Ancient Egypt on Christmas Eve 2018

Season's greetings!

At the mouth of the Nile Delta

The capital of Egypt during the period of the Old Kingdom was Menefer, which the Greeks came to call Μέμφις (Memphis). In Arabic today, it’s called Manf (مَنْف‎).

It was located on the east side of the Nile, in the direction of the sunrise and, thus, of light and life.  On the west bank of the Nile, in the direction of the sunset, lay its cemeteries, including the great necropolis complexes of Dahshur, Saqqara, and most famously, Giza.

At the mouth of the Nile Delta

Calling all Egyptians, lovers of antiquities and history buffs: this one’s just for you. From December 20 to March 20, you can discover the ancient secrets of pharaohs, gods and mummies at the Guangdong Provincial Museum. Nearly 250 artifacts are on display, all on loan from Museo Egizio, an archeological museum in Turin, Piedmont, Italy, specializing in Egyptian archeology and anthropology. Founded in 1824, it is the world's oldest Egyptian museum and ranks second only to Cairo.

What A Virtually Untouched 4,400-year-old Ancient Egyptian Tomb Might Reveal
(AP Photo/Amr Nabil)ASSOCIATED PRESS

The world of archaeology has been abuzz this week with the announcement by Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities of the discovery of a new tomb. An Egyptian archaeological mission conducting excavations at Saqqara encountered the extremely well-preserved tomb of a royal official by the name of Wahtye. This individual served during the reign of Fifth Dynasty pharaoh Neferirkare as an aid and priest, and the splendor of his tomb reflects that status.

More coverage:

Look Inside the Pristine 4400-Year-Old Tomb of an Egyptian Royal Priest - History

'One of a kind' 4400-year-old tomb of royal Egyptian priest is unearthed - The Province

Egyptian tomb discovered: Statues and hieroglyphics exceptionally preserved - CBS News 

One of a kind royal tomb is 4400 years old, Egypt says - USA Today

The Ancient Egyptian Footwear Project

The Ancient Egyptian Footwear Project (AEFP) is a multidisciplinary, ongoing research of footwear in ancient Egypt from the Predynastic through the Ottoman Periods. It consists of the study of actual examples of footwear, augmented by pictorial and textual evidence

The Earliest Music in Ancient Egypt
Replica of an ancient Egyptian lute, showing the distance between strings and neck (copyrights photo and instrument: H. Köpp-Junk)

Music is a human universal. Already by the middle of the 3rd millennium BCE a great number of Egyptian texts and images referred to music and musicians, and attest to a complex hierarchy of musicians. But the beginnings of Egyptian music are much earlier. What were the types of musicians and instruments in Ancient Egypt, how were they used, and where did they come from?

Ancient Egypt December 17

12 Holiday Gift Ideas for Egyptophiles

With the holiday season upon us, the Nile Scribes are busy shopping for their loved ones! This week we are sharing some inspiration for those of you who, like us, are looking for Egypt-themed gifts. We chose a range of ideas we loved, from board games to unique jewellery. Perhaps you will find the perfect gift you’ve been looking for!

Pics: Cemetery dating back to 18th Dynasty unearthed

A cemetery dating back to the 18th Dynasty (1550 BC -1292 BC) was unearthed during the excavation works of the Swedish archaeological mission at Gebel el-Silsilain Kom Ombo, Aswan, the Ministry of Antiquities declared on Thursday.

2 ancient tombs renovated in Saqqara

The Central Administration of Restoration, alongside the Ministry of Antiquities, has completed the restoration of the Badi An Est and Psamtik tombs in the area known as the Persian Well, in the Saqqara archeological site.

Egypt Winery Seeks Ancient Inspiration for Present-Day Success

Under the dry soils and hot sun of Egypt’s Red Sea, a small winery is fighting to produce an award-winning all-Egyptian wine.

The adverse conditions of Egypt’s climate prove disadvantageous for any wine, yet the Kouroum of the Nile winery seeks ancient Egyptian inspiration for present-day success.

Brewing Ancient Egyptian Beer (video)

In Plattsburgh, an ancient technology course is brewing beer, to get a sense of what life was like back in Ancient Egypt.

The beer, which took two weeks to create was brewed using techniques and ingredients that ancient Egyptians would have used to brew beer, with limited modern day technology.

Strongman of the circus who hauled Egypt’s treasures to UK

A circus strongman whose plunder of ancient Egypt helped to fill the galleries of British museums is to be reunited with one of his treasures.

A portrait of the Great Belzoni, whose strength enabled several colossal pharaonic monuments to be dragged to the banks of the River Nile and onward to Britain during the 19th century has been given to the state.

Sotheby’s auctions off ancient Egyptian artifacts

At its Ancient Sculpture & Works of Art event on Dec. 4 in London, Sotheby’s auctioned off 59 antiquities. The vast majority of these antiquities were Graeco-Roman with price tags in the thousands of pounds, but the star of the show was a Roman marble funerary portrait statue, which was auctioned for 4.1 million British pounds ($5.2 million).

Chanel Draws Inspiration from Ancient Egypt for Its Metiers d'Art Show

Chanel became the second ever fashion brand to put on a runway show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Tuesday night. (Valentino was the first to do it in 1982.)

The French maison crossed the pond to showcase its Métiers d'Art collection using the Met's most famous piece—the Temple of Dendur, an Ancient Egyptian temple dating from around 15 BC—as the backdrop.






Egyptian Archaeologists discover 4400-Year-Old Tomb (video)



Egyptologist Explain The Great Pyramids To Teens

Ancient Egypt December 3

Mummifying a Beetle Is a Lot Easier Than Mummifying a Cat
The King Userkaf complex held dozens of mummified cats. KHALED DESOUKI/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

THE RABBIT HAD LOOKED BETTER. Two days dead, it was swollen and rank, and riddled with holes to let gases escape. Five days later, it swarmed with beetles. Its head had exploded, and the pelt pulled away from its bones. To approximate the result of baking under the desert sun, it had been sitting on a bed of natron, a type of salt, and perched on a laboratory rooftop.

Huge Tutankhamun show set to tour world

Four decades after the boy pharaoh caused a sensation in the US and Europe, treasures from the tomb of Tutankhamun are to tour the world again -- many for the first time.
More than 50 of the 150 artworks from his tomb in the show will only ever leave Cairo once, say the Egyptian authorities, who are organising the tour in the run-up to the 2020 opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza. See Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh Exhibit (with video)

Eight Late Period mummies discovered in Dahshur necropolis in Giza

During excavation work in the area to the northeastern side of King Amenemhat II’s tomb in the Dahshour necropolis in Giza, an Egyptian archaeological mission has stumbled upon eight graves from the Late Period.
Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, explains that the graves contain limestone sarcophagi with mummies inside, three of which are in very good conservation condition.

Ancient Egypt: Eight Mummies Discovered in Ornately Decorated Sarcophagi - Newsweek

Eight 3000 Year Old Ancient Egyptian Mummies Discovered In Pyramid - LADbible

Eight Ancient Painted Mummies Discovered in Egypt - Geek

Egypt unearths eight ancient mummies - Jakarta Post

Nike to Release Dope New Basketball Shoes Inspired by Ancient Egypt

It's not uncommon for sports brands to collaborate with sportsmen-and-women or celebrities, but the most recent more than caught our eye - because it's inspired, maybe a little abstractly, by Ancient Egypt.

Made by Nike, Concepts (a store that works with brands specifically on collaborations) and NBA All-Star, Kyrie Irving, the 'Ikhet Nike Kyrie' doesn't exactly scream Pharaohs, but the Boston Celtics point guard has revealed some very adept knowledge of the symbolism of Ancient Egypt which he has used.

What Egyptians Ate: Did the Cuisine of Ancient Egypt Reflect the Tastes of Today?
 
The ancient Egyptians enjoyed a variety of foods, not unlike what we enjoy today. Nevertheless, compared to many other ancient civilizations, the ancient Egyptians had access to better foods. The Nile River provided irrigation for crops and water for livestock. Generally speaking, bread and beer were the staples of ancient Egyptian cuisine. Fruits, vegetables, and fish were commonly eaten by the poor, while meat and poultry were more often eaten by the rich.

How the Ancient Egyptian Economy Laid the Groundwork for Building the Pyramids
The Abusir pyramids and necropolis remains. Chanel Wheeler / wikipedia, CC BY-SA
In the shadow of the pyramids of Giza, lie the tombs of the courtiers and officials of the kings buried in the far greater structures. These men and women were the ones responsible for building the pyramids: the architects, military men, priests, and high-ranking state administrators. The latter were the ones who ran the country and were in charge of making sure that its finances were healthy enough to construct these monumental royal tombs that would, they hoped, outlast eternity.

Ancient Egypt’s Missing Tombs Are Waiting To Be Found – Could One Still Be Intact?
Dr Chris Naunton examining a reconstructed coffin in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo (Photo: Chris Naunton)

It seems incredible to think the tombs of Alexander the Great and Cleopatra are still waiting to be discovered in Egypt. The world’s oldest cheese, mummified cats and the skeleton of a pregnant woman buried 3,500 years ago have all been uncovered by Egyptologists in recent months. But the final resting places for some of ancient history’s greatest figures are in a different order altogether.

Egyptian Archaeologists Unveil Newly Discovered Luxor Tombs
 CREDIT: MOHAMED ABD EL GHANY/REUTERS

Egyptian authorities on Saturday unveiled a well-preserved mummy of a woman inside a previously unopened coffin in Luxor in southern Egypt dating back more than 3,000 years.




In Photos - 18th Dynasty sarcophagus reveals well-preserved mummy in Egypt’s Luxor
L'Egypte dévoile un tombeau et des sarcophages à Louxor (photos)

Egypt unveils ancient Luxor tomb 'with very nice paintings' - The Times of Israel

Egypt unveils previously unopened ancient female sarcophagus in Luxor - Arab News

Egypt unveils ancient tomb and sarcophagi in Luxor - The Express Tribune