Archive for November, 2008

The ceaseless fascination with ancient Egyptian art and civilization during the revolutionary age of the “heretic” pharaoh Akhenaten (r. 1353-1336 B.C.) and Tutankhamun (r. 1332-1322 B.C.) continues to inspire extensive research and the publication of quality color-illustrated studies. Suitable for students, scholars and enthusiasts, many are exhibition catalogues authored by world-renowned museum curators and... »

Image via Wikipedia Egypt’s supreme administrative court ruled this week that security forces from the Ministry of Interior should evacuate the Cairo University campus, saying the independence of universities must be respected. The court ruled that the constitution guarantees the full independence of universities and research centers that “contribute to refining knowledge and offering sciences... »

Image via Wikipedia “God is great. I testify there is no god but God. . . . Make haste toward prayers.” The prayer caller’s chant is heard five times a day; from birth to death it is the music of Islam, lingering in the air, reminding the faithful to prostrate themselves before God. Morsi Abdel Fattah has... »

Image by ShortShot via Flickr Throughout history, Nubians have managed to keep their traditions and lifestyles relatively uninflected by outside influences. Although many Nubian villages had to be resettled elsewhere, some fortunate settlements have stayed put in their original locations. Such is the case in the area west of Sihail. Due to its privileged location, for... »

Archaeologists working around the Mediterranean met two weeks ago in Cairo to discuss intercultural relations between the countries of the region. The conference focused on theoretical and methodological issues related to the study of intercultural contacts in archaeology on the one hand, and on actual case studies of intercultural contact on the other. Papers presented... »

Author: Roy Lester Pond “A modern archaeological thriller.” “An ancient, esoteric time bomb.” The murder of an Egyptologist rings alarm bells with the US Department of Homeland Security. Before he knows it they co-opt his son, controversial British historian Anson Hunter, into an investigation that has stunning implications for US security. The search catapults Anson, Kalila, a Coptic... »

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has awarded 250,000 US dollars to help York University make academic research material available online. The project will allow researchers to link their work to databases, video, audio and other information as well as stimulating academic debate. The latest research will build on work completed as part of an earlier... »

A stunning funerary gold mask of an ancient Egyptian noblewoman from the court of Pharaoh Ramses II is at the center of a controversy between the Supreme Council of Antiquities and the St. Louis Museum of Art, who presently has the artifact in its collection. The dispute has even escalated to the personal, as... »

Image via Wikipedia The Metropolitan Museum of Art has assembled another spectacular examination of Middle Eastern history, this one filled with some 350 objects made of gold, silver, lapis lazuli and other precious materials, including a haul of 3,400-year-old luxury goods found in the wreck of the oldest seagoing vessel ever discovered on the bottom... »

According to the design proposed by French architect Jacques Rougerie and agreed by UNESCO, the museum will consist of a three-story building. One story will be onshore, another offshore and the third under the waves along with a large open-air terrace to act as a window so that visitors to the museum will be... »