Rare Find by Polish Archaeologists in Egypt

Originally published December 9, 2010 | New from Poland | Congratulations to the Polish team! "Polish archaeologists working in Egypt have discovered the burial places of some 400 people dating back to1 BC or even earlier."

Upcoming Ancient Egypt Programs on the Discovery Channel

Accessed February 18, 2010 | Discovery Channel | Here is a list of upcoming programs on the Discovery Channel about Ancient Egypt, from the Great Sphinx to Cleopatra, Hatshepsut, and Tutankhamun. It's going to be an awesome weekend!

• Date: February 21, 2010
  Program Name: The Sphinx Unmasked
  Time: 1pm ET
  
  
• Date: February 21
  Program Name: When Ancient Egypt Fell
  
  Time: 2pm ET
  
• Date: February 21, 2010
  Program Name: Egypt's Ten Greatest Discoveries
  Time: 3 and 4pm ET
  
  
• Date: February 21, 2010
  Program Name: Secrets of Egypt's Lost Queen
  Time: 5 and 6pm ET
  
  
• Date: February 21 and 22, 2010
  Program Name: Cleopatra - Portrait of a Killer
  Time: 7pm (2/21) and 2am (2/22) ET
  
  
• Date: February 21 - 23
  Program Name: King Tut Unwrapped
  Time: 8 and 10pm ET (2/21); 12am, 6pm, 8pm, 10pm ET (2/22); and 12am ET (2/23)

CSI Cairo: How Science Will Solve the Mystery of Tutankhamun

Originally published February 14, 2010 | The Independent | by Andrew Johnson | New technology is helping answer the riddles in the life and death of the boy king; it has cracked other historical cases too including laser scans on the Great Sphinx and other technological efforts put on non-Egyptian, yet ancient things. This article isn't divulging Tutankhamun's test results; it's just a teaser announcing that the results will be revealed this coming Wednesday. The anticipation is killing me! Here's another article reporting on the same news from Monsters and Critics.

Laser Scanning the Sphinx

Originally published February 4, 2010 | Zahi Hawass' Blog | by Dr. Hawass | Laser scanning technology has captured a detailed record of the face of the Sphinx, the information of which has been used to create the most accurate 3D model of the Sphinx ever, the likes of which will be used to measure the effects of humans and nature on the infamous monument. The entire process and everything that encompasses it will play an important part in its conservation.

Uncovering Secrets of the Sphinx

Originally published January 22, 2010 | Smithsonian Magazine | by Evan Hadingham | An excerpt from February's issue of Smithsonian, which features one of my favorite yet little known archaeologists (Emile Baraize); it's very reminiscent of the PBS/NOVA program that was on a week ago (available for purchase at PBS, in case you missed it):

After decades of research, American archaeologist Mark Lehner has some answers about the mysteries of the Egyptian colossus.

The Sphinx was not assembled piece by piece but was carved from a single mass of limestone exposed when workers dug a horseshoe-shaped quarry in the Giza plateau. Approximately 66 feet tall and 240 feet long, it is one of the largest and oldest monolithic statues in the world. None of the photos or sketches I’d seen prepared me for the scale. It was a humbling sensation to stand between the creature’s paws, each twice my height and longer than a city bus. I gained sudden empathy for what a mouse must feel like when cornered by a cat.

Nobody knows its original name. Sphinx is the human-headed lion in ancient Greek mythology; the term likely came into use some 2,000 years after the statue was built. There are hundreds of tombs at Giza with hieroglyphic inscriptions dating back some 4,500 years, but not one mentions the statue. “The Egyptians didn’t write history,” says James Allen, an Egyptologist at Brown University, “so we have no solid evidence for what its builders thought the Sphinx was....Certainly something divine, presumably the image of a king, but beyond that is anyone’s guess.” Likewise, the statue’s symbolism is unclear, though inscriptions from the era refer to Ruti, a double lion god that sat at the entrance to the underworld and guarded the horizon where the sun rose and set.

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.

Drilling Under the Sphinx

Originally published October 15, 2009 | Heritage Key | by Keith Payne

This entertaining article explores all corners of the fairly recent hydrological work being performed on the Great Sphinx to nip in the bud any possible future water damage to the ancient (and don't forget mysterious!) monument. A video accompanies the information, which also gives lip service to Hawass and Lehner's conclusion that there aren't any subterranean chambers hidden under the Sphinx. Argh! Thanks for ruining it for all the day dreamers :P

The following is an article at Zahi Hawass' Blog of his and Lehner's work at the Giza Necropolis.

Picture - Groundwater Testing Under the Great Sphinx

Originally published September 10, 2009 | Zahi Hawass' Photo Blog | photo credited to Sandro Vannini

A team at Giza drills to test groundwater levels underneath the Sphinx. In 2008, a project was initiated to protect the Sphinx from the rising water table in the area.

Laser Scanning the Sphinx

Originally published August 24, 2009 | Zahi Hawass' Blog | by Zahi Hawass

The following is an excerpt from Zahi Hawass' Blog; click the above link to read the post in its entirety:

This work is very accurate and very fast; it took us one month to scan the Pyramids of Giza, and now we are scanning their interior chambers and shafts too. The team is also scanning the monuments on the East and West Banks of Luxor. As well as making scans from ground level, the team also conducted aerial scans by flying over the archaeological sites.

As per usual, there are accompanying pictures and an interactive map that shows the exact location of the project.

Dr. Hawass and Princess Sirivannavari of Thailand

Originally published August 3, 2009 | Zahi Hawass' Blog | by Dr. Hawass

Dr. Hawass describes a Thai princess' visit to Egypt. He dedicates some lines to the princess' love for art history and follows with a few more paragraphs about his having led a tour through the Giza Necropolis with her. Featured are lovely pictures chronicling the international visit and a map.