Egyptian Bones Could Help Solve Canine Conundrum

Originally published November 29, 2010 | Spiegel Online International | Translated from the German by Christopher Sultan | Perhaps the secret to the mammalian evolution of canis lupus into the 400 breeds of dogs today, from dachshunds to Great Danes, can be found at Hamunaptra (Well, not per se; rather, the Temple of Anubis at Saqqara...but it's a romantic thought, no?). The article also features an array of beautiful art depicting the domesticated dog in ancient Egypt. On a side note, this gives me an idea for another historical fiction novel. I'll save it for the third in the series I'm currently working on, as I'm already working on an outline for the second.

What Plagued the Boy King?

Originally published February 16, 2010 | CNN Health | by Val Willingham | After hundreds (well, dozens is more like it) of years of speculation concerning what plagued the Boy King so greatly that it ended his life so soon. The results are in: the legendary Egyptian "boy king" Tutankhamun, commonly known as King Tut, died of conditions including malaria and complications from a leg fracture, according to a study published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Read this article for the at-long-last information for which we Egyptomaniacs have been pining for quite some time. The following source has a lot a great detail and I'd recommend you reading this one as well: Aol News.

Lecture - Mummies, Science, and Egyptology II

Originally published February 3, 2010 | The University of Manchester | The University of Manchester and presenter Dr. Rosalie David will be hosting a lecture entitled Mummies, Science and Egyptology II on Saturday, February 6 to discuss the scientific study of Ancient Egyptian mummies, which will include the question, "Was the great Pharaoh Ramesses II a true redhead?" The day school will also reveal how modern scientific investigations and archaeological research are helping to reveal more about the lives of other Ancient Egyptians: Horemkenesi, high priest of Amun at Karnak; Meresamun, a temple singer; and Asetirikhetes, the Ptolemaic mummy from 305 B.C.E. Follow the link to book a spot for yourself.

On TV - Riddles of the Sphinx on PBS' NOVA

Accessed January 15, 2010 | Providence Pictures and NOVA/PBS | by Ben Sweeney | A special thanks goes to Ben Sweeney for sending me a direct link to the bonus videos of the upcoming television show entitled Riddles of the Sphinx, which will premier on NOVA/PBS Tuesday, January 19 (check your local listings - Chicagoans can view it at 8pm on WTTW-11). Here is a brief synopsis of the program:

For over 4,000 years, the Sphinx has puzzled all who have laid eyes on it. What is this crouching lion, human-headed creature? Who built it and why? To unlock its secrets, two teams of scientists and sculptors immerse themselves in the world of ancient Egypt — a land of pharaohs and pyramids, animal gods and mummies, sun worship and human sacrifice.

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.

Egyptian Eyeliner May Have Warded Off Disease

Originally published January 8, 2010 | ScienceNOW Daily News | by Katie Cottingham | This article features commentary from various scientists - and one from Chicago - who analyze the possible uses of eye paint in Ancient Egypt. Although, tests prove there are benefits to such a regiment, the risks make this ancient treatment far from perfect. The following is an excerpt:

Clearly, ancient Egyptians didn't get the memo about lead poisoning. Their eye makeup was full of the stuff. Although today we know that lead can cause brain damage and miscarriages, the Egyptians believed that lead-based cosmetics protected against eye diseases. Now, new research suggests that they may have been on to something.

The following is a little more information about the science behind this discovery, from Chemical Online: Ancient Egyptian Cosmetics - Magical Makeup May Have Been Medicine For Eye Disease

Here is another source reporting on the same story on January 18th: Ancient Egypt's Toxic Makeup Fought Infection, by Sindya Bhanoo - NY Times

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.

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.

The Egyptian Pharoah Who Helped Win a Nobel Prize

Originally published October 15, 2009 | Heritage Key | by Owen Jarus

This article is beyond fascinating indeed. Do you think the ancient Egyptians intentionally do such intensely scholastic things or is it just coincidence? Read the article to learn more.

International Colloquium - Science and New Technologies Applied to Archaeology

Originally published October 9, 2009 | Challenging the Past | Marisa Bealby

Submit your papers (in English, German, or French) related to the theme at the 2010 international colloquium entitled The Temples of Millions of Years and Royal Power at Thebes in the New Kingdom: Science and New Technologies applied to Archaeology. Deadline is November 15, 2009.

Forensic Aspects of Ancient Egypt at the University of London

Originally published October 1, 2009 | Challenging the Past Blog | by Marsia Sfakianou Bealby

Follow the link to download the flier for this event at the University of London, which will examine mummies, diseases, and other scientific techniques. Sign up by October 17 for the October 31 program.

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.

Domestic Dog Origins Challenged

Originally published August 3, 2009 | BBC News | by Judith Burns

Contrary to the "premature" belief that the domestication of dogs originated in East Asia, owing to its apparent variety of canines, the thought is now that domesticated dogs originated in Africa, a country with just as many varieties. The article draws evidence from village dogs in Africa (including Egypt).

Although this article isn't strictly about Ancient Egypt, it's still an interesting read in terms of how far back dog domestication goes (as far as 40,000 years ago). In addition, the Ancient Egyptians were no strangers to keeping dogs as pets and hunting companions, as is evident in tomb paintings.

Book Review - Egyptian Mummies and Modern Science

Accessed August 3, 2009 | American Journal of Archaeology | reviewed by Gonzalo M. Sanchez

Click the above link to read Gonzalo Sanchez' two-page review of Rosalie David's book, Egyptian Mummies and Modern Science, which is primarily aimed at Egyptologists in the medical field and anyone interested in Egyptian mummies. So, if you can handle the gory details, you'll find interest in David's book. Includes the publication's publishing, page, and pricing information for those interested in purchasing the book.

Spellbound in Brooklyn

Originally published July 14, 2009 | Archaeology Magazine Online | by Morgan Moroney

Housed in a small gallery off the Brooklyn Museum's Egyptian wing is "Magic in Ancient Egypt: Image, Word, and Reality," an exhibition on view until October 8, 2009. Highlighting 20 objects from the museum's collection, it emphasizes how magic and religion, magic and science, even magic and health care, were inseparable in ancient Egypt. Despite its small stature and lack of videos or interactive computer displays, which sometimes overwhelm artifacts in exhibitions nowadays, "Magic" was an enjoyable presentation of a fascinating subject.

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.

Egypt Opens Second DNA Lab for Mummies

Originally published June 1, 2009 | Xinhua News | by Xiong Tong

The article describes the reason for this second Egyptian lab (to execute comparative studies; with a single lab, that is hard to do) and it's priority (to discover Tutankhamun's parentage). The complete results will be published in August. The process is sponsored and will be documented by the Discovery Channel.

DNA Test to Discover Tutankhamun's Parentage

Originally published June 1, 2009 | Google/Agence France Presse

After having objected to previous inquiries to learn Tutankhamun's parentage, Dr. Zahi Hawass gives permission to Egyptian researchers to conduct DNA tests, the results of which will be published in February.

COSI Exhibit Helps Visitors Solve Mysteries of Past

Originally published May 28, 2009 | The Columbus Dispatch | by Michele Lemmon

This article gives more information on the COSI Columbus exhibit called Lost Egypt: Ancient Secrets, Modern Science and follows up with featured programs at the museum that focus on Ancient Egypt, which is for people of all ages. The exhibit will travel to other member museums in the Science Museum Exhibit Collaborative.

The Evolution of House Cats

Originally published May 18, 2009 for June 2009 issue of Scientific American Magazine | Scientific American Magazine | by Carlos A. Driscoll, Juliet Clutton-Brock, Andrew C. Kitchener and Stephen J. O'Brien

Evidence has shown that Egyptians had fully domesticated the cat 3,600 years ago, but recent findings have lead to a much earlier date of 10,000 years in Fertile Crescent, with the advancement of agriculture.

The following page examines cats in Egyptian history.