Ancient Egypt News 09/23/2019

Egypt Historian Uncovers ‘Underground Paradise’ 138 Metres Below Valley of the Kings
Photo from Tour Egypt: The Tomb of Seti I

An Egyptian historian was granted access to a tomb in the Valley of the Kings that has been marked unsafe for years, and she uncovered an "underground paradise".

KV17, located in Egypt's Valley of the Kings, is the tomb of the Pharaoh Seti I of the Nineteenth Dynasty. It was first discovered by Giovanni Battista Belzoni on October 16, 1817, but has been closed since the early 1960s due to significant damage to the structure. However, historian Bettany Hughes was granted special access during the filming of her Channel 5 show “Egypt’s Greatest Treasures”.

El-Kurru’s Carved Graffiti Reveal Another Side of Ancient Nubia
The funerary temple and the largest pyramid at El-Kurru. COURTESY GEOFF EMBERLING

ANWAR MAHAJOUB GREW UP IN the village of El-Kurru, Sudan, along the Nile between its Third and Fourth Cataracts. Besides at its delta, which offers a flourish of emerald where the river meets the Mediterranean Sea, the Nile is almost entirely bordered by just a thin band of foliage, beyond which are the sepia sands of the Sahara. For centuries, the desert has obscured and protected the tombs of kings, riverside temples, even entire ancient cities. Mahajoub grew up next to one of these sites, so it was never obscured to him. Recent excavations there have made the tombs and world of ancient Nubia—specifically the Kingdom of Kush that ruled over it for hundreds of years—feel even closer.

Colossal Statues, Obelisk Arrive at GEM from Egyptian Museum

A collection of four gigantic objects have arrived at the Grand Egyptian Museum for eventual display on the museum’s grand staircase.

They include two rosy granite colossi of Senosert I, a 20-tonne red granite triad statue featuring Ramses II between deities Ptah and Sekhmet, and the top of a Hatshepsut obelisk, weighing 14 tonnes,

Crocodiles Were So Revered in Ancient Egypt That They Were Hunted, Killed and Mummified

One day several thousand years ago, an Egyptian mummy supplier crept up on a wild crocodile and bashed it with a club, fracturing its skull and killing it.

The animal was quickly taken to be processed. Its damaged skull was fixed. Its body was treated with salts, oil and resins, and wrapped in multiple layers of linen.

Its last meal was still in its stomach.

The demand for mummified crocodiles was intense in ancient Egypt.

Was Ramesses II Really that Great?
Photo © Michalea Moore

Emma Slattery Williams considers whether the fêted pharaoh – master builder, war hero and peace broker – was actually a brilliant propagandist who knew how to curate his image.

Ramesses II is often counted among Ancient Egypt’s greatest pharaohs. He certainly saw himself that way: he spent most of his reign covering his kingdom in monuments dedicated to himself. The third ruler of the 19th Dynasty had an unusually long kingship, fathered hundreds of children and – if you believe his own press – was a mighty warrior who could hold his ground against an entire army. “My name is Ozymandias, king of kings,” wrote Percy Bysshe Shelley in his 1818 poem Ozymandias, adopting the name the Ancient Greeks used for Ramesses II. “Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!

Zahi Hawass Reveals Details of Tutankhamun Opera

Note: The article has a video about the opera. 

Egyptian archaeologist Dr. Zahi Hawass, the former Minister of Antiquities, revealed the details of “Tutankhamun opera “, scheduled to be displayed on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of the Grand Egyptian Museum. Dr. Hawass will write the script of “Tutankhamun opera “.

During a phone call with TV anchor Amr Adieb during El Hekaya program broadcast on MBC Misr satellite channel, Hawass said that opera Aida was produced 148 years ago and must be changed, pointing out that the new opera is named “Tutankhamun”, because he is the hero in the new Egyptian Museum.

Mystery Box from Tutankhamun’s ‘Cursed Tomb’ Opened for First Time Ever on Camera

A MYSTERIOUS box found in the tomb of the Ancient Egyptian pharaoh King Tutankhamun has been opened for the first time on camera.

The 3,500-year-old artefact is believed to have been a linen chest used by Tut's wife – who was also his half-sister – to store her lavish outfits.

The Latest Discoveries in Egyptology (May-June 2019)
Scenes of animals and other plant life feature in the many rock art scenes found near Aswan (Photo: Ahram)

Every two months, the Nile Scribes bring you summaries of the latest news and discoveries in Egyptology, both from the field and the library. We introduce you to the newest archaeological finds or rediscovered artefacts from museum collections, plus other new theories stirring in the Egyptological Zeitgeist.

The beginning of summer has revealed a wide array of new finds including brightly-decorated coffins, parts of an older church hiding under a basilica, and a large amount of rock art near Aswan.

Ptolemaic temple Was Uncovered in Sohag
File - Ptolemaic temple

An ancient temple dating back to the Ptolemaic era was uncovered in a house in Sohag Governorate .

On September 11, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Mustafa Waziri said that the stones that were found in the village of Kom Ashqaw in the center of Tama, north of Sohag , is formed of limestone.

The limestone was discovered during the work of a contracting company to complete the sewage project in the village.

Restoration Begins of More King Ramses II Statues at Luxor Temple
Statue of Ramses II. (Shutterstock)

Egypt has begun a new international project in Luxor with the collection, restoration and reinstallation of two statues of King Ramses II.

The plan follows the restoration and assembly during the past three years of three statues of the ruler at Luxor Temple.

During his recent visit to Luxor, Egyptian Minister of Antiquities Khaled Al-Anani gave the green light for the restoration of two more statues of the pharaonic king at the western side of the temple.

10 Best Armor Sets In Assassin’s Creed Origins, Ranked

Assassin's Creed Origins represented a turning point for the Assassin's Creed series. A departure from the style of gameplay that the franchise had become known for, 2017's Origins puts players in the shoes of Bayek of Siwa; a Medjay of Ancient Egypt and a proto-assassin doing assassin-like things before the Brotherhood had even been established.

An Ancient Egyptian sheriff of sorts, Bayek travels far and wide to avenge his son's death at the collective hands of the Order of the Ancients, a mysterious and dangerous collective of proto-templars. Unsurprisingly, it is a pretty big burden for Bayek to bear; traveling around Egypt and righting wrongs is hard work, but he still manages to get it done and in style. Here's a breakdown of the top 10 best armor sets in Assassin's Creed Origins because what good is getting revenge on the people responsible for your son's death if you don't look good while you do it?

Moon Knight Reveals Khonshu's Previous Avatars


In the Marvel Universe, the ancient Egyptian lunar god Khonshu has been reimagined as the society's God of Vengeance who selected Marc Spector and his dueling personalities as his avatar to deliver bloody justice to the world as Moon Knight.

However, Moon Knight Annual #1, by Cullen Bunn, Ibrahim Moustafa and Matt Horak, reveals that Spector is far from the first individual in history to be chosen as Khonshu's champion on Earth. And, with the fate of the entire time stream at stake, Spector finds himself partnered with them all as he battles a classic villain through time and space.

Ancient Egypt February 4

Women Who Love Mummies

Women explorers played a major part in the UK's fascination with Egyptian mummies a century ago, and girls who - much later - visited their collections in provincial museums are among today's up-and-coming archaeologists. Samira Ahmed looks at female influence in the mummy world.

It was a "light bulb moment - like being teleported back into ancient Egypt" says Danielle Wootton, remembering her excitement at seeing Bolton Museum's Egyptian mummy for the first time.

Egypt's First Antiquities Discovery of 2019: Mummy-filled Burial Chambers in Minya

A maze of Ptolemaic burial chambers filled with more than 40 mummies, including men, women and children, was discovered at Tuna El-Gebel in Minya.

As the sun warmed the air at Tuna El-Gebel necropolis in Minya governorate on Saturday morning, hundreds of media and officials gathered to witness the announcement of the first discovery of 2019.

British Museum teams up with Louvre for revamp of Egyptian Museum in Cairo
Ancient statues inside the Egyptian Museum in Cairo Photo: Ovedc

But the disputed treasure, the Rosetta Stone, will remain in London.

The British Museum will participate in an ambitious €3.1m pan-European masterplan aimed at revamping and transforming the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square in Cairo, focusing on areas such as collection management, communications and audience engagement. But the 2,000-year-old Rosetta Stone, one of the British Museum’s most important exhibits, will not return to Egypt as part of the initiative, insist officials in Cairo and London.

Review: Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy Brings an Old Game Back from the Dead

Taking place in a fictional version of Ancient Egypt, the game follows the story of Sphinx and his rather unwilling pal the Mummy. Sphinx is the strong and almost-silent type, preferring to fight his way out of a problem. On the other hand, Mummy is an Egyptian prince hit by a curse-gone-wrong who’d rather be solving puzzles than doing any physical work. They’re like ancient chalk and long-aged cheese, but they still work together perfectly.

Cats In Ancient Egypt Didn't Look The Way You Think
Cat Killing a Serpent, Tomb of Sennedjem, Egyptian, Facsimile, 19th Dynasty, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (30.4.1)METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART

“In ancient times cats were worshiped as gods. They have not forgotten this.” –Terry Pratchett*

Our perceptions of the ancient world are shaped by the way surviving relics appear in the present day. The cool white marble beauty we attribute to Classical Greek and Roman statues arises from the long faded lifelike paint these statues once bore. The bright limestone of Maya pyramids today shines against the surrounding background of deep jungle green, yet these buildings were once painted from top to bottom in deep reds, blues and greens. As for the imposing and regal black cat of ancient Egypt, those cats didn’t look the way you think either.

A Dazzling Array of Ancient Greek And Roman Artifacts

The Archaeological Mission of Alexandria Antiquities has announced that they have discovered a dazzling array of ancient Greek and Roman artifacts in Alexandria, Egypt, with Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Mostafa Waziri, stating that the recent treasure trove of artifacts was a “unique discovery because the site was being used for industrial and commercial purposes.”

See Inside the Newly Renovated King Tut's Tomb

Years of steadily accumulating dust and grime had taken a toll on King Tut’s tomb, but a recently completed restoration project has revitalized the historic chamber, while making much-needed infrastructure improvements to prevent ongoing decay.

It’s been nearly a century since British archaeologist Howard Carter first peered into the Tomb of Tutankhamun. Since then, the site has attracted millions of visitors, which, while great for the Egyptian economy, has not been so great for the chamber itself. Its majestic wall paintings became dim, drab, scuffed, and scratched from all the moisture and kicked-up dust from the ceaseless train of shuffling tourists.

Ancient Egyptian Wine Cellar Containing Coins and Ceramics 
Ptolemaic era coins discovered in an ancient wine cellar north of Cairo (Egypt Ministry of Antiquities)

There were no 2,500 year old bottles of the good stuff lying around, but archeologists exploring an ancient Greco-Roman wine cellar north of Egypt's capital Cairo did make a number of intriguing discoveries.

Ptolemaic era coins, fragments of ceramic and mosaic works, and a sophisticated architectural design for controlling temperatures using various types and shapes of stones were among the artefacts they discovered.

Sounds of Roman Egypt

The Petrie Museum has a range of sound-making artefacts from Roman Egypt. These include bells, reed panpipes, pottery rattles, cymbals, and wooden clappers. The exhibition demonstrates how researchers used laser-scanning technology to create 3D virtual models. These models were then 3D printed in plastic to create replica objects. Some of the models were also used to create craft replicas in materials like ceramic, wood, and bronze. All these replicas form an integral part of this exhibition together with 3D digital models based on the laser scans.

Listen: Cymbal With Elaborate Handle - Mid - Rhythm Paeonic

5 Must-See Graeco-Roman Temples in Egypt
Edfu Temple © Michalea Moore

Many visitors to Egypt make their way down to Luxor to take a look at the largest temple in Egypt: Karnak. In this travel blog, the Nile Scribes travel up the Nile to visit five temples in Upper Egypt built during Ptolemaic and Roman times that should not be missed.

Note: Go me! I've visited four out of the five. Now, I have yet another reason to return to Egypt.

Ancient Egypt June 18

Top 5 Ancient Egypt Books for Kids

Many of us have been reading books about antiquity since our youngest days and if we were lucky enough to learn about ancient Egypt in elementary school, our fascination for ancient cultures blossomed at an early age. In this blog, the Nile Scribes have chosen our six favourite books which are perfectly suited to teach the youngest of readers about the world of ancient Egypt, and might even inspire some of them to be Egyptologists someday.

Museum displays parity of women in ancient Egypt

Like many a bumbling tourist, this traveler was perplexed by the unexpected. People dressed differently, ate differently, wrote differently, did everything differently. The river flowed not from north to south but from south to north.

But what was most perplexing to the fifth century BC Greek historian Herodotus when he visited Egypt was the role of women. "Women attend market and are employed in trade, while men stay at home and do the weaving," he wrote.

The Egyptians, he concluded, "in their manners and customs seem to have reversed the ordinary practices of mankind."

Newsmax TV Takes a 'Journey Through the Valley of the Kings' in Ancient Egypt

Take an unforgettable journey through the burial grounds of the ancient world's most powerful rulers — the pharaohs of Egypt — as Newsmax TV presents a powerful new documentary, “Journey Through the Valley of the Kings.”

In this powerful TV event, you’ll go on an astonishingly realistic tour of the fabled “Valley of the Kings.” And while King Tutankhamun's tomb may be considered the most famous resting place in the world, the treasures that lay with him pale in comparison to those once buried with the greatest pharaohs in the valley.

ANCIENT EGYPT: 3,500 YEAR OLD ROCK ART WITH EARLY FORM OF HIEROGLYPHS DISCOVERED IN DESERT

Archaeologists in Egypt have uncovered several pieces of ancient rock art from more than 3,000 years ago, according to a statement released by the country’s Ministry of Antiquities.

A joint American-Egyptian research team led by John Coleman Darnell from Yale University discovered the works at an ancient site in Egypt’s Eastern Desert—part of the Sahara that lies east of the Nile River—which was used as a quarry and a place for manufacturing flint in ancient times.

Renovation of discovered head of Ramses II completed
Newly discovered parts of the statue of Ramses II in the Temple of KomOmbo, Aswan – Photo courtesy of Ministry of Antiquities’ official statement.

Renovation of the discovered head of Ramses II statuein the Temple of Kom Ombo was completed, according to Ahmed Sayed, general manager of Kom Ombo antiquities sector.

Sayed said that the head was put in the museum's store of the temple to undergo some necessary studies.

Jersey’s lost Egyptian treasure

Among the pioneering Egyptologists searching for the tombs of the pharaohs in the 19th century was a little-known man of Jersey origin whose family would later make a sensational gift to the Island.

John Gosset appears in the pages of a diary written by Edward Lane, acknowledged as one of the first group of modern Europeans to seriously investigate the archaeological remains of the great Egyptian dynasties now so familiar to us.

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New logo design for Grand Egyptian Museum creates controversy

Some thought the design simple and elegant, whilst others thought it bore little relation to Egyptian culture.

The newly released logo design for the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) has resulted in controversy among archaeologists, artists and architects.

Egyptologist Kara Cooney Melds Scholarship and Popular History

This may be L.A.'s Year of King Tut, but the ongoing exhibition at the California Science Center shouldn't suggest the boy king is the only Egyptological celebrity in town. For nearly a decade, professor Kara Cooney has educated students — and the public at large — in the ancient ways of the land of the pharaohs. She's UCLA's Nefertiti of Near Eastern studies, and she's as statuesque as some of the granite likenesses she's studied in the field.

Moses Goes Down to Egypt by artist Nina Paley

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.