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.

Exile Over - the Little Ushabti that Could

Originally published October 15 - 21, 2009 | Al-Ahram Weekly Online | by Nevine El-Aref

This is a brief story about an adorable 26th Dynasty ushabtis, which is now on its way back to Egypt, after having spent some time in the US for a mere 14 years. This is another page in the saga that is Zahi Hawass' efforts to regain all significant Egyptian artifacts. Although I wouldn't consider this artifact as being very contributory in extending what we already know about the Afterlife and the role ushabtis play in the process of getting there, it will make a nice little addition to the Egyptian Museum's collection.

Dig Days: Indianapolis and the Golden Boy

Originally published October 15 - 21, 2009 | Al-Ahram Weekly Online | by Dr. Hawass

Dr. Hawass details the process the traveling Tutankhamun exhibit took across the globe and through the States and describes one hosting city in particular: Indianapolis.

If you haven't experienced this fantastic exhibit, I implore that you visit it at least once. Even though neither his mummy nor his infamous funeral mask are not part of the roaming collection, it is a sight to see. For the utterly Egyptological, you may find yourself gazing for hours at all the featured wonders. It took me a good four hours to get through the entire display of artifacts--and that still wasn't enough for me (my humanness got in the way of exploring more, with ravenous hunger being the thing that tore me away).

Video - The Unfinished Pyramid at Saqqara

Originally published October 22, 2009 | Zahi Hawass' Blog | by Dr. Hawass

Dr. Hawass tells the story of the Unfinished Pyramid and its discoverer, Zakaria Goneim, sharing this story so that everyone will understand that fame can be a burden and making discoveries is not an easy thing. It's a sad story and only goes to show that the scholastic world is not as romantic as it appears in books and movies. Poor man.

The original video is at Heritage Key, paired with a transcript.

Tomb Fragments Come Back Home

Published week of 15 - 21 October 2009 | Al-Ahram Weekly Online | by Nevine El-Aref

The controversy over five 3,200-year-old ancient Egyptian tomb fragments removed from Egypt and put on display in the Louvre in Paris has finally come to a close, reports Nevine El-Aref.

Book - The Lost Tombs of Thebes: Life in Paradise

Originally published October 20, 2009 | Zahi Hawass' Blog | by Dr. Hawass

Dr. Hawass announces a new publication of his, which tells the story of the private Theban tombs along with many others. There is also a German version: Die verbotenen Gräber in Theben. It's an expensive book, but if you wish to splurge a little, visit Amazon to buy a copy for your own collection.

Herbert Winlock, Hatshepsut Thanks You

Originally published October 20, 2009 | Zahi Hawass' Blog | by Dr. Hawass

Hawass describes the prologue to his lecture at the Sofitel Hotel in Cairo, where he is inspired to give praise to Herbert Winlock after his grand-niece gives him a first edition and signed copy of Winlock's publication Excavations at Deir el-Bahri 1911-1931, which introduced the world to Hatshepsut. You know me: I'm set on finding this book and buying a copy for myself *wink*

Bahariya Oasis Discoveries

Originally published October 21, 2009 | Zahi Hawass' Blog | by Dr. Hawass

Hawass recounts the process he pursued that led him to discovering great things in the Bahariyan Oasis, namely the tomb of a governor called Djedkhonsu and his relatives, mummies from Dynasty 26, and a chapel built for the god Amun-Re. These discoveries however did not come without a little "help" from the locals whose houses were built atop these areas of special interest. Hawass reassures his readers by mentioning the care he and his team took to maintain the well-being and relocation of the people after having demolished their homes.

Photo - Philae Temple

Originally published October 16, 2009 | Zahi Hawass' Photo Blog | photo credited to the SCA

The temple of Isis at Philae is one of the most beautiful and best preserved Greco-Roman temples in Egypt. Most of the temple was built by the Ptolemaic rulers as part of their promotion of the cult of Isis, which lasted well into the Roman Period. In the 1970’s the temple was relocated to preserve it from the rising waters resulting from the construction of the Aswan High Dam.