Ancient Egypt December 26

4 Child Graves Discovered at Ancient Egyptian Site
The Gebel el Silsila Project 2017

The intact graves of four children, the youngest just 2 or 3, have been discovered at an ancient quarry site in Egypt.

Gebel el Silsila was a source of stone for temples and tombs in Upper Egypt during the Thutmosid period, which ran from the beginning of Thutmose II's reign in about 1493 B.C. to the end of Amenhotep II's reign in about 1401 B.C. Since 2015, 69 tombs have been discovered at the site, though most are empty, having been looted in antiquity. The newly discovered children's tombs are different. The burials are intact, and some of the graves

The Tomb: Ancient Egyptian Burial

Although this exhibition is now closed, the slide show and video are still available.

The Tomb was constructed in the great city of Thebes shortly after the reign of Tutankhamun for the Chief of Police and his wife. It was looted and reused several times, leaving behind a collection of beautiful objects from various eras. These are displayed alongside objects found in nearby tombs, giving a sense of how burial in ancient Egypt changed over time.

Italian archaeologists discover pharaohs' fortress

The discovery makes the site one of the largest fortresses on the Nile Delta and the most well-preserved from before the era of ancient Rome.

The discovery was recently made public by the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities.

Tell el-Maskhuta is situated northeast of Cairo, along the Ismailia Canal.

Three artifacts displayed for first time at Egyptian Museum

The Egyptian Museum began showcasing a new display on Thursday evening of three artifacts, available for the public to see for the first time, as part of celebrations of the 115th anniversary of the Egyptian Museum.

Pictures of Tutankhamun

This winter, Christina Riggs is curating an exhibition of Photographs of the excavation of Tutankhamun’s tomb in Lincoln. It goes along with her book, Photographing Tutankhamun (coming out next year) and her blog of the same name.

Trailer of the exhibition Missione Egitto 1903-1920

Missione Egitto 1903-1920. A mesmerizing travel to the early 1900s, when visionary and courageous men decided to leave for Egypt with the aim to enrich the collections of the Museo Egizio.
A narration through images, objects, documents and voices to live the greatest archaeological adventure.

ALAA AWAD’S STUNNING NEO-PHARAONIC MURALS AND PAINTINGS

Alaa revealed his neo-pharaonic style on Mohamed Mahmoud Street near Tahrir Square in Cairo in 2012. Over the years, he has participated in a number of exhibitions and auctions locally and internationally, and has gained wide recognition for his symbolism and bold colours. His murals and paintings reflect a great love of the past and, at the same time, make an attempt to speak to trends in contemporary society. Elongated figures straight out of a pharaoh’s tomb merge with mythical and folkloric creatures and elements of Sufism to create a grand visual vocabulary that looks both familiar and fresh.

Video tour of Abydos

The video is fantastic. Abydos is one of my favorite places in Egypt. Here I am at the beginning of 2017.
 © Michalea Moore 2017

Picture of the week

Relief of Nun from the burial chamber of Ramses VI.

Ancient Egypt December 18

Assassin’s Creed Origins: Gamescom 2017 Cinematic Trailer | Ubisoft [US]
♥ What a great use of Leonard Cohen's Song!

Tutankhamun archaeologist's London flat on sale for £9.75m

The house that King Tut bought... and now it's up for a pharaoh price tag! Lavish five-bedroom apartment archaeologist Howard Carter lived in after discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb goes on sale for £9.75million.

The Greatest Clash in Egyptian Archaeology May Be Fading, But Anger Lives On

After 200 years, the sad story of Qurna, a so-called ‘village of looters’, is coming to a close,

Om Ahmed has a lovely view, but no one to share it with.

All of her neighbors have gone, their houses slowly crumbling in the stiff Nile breeze. Most of the surrounding buildings have already been destroyed. Except for the workers excavating a tomb beneath her and the occasional lost tourist or nosy desert fox, this talkative old lady seldom sees another soul. “It’s very lonely,” she says. “You can’t imagine how lonely.”

Cazenovia mummy makes hospital visit to undergo medical testing
photo by Jason Emerson

On a cold, snowy Sunday night, when the Cazenovia Public Library was closed and silent as a tomb, members of the library staff opened the glass case containing Hen, the library’s Egyptian mummy. Standing silently by was an official from the Onondaga County Coroner’s Office, who carefully placed this 2,000-year-old relic onto a stretcher, covered it with a sheet and deposited the body into the office “bus” for a ride to Crouse Hinds Hospital in the city.

 For more, Watch: 2000-Year-Old Egyptian Mummy Goes Under CT Scanner At New York Hospital

Egypt uncovers ancient tombs at Luxor

Archaeologists in Egypt have displayed items, including a mummy, from one of two previously unexplored tombs in the ancient Nile city of Luxor.

For more information and other stunning photos, see

• Two ancient Egyptian New Kingdom-era tombs opened at Luxor necropolis
• Photos: Two ancient Egyptian tombs were just opened in Luxor
• Archaeologists discover two ancient tombs in Egypt
• Archaeologists discover 3,500-year-old tombs in Egypt's Luxor
• Two ancient tombs discovered in Egypt's Luxor
• Egyptian mummy and ancient treasures 'in near perfect condition' discovered in 3,500-year-old tombs
• Egyptian archaeologists discover 3,500-year-old mummified body as they explore pair of ‘exceptional’ tombs
  
  
  

  

  ‘Egypt Uncovered: Belzoni and the Tomb of Pharaoh Seti I’ at Sir John Soane’s Museum, London
  ©Bristol Culture: Bristol Museums and Art Gallery. By permission of the trustees of Sir John Soane’s Museum
  
  To coincide with the 200th anniversary of the discovery of the tomb of Pharaoh Seti I by the Egyptologist Giovanni Battista Belzoni (1778–1823), Sir John Soane’s Museum in London will present Egypt Uncovered: Belzoni and the Tomb of Pharaoh Seti I – a new exhibition revealing the story behind the Museum’s most treasured possession.
  
  

  

  The Map That Revealed How Ancient Egyptians Pictured the Afterlife
  © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
  
  In the spring of 1915, in the dry, heavy heat of the Egyptian desert, an expedition of archaeologists unearthed the final resting place of a man and his wife.
  
  The team—made jointly of representatives from Harvard University and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston—made their discovery in a place called Deir el-Bersha, on the east bank of the river Nile and far south of the pyramids of Giza.
  
  
  

  

  Journey on an adventure into ancient Egypt with new Eye of the Amulet slot
  
  Games developer, iSoftBet has jumped on the ever-growing Egyptian-themed slots bandwagon and launched a new title, Eye of the Amulet, exclusively with LeoVegas Casino. Players of other casinos will have to wait until December 12 to get their hands on the new slot, when it will be available at other operators.

Ancient Egypt December 11

A portrait head of Ptolemy VIII

Literary sources describe Ptolemy VIII of Egypt as a terrible man who enjoyed a lavish lifestyle,’ says Max G. Bernheimer, International Head of Antiquities at Christie’s. Grotesquely overweight, he was given the nickname Physkon, which roughly translates as ‘pot-bellied’, or ‘fatty’, explains the specialist.

The studio behind Firewatch heads to Egypt for its new game

Tonight at the awards ceremony/marketing bonanza known as The Game Awards, Campo Santo, the studio behind the acclaimed first-person adventure Firewatch, unveiled its next project. Titled In The Valley Of Gods, it’ll put players in the shoes of a filmmaker who heads to an ancient Egyptian valley with their partner in search of fame and fortune during the 1920s, which happens to coincide with the discovery of King Tut’s tomb and the widespread fascination with Egyptian culture that followed.

Mummies discovered in Elephantine tombs date to Late Period of ancient Egypt

Scans and 3D X-rays on two mummies which were discovered during excavations at the Elephantine tombs, west of Aswan, revealed the mummies date back to the Late Period of ancient Egypt.

Ancient Egyptian cuisine
Photo Courtesy: Andreas Praefcke

Even today, Ancient Egyptians captivate the minds of people around the globe because of their extraordinary contributions to civilization. Egypt Today presents the top facts about Ancient Egyptian cuisine.

Ancient Egypt in pictures

As an elementary school teacher for more than 25 years, George Neeb has given a lot of lessons about ancient Egypt.

There's something about the land of pharaohs that captures the imagination.

But, while he delivered the Grade 4 curriculum covering early societies, Neeb was struck by the lack of historical fiction picture books on the subject. So, he decided to create one of his own.

He's hoping Pharoah's Arrow, which he wrote and illustrated, will become a teaching tool for others.

Stunning 3,000-year-old Egyptian gate . . .

moved from Cairo to the pyramids of Giza to be displayed alongside Tutankhamun's tomb

The gate is made from pink granite and was made in the rule of Amenemhat I
It will undergo restoration and be put on display in the Grand Egyptian Museum
The gate will join thousands of artefacts due to be displayed at the museum
The museum is now scheduled to open partially in 2018

The Temple of Sethos at Abydos Mummication Museum Lecture

It was great to be back at the Mummification Museum for a lecture. There is another on Thursday at 7pm Dr Francisco Martin-Valentine talking about Amen-hotep, Huy Tomb AT 28. And another on Sunday at 5pm subject to be announced.

Tonight’s lecture was live streamed on Facebook by Moamen Saad if you check his Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/moamen.sca you will find it.

The Purpose of Art in Ancient Egypt. Part I and Part II.

The image in Ancient Egypt had a power in itself.
Why? Because in addition to evoking a reality, they made it arise. In Ancient Egypt everything that was depicted was also happening.

Sphinx head from "Ten Commandments" movie set found buried in California sand

1923 film "The Ten Commandments"  WARNER BROS. 

In 1956, Charlton Heston made Hollywood history by playing Moses in Cecil B. DeMille's "The Ten Commandments." DeMille's first take on the biblical tale happened 33 years earlier when he released a silent version of the story of the Hebrew exodus from Egypt.

Statues of ancient Egyptian lioness deity Sekhmet uncovered in Luxor

A collection of 27 fragmented statues of the lioness goddess Sekhmet has been uncovered during excavation work at the King Amenhotep III funerary temple at the Kom El-Hettan area on Luxor’s west bank.

Cat lover? US museum explores the power of felines in Ancient Egypt

Thousands of years ago, cats successfully managed to wrap us around their little paws. Nowhere is this clearer than in Ancient Egyptian art and culture, from paintings of felines to mummified cats buried with their masters’ remains.

SECRETS OF ANCIENT EGYPTIAN WRITING REVEALED IN 2,000-YEAR-OLD PAPYRUS SCROLLS

The black inks that ancient Egyptians used for writing on papyrus texts were made, in part, of metal. A collaboration of international researchers revealed for the first time that despite having their origins vary across time and space, ancient Egyptian papyri contained ink that shared a literal common element: copper.

Treasures From King Tut’s Tomb Are Going on a Blockbuster World Tour
Photo by Harry Burton, courtesy of INTERFOTO/Alamy Stock Photo

King Tut is hitting the road. As the 100th anniversary of the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun approaches, artifacts from the legendary site are heading on a 10-city international tour. The boy king’s final resting place, undisturbed and completely intact, was discovered by English archaeologist Howard Carter on November 4, 1922, its golden treasures igniting the imaginations of people around the world.

Unlocking the 'Lost City of the Pyramids,' and other Giza mysteries

The pyramids of Giza are loathe to give up their secrets. Over 4,000 years since they were constructed in Egypt's Old Kingdom, archaeologists are still uncovering fresh mysteries from this ancient and beguiling site.

Ancient Egypt December 4

Conspicuous consumption: Edible gold

Ever since the time of the Egyptian pharaohs, gold has been considered to be the only way to win the favor of the Gods. In ancient Egypt, gold leaf was used to decorate the tombs of pharaohs, as well as sarcophagi. The first use of gold has been traced to Alexandria, Egypt, over 5,000 years ago.

New "KING TUT: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh" Exhibition Will Celebrate 100-year Discovery of King's Tomb with Unprecedented Collection of Priceless Works

A new chapter of ancient Egyptian history will be unearthed to the world with the debut of KING TUT: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh, an extraordinary and exclusive exhibition celebrating the 100-year anniversary of the discovery of his tomb.

Isis et Osiris en histoire

Illustrations for a book to be published on Egyptian Mythologie : " Isis et Osiris en Histoires"
written by Beatrice Egemar,  Publisher Fleurus Mame

 The illustrations are quite lovely. I can't find any more info on the book or when it's to be published.

Mud brick and termites in Amarna

While famous for its decorated stonework talatat, Amarna was predominantly a mud-brick city. Richard Hughes outlines efforts to protect and stabilise its mud brick ruins.

The siting of Amarna was ideal for its speedy construction via a military-like mass-production campaign making, shifting around and placing down mud bricks (adobes).

Celebrating 115th anniversary of the Egyptian museum
 © Michalea Moore 2017

The Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square will celebrate on Tuesday, November 28 the museum’s 115th anniversary at 6:30 p.m.

The celebration ceremony, which will take place in the museum, will be attended by Egyptian Minister of Antiquities Khaled al-Anani alongside a group of foreign ambassadors.

Visiting professor reveals secrets of ancient Egyptian mummies

Professor of radiology at Cairo University Sahar Saleem is rewriting history with her research on the mummified pharaohs of the ancient Egyptian New Kingdom.

Saleem presented a few of her findings in the McClung Museum auditorium on Monday night at the 11th annual Harry C. Rutledge Memorial Lecture in Archaeology.

5 minutes with… An ancient Egyptian female figure

Thanks in part to the dry Egyptian desert, this beautiful wood sculpture has survived for some 4,000 years. Antiquities specialist Laetitia Delaloye describes the remarkable piece ahead of its sale in London on 6 December

Foreign diplomats tour Grand Egyptian Museum site ahead of 2018 opening

A delegation of foreign diplomats visited the site of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) on Sunday, inspecting the ongoing construction work in an effort raise the project's profile ahead of its opening in 2018.

New methods for artwork analysis uncover ancient Egyptian practices
(courtesy of John Delaney)

A new blend of imaging technologies has helped archaeologists identify the chemical makeup of an excavated painting, revealing elements of everyday life in second century Egypt.

Researchers from UCLA and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., published a study earlier this month that examined a more-than-1,800-year-old portrait of a woman. Archaeologists believe the painting, called a mummy portrait because it was found covering the face of a mummified body, depicts a real person who lived in Greek and Roman Egypt.

Pharaonic artifacts found under house in Beni Suef

During a sewage digging operation in the Kom al-Arous village in northern Beni Suef, a worker discovered a stone box and the face of a lion statue believed to be from Egypt’s Pharaonic era.

Secrets of the pyramid builders’ tombs

The pyramid builders’ cemetery on the Giza Plateau has been opened to the public for the first time, 30 years after its original discovery, writes Nevine El-Aref.

At the southern edge of the Giza Plateau lies the pyramids builders’ cemetery with its distinguished architecture announcing to the world that these men were not slaves, as the ancient Greek historian Herodotus claimed, but peasants conscripted on a part-time rotation basis working under the supervision of skilled artisans and craftsmen.

These men, not only built the Pyramids for the Pharaohs, but also designed and constructed their own more modest tombs beside the kings.

New Kingdom axes discovered in Egypt's Aswan

During excavation work at the north-eastern area of Aswan's Komombo temple as part of a project to decrease subterranean water, an Egyptian mission from the Ministry of Antiquities has recently discovered a Hellenic-era limestone block engraved with hieroglyphic inscriptions.
A carpentry workshop was also discovered by a German-Swiss mission led by Cornelious von Pilgrim on Aswan's Elephantine Island in Aswan, where two New Kingdom-era axes were found.

33,000 Egyptian Artefacts are Missing
Credit: Mohamed Abd El Ghany/Reuters

Minister of Antiquities Khaled al-Anani revealed that 33,000 ancient artefacts are missing.

"31,000 of the missed pieces are kept in the house of a citizen, who tried to register them, after the endorsement of the law that allows keeping antiquities under the supervision of the ministry, and bans selling or exploiting them,” Anani said during a parliamentary session.

Discovery of 7000-year-old Egyptian city could shed light on Nile Valley's earliest civilisations
 © Michalea Moore 2017

Archaeologists in Egypt have discovered the ruins of an ancient city and an adjoining cemetery that date back 7000 years to 5,316 BCE. According to a statement by the antiquities ministry, the site can be traced back to Egypt's First Dynasty.

The find was made in the province of Sohag, and is situated 400 meters away from the King Seti I Temple at Abydos city, Egypt Independent reported.