Edition - May, 2012
Colloquium Overview: Recent Archaeological Fieldwork in Sudan
By Patricia Spencer. The 2012 all-day colloquium of the Sudan Archaeological Research Society (http://www.sudarchrs.org.uk/) was held in the Stevenson Auditorium of the British Museum on Monday 14 May. This annual event concentrates on presenting up-to-the-minute reports of archaeological fieldwork, both that carried out by SARS itself and by other expeditions, British, Sudanese and from elsewhere, working in Sudan. [more…]
Predynastic narratives at the Ashmolean Museum
The Ashmolean, in Oxford U.K. has recently refurbished all of its Egyptian galleries. Anyone unlucky enough to have spoken with me in the last few days will know that I took the wrong lens with me to the Ashmolean last week, meaning that most of my photographs are absolutely useless (lenses purchased for architecture [more…]
Qustul Cemetery L (Nubia) Incense burner by Jac Strijbos
We normally produce albums of five or more photos but these are so stunning that we were delighted to publish this gorgeous threesome! Jac Strijobs drew these marvelous pen and ink illustrations in 1986. Found in an elite tomb in the Nubian A-Group Cemetery L at Qustul, the incense burner consists of Egyptian [more…]
By Jac Strijbos
Wooden figures from the Tomb of Horemheb in the Valley of the Kings
As we have been on a bit of a roll with Horemheb in the Albums recently, I thought that it might be of interest to add these photographs of objects from the tomb of Horemheb in the Valley of the Kings (as opposed to his earlier tomb in Saqqara). The objects are on display [more…]
Photos of Karnak Temple by Glyn Morris
Many thanks to Glyn, who has already provided us with some great photos of Karnak and the Temple of Seti I, for some unusual views of the temple (with captions), some taken from elevated positions that most of us don’t get the opportunity to enjoy. Karnak is often quite confusing on the ground and [more…]
By Glyn Morris
Reliefs from the Tomb of Horemheb in Leiden Museum by Yvonne Buskens
Thanks very much to Yvonne for adding to our collection of photos from the Tomb of Horemheb in Saqqara, started by Kate Gingell and continued by James Whitfield in his album, split into parts one and two. The Rijksmuseum van Oudheden in Leiden in the Netherlands has an excellent Egyptology collection, where these [more…]
The Saqqara tomb of Horemheb by James Whitfield, Part 2
This is the second album of photographs provided by James, to complete his wonderful set from the tomb of Horemheb at Saqqara. I have not yet managed to arrive in Luxor at the right time to see Horemheb’s later tomb in the Valley of the Kings, but if I had been him [more…]
The Saqqara tomb of Horemheb by James Whitfield, Part 1
Many thanks to James Whitfield for supplying so many great photos of the tomb of the pharaoh Horemheb in Saqqara. A second set will be posted soon. There is an excellent overview of the tomb on the Osirisnet website. Horemheb was a senior army general of the 18th Dynasty who succeeded Tutankhamun and Ay [more…]
The Akhmenu, Hall of Sokar by Glyn Morris
Many thanks to Glyn for this collection of photos of the Hall of Sokar in the Akhmenu at the Temple of Karnak. The Akhmenu is described on Digital Karnak: http://dlib.etc.ucla.edu/projects/Karnak/feature/Akhmenu Glyn’s previous Album of photographs of the Akhmenu can be found at: http://www.egyptological.com/2011/09/photos-of-the-akhmenu-by-glyn-morris-5506 [more…]
By Glyn Morris
Recent Issue with Newsfeeds / Comments – Resolved
The site news feeds have recently been acting up. Our apologies. You might wish to visit to check on the latest content in case your newsreader missed any of the recent posts. The problem has been traced to a plugin called Hyper Cache Extended which has now been removed. We have reverted back to the [more…]
By Kate
Headrests in Brighton Museum, Sussex, England
Brighton Musuem in Sussex has a nice little Egypt collection on display (and an even greater collection in storage). I will draft and article some time soon to give more details and to encourage visits. In the meantime, here are images of the four wooden Egyptian headrests on display – with apologies to Barbara O’Neill [more…]
Editorial: Egyptological Magazine Edition 5
We aim to bring you a new edition of the Magazine every two or three months but Edition 5 is published less than 6 weeks after Edition 4 as Egyptological goes from strength to strength. Headlining this edition, experienced writer Barbara O’Neill demonstrates a new talent as a journalist. Her interview of Dr Joyce Tyldesley [more…]
Egyptologically Speaking: An Interview with Joyce Tyldesley
In February 2012, Dr. Joyce Tyldesley announced the latest in the University’s impressive portfolio of online courses. The Diploma in Egyptology is set to receive its first intake of students in October; some (not all) will be tech-savvy graduates of previous Tyldesley-designed distance Egyptology. Recently, this busy academic took some time out to discuss Manchester’s pioneering online Egyptology programmes [more…]
Ancient Egyptian Religion, Part 5 — The Mansion of Millions of Years
A series of articles like this, or a book, lecture or Egyptology course, could be focused on Egyptian art, architecture, history, culture, politics, sociology, medicine or virtually anything, and still be about Egyptian religion. Conversely, this series on religion is likewise about everything else. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, and in ancient Egypt, the tree is religion. In this installment, we will follow the deceased king into his his eternal home, the “Mansion of Millions of Years,” and begin to explore the meanings there — the ideas expressed in architecture. In Part 6, we will continue with a look at the grave goods, art and words that perpetuate life in the world beyond. The immediate purpose is to see the correspondences between Old Kingdom and New Kingdom tombs as they reflect religious ideology. [more…]
By Brian Alm
The Mestekawi-Foggini Cave, Gilf Kebir
The Mestekawi-Foggini cave in the western Gilf Kebir, on the Egyptian side of the Libyan border, is a stunning collection of prehistoric images in a rock shelter at the top of a steep sand dune. It was discovered in 2003. The images include scenes of people carrying out activities, a family scene, domesticated and wild animals (including ostrich and giraffe, remains of which have been found in the area), negative hand prints and strange headless beasts. Colours are range from reds and yellows to pure whites. It is a vibrant canvas, full of competing scenes. [more…]
Life on Mars: The Gilf Kebir, Zerzura and the Cave of Swimmers
Rising 300m above the desert floor, and covering an area the size of Switzerland, the Gilf Kebir is one of the most arid and inhospitable places in the Sahara. Located in the Egyptian desert, near the Libyan border a 100km north of Sudan, it shares a latitude with Abu Simbel. For over 100,000 years the Gilf Kebir was home to generations of hunters, followed by two thousand years of use by nomadic herders. It was only re-discovered in 1926, and since then it has been the subject of numerous expeditions for exploration, archaeological and geological investigation and, more recently, tourism. Very remote and arid it remained an almost pristine landscape until recent decades, perfect for field research. Even NASA researchers have studied the Gilf Kebir to evaluate conditions that might prevail on Mars. [more…]
Arthur Weigall: A Man Out of Time – Part 2
As we saw in Part 1, in spite of his lack of a formal education Arthur Weigall pursued the role of archaeological excavator, achieving his dream of working in Egypt. Although his initial achievements were minimal, he was promoted to the position of an Inspector in Egypt, a role he took on with energy and dedication. He was fiercely protective of monuments from Luxor to Nubia, often falling into dispute with the authorities and wealthy patrons over the importance of preservation through proper archaeological technique. [more…]
By Garry Beuk
Book Review: Egyptian Myth – A Very Short Introduction
Williams reviews Egyptian Myth – A Very Short Introduction by Geraldin Pinch. Pinch has a formidable task. In 125 pages, Pinch outlines the framework within which Egyptian myths are contextualised before outlining the mythology itself. Such a brief book could have been facile but instead Williams is impressed by Pinch’s achievement. He explains why. [more…]
Sleep and the Sleeping in Ancient Egypt
A recent exhibition on East African headrests indicates that their use represents different levels of symbolic meaning, from marking the significant transition from youth to adulthood, to the more practical function of protecting elaborate hairstyles during sleep; still a factor in the use of headrests in some African tribes today (Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge; ‘Triumph, protection and dreams: The East African headrest in context’). Headrests have an iconographical status throughout the African continent and are a recognisable feature of ancient Egyptian culture. The act of sleeping itself is the subject of myth, ritual and superstition interwoven within the religion which permeated all aspects of this complex civilization. Headrests, sleep and dreams are interrelated within Egyptian ideology. Was the Egyptian headrest a purely symbolic object; a funerary essential; an everyday domestic object or an item which fits all of those descriptions? In the following article I will explore aspects of sleep in ancient Egypt, from the headrests used in the act of sleeping, to complex meaning surrounding dreams. [more…]
Valley of the Kings from the Theban Hills by Heidi Kontkanen – Part 2
Here is the second half of a set of photographs Heidi Kontkanen took in the Theban Hills just before Christmas 2011 looking down into the Valley of the Kings – the only way one is allowed to take photos these days. She also has one of the Valley of the Queens – those are even [more…]