In 1889, French egyptologist Auguste Mariette discovered a double statue of Pharaoh Amenhotep III and Queen Tiye at Medinet (Thebes). Once the massive statue was restored it was learned that six pieces were missing. Modern stonework was used by an Italian team to fill in missing pieces to complete the statue.
On January 9, 2011, Farouk Hosny, Egyptian Minister of Culture announced the missing pieces of the 18th Dynasty double statue had finally been discovered at the king's mortuary temple on Luxor's west bank by an Egyptian team under the direction of Dr. Zahi Hawass, the Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities.
The missing pieces were from Amenhotep III's right chest area, nemes headdress and leg and a section of Queen Tiye's wig as well as pieces of her left arm, fingers and foot. A small section of the base of the double statue was also found. The will be restored and placed into the double statue at a later date.
For more information about this remarkable find and to see a diagram of the double statue and the location of the newly discovered pieces, you can read this article.
Showing posts with label Ancient Egypt. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ancient Egypt. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Monday, July 12, 2010
Egypt Unveils Discovery of 4,300-Year-Old Tombs
On Thursday, July 8, 2010 Egyptian archaeologists announced a newly-unearthed double tomb containing vivid wall paintings in the necropolis of Saqqara near Cairo, Egypt.
The tomb has two false doors containing colorful paintings of two people buried there, a father and son, both royal scribes. The father's false door was inscribed with the name of Pepi II and dates the tomb to the 6th dynasty. Pepi II was believed to have been the longest reigning pharaoh. He controlled Egypt for 90 years.
The sarcophagus of the father, Shendwas, was destroyed by humidity. The tomb of the son, Khonsu, was robbed in antiquity.
Zahi Hawass stated that because of their "amazing colors", the tombs were "the most distinguished tombs ever found from the Old Kingdom". Hawass believes it could be the start for uncovering a vast cemetery in the area.
Visit this article for more information and to see one of the brilliant paintings.
The tomb has two false doors containing colorful paintings of two people buried there, a father and son, both royal scribes. The father's false door was inscribed with the name of Pepi II and dates the tomb to the 6th dynasty. Pepi II was believed to have been the longest reigning pharaoh. He controlled Egypt for 90 years.
The sarcophagus of the father, Shendwas, was destroyed by humidity. The tomb of the son, Khonsu, was robbed in antiquity.
Zahi Hawass stated that because of their "amazing colors", the tombs were "the most distinguished tombs ever found from the Old Kingdom". Hawass believes it could be the start for uncovering a vast cemetery in the area.
Visit this article for more information and to see one of the brilliant paintings.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Cleopatra's Death Not From an Asp Bite?
Christoph Schäfer, a German historian and professor at the University of Trier, the last ancient Egyptian queen, Cleopatra didn't die from the bite of a poisonous asp, an Egyptian cobra, as we have believed for centuries. Instead, she died from a drug overdose.
Schäfer's book, Cleopatra is the product of his search through historic writings in an attempt to disprove the theory of Cleopatra having died from the bite of an asp. The German channel ZDF is also going to air a program featuring his research on the Egyptian queen.
According to Schäfer, Cassius Dio, a Roman historian, wrote some 200 years after Cleopatra's suicide that she died a quiet and painless death. Schäfer states that the death from the asp's venom would not have been painless. German toxicologist Dietrich Mebs confirms that death by asp venom would have in fact been painful and unpleasant.
Schäfer also cites the ancient texts stating that Cleopatra's two handmaidens died with her. Had she died from an asp bite, that would have been unlikely. According to Schäfer, a snake bite is unpredictable because of the amount of venom a snake may or may not release during the bite. Also, he says that at the time Cleopatra died, in August of 30 B.C., the temperatures in Egypt would have been too high for an asp to stay still long enough to bite.
Schäfer states that ancient Egyptian papyri prove the Egyptians knew about poisons and that one papyrus says Cleopatra actually tested them having observed the deaths of condemned prisoners from a variety of poisons including snake venom.
Both Schäfer and Dietrich Mebs believe she died from a mixture of opium, wolfsbane and hemlock rather than snake venom.
Alain Touwaide, an international authority on ancient medicinal plants at the Smithsonian Institution and the Institute for the Preservation of Medical Traditions in Washington D.C. believes the only way to finally solve the mystery of how Cleopatra died would be for her body to be found and to apply forensic methods of testing to it.
Are Schäfer's findings truly a breakthrough or is he just putting old theories into new packaging?
For more information, please refer to this article: Cleopatra Killed by Drug Cocktail?
Schäfer's book, Cleopatra is the product of his search through historic writings in an attempt to disprove the theory of Cleopatra having died from the bite of an asp. The German channel ZDF is also going to air a program featuring his research on the Egyptian queen.
According to Schäfer, Cassius Dio, a Roman historian, wrote some 200 years after Cleopatra's suicide that she died a quiet and painless death. Schäfer states that the death from the asp's venom would not have been painless. German toxicologist Dietrich Mebs confirms that death by asp venom would have in fact been painful and unpleasant.
Schäfer also cites the ancient texts stating that Cleopatra's two handmaidens died with her. Had she died from an asp bite, that would have been unlikely. According to Schäfer, a snake bite is unpredictable because of the amount of venom a snake may or may not release during the bite. Also, he says that at the time Cleopatra died, in August of 30 B.C., the temperatures in Egypt would have been too high for an asp to stay still long enough to bite.
Schäfer states that ancient Egyptian papyri prove the Egyptians knew about poisons and that one papyrus says Cleopatra actually tested them having observed the deaths of condemned prisoners from a variety of poisons including snake venom.
Both Schäfer and Dietrich Mebs believe she died from a mixture of opium, wolfsbane and hemlock rather than snake venom.
Alain Touwaide, an international authority on ancient medicinal plants at the Smithsonian Institution and the Institute for the Preservation of Medical Traditions in Washington D.C. believes the only way to finally solve the mystery of how Cleopatra died would be for her body to be found and to apply forensic methods of testing to it.
Are Schäfer's findings truly a breakthrough or is he just putting old theories into new packaging?
For more information, please refer to this article: Cleopatra Killed by Drug Cocktail?
Sunday, June 27, 2010
King Tutankhamun Died of Blood Disorder, Not Malaria, Study Says
According to German scientists, ancient Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun was probably killed by the genetic blood disorder sickle cell disease instead of malaria as suggested by an earlier research study.
A team from the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine announced their findings Wednesday, June 23, 2010 in Hamburg, Germany. They questioned the conclusions of a major study released in February that suggested by use of DNA testing and CT scans that the young pharaoh had died of malaria after suffering a fall.
The Journal of the American Medical Association published a letter by the German researchers claiming that scrutiny of King Tut's foot bones indicated sickle cell disease.
According to the letter, the German researchers state: "(The) radiological signs are compatible with osteopathologic lesions seen in sickle cell disease (SCD), a hematological disorder that occurs at gene carrier rates of nine percent to 22 percent in inhabitants of Egyptian oases."
The researchers feel further DNA testing should be done to find a definitive answer as to how the young pharaoh actually did die.
Sickle cell disease is a common genetic disorder where the blood cells form a crescent shape rather than being smooth and round. This causes blood flow to be blocked and leads to chronic pain, infections and tissue death.
King Tutankhamun died around the age of 19 after ruling Egypt for ten years between 1333 to 1324 B.C as "The Boy King". The exact cause of his death has long been cause for speculation and rumor.
Source: Discovery News
A team from the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine announced their findings Wednesday, June 23, 2010 in Hamburg, Germany. They questioned the conclusions of a major study released in February that suggested by use of DNA testing and CT scans that the young pharaoh had died of malaria after suffering a fall.
The Journal of the American Medical Association published a letter by the German researchers claiming that scrutiny of King Tut's foot bones indicated sickle cell disease.
According to the letter, the German researchers state: "(The) radiological signs are compatible with osteopathologic lesions seen in sickle cell disease (SCD), a hematological disorder that occurs at gene carrier rates of nine percent to 22 percent in inhabitants of Egyptian oases."
The researchers feel further DNA testing should be done to find a definitive answer as to how the young pharaoh actually did die.
Sickle cell disease is a common genetic disorder where the blood cells form a crescent shape rather than being smooth and round. This causes blood flow to be blocked and leads to chronic pain, infections and tissue death.
King Tutankhamun died around the age of 19 after ruling Egypt for ten years between 1333 to 1324 B.C as "The Boy King". The exact cause of his death has long been cause for speculation and rumor.
Source: Discovery News
Monday, May 31, 2010
3,300 Year Old "Lost Tomb" of Egyptian Mayor Found
On Sunday, May 30, 2010, officials in Cairo, Egypt announced a most fascinating find. The 3,300 year-old tomb of Ptahmes, mayor of the ancient Egyptian capital Memphis had been found since it had last been plundered in 1885 by treasure hunters.
The tomb, located in a New Kingdom necropolis at Saqqara was plundered over 120 years ago and artifacts such as the decorative wall panels were removed and sold to museums. After the ancient treasures were removed the tomb was all but forgotten. Were it not for the artifacts that ended up in museums in the Netherlands, United States, Italy and even the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, Pthames and his tomb might have been forgotten forever.
In 2005, a team of archaeologists from Cairo University's archaeology department found the tomb while excavating in the area. A vivid wall engraving of fishermen in papyrus reed boats, amulets and statue fragments were found in the discovered chambers. The inner chambers and the mayor's mummy have not been discovered.
Pthames served as Mayor of Memphis, army chief, overseer of the treasury and royal scribe under the rulers Seti I and his son, Ramses II in the 13th century B.C.
For more information and to view photographs of the outside of the tomb and an unfinished funeral painting please visit the MSNBC.com article. (Click on "view related photos" next to the picture of the funeral painting.)
The tomb, located in a New Kingdom necropolis at Saqqara was plundered over 120 years ago and artifacts such as the decorative wall panels were removed and sold to museums. After the ancient treasures were removed the tomb was all but forgotten. Were it not for the artifacts that ended up in museums in the Netherlands, United States, Italy and even the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, Pthames and his tomb might have been forgotten forever.
In 2005, a team of archaeologists from Cairo University's archaeology department found the tomb while excavating in the area. A vivid wall engraving of fishermen in papyrus reed boats, amulets and statue fragments were found in the discovered chambers. The inner chambers and the mayor's mummy have not been discovered.
Pthames served as Mayor of Memphis, army chief, overseer of the treasury and royal scribe under the rulers Seti I and his son, Ramses II in the 13th century B.C.
For more information and to view photographs of the outside of the tomb and an unfinished funeral painting please visit the MSNBC.com article. (Click on "view related photos" next to the picture of the funeral painting.)
Friday, May 28, 2010
Divers Exploring Cleopatra's Palace in Alexandria Harbor
On Tuesday, May 25, 2010 divers entered the waters of Alexandria harbor to explore the ruins of a palace and temple complex belonging to ancient Egyptian queen Cleopatra. They had to swim over heaps of limestone blocks that went into the sea over 1,600 years ago because of earthquakes and tsunamis.
An international team of researchers led by French underwater archaeologist Franck Goddio are using advanced technology to survey the Alexandria Royal Quarters. It is encased deep below the harbor sediment. They are working to confirm the accuracy of 2,000 year-old historical descriptions left by Greek geographers and historians. Researchers have been doing topographical surveys of the area since the early 1990's.
The researchers are have discovered such artifacts as coins, granite statues of Egyptian rules, sunken temples dedicated to Egyptian deities and every day objects. Also among the finds is a massive stone head believed to be of Caesarion, son of Queen Cleopatra and Julius Caesar, two sphinxes, one of which most likely represents Ptolemy XII, the father of Cleopatra. Their finds will be going on display at Philadelphia's Franklin Institute from June 5, 2010 to January 2, 2011 in the "Cleopatra: The Search for the Last Queen of Egypt" display of more than 250 artifacts before going on the road to tour four other North American cities.
Cleopatra was from the last dynasty to rule Egypt as the country was annexed into the Roman Empire in 30 B.C.
For more information on the Cleopatra: The Search for the Last Queen of Egypt exhibit please visit the artmuseumjournal.com article.
For more information on the archaeological expedition and to see a photograph of a diver inspecting a quartzite block please read the MSNBC.com article.
An international team of researchers led by French underwater archaeologist Franck Goddio are using advanced technology to survey the Alexandria Royal Quarters. It is encased deep below the harbor sediment. They are working to confirm the accuracy of 2,000 year-old historical descriptions left by Greek geographers and historians. Researchers have been doing topographical surveys of the area since the early 1990's.
The researchers are have discovered such artifacts as coins, granite statues of Egyptian rules, sunken temples dedicated to Egyptian deities and every day objects. Also among the finds is a massive stone head believed to be of Caesarion, son of Queen Cleopatra and Julius Caesar, two sphinxes, one of which most likely represents Ptolemy XII, the father of Cleopatra. Their finds will be going on display at Philadelphia's Franklin Institute from June 5, 2010 to January 2, 2011 in the "Cleopatra: The Search for the Last Queen of Egypt" display of more than 250 artifacts before going on the road to tour four other North American cities.
Cleopatra was from the last dynasty to rule Egypt as the country was annexed into the Roman Empire in 30 B.C.
For more information on the Cleopatra: The Search for the Last Queen of Egypt exhibit please visit the artmuseumjournal.com article.
For more information on the archaeological expedition and to see a photograph of a diver inspecting a quartzite block please read the MSNBC.com article.
Monday, May 24, 2010
57 Ancient Egyptian Tombs Containing Mummies Discovered in Lahun
Fifty-seven ancient Egyptian tombs, most of which contain sarcophagi have been unearthed by a team of archaeologists led by Abdel Rahman El-Aydi, according to Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities. The find is located at Lahoun, in Fayoum, approximately 70 miles (100 kilometers) south of Cairo. This is the same area where, last year, 53 tombs dating to various periods of ancient Egypt were discovered.
The oldest of the 57 tombs dates back to approximately Egypt's first and second dynasties, 2750 B.C., with twelve dating to the 18th Dynasty during the second millennium. We are familiar with the 18th Dynasty thanks to names such as Queen Hatshepsut, Tutankhamun and Akhenaten.
The 18th Dynasty ornately painted wooden sarcophagi contain mummies covered in linen decorated with religious texts from the Book of the Dead.
According to Abdel Rahman El-Aydi, one of the oldest tombs discovered is almost completely intact.
Thirty-one of the tombs date to approximately 2030-1840 B.C. and contain painted scenes depicting ancient Egyptian deities like Horus, Hathor, Khnum and Amun.
Follow this link to see a photo of one of the wooden sarcophagi Lahun 20th Tomb 0-52.
The oldest of the 57 tombs dates back to approximately Egypt's first and second dynasties, 2750 B.C., with twelve dating to the 18th Dynasty during the second millennium. We are familiar with the 18th Dynasty thanks to names such as Queen Hatshepsut, Tutankhamun and Akhenaten.
The 18th Dynasty ornately painted wooden sarcophagi contain mummies covered in linen decorated with religious texts from the Book of the Dead.
According to Abdel Rahman El-Aydi, one of the oldest tombs discovered is almost completely intact.
Thirty-one of the tombs date to approximately 2030-1840 B.C. and contain painted scenes depicting ancient Egyptian deities like Horus, Hathor, Khnum and Amun.
Follow this link to see a photo of one of the wooden sarcophagi Lahun 20th Tomb 0-52.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Tutankhamun's Leftover Linens Give New Insight Into Mummification
Leftover linens used to wrap the body of King Tutankhamun are the highlight of the "Tutankhamun's Funeral" exhibition at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. The bandages run from 15.4 feet to 15.3 inches (4.70 meters to 39 centimeters) and consist of 50 linen pieces that were woven especially for King Tutankhamun upon his death and mummification.
Now, after a century of being stored in large ceramic jars at the museum's Department of Egyptian Art, the bandages have been put on permanent display at the museum's Egyptian galleries.
Dorothea Arnold, curator of Egyptian art at the museum told Discovery News that the linens used on King Tutankhamun's actual mummy were decayed because of the excessive use of resins. The linens on display at the museum were not exposed to the resins and are the best-preserved lot of Tutankhamun's wrappings.
The linens look a great deal like modern-day gauze bandages. They bear an inscription containing the date the linens were woven. One linen features the inscription "Year 8 of the Lord of Two Lands, Nebkheperure". "Nebkheperure" was Tutankhamun's throne name and "Year 8" was the final year of his life (1341-1323 B.C.).
The jars containing the leftover linens were discovered in a pit 110 meters (360.8 feet) away from the undiscovered tomb of King Tutankhamun. The jars also contained bits and pieces of pottery, animal remains, dried flowers, kerchiefs and embalming material leading the discoverer, Theodore M. Davis to believe he'd uncovered the tomb of a poor man.
For more information about the linens, their discovery and to see a couple of photos of them you can check out the Discovery article or the article from MSNBC.com's Technology and Science section.
Now, after a century of being stored in large ceramic jars at the museum's Department of Egyptian Art, the bandages have been put on permanent display at the museum's Egyptian galleries.
Dorothea Arnold, curator of Egyptian art at the museum told Discovery News that the linens used on King Tutankhamun's actual mummy were decayed because of the excessive use of resins. The linens on display at the museum were not exposed to the resins and are the best-preserved lot of Tutankhamun's wrappings.
The linens look a great deal like modern-day gauze bandages. They bear an inscription containing the date the linens were woven. One linen features the inscription "Year 8 of the Lord of Two Lands, Nebkheperure". "Nebkheperure" was Tutankhamun's throne name and "Year 8" was the final year of his life (1341-1323 B.C.).
The jars containing the leftover linens were discovered in a pit 110 meters (360.8 feet) away from the undiscovered tomb of King Tutankhamun. The jars also contained bits and pieces of pottery, animal remains, dried flowers, kerchiefs and embalming material leading the discoverer, Theodore M. Davis to believe he'd uncovered the tomb of a poor man.
For more information about the linens, their discovery and to see a couple of photos of them you can check out the Discovery article or the article from MSNBC.com's Technology and Science section.
Monday, May 10, 2010
2000 Year Old Ptolemaic-Era Statue Found near Alexandria, Egypt
I find few periods in history as fascinating as I do Ancient Egypt. The sands of Egypt have been hiding secrets for centuries and slowly but surely archaeologists are finding the bits and pieces of the lives of the ancient Egyptians.
One of the most recent discoveries is of a statue from an unknown Ptolemaic-era king.
Excavations were being done at the Borg al-Aram site, west of Alexandria, Egypt when the headless statue was found at the royal temple of Taposiris Magna. Archaeologists were searching for Cleopatra's tomb when they uncovered this statue which dates back more than two thousand years.
The statue is 53 inches (135 centimeters) tall and 22 inches (55 centimeters) wide at the shoulders.
Egyptian archaeologist, Egyptologist and Secretary General of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities Zahi Hawass said "the well-preserved statue may be among the most beautiful carvings in the ancient Egyptian style" and that there was a possibility the statue could belong to Ptolemy IV.
For more information and to see the read the article at MSNBC.com or read the article at telegraph.co.uk.
One of the most recent discoveries is of a statue from an unknown Ptolemaic-era king.
Excavations were being done at the Borg al-Aram site, west of Alexandria, Egypt when the headless statue was found at the royal temple of Taposiris Magna. Archaeologists were searching for Cleopatra's tomb when they uncovered this statue which dates back more than two thousand years.
The statue is 53 inches (135 centimeters) tall and 22 inches (55 centimeters) wide at the shoulders.
Egyptian archaeologist, Egyptologist and Secretary General of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities Zahi Hawass said "the well-preserved statue may be among the most beautiful carvings in the ancient Egyptian style" and that there was a possibility the statue could belong to Ptolemy IV.
For more information and to see the read the article at MSNBC.com or read the article at telegraph.co.uk.
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