May 13th, 2013 at 9:00AM:
Since the January 2011 Revolution, Egypt has been suffering social and political unrest, and its tourism industry has been hit hard.
Now the tumultuous situation is affecting one of the nation's main sources of income – its ancient heritage. Al-Ahram Weekly investigated several reports of damage at ancient sites and found a dire situation of neglect and willful destruction. At the ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
ancientegypt posts
As Egypt's Tourism Industry Languishes, Antiquities Under Threat
May 13th, 2013 at 9:00AM:
Since the January 2011 Revolution, Egypt has been suffering social and political unrest, and its tourism industry has been hit hard.
Now the tumultuous situation is affecting one of the nation's main sources of income – its ancient heritage. Al-Ahram Weekly investigated several reports of damage at ancient sites and found a dire situation of neglect and willful destruction. At the ...Egyptian Mummies Weren't Given Enemas, Study Shows
Mar 23rd, 2013 at 1:00PM:
Ancient Egyptian mummies have been an object of fascination. The Greek historian Herodotus, who lived in the fifth century B.C., visited Egypt and wrote a description of the mummification process. Since no ancient Egyptian text survives, his account forms the basis of many descriptions in modern books and museum displays.
Now a new study by two Canadian scientists suggests Herodotus may have ...Photo Of The Day: Egyptian Sphinx
Nov 25th, 2012 at 6:00PM:
Thanksgiving is a holiday that embraces traditions. It only seemed appropriate then to close out this long holiday weekend with an image of that most-iconic of Egyptian historical landmarks: the Sphinx. This image was taken by Flickr user robert vaccaro. I like the shot's side-profile perspective and the nice contrast of sandy rock with clean, blue sky. It's a simple yet classic image that's ...Cache Of Severed Hands Discovered In Ancient Egyptian Palace
Aug 12th, 2012 at 1:00PM: Archaeologists digging at the ancient Egyptian site of Tell-el-Daba have made a grisly discovery – sixteen severed hands.
They were all right hands, and all large enough that they were probably from men, leading investigators to think they were trophies from a battle. Ancient Egyptian records mention the practice of collecting enemy hands to trade in for gold, but this is the first ...Archaeologists Discover Funerary Boat Of One Of Ancient Egypt's Earliest Pharaohs
Jul 31st, 2012 at 1:30PM:
A funerary boat dating back 5,000 years has been discovered in Egypt, Ahram Online reports.
The boat was meant to take the Pharaoh Den to the afterlife and was buried in the northeast of the Giza Plateau, site of the famous (and later) pyramids. Den was a ruler of Ancient Egypt's poorly understood First Dynasty, which saw the unification of Egypt and its development as a major civilization. ...The Last Pyramids Of Egypt
May 21st, 2012 at 12:00PM:
They just don't make pyramids like they used to.
The pyramids of Egypt have fascinated people ever since they were built. The Step Pyramid at Saqqara started things off around 2650 B.C. Later came the iconic pyramids of Giza. What's often forgotten, however, is that pyramid construction continued for more than a thousand years and there are at least 138 built to house the remains of pharaohs ...Video: Visiting The Pyramids of Sudan
Apr 30th, 2012 at 1:00PM:
Sudan is near the top of my list of countries I haven't been to that I want to explore. One of the main things I'm aching to see are the pyramids of Meroë. This site has dozens of pyramids built starting around 720 BC.
Meroë was one of the capitals of the Nubian Empire, which at times rivaled its more famous northern neighbor, Egypt. As archaeologists continue to excavate in the ...
New Ancient Egypt And Nubia Galleries At Ashmolean Museum, Oxford
Apr 14th, 2012 at 2:30PM:
The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford has always been famous for its collection of art from Ancient Egypt and Nubia (Sudan). It recently revamped these galleries as part of a major remodel.
While the new galleries reopened in November, I didn't want to write it up until I got to see it for myself. The old galleries were dark, cramped and had endless cases crammed with artifacts. In other words, they ...Met Showcases Predynastic Art Of Egypt
Apr 13th, 2012 at 10:00AM: The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City has one of the best collections of ancient Egyptian art in the world. Now it has opened a special exhibition focusing on the lesser-known art from the early days of Egypt before the pharaohs.
"The Dawn of Egyptian Art" brings together art from the Predynastic and Early Dynastic Periods (ca. 4000–2650 B.C.), a time when Egypt was developing ...'Egyptomania' grips Houston
Mar 19th, 2012 at 2:00PM: The Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Texas, has just opened a new exhibition exploring the West's fascination with ancient Egypt.
"Egyptomania" collects forty objects from the Egyptian revivals of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. This was the time when the West became widely aware of the great civilization of Egypt and started excavating there. Cutting open mummies became popular ...Previously unknown Egyptian pharaoh discovered
Mar 7th, 2012 at 12:00PM:
Egyptologists have made a stunning discovery at the famous temple of Luxor: an inscription naming a previously unknown Egyptian pharaoh.
A French team restoring a temple of Amon Ra found hieroglyphs bearing the name "Nekht In Ra." The inscription dates to the 17th dynasty, a relatively little-known dynasty from a murky period in Egyptian history.
The mysterious dynasty was the last of ...Sacred ship from ancient Egypt is undergoing restoration
Feb 21st, 2012 at 1:30PM: A sacred boat that lay hidden in the sands of the Sahara for 4,500 years will be restored and put on display, Egyptian authorities say.
The boat is one of a pair discovered buried next to the pyramid of the Pharaoh Khufu at Giza, also known as the Great Pyramid. They rested in long, stone-covered pits.
The first boat, shown here in this photo courtesy Berthold Werner, was excavated in 1954 ...Animal mummies discovered in Egypt
Feb 18th, 2012 at 11:00AM: A cache of animal mummies is among the finds from a recent excavation in Egypt.
The discovery was made by a University of Toronto team last summer at Abydos and was announced at a recent meeting. Abydos was the first burial ground for the pharaohs and remained a holy place throughout the history of ancient Egypt. The tomb of Osiris, king of underworld, was believed to be there.
Because of ...Ancient Egypt--Art and Magic, opens at the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, Florida
Dec 19th, 2011 at 2:00PM: Ancient Egypt never ceases to fascinate. Its elaborate religion, art, and ritual make it at once foreign and compelling. Now a new exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg, Florida, showcases some of the highlights of this unique culture.
Ancient Egypt--Art and Magic: Treasures of the Fondation Gandur pour l'Art brings to the public eye one of the greatest private collections of ...Ancient Christian city discovered in Egypt
Dec 2nd, 2011 at 3:00PM: An ancient Christian city dating to the fourth century AD has been discovered in Egypt.
Archaeologists digging at the Ain al-Sabil area of the New Valley Governorate have discovered the remains of a basilica and buildings to serve the priests. This is the first excavation at the site and researchers hope more discoveries will be made under the Egyptian sands.
Egyptian Christians trace their ...Egyptologists get back to work despite continuing tensions
Oct 15th, 2011 at 11:00AM:
Egypt has been in the news again this week with more tensions between the people and the army. What has received less coverage is the fact that Egyptologists are quietly resuming their work after an unwanted vacation. You can't keep a good Egyptologist down, and these folks are busy making discoveries and taking care of the country's fabulous monuments. Old projects are getting back into gear, ...Egyptian Book of the Dead on display at Brooklyn Museum
Sep 29th, 2011 at 6:00PM:
After three years of careful study and restoration, an important version of the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead has gone on display in the Brooklyn Museum.
The Book of the Dead was a collection of prayers, spells, and rituals to help the dead in the afterlife. The book has its roots in prehistoric times. As the civilization in Egypt developed, the prayers and spells became more elaborate. ...Queen Hatshepsut and the case of the poison skin cream
Aug 21st, 2011 at 11:00AM: German archaeologists studying a skin cream once owned by Queen Hatshepsut have found evidence that the female pharaoh may have accidentally poisoned herself.
The tiny bottle, which has an inscription saying it was owned by Hatshepsut, was still partially filled with a substance that the archaeologists subjected to chemical analysis. It included nutmeg and palm oils, commonly used to soothe ...Ancient palace discovered in Sudan
Aug 6th, 2011 at 11:00AM:
Archaeologists digging in the ancient city of Meroë in the Sudan have discovered what they believe is a palace dating to 900 BC.
The team discovered the building under the remains of a later palace. It's believed to be the oldest building yet discovered at the site, which was once the capital of the Kingdom of Kush. Kush had several great cities and exported iron all the way to China. ...Ancient port discovered in Egypt
Jul 30th, 2011 at 12:00PM:
Archaeologists working in Egypt have discovered a harbor on the Red Sea that was used for international trade.
The excavation at Mersa Gawasis has revealed traces of an ancient harbor. It's long been known that the Egyptians traded down the coast of Africa, but the location of their embarkation was unknown. A famous carving at Deir el-Bahari, the temple of Queen Hatshepsut, shows an ...
