Archive for October, 2007

The main topic of this blog is Egyptology, that is, the archaeology of Egypt. But I feel I need to bring up an issue of an archaeological nature that is happening in my homeland, Puerto Rico. It has to do with a major discovery of pre-Columbian artifacts during an excavation as part of a... »

TripAdvisor has just surveyed more than 2,500 travelers globally, finding the top trends were concerns about germs, the growth of green tourism, and opposition to cell phone use on planes. It also found emerging hotspots for vacations in 2008 were Jerba in Tunisia, Makadi Bay in Egypt and Phangnga in Thailand. Airplanes were deemed the most... »

Experts have discovered a canal at an Aswan rock quarry that they believe was used to help float some of ancient Egypt’s largest stone monuments to the Nile River. It has long been suspected that ancient workers moved the massive artifacts directly to their final destinations over waterways. Ancient artwork shows Egyptians using boats or barges... »

Scientists claim to have finally solved the 3,000 year old mystery behind the sudden death of Egypt’s golden boy. Until now, historians assumed that Tutankhamen was a rather fragile child. Recent analysis of the chariots and weapons found in the tombs of the Pharaoh indicate that they were not merely ceremonial, but showed signs... »

The Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, California, in collaboration with the British Museum presents “Mummies: Death and the Afterlife in Ancient Egypt … Treasures From the British Museum”. The exhibition holds 140 objects, which includes 14 mummies and sarcophagi, and is the largest exhibit of its kind to be shown by the British Museum outside... »

Since pharaonic times, mud bricks have been Egypt’s primary building material, and brick making has changed very little over the last few centuries. The industry still uses a crude methodology: barrels filled with mazot, a heavy oil left over after more valuable fuel products have been extracted from crude oil, are placed on top... »

Now that former Miss India Celina Jaitly has been designated as “Brand Ambassador” by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism, what will this white European looking non-Egyptian beauty queen do in the promotional campaign to portray her as the official new “Face of Egypt”? »

The right connections and a generous budget can get you viewing opportunities beyond what most tourist packages offer. These include access to archaeological digs, dinner at the Temple of Luxor and private openings of tombs in the Valley of the Kings. For prime views of the Sphinx, Egyptologist Ramez Salama brings people inside the Valley... »

Tweezers, razor and a tiny applicator for eye make. These everyday objects are part of the exhibit “Excavating Egypt”, on display at the New Mexico Museum of Art in Santa Fe, featuring the discoveries of Sir William Flinders Petrie, “the father of scientific archaeology.” The 220-plus items in the show reflect the breadth of... »

The numbers reflect a 13 per cent increase on the previous fiscal year, the state news agency MENA reported. The visitors brought revenues of $8.2 billion to the country, a 14 per cent increase on the $7.2 billion yield of the previous year, thus preserving tourism’s status as a major contributor to Egypt’s... »