Hieroglyphs Study Day in Oxford

Published June 23, 2010 | Challenging the Past Blog | by Marsia Sfakianou Bealby | Takes place on June 26 from 10:30 to 3:30, Oxford time. Egyptologist-led study day at the Griffith Institute Archive and the Ashmolean Museum, limited to 10 people. Marsia's post also includes an itinerary, which includes taking a look at archival records at the Griffith and examining artifacts at the Ashmolean. Don't forget about the coffee!

Classics and Egyptology Summer Classes at the University of Liverpool

Accessed June 1, 2010 | Egypt at the Manchester Museum | by Karen Exell | The School of Archaeology at the University of Liverpool is offering a summer school program that runs from July 26 through August 6 for those interested in the Classics or Egyptology. More information, including booking details and programme guides are available at the above link.

The Edwin Smith Surgical Papyrus Online

Accessed March 23, 2010 | US National Library of Medicine | For those passionate about papyrology and the ancient Egyptian writing system, here's an amazing find on the web: the Edwin Smith Papyrus, a digitized image and interactive experience that lets you unroll this medical papyrus and read it (if you are so inclined). There is also additional information about this historic document. Talk about preserving the past. Now we can enjoy this artifact repeatedly without having to worry about contributing to its deterioration.

Lectures - The Rosetta Stone

Accessed February 25, 2010

Thanks goes to Marina Poveda, one of the presenters of these lectures, for passing along this information on to me.

The following are some talks happening at the Assembly Hall of the Casa de Cultura, C/ Jaume II, 3. Novelda (Alicante):

1. Friday 5th of March at 20:00: La Piedra de Rosetta: Llave maestra de la egiptología, by Santiago Mallebrera, teacher of Egyptian language. Member of ITERU.
2. Friday 12th of March at 19:30: Más Allá de la Piedra de Rosetta: El papel fundamental de la lengua copta en el desciframiento de la escritura jeroglífica, by Marina Escolano, deputy director of the joint EES/Durham University archaeological expedition to Saïs (Sa el-Hagar, Egypt).

A poster for these lectures is available.

Upcoming Lectures and Events in Egyptology

If you have any free time, you may wish to attend any or all of the following upcoming lectures and events around the world (to attend them all, you would need to spend some money on plane tickets, so perhaps it is silly to encourage visiting them all):

When: January 27
Where: Our Lady of Lourdes High School Auditorium in Poughkeepsie, NY
Lecture: Dr. Bob Brier's The Secret of the Great Pyramid
Price: Free admission

When: January 16
Where: press room of the Palma-Arena, C/ de l'Uruguai s/n, Palma de Mallorca, Spain
Lecture: Marina Escolano Poveda's Beyond the Rosetta Stone. The Fundamental Role of the Coptic Language in the Decipherment of the Hieroglyphic Script

When: Through May 2010
Where: Greece (contact info is provided at Challenging the Past)
Seminars: Hellenic Society for the Study of Ancient Egypt

When: February 20
Where: University of London, Garden Halls - London, England
Workshop: Forensic Aspects of Ancient Egypt

Book - The Hittites' Thousand Gods

Originally published September 23, 2009 | Haaretz - Israel News | by Irit Ziffer

International Conference - Achievements and Problems of Modern Egyptology

Accessed September 15, 2009 | CESRAS (Centre for Egyptological Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences)

Coming to Moscow September 29 - October 4, 2009, the CESRAS will host an international conference to share experience between scholars of different countries and to discuss the latest achievements in the field of Egyptology and Egyptian archaeology, study of history, culture, religion and languages of Ancient, Graeco-Roman and Coptic Egypt. In addition, there is an exhibit associated with the conference called The Royal Cache. Secrets of Pharaohs, which features objects from the Egyptian Museum, Cairo.

Follow the above link to information about the committee, the themes, location, and fees of the conference, and contacts.

New Discovery Links Ancient Egypt and Jordan Valley Site

Originally published September 2, 2009 | The Jerusalem Post | by Judy Siegel-Itzkovich

Excavations at Tel Bet Yerahcarved (a settlement along the ancient highway that connected Egypt to the rest of the Near East) yield a most unusual find: a stone plaque bearing archaic Egyptian signs, which are rare in Egypt (let alone anywhere else!). The find suggests the people of the Jordan Valley and Egypt (circa Dynasty I) had stronger ties than previously believed. Alas, a shining example of the reason for archaeology: not only to learn more about certain peoples (their habits, worldviews, lifestyles, technology, etc), but also to learn more about the connectivity they had with each other. I'd like to give lip service to Kara Cooney's series on the Discovery Channel, Out of Egypt; through the ancient Egyptian culture(s) she examines others around the world and throughout the ages.

A New Letter (W) Has Been Added to the Chicago Demotic Dictionary

Originally published August 10, 2009 | Oriental Institute

A new letter has been added to the Chicago Demotic Dictionary (W). I have provided the direct link to that particular page in the CDD (the above link will send you to the home page of the CDD's table of contents, where you can download all letters of the dictionary).

April-June Issue of Boletín Informativo de Amigos de la Egiptología

Accessed August 1, 2009 | Amigos de la Egiptología | by various authors

The following volume is a compilation of many topics regarding Egypt, penned by various authors. I'd like to plug one of the articles in particular because one of my friends and another scholar wrote it: Egipto y la Biblia - El evangelio de Judas: Textos coptos del cristianismo by Marina Escolano Poveda and Gerardo Jofre González-Granda, which begins on page 47. It is about the Gospel of Judas; Marina writes about the characteristics of the Coptic language (she represents only a few people who in Spain who know how to read this language!)

Other articles chronicle the treasures of Tutankhamun in Barcelona, the Giza Pyramids, and the hieroglyphic writing system. It is complete with pictures, cited notes, and a recommended reading list.

The Rosetta Stone: History and Modern Controversy

Originally published August 5, 2009 | The Indianapolis Examiner | by Gwynneth Anderson

The following is an excerpt from the Indianapolis Examiner (I can't believe I missed this one!); click the above link to read the full article:

Listen carefully for ghostly chuckles during your next visit to Les Invalides. If you hear them, don’t worry - it’s merely Napoleon smirking at the continuing fallout from his 1798 Egyptian Campaign.

In 1799, soldiers constructing Fort Julian at a port city called Rosetta (now called Rashid) pulled a large black stone, almost 4 feet tall, 28 inches wide, 11 inches thick and weighing approximately 1,700 pounds, out of the Nile delta muck. Imagine their shock at seeing the inscriptions after it was cleaned off.

The article includes pictures and many links to other resources on the topic.

High-Tech Imaging of Ancient Papyrus May Shed Light Into Writing of Early Societies

Originally published July 13, 2009 | Taragana

A team of researchers and scholars are using high-tech imaging to clear the layers of text hidden beneath words and letters written on levels of ancient papyrus, which may reveal fascinating insights into the writing and everyday life of early Egyptian, Greek and Roman societies.

New Books - The Oxford Handbook of Papyrology

Originally published June 30, 2009 | What's New In Papyrology | by G.W. Schwendner

This blog post features a new publication that is a comprehensive handbook of papyrology, complete with author and product information and a brief description. The work features twenty-seven international experts and more than one hundred illustrations.

Bloomsbury Summer School 2009 - Upcoming Egyptology Programs

Accessed June 22, 2009 | Sussex Egyptology Society

The SES is offering many-a program for Egyptological matters including but not limited to ancient technology, hieroglyphs, pharaonic history, Nubia, and the Amarna Period.

Click on any one that interests you and you will be directed to a more detailed description, followed by who is presenting the course, and enrollment information.

Egyptian Sands and Columbus Waves

Originally published May 27, 2009 | UWeekly - University Media Group | by Bram Fulk

Columbus' Center for Science and Industry (COSI) kicks off the season with an exploration of the wonders of Ancient Egypt through science and technology with its traveling and interactive exhibit "Lost Egypt: Ancient Secret, Modern Science," which looks at the process of archaeology in modern Egypt and Egypt's ancient culture and focuses less on the nobleman and more on the common Egyptian.