For my readers.

Just want to say 'Thank You' to all my readers.

Hope each one of you is having a good time celebrating Easter with your family and friends.


-chelle-

Someone's making mummies?

So is Penn Museum making mummies? Do they need extra mummies?

To find out more, click the link below:

http://www.penn.museum/sites/artifactlab/2013/03/29/we-arent-making-mummies-or-are-we/


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Forever Lost

A day ago, a fire broke out at the Cuming Museum in Southwark and unfortunately a number of Egyptian artefacts including a coin from Queen Cleopatra's reign was lost in the fire.

Click the link below to read more:

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/priceless-egyptian-treasures-feared-destroyed-in-south-london-museum-fire-8549200.html#.UVG_5ioJE7A.facebook


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Random fact

The Ptolemies were the longest lasting dynasty in Egyptian history.

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"When Egypt was reached in 332 BC, the Persian satray surrendered without striking a blow. Alexaxnder hastened upstream to Memphis, sacrificed to the Apis bull, was accepted as pharaoh, and then returned to the coast. Here on the shore of the Mediterranean near a village named Rhacotis he traced out the lines of the future great city of Alexandria before starting out on his famous visit to the oracle of Amun in the oasis of Siwa." - Gardiner, 1961.

 

 

 

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View from above

The gorgeous (yet illegal) view from the Great Pyramid of Giza. <3


-chelle-

Random facts

Did you know that two of Egypt's most famous cities were founded by foreign rulers? 

Alexandria was founded by the Macedonian emperor; Alexander the Great in 331 BCE while Cairo was founded in 10th CE by the Fatimid Dynasty.

-chelle-

Book: Current Research in Egyptology 2012

Book: Current Research in Egyptology 2012: Proceedings of the 13th Annual Symposium [Paperback] Ed(s): McGarrity, L.; Graves, C.; Millward, E.; Bealby, M.S.; Heffernan, G.

If you're interested, click the link below:

http://www.oxbowbooks.com/oxbow/current-research-in-egyptology-2024.html

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Green as an Irish?

Courtesy of http://www.albawaba.com/editorchoice/st-patricks-day-egypt-477729

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A picture is worth a thousand words

A gorgeous view of Abu Simbel and the Temple of Nefertari, at Aswan.

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Life at Amarna

If you don't know who Akhenaten is, he is the husband to the 'beautiful beyond description' Queen Nefertiti and the possible father of the 'Golden Boy' King Tutankhamun. But Akhenaten is best known in Egyptology as the Heretic King.

He defied 3000 years of tradition when he created the monotheistic worship of Aten, the sun disk god. He even relocated the capital of the civilisation to Amarna, a city approximately 322 km away from modern Cairo. However, the city and the worship of Aten lasted till his death, after which Tutankhamun resumed the 3000 year old Egyptian tradition and capital.

One may wonder how was life like at Amarna? Was it different (easier/worse) than life at Thebes?

Click the link below to find out what the Amarna Project recently discovered:


http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/03/130313-ancient-egypt-akhenaten-amarna-cemetery-archaeology-science-world/

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Conserving Egyptian Mummies

Found this interesting website that is hosted by the Penn Museum's conservation staff and Egyptian Section curators.

http://www.penn.museum/sites/artifactlab/

Hope you enjoy it.


-chelle-

Ancient "Work Clock"

Courtesy of http://www.archaeology.org/news/666-130315-egypt-valley-kings-workers-sundial

The above artefact was recently discovered by archaeologists from the University of Basel. It appears that a 12-sectioned semicircle had been drawn onto the flat piece limestone.

This possibly indicates that the Ancient Egyptian tomb workers relied on this sundial as their "work clock" -  keeping track of their working hours.


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A 3000 year old cosmetic box

Courtesy of Sarah Shepherd
 

Absolutely gorgeous and very well preserved cosmetic box from the Tomb of Sennedjem. The box is said to be from the 19th Dynasty during the Rammeside period. The item is currently on display at Gallery 126 at the Metropolitan Museum Collection.


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Preserve and Conserve Our Heritage!

As a firm believer in the preservation and conservation of historical/heritage sites, I'm glad to see that UNESCO has not removed Dahshur from its World Heritage List, despite the urban destruction occuring in Dahshur. Instead, according to the Minister of State for Antiquities; Mohamed Ibrahim, UNESCO's Director General Irina Bokova, has proposed several ideas to help with the current threat against the Ancient Egyptian sites.

Click on the link for the full story:

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/9/40/66722/Heritage/Ancient-Egypt/UNESCO-visits-Cairo-to-discuss-threats-to-archaeol.aspx


In my personal opinion, preservation and conservation of historical sites is a MUST because these sites are the reason why countries (like Egypt) exist today. These sites are physical representations of the country's identity and tradition. Without these sites, many countries' economies would suffer, especially Egypt's since tourism plays a vital role in the country's economy.


-chelle-

17 year old Cleopatra from Thebes

Courtesy of www.britishmuseum.org

 

Technically known as EA 6707, from the Henry Salt Collection at the British Museum, Cleopatra was a 17 year old girl, who lived in Thebes during the reign of the Emperor Trajan, and based on the inscription on her coffin, she is the daughter of a vital official of the government. She should not be confused with the infamous Cleopatra VII, who died approximately 150 years before this Cleopatra.

It is unlikely that her mummy has been unwrapped, nevertheless, Cleopatra has undergone an X-ray and based on the X-ray evidences, under the loose and messy outer wrappings, she is tightly bandaged - so tightly wrapped that it seems her left hip has been dislocated.

Unfortunately, without further  in-depth examination, we are unsure of her cause of death. Nonetheless, owing to her young age, death during childhood cannot be dismiss, especially since during those days, simple cuts and grazes could be fatal as a result of the lack of proper medication or antibiotics, or if she had a weak immune system, she would have succumbed to any childhood diseases.



Courtesy of www.britishmuseum.org

 

 

-chelle-

Clogged arteries in ancient mummies?

One would assume that people today suffer from clogged arteries because of the unhealthy lifestyle we adopt in this age. But the article [click the link below] notes that even ancient mummies had clogged arteries, proving that this illness knows no (time) boundaries.

http://www.nst.com.my/latest/even-ancient-mummies-had-clogged-arteries-1.232687#ixzz2NC3n5bVt

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More of the goddess Sekhmet discovered at Amenhotep III''s temple at Luxor

http://amun-ra-egyptology.blogspot.com/2013/03/more-sekhmet-statues-unearthed-at.html?spref=tw

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Afterlife Luggage Tax

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Just for laughs

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#Save_antinoupolis

Latest update about the destruction of Antinoupolis, a site made famous after Emperor Hadrian (Roman emperor) build a Roman-styled city there.

http://www.egyptindependent.com/news/antinoupolis-archaeological-site-being-destroyed-systematically

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The above are the coffin lids of a 21st Dynasty priest of the god Montu named Panebmontu. Today the artefacts are resting at the Louvre Musuem where they are known as E 13029.


I think one of the finest aspects of Ancient Egypt that draws me to her, is her people's ability to be so detailed in their work. For instance, the above are coffin lids with intricate details carved all over its body, that have last for thousands of years. Then think about our coffins today - wooden rectangular boxes with no carvings of any sorts on it.

The Ancient Egyptians never cease to amaze me, every single day.

-chelle-

I believe in conservation and preservation of historical sites

"Sheikh Abada, ancient Roman Antinouplis, south of Malawi, in Middle Egypt, is being destroyed systematically. The hippodrome, as large as the Circus Maximus in Rome, has been flattened and laid out with cemeteries. The northwestern corner of the walled city has been bulldozed for agriculture, and the area near the Ramesses II temple has been bulldozed and levelled as the town is expanding there. We need to stop this. Archaeologists are meeting with the MSA" - Salima Ikram

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When chemistry, archaeology and conservation meet...

http://thecollegianur.com/2013/03/04/wc-students-work-to-preserve-3000-year-old-mummy/32945/


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The Lady with an Ostrich feather, on her head

Maat from British Museum

 

She is the personification of an influential Ancient Egyptian concept that is, “truth, balance, order and justice”. It was believed that without her existence, the world would be consume by her counterpart; Isfet. Upon Amun’s self-impregnation and the birth of Tefnut and Shu, Ma’at was born to reign over the spiritual and earthly realms.

To the Ancient Egyptians, Ma’at embodied everything that was good and pure. Therefore,  the Egyptians deemed the Black Land ‘Kemet’ and everything within its border filled with “truth, balance, order and justice” whereas the Red Land ‘Deshret’ and all beings foreign were Isfet-related.

“Divine offspring, who has come forth from the body of the god in order to endow the temple and who established Egypt and raise mankind and made Ma’at take her place”

 

 - Seti I's alabaster stela at Karnak

Based on Seti I’s writing, it was assumed that the pharaoh was responsible for ensuring that the country was Ma’at-filled and protected against Isfet. To do so, the pharaoh had to build temples and make offerings to the gods who also acknowledged the power of Ma’at. Besides that, a Rammeside literature illustrated that bribery of any kind was an action against Ma’at, and equality among all men and women were required to ensure the existence of Ma’at in the country. Nonetheless, the pharaohs were not the only ones in charge of defending Ma’at. His viziers substituted the pharaoh as chief justices and priest/priestess of Ma’at, who were expected to guarantee that Ma’at reigned peacefully over ‘Kemet’.

On a personal level, an individual was required to ensure that his/her life was Ma’at- filled which meant that there should be no envy, laziness, greed, disorder, justice and etcetera. This was essential because when the individual entered the Afterlife, he/she was required to participate in a judgment ritual known as the ‘Weighing of the Heart’ at the Hall of Ma’at. During this ritual, the individual’s heart was placed on a weighing scale against the feather of “truth, balance, order and justice”. If the heart weighed heavier than the heart, the organ would instantly be consumed by the gobbler; Ammit, resulting in a permanent extinction of the deceased.

"Weighing of the Heart" scene. Courtesy of http://wellesley.k12.ma.us/~heather_maffei/?OpenItemURL=S00513DB9-00513DB9

It is evident that the concept of Ma’at is one of the most important, if not the most important notion in Ancient Egyptian culture. Thus, it was crucial that each individual living within Kemet abided by her rules and the pharaohs and viziers had to protect the land from Isfet.

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