Request for a photo of stone shabti from KV58
A request by Dylan Bickerstaffe (www.dylanb.me.uk/wp/): I’m looking for a photo of the stone Shabti figure from KV58 (in the Valley of the Kings), which Geoffrey Martin tells me was on display in the Cairo Museum in a cabinet of selected ‘choice’ items, upstairs near the front. He says it was one of the cabinets [more…]
By Andie
What was on this platform at Medinet Habu?
James Whitfield would like to know if the platform in the photo was the site where a statue might have been located, or even perhaps the location of a throne of Ramses III. It is adjacent to the place that John Romer described as the royal bath. You can click the image to see the [more…]
Book Review: Description de l’Egypte (Taschen 25th Anniversary Series)
Description de l’Egypte, Gilles Neret, Taschen 25th Anniversary Series (paperback edition), 2007. If you are interested in the images contained in Description de l’Egypte, the book produced by Napoleon’s “savants”, and particularly the illustrations of Pharaonic Egypt, this is a very good place to start. If you want an in-depth analysis of the background to Description, its purpose and a good sample of all the original sections and topics then you may be disappointed. [more…]
Sheep in Egypt?
Jerry Unterman asks: I’m very curious about the status of sheep in Egypt from about 1600-1100 BCE. Were sheep used for sacrifices? Were they taboo for any reason? Did people eat them regularly? Did they have some special religious status? Were they identified as representing any deities (I am aware of Khnum)? Thanks for any [more…]
By Kate
Egyptological launches
Saturday 16th April, 2011 – After several months of development Kate Phizackerley and Andrea Byrnes are very pleased to announce that we are ready to invite writers and photographers to contribute to the first issue of our free online magazine, Egytpological. Please feel free to explore the site, look at our sample content and get [more…]
By Andie
Learning or want to learn hieroglyphs?
My knowledge of hieroglyphs is far beyond beginner but probably just short of intermediate. When I work on my flashcards I get to a point where I can walk around Egyptian temples and tombs and UK museums and translate texts very happily. The moment I slack, however, I forget just enough to make it a [more…]
By Andie
How is your knowledge of hieroglyphs?
We are excited that we support the display of hieroglyphs on Egyptological. We are wondering how we should use this. Would you be interested in some introductory courses for example; or maybe somebody would like to use the functionality to write a Journal article about particular texts? You can also use them within comments. It [more…]
By Kate
Book Review: Royal Women of Amarna
Although the Royal Women of Amarna is usually credited to Dorothea Arnold, it was in fact written by a panel of authors who each contributed a section: James P Allen’s contribution is a very short chapter on Atenism, The Religion of Amarna L Green wrote a somewhat longer Who’s Who? of the Amarna period Dorothy [more…]
Book Review: The Ancient Egyptian Books of the Afterlife
The Ancient Egyptian Books of the Afterlife by Erik Hornung (Translated by David Lorton) Cornell University Press ISBN-13: 978-0801485152 Originally written in German, this book is such a valuable source of information about ancient Egytian funerary texts that it was translated into English by David Lorton for publication by Cornell University Press. The funerary texts [more…]
Book Review: House of Eternity – The Tomb of Nefertari
House of Eternity - The Tomb of Nefertari by John K. McDonald Thames and Hudson ISBN: 9780500279243. The tomb of Nefertari, wife of Ramesses II, is arguably the most beautiful of the New Kingdom tombs in Egypt, with its glorious scenes painted in vivid and vibrant colours on a pure white background. The lovely queen, [more…]
Who is the KV55 mummy?
In her article DNA Shows that KV55 Mummy Probably Not Akhenaten on News From the Valley of the Kings, Kate Phizackerley explains why she believe the DNA evidence points to the KV55 mummy not being Akhenaten, contrary to the views of Dr Hawass. Joyce Filer who has examined the skeleton also believes it shows a [more…]
By Kate
Eye of Ra, Eye of Horus
Introduction. The Eye of Ra, Eye of Horus and wedjat eye are all different names given to representations of eyes with similar distinctive markings which appear throughout Ancient Egypt on tomb and temple surfaces, on objects and in the form of jewellery and amulets. The underlying beliefs and ideas associated with these representations are often confusing, particularly given that the different forms of the eye are not always well characterized and distinguished from each other. [more…]
A beginner’s guide to dating the Predynastic – Part 2
Introduction. The topic of relative dating was dealt with in Part 1, a previous post. A relative sequence was available for the period between the Badarian and the period when unification was thought to have taken place. However, although this sequence has formed the framework for all other sequences, no calendar dates were available. [more…]
Topos and Mimesis – Ancient Egyptian perceptions of Ethnicity.
Introduction. Two recent books have included papers dealing with the topic of Ancient Egyptian perceptions of ethnicity: Schneider, T. 2010, Foreigners in Egypt: Archaeological Evidence and Cultural Context (in Wendrich 2010, p. 143-164) and Smith, S. T., 2007, Ethnicity and Culture (in Wilkinson 2007, p. 218-241). Both authors address the latest anthropological and archaeological literature on ethnicity and both use excavated frontier settlements as case studies. [more…]
Book Review: Treasures of Ancient Egypt – From the Egyptian Museum in Cairo
Treasures of Ancient Egypt: From the Egyptian Museum in Cairo By Alessandro Bongioanni Paperback ISBN-13: 978-8854401853 For anyone planning to visit or re-visit the Egyptian Museum in Cairo this book is an invaluable resource and would make a good souvenir. The book has been produced to very high standards. The excellent photographs by Araldo De [more…]
Book Review: The Complete Valley of the Kings
The Complete Valley of the Kings – by Nicholas Reeves and Richard H Wilkinson. There is a small stack of books sat beneath my work table. The paperback edition of the Complete Valley of the Kings by Nicholas Reeves and Richard H Wilkinson has a deserved place in that privileged stack. It’s a very nice book, first published in hardback in 1996. The paperback didn’t appear until 2008. More recent books would have all photos in colour. [more…]
A beginner’s guide to dating the Predynastic – Part 1.
Introduction. Predynastic chronology may not be the stuff of glossy magazines and coffee-table books and for those trying to get to grips with it, it can prove to be a challenge. Many people trying to understand how the Predynastic fits together have commented on the apparently conflicting dates for the earlier Predynastic period in various different books. [more…]