Ancient Egypt News 02/10/2020

Is this the original board game of death?
THE YORCK PROJECT/WIKICOMMONS

Ancient Egyptians took their board games seriously. The backgammonlike senet started out as a mere pastime, but over nearly 2 millennia it evolved into a game with deep links to the afterlife, played on a board that represented the underworld. Now, a version of the game sitting in a California museum might reveal when this dramatic transformation took place.

Senet probably wasn’t the world’s first board game, but it was one of the first to become a smash hit. It seems to have risen to popularity in all tiers of Egyptian society about 5000 years ago—and was still being enjoyed by Egyptians 2500 years later.

Get to Know the Doctor: Magic Spells (video)
Rita Lucarelli Egyptologist

Boat Described by Greek historian Herodotus Discovered in Nile
Photo by Christoph Gerigk/Franck Goddio/Hilti Foundation

The Greek historian Herodotus is widely known as the “father of history”. His magisterial Histories, written in the 5th century BC, has provided modern scholars with a wealth of rich detail on the Greco-Persian wars and the Mediterranean society in which he lived.

However, Herodotus has also attracted the ire of his readers for the apparent errors and inventions that permeate his text. The Greek biographer Plutarch once famously described him as “malicious”, and said that those who hoped to detect “all his lies and fictions would have need of many books.”

3,400-year-old Egyptian Artifact Uncovered in Israel on Display in Jerusalem
photo credit: LAURA LACHMAN

An 3,400-year-old inscribed Egyptian anchor uncovered in Israel is on display for the first time at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, within the exhibition “Emoglyphs. Picture-Writing from Hieroglyphs to the Emoji.”
As reported by Haaretz, the artifact was spotted by chance by an Israeli veterinarian swimming off the shores of Atlit, south of Haifa.

“I saw it, kept on swimming for a few meters, then realized what I had seen and dived to touch it,” Rafi Bahalul told Haaretz. “It was like entering an Egyptian temple at the bottom of the Mediterranean.”

Ramses II Obelisk to be Fully Reassembled in Cairo’s Tahrir Square

A Ramses II obelisk, parts of which were unearthed in Egypt last August, is set to be fully re-assembled and displayed in downtown Cairo’s busy Tahrir Square, after the foundation of the monument was successfully installed in the center of the well-known traffic circle.

The step came as part of the government efforts to revamp the iconic square and draw attention to Egypt’s rich ancient history, with Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities having transported eight blocks of the statue unearthed in August 2019 at Zagazig, a city in Lower Egypt.

Today's humor 
Big week, two types of humor 😊

Ancient Egypt News 02/03/2020

Forget Giza, These Are The Unknown Pyramids Of Egypt You Need To Have On Your Bucketlist
Photo: Flying Carpet Tours

A wonder of the ancient world, the Pyramids of Giza stand tall thousands of years after their construction, a testament to the ingenuity and perseverance of the Ancient Egyptians. Yet, despite their historical significance, many tend to forget that these aren’t the only pyramids in Egypt. In fact, Egypt is home to more than a hundred pyramids, the majority of which are unknown to most people.

Throughout the Old Kingdom, Pharaohs of the Nile were obsessed with the massive construction of pyramids, and although many of the other pyramids pale in comparison to those at the Giza Plateau in terms of size, they are no less interesting or historically valuable.

So without further delay, here are six of the lesser-known pyramids of Egypt.

Sarcophagus Dedicated to Sky God among Latest Ancient Egypt Trove

Egypt's antiquities ministry on Thursday unveiled the tombs of ancient high priests and a sarcophagus dedicated to the sky god Horus at an archaeological site in Minya governorate.

The mission found 16 tombs containing 20 sarcophagi, some engraved with hieroglyphics, at the Al-Ghoreifa site, about 300 kilometres (186 miles) south of Cairo.

The shared tombs were dedicated to high priests of the god Djehuty and senior officials, from the Late Period around 3,000 years ago, the ministry said.

More on this story:

Egyptian archaeologists unveil ancient tombs, 2500-year-old artifacts

Ancient Egypt's City of the Dead: Amulets, Sarcophagi, Canopic Vases and Priestly Tombs of the ...

Cummer Museum's New 'Striking Power' Exhibit Unravels Piece Of Egyptian Art History
HEATHER SCHATZ/WJCT

Striking Power, a new exhibition at the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens, explores the meaning behind the vandalism of ancient Egyptian art. It opens Friday, Jan. 31.

Striking Power unravels the history of iconoclasm in relation to ancient Egyptian art. The exhibit features forty works on loan from the Brooklyn Museum of Art. The deliberately defaced pieces of art will be paired with undamaged examples.

In an interview on First Coast Connect with Melissa Ross, Holly Keris, Chief Curator for the museum, explained the impact of iconoclasm on the Egyptian culture.

15 Ancient Hieroglyphs Tourists Can Go And See

The world wonders in Egypt don’t end with pyramids and sphinxes. All across the country, there are sites that have survived until today to reward anyone who enters with a glimpse into the past.

Hieroglyphs found on temple faces and surrounding tombs have enlightened historians on the cultures the created them. Now tourists can learn about mythology and history while touring the sites where all these things developed.

Most are already familiar with the usual spots that hog up all the attention, but we’ll also include some less popular sites which have the necessary infrastructure and plenty of interesting hieroglyphs to see yet get none of the tourist attention.

Artists Create Replicas of Ancient Egyptian Antiquities

Egyptian media has reported that the government plans to sell these first class replicas at Cairo International Airport by the end of the month

Some of the best Egyptian artists, sculptors and craftsmen are creating first class replicas of ancient Egyptian, as well as as Greco-Roman, Coptic and Islamic relics.

They're part of the Replica Production Unit at Salah Al Din Citadel in Cairo, a unit that falls under the Egyptian Ministry of State for Antiquities Affairs. The unit, which was established in 2010, produces replicas using the same methods used by ancient Egyptian workers.

HGO Staging is Not your Parents’ ‘Aida’
Photo: Lynn Lane

Delicate silk billows across the stage, its fluidity complementing the passionate romanticism of a tragic tale set against the rigid hierarchical structure of ancient Egypt and its monolithic scenery.

Starting Friday, the Houston Grand Opera, led by artistic and music director Patrick Summers, will present the return of Giuseppe Verdi’s “Aida” to the Wortham stage in a new rendition by London-based director Phelim McDermott - one that lacks elephants, but not extravagance. His modernized version of the timeless story, a co-production with the English National Opera and the Grand Théâtre de Genève, features silk choreography by visionary artist Basil Twist that amplifies the impact of the already expressive costumes by Kevin Pollard, the dramatic lighting by Bruno Poet and the powerful geometric sets by Tom Pye.

Freshwater Students Show Results of Mask Project

Redwood Curtain is hosting a show of Freshwater School’s “Egyptian Mask Project” in February and March in the theater gallery, 220 First St. in Eureka.

Freshwater teacher Kylah Rush immerses her sixth-grade class in an ancient Egypt unit for the month of January. The students learn science, history, art, writing and even math through the lens of the ancient Egyptians. The unit culminates in the students mummifying chickens and making personalized death shroud masks in the style of the ancient mummified pharaohs.

Exhibition from ROM offers insights into ancient Egypt
RICHA BHOSALE/The Daily Press

“Egypt, Gift of the Nile” on display at Timmins Museum until March 29.

The exhibition explores Egyptian civilization through everyday life, buildings, family life, personal adornment, education and religion, the Timmins Museum stated in a release announcing the new exhibition. The exhibit displays a replica of a sarcophagus which helps explain the Egyptian view on the afterlife.