Egypt Relics Chief Pulls in Revenue as He Fights for Nefertiti

Originally published January 26, 2010 | Bloomberg | by Daniel Williams | This article highlights the past and future endeavors of one Dr. Zahi Hawass, none of which have come without controversy. Such endeavors have been the following: the request to return fragments from the Louvre, numerous attempts to regain the Nefertiti bust in the Neues Museum, the discovery that Egyptian workers had built the pyramids and not Hebrew slaves, the collection of billions in revenue from the Tutankhamun traveling exhibit to fund Egyptological projects, and the like.

Upcoming Lectures - London Examines Nefertiti and Chicago, Ancient Egyptian Women in Society

Accessed January 18, 2010 | Egypt at the Manchester Blog and Neighborhood Star | The following are the dates, times, location, topics, and a tiny excerpt of each upcoming lecture:

• Date: March 8, 2010
  Time:6:00pm
  Location: Millennium Park Room at the Chicago Cultural Center - Chicago, IL
  Lecture: The Role of Women in Egypt's History, by Ambassador Nihad Zikry, Assistant Egyptian Minister for Foreign Affairs
  Excerpt:

  At the invitation of the Consulate General of the Arab Republic of Egypt in Chicago, H.E. Ambassador Nihad Zikry, Assistant Egyptian Minister for Foreign Affairs, will speak about the role of women throughout Egypt's history in celebration of Women's History Month.

• Date: February 10, 2010
  Time:3:00pm
  Location: Kanaris Lecture Theatre, The Manchester Museum - Manchester, UK
  Lecture: Re-Writing Nefertiti, by Dr. Joyce Tyldesley
  Excerpt:

  This Showcase Seminar will consider the distorting effect that the Berlin head has had on the public perception of Nefertiti, before reviewing the archaeological evidence for her life and death.

• Date: January 21, 2010
  Time: 7:30pm
  Location: Marie Irwin Community Center - Homewood, IL
  Lecture: Beyond Harpists and Housewives: Women and Their Employment in Ancient Egypt, by Megaera Lorenz, University of Chicago graduate student
  Excerpt:

  "Despite their misleadingly low profile in the historical record, women were active participants in ancient Egypt's economy," said Lorenz. "This talk examines a few of the varied and often surprising ways that ancient Egyptian women found employment"

I believe all of these lectures and workshops are free admission, especially the one at the Cultural Center.

Plans to Make a Formal Request for Nefertiti's Bust are Underway

Originally published December 30, 2009 | Zahi Hawass' Blog | by Dr. Hawass | Recent documentation from January 1913 illustrating deception in the acquisition of the bust of Nefertiti gives Dr. Hawass all the ammunition he needs to make a formal request to the Berlin Museum for the return of this artifact. More news is to come concerning this topic.

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.

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.

Berlin's Neues Museum Finally Reopening to Public

Originally published October 15, 2009 | The Seattle Times | by Geir Moulson

Visit the Berlin Museum's official web site for more information. Es ist ins Deutsch.

Other places reporting the same story, more or less: Times Online and Earth Times

Nefertiti Moved With Care

Originally published October 5, 2009 | The Straits Times

This author uses quotes around "with extreme care." Apparently s/he isn't buying either the museum's excuse that Nefertiti is too fragile to transport her back home to Egypt. She seemed to travel well, being placed on display in her new home at the Neues. Perhaps the German scholars should have used this excuse: they feared her sinking to the bottom of the Atlantic à la (the) secret mummy aboard the Titanic.

Queen of Egypt's Heart

Originally published August 20 - 26, 2009 | Al-Ahram Weekly Online | by Jill Kamil

The following is an excerpt from an article at Al-Ahram Weekly Online, which describes the famous bust of Nefertiti' long history, both ancient and modern:

Nefertiti's bust has recently made headlines, in newspapers, magazines, and by bloggers on the Internet. BBC News, under the title "German guile won Queen Nefertiti..." described how "newly- published documents show how a German archaeologist used trickery to smuggle home a fabulous sculpture of the Egyptian Queen, Nefertiti." Agence France-Press confidently reported that the famed bust was a 20th-century copy. And Dawn Martinez-Byrne, in a blog, posed several questions that caught my attention because I had heard many of them before -- voiced by Egyptian post- revolutionary intellectuals.

It looks like the Germans are giving Zahi Hawass a dose of his own medicine, claiming that the "Berlin Bust" is far too delicate to travel back to her homeland. I say, those wooden coffers in the traveling Tutankhamun exhibit are far more delicate than Nefertit's bust, being made of far more delicate material.

University Denies Test on Egyptian Bust in Berlin

Originally published July 20, 2009 | Earth Times

A German university denied Monday that it had analysed the bust of Pharaoh Hatshepsut, an Egyptian sculpture at a Berlin museum, or suggested the statue was a forgery. The bust of the female ruler is one of the icons of the Egyptian Museum in the city. It was acquired for 1 million marks (510,000 euros or about 715,000 dollars) two decades ago.

Berlin's Neues Museum Announces Grand Re-Opening

Originally published July 7, 2009 | Travel Video News

This article announces the re-opening of the Neues Museum in Berlin and chronicles what the museum will house in terms of collections and exhibits (particularly its most popular item: the bust of Nefertiti) and background information on the museum and the development project.

New Chief for Egyptology Museum in Berlin

Originally published June 26, 2009 | Earth Times

Earth Times announces in this short article that Friederike Seyfried will replace Dietrich Wildung at the end of this month as the new chief of the Berlin Museum. Click the above link for more information.

Exhibit - The Beautiful has Come

Accessed June 25, 2009 | State Hermitage Museum

From June 23, 2009 through September 20, 2009, the State Heritage Museum will showcase an exhibit dedicated to portrait masterpieces from the Egyptian Museum of Berlin. The web page features pictures of some of the artifacts from the exhibit, the artifacts' place in Egyptian history, and exhibit information.

Egyptian Tells Berlin Paper He'll Prove Nefertiti Was Stolen

Originally published June 13, 2009 | Earth Times

Zahi Hawass plans to produce documentary proof showing the illegal export of Nefertiti's bust out of Egypt.

More on this is chronicled at Yahoo! News (published June 14, 2009), which also provides a brief history of Nefertiti's plight.