Video - Beautiful Mummy Found at Saqqara

Originally published September 2009 | Zahi Hawass' Blog | by Dr. Hawass

Video: New Tombs Discovered at Dra Abu el Naga

Originally published September 23, 2009 | Zahi Hawass' Blog | by Zahi Hawass

High-Tech Scanner Reveals Mummy's 2,500-Year-Old Past

Originally published August 21, 2009 | San Francisco Chronicle | by David Perlman

Tutankhamun and Meresamun were a few of the first mummies to be CT scanned. Add to the list a Late Period priest named Iret-net Hor-irw. His technological undergoing is a direct result of a new exhibit that will be opening in October at the Palace of the Legion of Honor in San Francisco called Very Postmortem: Mummies and Medicine, which will examine ancient medical care and death in Egypt.

The next few paragraphs of this article discuss the CT scanning process, reactions of those involved, and the results.

The following are links chronicling the same story, each a different rendering, but revealing the same facts:

• Newsday.com - Stanford Scientists Scan 2,500-Year-Old Mummy, by Brooke Donald (Associated Press)
• Fox News - High-Tech Scanner Could Reveal Mummy's 2,500-Year-Old Past
• The Associated Press/Google - Stanford Scientists Scan 2,500-Year-Old Mummy

International Colloquium: Pharaonic Renaissance

Accessed August 20, 2009 | The American Research Center in Egypt

The following is an excerpt from the American Research Center in Egypt:

This international colloquium at Montepulciano, Italy, focuses on the period of the 25th and 26th Dynasty and tries to shed light on the phenomenon of archaism that characterized the cultural life of Egypt in those centuries.

Either follow the above link to read more about this international colloquium or read the Montepulciano Colloquium Program. The program starts tomorrow (Friday, August 21) and ends Sunday (August 23), so if you're in Italy near Firenze and Montepulciano, check it out.

Saving the Serapeum

Originally published June 25, 2009 | Zahi Hawass' Blog | Dr. Hawass

Zahi Hawass writes about the Serapeum, about the importance of the Saqqara plateau and the key figures who had a hand in its development; it's role in past and recent-present history, spanning from Strabo to Auguste Mariette; and his attempts to find a solution to preserving and protecting this unique monument, which has been closed to visitors for safety reasons, asking for every authoritative person's advice. He describes the Serapeum's current state and how he's keeping a loving and watchful eye on this mysterious place.

Featured in the post are beautiful pictures showcasing the support and ventilation systems that are meant to help preserve and stabilize the Serapeum.

The Mysterious Osiris Shaft of Giza

Originally published June 15, 2009 | Zahi Hawass' Blog | by Dr. Hawass

Thought to hid secret paths to the Great Pyramid and the Sphinx, Hawass excavates a water-filled shaft that served as a swimming hole and source of drinking water to find its true function. The process is not without difficulty, but the finds are worth the hazards. Further excavation is in the works.