Enormous Lego Sphinx showcased in Halifax
Canadian Lego Certified Professional, Robin Sather, 43, one of just six certified professionals in the world, spent the weekend in Halifax building an enormous Lego Sphinx. The colorful Egyptian iconic structure, which took about 50 hours to complete, is part of the Discovery Centre’s Secret of the Pharaohs exhibit, where scenes from the past, artifacts, and hieroglyphics are entirely made of Lego. Owen Grace, 37, a member of Nova Lug, a group of local Lego enthusiasts, helped Sather build the Sphinx, whose head weighs about 200-pounds. There’s an ongoing contest to guess how many blocks were used.
The exhibit will be at the Discovery Centre until January.
Egypt donkey jailed for theft
An Egyptian donkey has been jailed for stealing corn on the cob from a field belonging to an agricultural research institute in the Nile Delta.
The ass and its owner were apprehended at a police checkpoint that had been set up after the institute’s director complained that someone was stealing his crops, the state-owned Al-Ahram daily said.
The unnamed ungulate was found in possession of the institute’s corn and a local judge sentenced him to 24 hours in prison. The man who had his ass thrown in jail got off with a fine of 50 Egyptian pounds (nine dollars, six euros).
Cleopatra - How much you know?
If you think Cleopatra was a beautiful Egyptian queen who committed suicide by getting an asp to bite her, well…not much.
According to Karl S. Kruszelnicki, this is what you should know:
First, Cleopatra was not Egyptian, she was Macedonian.
Second, Cleopatra almost certainly was not beautiful in the physical sense — bearing in mind that the concept of beauty is different for each time period and for each person. Only 10 coins from her reign with representation of her have survived in good condition. They show her as having a fat neck (euphemistically called “Rolls of Venus”), a hooked nose, long ears and a prominent chin.
Cleopatra was, like all the other Ptolemaic women, around 1.5 metres tall. In today’s terms, she was short, dumpy and squat.
Her wisdom and wit are praised in Arabic and Coptic literature.
Cleopatra raised an army, built a fleet to rival Rome’s, made Egypt strong, kept the peace, and successfully played off powerful opponents against each other.
Third, the snake. Shakespeare tells us (in Antony and Cleopatra) that Cleopatra died from the bite of an asp, smuggled into her bedroom in a basket of figs. But that particular species of snake does not live in Egypt. A far more likely contender (if she was killed by a snake) was the cobra.
So even today, we still don’t know how she really died.
Tutenstein Reigns With Feature Length Movie
The first feature length TUTENSTEIN movie is set to debut on Discovery Kids in the U.S. this fall and premiere internationally at MIPCOM Junior in October.
In TUTENSTEIN: CLASH OF THE PHARAOHS, Tutenstein, Cleo and Luxor take the trip of a lifetime — to ancient Egypt. When Tut is plagued by nightmares concerning his death, he journeys to the past with hopes of stopping his death. But the gang arrives too late, nearly 1,000 years after Tut lived. His hopes for the royal treatment are dashed when Cleo is mistaken for Cleopatra, the current Pharaoh of Egypt. With their roles reversed — Cleo playing the arrogant queen while Tut begrudgingly taking the role of her servant — Tut and Cleo’s friendship is challenged. While Cleo lets the crown go to her head, Tut and Luxor discover the Grand Vizier’s plan to take control of the kingdom by getting rid of Cleo. Tut must stop the Grand Vizier and rescue Cleo before she’s sent to the Afterlife. By the time they return to the present, Tut and Cleo learn the importance of true friendship — no matter what the era.
Both the TUTENSTEIN movie and television series combines ancient Egyptian mythology with contemporary urban humor and attitude. Its goal is to accurately portray the diverse Egyptian mythology, utilizing stories and characters that reflect the lives of kids today. In order to do so, PorchLight’s production team works closely with Dr. Peter Lacovara, TUTENSTEIN’s Egyptology consultant who authenticates the Egyptian content.
Will Smith is ‘The Last Pharaoh’
No, Will Smith will not play Cleopatra. But that headline makes it interesting enough to capture the public’s attention to the action star’s new role as King Taharqa, a Nubian king who ruled Egypt from 690 to 664 B.C.
Greek historian Strabo calls Taharqa one of the greatest military tacticians in the world, and in the Old Testament he is Tirhakah, king of Ethopia, who drove Assyrian king Sennacherib away from destroying Jerusalem. Like his ancestors, pharaoh Taharqa was also involved in peaceful works like restoring temples and building sanctuaries all over Nubia and Egypt.
The Assyrians invaded Egypt in 677. Taharqa didn’t exactly defeat them — they took Memphis and established the 26th dynasty, and Taharqa was driven back to Nubia, where he died in 664.
For this “sword and sandals epic”, Smith will do the time warp to ancient times and shed not only his men in black clothes, but his state-of-the-art one-man-war gun machinery as well. Randall Wallace of Braveheart’s fame will do the script.
Egyptian Enigma in Northern California
A cement cast likeness of the falcon god Horus was discovered by Mill Valley Fire Department employees in an off-road area of Mount Tamalpais, north of San Francisco, during a routine brush clearing.
Who left the 45 inch tall, 1200 lb sculpture, how was it transported there and, more importantly, why, remains a mystery as officials and other concerned citizens are investigating whether the object was stolen from a replica collection of some museum or other organization such as the Rosicrucians in San Jose.
So far no one is claiming ownership as the modern godlike creation continues to gaze to the west at the slopes of Mount Tamalpais.
See the story and photo here
He’s Egypt’s Minister of Culture - and paints too
Excerpt from Douglas Britt
It’s not every day we get to see contemporary Egyptian art here in Texas. So you might think the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, deserves kudos for bringing Farouk Hosny: The Energy of Abstraction to town.
Then again, you might hold the applause until you hear what the painter’s day job is.
He’s been Egypt’s Minister of Culture since 1987. That’s why the forward to the catalog — signed by MFAH Director Peter C. Marzio and Irvin M. Lippman, executive director of the Museum of Art/Fort Lauderdale, the show’s other venue — thanks Hosny “for his commitment to preserving works from the ancient kingdom of Egypt as well as creating works of art that have a vivid life of their own.”
If Hosny were a cab driver, I doubt the museums would thank him for his commitment to getting people to the airport on time as well as making paintings.
Kids discover the secrets of Egyptian beetles
A dung beetle may not conjure up images of prosperity, protection and luck, but for the ancient Egyptians, these scarabs were an intrinsic part of everyday life and beyond.
The Jackson branch of the Ocean County Library held an interactive program this week, journeying back thousands of years ago for kids to see how these sacred insects were as much a part of the Egyptian culture as the pyramids or Sphinx.
Scarabs were used for almost all walks of life in Egyptian culture, whether it was for ornamental purposes, or a good luck charm for a new marriage or birth. Whether it was made from a simple rock, or more ornate and semi-precious stones and gems, such as carnelian, lapis, lazum, ivory or bronze, the proliferation of the varying types of scarabs was abundant in ancient Egypt. The most common scarabs were made from a soft rock, known as steatite, and covered in a turquoise glaze.
Over a dozen kids got to create their own unique decorative scarabs out of polymer clay.
“With the library celebrating its kids’ summer “Reading Bug” theme, the Egyptian program seemed like a natural fit”, said Emily Franklin, the Jackson branch children’s librarian. Franklin said the Jackson branch is very lucky to have principal library assistant Linda English onboard to conduct the program, saying she “loves all things Egyptian” and has been intrigued by the ancient culture for years. English showed the kids her own personal scarab a friend brought back for her on a trip to Egypt.
“OMG you’re an Egyptologist!” Dr. Kara Cooney explains why
Dr. Kara Cooney is an Egyptian art and archaeology expert. She earned her PhD in Near Eastern Studies from Johns Hopkins University in 2002. She has been part of major archaeological excavations in Egypt at the royal temple site of Dahshur, elite Theban tombs and the craftsmen’s village of Deir el Medina. She is published under the name Kathlyn M. Cooney, but called Kara Cooney by everyone.
In the fall of 2007, Kara appeared as the team archaeology expert on Digging for the Truth, season IV, airing on The History Channel.
From www.karacooney.com
See video of an interview of Dr. Kara Cooney on the Late Late Show
All About Egypt: How much you know?
Here are two games to test your knowledge about our favorite subject. Have fun!
Hangaroo with an Egyptian Twist!
He deserves to be hanged, but with your knowledge of Ancient Egypt you can still save the loud and obnoxious kangaroo from the gallows.
King Tut Trivia: How much you know?
