To Bury a Pharaoh - an Interview with Met Curator Dorothea Arnold

Published May 8, 2010 | Archaeology Magazine Online | by Eti Bonn-Muller | An interview with Met curator Dorothea Arnold who takes a fresh look at the leftover materials from Tutankhamun's mummification, which are the subject of an exhibit entitled Tutankhamun's Funeral at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. Features photos and a very detailed conversation.

Tutankhamun's Funeral Exhibition at the Met will Explore Materials and Rituals

Originally published February 24, 2010 | Art Daily | An excerpt - click on the above link to read more:

In 1908, while excavating in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt, American archaeologist Theodore Davis discovered about a dozen large storage jars. Their contents included broken pottery, bags of natron (a mixture of sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, sodium sulphate, and sodium chloride that occurs naturally in Egypt), bags of sawdust, floral collars, and pieces of linen with markings from years 6 and 8 during the reign of a then little-known pharaoh named Tutankhamun. The Metropolitan Museum of Art was given six of the vessels and a good part of their contents in 1909.

In time, Herbert Winlock, curator and field director of the Metropolitan's Egyptian excavations and in the 1930s Director of the Museum, came to realize that the natron and linen were the embalming refuse from the mummification of Tutankhamun. He also suggested that the animal bones, pottery, and collars might have come from a funeral meal. Winlock's analysis was an important clue that led to Howard Carter's 1922 discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb some 110 meters away.

Opening March 16 at the Metropolitan Museum, the exhibition Tutankhamun's Funeral will explore the materials and rituals associated with the burial of the pharaoh. The presentation will include some 60 objects, primarily from the Metropolitan's own collection.

Upcoming Workshops at the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum

Accessed February 4, 2010 | Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum | The following are a few upcoming and recurring workshops at the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum about mummification, jewelry, and hieroglyphs - each are linked to the events page on the Rosicrucion Facebook Page (click the above link to visit the museum's web site):

• Date: February 6, 2010
  Lecture: Ancient Egyptian Mummies (1st Saturday of the Month)
  Time: 12:30pm - 1:00pm
  


• Date: February 7, 2010
  Workshop: Hieroglyph Workshop (every Sunday at 11:30am and every Thursday at 4:00pm)
  Time: 11:30am - 12:00pm
  


• Date: February 7, 2010
  Lecture: Ancient Egyptian Jewelry (1st Sunday of the Month)
  Time: 12:30pm - 1:00pm
  

New February/March 2010 Issue of Ancient Egypt Magazine

Accessed January 31, 2010 | Ancient Egypt Magazine | Features include the following: The Rosetta Stone, News from Egypt, The Missing Link, Into Egypt's Eastern Desert, Investigating Early Mummification, The Cult of the Apis Bull, The Belly of Stones, Featured Pharaoh: Senusret III, Per Mesut: for young readers, and Architectural Gems. From this site you can purchase a copy of the magazine or read reviews of recent books and publications.

TV Channel Seeks Terminally-Ill Person to be Mummified for Documentary

January 11, 2010 | Mail Online | On a few occasions, I've been asked, when I die, am I going to be mummified. The answer is "no." It appears, however, that someone may just chose to be. Someone with the intent of filming a documentary about Egyptian mummification, claiming to have unlocked the secrets of this ancient process, has published an advert in a magazine, asking for a terminally-ill person to volunteer who can also chose to be put on display in a museum. If it's all in the name of science and understanding and not just to drop jaws and empty stomachs of their contents, I'm all for the project, just as long as it isn't made into some sort of silly spectacle similar to mummy unwrapping parties of the early days of Egyptology. Hey, if Leo DaVinci played with cadavers to draw the human body better, then I suppose it's all right if a scientist mummifies a person who has given consent to better understand the Egyptians' method to embalming their dead.

On TV - Discover Channel Unlocks Egypt's Mystery Chamber

Originally published January 15, 2010 | Bangkok Post | Voilà un extrait:

Though the tomb KV63 in Egypt's Valley of the Kings was discovered in 2006, it has remained shut to the outside world. The meaning and significance of the tomb's contents - which include unopened relics, blemished inscriptions and delicate artefacts [sic] - were left shrouded in mystery.

The one-hour special, Egypt's Mystery Chamber premieres Sun, Jan 17 at 8pm and repeats the same night at 11pm, Jan 18 at 7am and 1pm, Jan 21 at 6pm, and Jan 24 at 3am and 7am on Discovery['s Science] Channel.

I'll be watching this...will you?

Great Egyptological Articles and Musings at Heritage Key

Originally published January 4 and 5, 2010 | Heritage Key |

The following are very interesting articles and musings published within the last 24 hours by some very fantastic writers and scholars at Heritage Key:

• January 5, 2010: Looking Forward to Speaking (and Listening) at 'Current Research in Egyptology' in Leiden by Paula Veiga
• January 5, 2010: Did Unemployed Minoan Artists Land Jobs in Ancient Egypt? by Owen Jarus
• January 5, 2010: What Value Do Replicas Hold? The Many Answers. by Ann Wuyts
• January 4, 2010: Current Research in Egyptology XI Conference at Leiden University by Ann Wuyts
• January 4, 2010: Mummy Recycling: From Ancient Rags to Paper by Ann Wuyts
• Tutankhamun - His Tombs and his Treasures (Hamburg)

Video - Beautiful Mummy Found at Saqqara

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

Swiss Anatomy Experts Mummify Human Leg

Originally published September 2, 2009 | Heritage Key | by Keith Payne

The following is an excerpt from Heritage Key, which chronicles a Swiss team's efforts to perfect the exact same mummification process the Egyptian's used thousands of years ago, to examine how much the mummification process degrades DNA, how tissue reacts during the process, and how ancient cultures tried to preserve their loved ones after death:

So far the Swiss team has met with mixed results. After 440lbs (60kg) of salt mixture and 80 days, magnetic resonance still shows signs of moisture within the tissue. Dr. Rühli had expected the process to take around 70 days, and plans to continue for another month. Sometime this winter the team will attempt to mummify another body part, this time accounting for the role heat plays in mummification.

The article states that the Swiss team is basing their salt mixture on "a mid-1990s United States study, which tried to determine the 'magic formula' used by ancient Egyptians to dry out bodies before burial," but the details of the U.S. study are not given.

If Emily Teeter were in charge of that U.S. team back in the 90s, there would have been detailed notes and documents of how they went about mummifying an entire body using ancient methods (no offense to that team, of course). What is the purpose of keeping information to yourself? There's no progress in that. And how do you know you're progressing or just repeating experiments needlessly without such references?

The following is a direct link to an article at the Journal of Turkish Weekly, which gives more details of the Swiss Mummy Project.

Patient Aged 2,500 in for Tests

Originally published July 30, 2009 | BBC News

A team of radiographers at a London university have been preoccupied with a patient somewhat older than most - 2,500-year old Egyptian mummy Tahemaa.

Features a few pictures and a video. Follow the above link to read the entire article at BBC News.

Screaming Mummies!

Originally published July 31, 2009 | Archaeology Magazine | by Mark Rose

Mark Rose demystifies the screaming mummy (which includes mummies from both Egyptian, Chinese, and Peruvian cultures) in his article at Archaeology Magazine Online, which highlights mummies examined in the recent 2007 documentary called Secrets of Egypt's Lost Queen; the dead and their loosened jaws as they appear in movies and plays such as The Mummy and A Christmas Carol, respectively; and gives a description of why this anatomical curiosity occurs. Accompanying the script are pictures.

Tom Kuntz blogs about this in a post at the New York Times.

Self-Preservation

Originally published July 12, 2009 | Inquirer | by John C. Maxwell

John Maxwell gives a run-down of the purpose of building pyramids and how abouts they executed the feat. He then continues with the irony of the self-preserving leader, how the "me-first" mentality may just have weakened their authoritative role in society, thereby deteriorating their mighty dynasties. He concludes with the root causes of the self-preserving leader.

Be Inspired by King Tut Exhibit in San Francisco

Originally published July 4, 2009 | Santa Cruz Sentinel

Steven Martin, Michael Smith, and the Bangles are shining examples of the steadfast interest in ancient Egypt. The author of this article explores various areas that captivate us: Tutankhamun, unsolved mysteries, mummies and the Afterlife, and pyramids and papyri.

The Mummy Returns - More on the Ulster Museum Mummy

Originally published June 30, 2009 | Belfast Today

After three years of renovations at the Ulster Museum, many pieces, including the most popular resident (a mummy named Takabuti), are slowly making their way back. There isn't a set date for the re-opening of the museum, but they expect a throng when it does. A little background on Takabuti is chronicled in this article, among other things.

LI Hospital CT Scan May Shed New Light on Mummies

Originally published June 21, 2009 | News Day | by Najib Aminy

The Brooklyn Museum's Egyptian Art Department and North Shore University Hospital in Manhasett form a collaboration to perform CT scanning on four Egyptian mummies. They hope to clear some of the mystery among them in discovering their causes of death and the mummification methods they underwent thousands of years ago.

Check back for future updates or follow the story on News Day's Twitter page

Video - A Rich Exhibit: the Tomb of Tutankhamun

Originally published June 19, 2009 | San Francisco News | by Spencer Christian

Follow this link to watch a video where Dr. Hawass gives Spencer Christian a tour of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, speaking about the importance of the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb. This article ends with links to various resources.

Workshop Highlight: Ancient Egyptian Mummies

Originally published June 6, 2009 | The Scribe Blog | by the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum

The Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum launches a new workshop entitled The Ancient Egyptian Mummies Workshop that follows the science behind four Egyptian mummies. More information on this workshop is provided.

Helping the Ancient Ones Live Forever

Originally published June 5, 2009 | This Week Community Newspapers | by Cathy Wogan