this article describing the loose jaw is most interesting only because the observations are ones I've never heard before: the ancients may have actually performed the Opening of the Mouth Ceremony rather than executed it metaphorically. I highly doubt it, much like the academics (but they are, after all academics like me, possibly having no experience in the field). They have in their favor other instances where loosened jaws on mummies is commonplace, having to do with the mummification process and rigor mortis. Most of these mummies are the "screaming" kind and have neither suffered a violent death nor experienced an actual opening of their mouths during the ceremony dedicated to doing this metaphorically.

No matter which way you slice it, we shall see what we shall see. Hopefully the extraction of the tooth will not have been for naught.

Queen Nefertiti - the Modern Helen of Troy

Originally published October 19, 2009 | Times Online | by Roger Boyes

Well, maybe "modern" is a bit of a stretch--Nef is just as old as Helen.

In any event, much like the Greek Helen of Troy, Egyptian officials have as their claim that Germany, way back in 1913, "abducted" Nefertiti from her native Egypt. If this is the case, Egypt has the right to have her back; however, Zahi Hawass will have her returned even if the contrary. She is, after all, the epitome of significant (and iconic) Egyptian specimens, recognizable to nearly everyone. Times Online chronicles the continuing saga, the battle between Egypt and Germany. Not to be outdone, the New York Times also reports on the same story.

Perhaps a little more lighthearted is a dialogue between the Huffington Post and the Queen herself (one pissed off majesty as it turns out). It's entertaining and a distraction from all the political craziness (you tell 'em Queenie!), further scrutinized in yet another New York Times article.

Valley of The Kings Tombs Endangered By Fracture Zones

Originally published October 19, 2009 | redOrbit

The following is an excerpt from Yahoo! News, another source reporting on the same news story:

A trick used by ancient Egyptians to exploit cracks in Earth to make tomb-digging easier has come back to haunt the Valley of the Kings, new evidence suggests.

While the natural fractures were followed to carve out burial sites, several instances show, rare heavy rainfall events can flood the tombs. Archaeologists are racing to map and photograph the tombs to better preserve their contents and figure out ways to divert the rain.

Another source reporting on the same story can be found at United Press International

Alexander the Great Not the First at Alexandria

Originally published October 24, 2009 | DNA India

Flora and ceramics reveal that Alexander the Great might not have been the first to settle at Alexandria. The margin is by at least several hundred years. However, science isn't the most fascinating thing about this discovery, it's fiction. This is best illustrated in the following excertp:

This idea is also supported in the stories of Homer: In Book 4 of "The Odyssey," there's a mention of a one-day sail from the coast near the Nile to the nearby island of Pharos. This suggests that a port settlement of some sort was already there, according to the researchers. "Fiction is true," in this case, Berhnhardt said.

Publication - The Gazelle in Ancient Egyptian Art: Image and Meaning

Accessed October 23, 2009 | Electronic Tools and Ancient Near Eastern Archives

The following 2009 publication is a doctoral thesis penned by Åsa Strandberg of Uppsala University. Here is an excerpt from the abstract and the permalink to access the thesis:

This thesis establishes the basic images of the gazelle in ancient Egyptian art and their meaning. A chronological overview of the categories of material featuring gazelle images is presented as a background to an interpretation.

EES Lecture - In the Time of the Demigods

Accessed October 21, 2009 | EES

If you are in London, England mid-December, make plans to attend this half-day educational lecture, which has an amazing line-up of speakers, each discussing various topics including paleoanthropology, the emergence of Early Egypt in Oxford, and rubbish heaps (trust me, this last one is far more interesting than you think--at least it would to an archaeologist). Prior to all this excitement, there will be a book sale.

Follow the above link to discover more information about this program, which offers contact and registration information, the prospective agenda, location, and date/time.