Archive for May, 2008

A 26th-dynasty limestone relief that was chopped off the tomb wall of the 26th-Dynasty nobleman Mutirdis was successfully stopped by the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) from going on auction in Bonham’s auction hall in London. The second object is a 19th-Dynasty ushabti figure of a woman named Hener, stolen from a Saqqara storehouse and... »

A comprehensive article by Will Hobson about the significance of having the rightful place to preserve and exhibit Egypt’s vast archaeological legacy. I especially like the following paragraphs for his views on ancient Egyptian’s obsession with life (not death as many suppose) and three good reasons why Egypt has so much archaeological wealth. The Ancient... »

Crowds of pigeons, doves and sparrows have been landing on the Sphinx, eating out the sandy rock and leaving acidic droppings. Senior tour guide Bassam El Shammaa sees this as an indication that underground water is seeping through the monument like water in a sponge, causing serious damage to the legendary structure. El Shammaa launched an... »

A DNA test on a 3,500-year-old Egyptian royal mummy may determine if it is Thutmose I, the third pharaoh of Egypt’s 18th dynasty. His reign is generally dated from 1506 to 1493 B.C. He is the first king confirmed to have ordered his tomb built in what is now known as the Valley of... »

St. Anthony’s Monastery in Egypt is considered by many to be the world’s oldest active Christian monastery. For over 1500 years, the monks have been living in this isolated area in the Sinai peninsula since the days St. Anthony abandoned society to settle in the desert seeking a total spiritual connection with God. Now that... »

Egyptian archaeologists have discovered the largest military complex in Egypt, dating back to the reign of Thutmose II (1516-1504 B.C.). The site is located in the Sinai peninsula, along the Road of Horus, an ancient commercial and military road linking Ancient Egypt to Asia. According to Zahi Hawass, Egypt’s chief archaeologist, the fortified... »

KMT A Modern Journal of Ancient Egypt (Volumen 19 Number 2 Summer 2008) features: Seats of Power: The Thrones of Tutankhamen – M. Eaton-Krauss The Animal Mummies of Abu Rawash – Salima Ikram and Alain Charron “Lost Kingdom of the Nile” Nubian Treasures from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston at the Michael C. Carlos Museum, Atlanta... »

Archaeologists have discovered a portico, or covered entryway that once led to the temple of the ram-headed fertility god Khnum, beneath the surface of the Nile River. A team of Egyptian archaeologist-divers found the portico in Aswan while conducting the first-ever underwater surveys of the Nile, which began earlier this year. The temple of Khnum was... »

Archaeologists from Egypt and the Dominican Republic have unearthed a bronze statue of Aphrodite during excavations at an ancient temple on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast. Also among the finds were an alabaster head of a Queen Cleopatra statue, a mask believed to belong to Mark Anthony and a headless statue from the Ptolemaic era. International Herald Tribune »

Excerpts from an article by Neil Asher Silberman, former director of the Ename Center for Public Archaeology and Heritage Presentation in Belgium, author of “Digging for God and Country” and co-author of “The Bible Unearthed.” Even worse, the picture of the vine-swinging, revolver-toting archaeological treasure hunter is all wrong. Gone are the days when all... »