Egyptian Archaeological News - General

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Retired Army General Wants Egypt's St. Catherine's Monastery Demolished

Ahmed Ragai Attiya says that the historic UNESCO site in South Sinai poses a threat to Egypt's national security, after the monks turned it into 'a place for foreigners'

Sherry El-Gergawi, Sunday 13 Apr 2014

"A retired army general says he has filed a court case pushing for Egypt's historic Saint Catherine's Monastery to be demolished and its Greek monks deported on the grounds that they pose a threat to national security.

In May 2012, Ahmed Ragai Attiya obtained 71 administrative orders regarding the demolition of the monastery's multiple churches, monk cells, gardens and other places of interest on the grounds, which he claims were all built in 2006 and thus not historic, according to Ihab Ramzy, the monastery's lawyer.

However, in an interview with private channel ONTV on Thursday, Attiya said that he has now used the 71 orders to file an official demolition suit with Ismailiya's Administrative Court against the monastery and 10 of the Egyptian authorities concerned, including the president, ministers of tourism and antiquities and the governor of South Sinai, where Saint Catherine's is located.

In the same ONTV interview, Attiya levelled a host of accusations against the monastery's monks, alleging that they have changed the names of landmarks in the surrounding area and tried to hide an underground water source known as Moses' Well (Oyun Moussa)."

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Two Saiti Tombs Unearthed Near Egypt's Minya

Two 26th Dynasty tombs have been discovered at Al-Bahnasa archaeological site in Middle Egypt, containing mummies, coins and even mummified fish

Ahram Online , Sunday 20 Apr 2014

"A Spanish-Egyptian team has uncovered two 26th Dynasty tombs during excavation work at Al-Bahnasa archaeological site in Minya."

Al-Bahnasa was known in the ancient Egyptian era as the town of Pr-Medjet, developing in the Graeco-Roman period to be the city of Oxyrhynchus.

According to a statement by the Ministry of Antiquities, the first tomb belongs to a scribe whose his name is not yet identified but was important, having influence on Egypt’s cultural sphere. The tomb houses some of his funerary collection. A bronze inkwell and two small bamboo pens were found beside the deceased’s mummy, which is in a very good state of preservation."

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Spanish Team Finds Hidden 'Tomb of Jesus'

Published: 25 Apr 2014 12:05 GMT+02:00
Updated: 25 Apr 2014 12:05 GMT+02:00

Spanish Egyptologists have discovered what could be one of the oldest images of Jesus Christ, painted on the walls of a mysterious underground structure deep in an ancient Egyptian tomb.

"A team of Catalan archaeologists have returned from the ancient Egyptian city of Oxyrhynchus after uncovering a mystery underground structure in buried tombs which date from the 6th and 7th centuries.

It is reportedly decorated with Coptic images — or paintings by a group who number among the earliest Christians — and may contain one of the earliest-known representations of Jesus Christ.

The head of the expedition, Josep Padró, who has spent over 20 years excavating sites in the area, described the discovery to La Vanguardia newspaper as "exceptional".

It has caused such as stir that even Egypt's Minister of Antiquities, Mohamed Ibrahim, has become personally involved.

He broke the news himself in a press release which described the contents of the tombs, which are believed to have belonged to a well-known writer and a family of priests."

 

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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 28-Apr-2014

Contact: Olivia Poisson

University of Basel

Basel Egyptologists Identify Tomb of Royal Children

"Who had the privilege to spend eternal life next to the pharaoh? Close to the royal tombs in the Egyptian Valley of the Kings, excavations by Egyptologists from the University of Basel have identified the burial place of several children as well as other family members of two pharaohs.

Basel Egyptologists of the University of Basel Kings' Valley Project have been working on tomb KV 40 in the Valley of the Kings close to the city of Luxor for three years. From the outside, only a depression in the ground indicated the presence of a subterranean tomb. Up to now, nothing was known about the layout of tomb KV 40 nor for whom it was build and who was buried there.

The Egyptologists assumed that it was a non-royal tomb dating back to the 18th dynasty. They first cleared the six meter deep shaft which gives access to five subterranean chambers and then recovered the countless remains and fragments of funerary equipment."

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Ancient Egyptians Transported Pyramid Stones Over Wet Sand

April 30, 2014, 2014/17

Physicists from the FOM Foundation and the University of Amsterdam have discovered that the ancient Egyptians used a clever trick to make it easier to transport heavy pyramid stones by sledge. The Egyptians moistened the sand over which the sledge moved. By using the right quantity of water they could halve the number of workers needed. The researchers published this discovery online on 29 April 2014 in Physical Review Letters.

"For the construction of the pyramids, the ancient Egyptians had to transport heavy blocks of stone and large statues across the desert. The Egyptians therefore placed the heavy objects on a sledge that workers pulled over the sand. Research from the University of Amsterdam has now revealed that the Egyptians probably made the desert sand in front of the sledge wet. Experiments have demonstrated that the correct amount of dampness in the sand halves the pulling force required."

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Lead on Alexander the Great’s Tomb is a Hoax!

by Nikoleta Kalmouki - Apr 30, 2014

"A few days ago, different online sources claimed that a team of archaeologists and historians from the Polish Center of Archaeology had found the tomb of Alexander the Great. They described it as a mausoleum made of marble and gold that might be the tomb of Alexander the Great. The alleged site is in an area known as Kom el-Dikka in the heart of downtown Alexandria, only 60 meters away from the Mosque of Nebi Daniel."

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Mysterious Buried Artifacts Discovered in Egypt's Valley of the Kings

By Owen Jarus, Live Science Contributor | May 01, 2014 08:03am ET

"Four deposits of artifacts possibly buried as a ritual act of sorts before the construction of a tomb have been discovered in Egypt's Valley of the Kings.

The so-called foundation deposits, arranged in a boxlike shape, contain a mix of artifacts, including the head of a cow, a vase painted in blue and flint blades that have wooden handles that are still preserved after more than three millennia.

The Valley of the Kings was used to bury Egyptian royalty during the New Kingdom (1550 – 1070 B.C.) period. The discovery was made in its "western valley," an area sometimes called the "valley of the monkeys" after a scene depicting 12 baboons was discovered in one of its tombs."

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More on:

Solved! How Ancient Egyptians Moved Massive Pyramid Stones

By Denise Chow, Sci-Tech Editor | May 01, 2014 02:30pm ET

"The ancient Egyptians who built the pyramids may have been able to move massive stone blocks across the desert by wetting the sand in front of a contraption built to pull the heavy objects, according to a new study.

Physicists at the University of Amsterdam investigated the forces needed to pull weighty objects on a giant sled over desert sand, and discovered that dampening the sand in front of the primitive device reduces friction on the sled, making it easier to operate. The findings help answer one of the most enduring historical mysteries: how the Egyptians were able to accomplish the seemingly impossible task of constructing the famous pyramids."

 

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5,600-year-old Tomb Found in Egypt

AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE

Published — Thursday 8 May 2014

CAIRO: "Archaeologists in southern Egypt have discovered a 5,600-year-old preserved tomb and mummy predating the First Dynasty of the pharaohs, the antiquities ministry said Wednesday.

The tomb was built before the rule of king Narmer, the founder of the First Dynasty who unified Upper and Lower Egypt in the 31th century BC, the ministry said in a statement."

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Tomb Dating Back to 1100 B.C. Found in Egypt

By LAURA DEAN, Associated Press

Updated 11:51 am, Thursday, May 8, 2014

CAIRO (AP) — "Archeologists have found a tomb dating back to around 1100 B.C. south of Cairo, Egypt's Antiquities Ministry said Thursday.

Antiquities Minister Mohamed Ibrahim said that the tomb belongs to a guard of the army archives and royal messenger to foreign countries. Ibrahim said the Cairo University Faculty of Archaeology's discovery at Saqqara adds "a chapter to our knowledge about the history of Saqqara."

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Tiny Egyptian Mummy Confirmed by CT Scan to be Baby's Remains

By Mary-Ann Russon

May 8, 2014 14:24 GMT

"A tiny Egyptian mummy, once thought to be fake because it was inscribed with meaningless hieroglyphics, has now been revealed by a CT scan to contain human remains, proving that it is probably a mummified baby.

The tiny mummy, known as W1013, is part of the Wellcome collection at Swansea University's Egypt Centre, which houses 5,000 Egyptian artefacts collected by Sir Henry Solomon Wellcome, a 19th century pharmacist and archaeologist.

Measuring 52cm long, the mummy is wrapped in a case made of cartonnage, i.e. layers of linen that have been stiffened with plaster or glue, but the inscriptions on the front and back of the mummy are mock hieroglyphic symbols. This has caused controversy since the mummy came to the museum in 1971, fuelling debates about whether or not it is a fake."

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What Did Ancient Egyptians Really Eat?

Alexander Hellemans, ISNS Contributor | May 08, 2014 12:22pm ET

ISNS) - "Did the ancient Egyptians eat like us? If you're a vegetarian, tucking in along the Nile thousands of years ago would have felt just like home.

In fact, eating lots of meat is a recent phenomenon. In ancient cultures vegetarianism was much more common, except in nomadic populations. Most sedentary populations ate fruit and vegetables.

Although previous sources found the ancient Egyptians to be pretty much vegetarians, until this new research it wasn't possible to find out the relative amounts of the different foods they ate. Was their daily bread really daily? Did they binge on eggplants and garlic? Why didn't someone spear a fish?"

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Climate Change Caused Empire's Fall, Tree Rings Reveal

May 15, 2014 by Linda B. Glaser

(Phys.org) — "A handful of tree ring samples stored in an old cigar box have shed unexpected light on the ancient world, thanks to research by archaeologist Sturt Manning and collaborators at Cornell, Arizona, Chicago, Oxford and Vienna, forthcoming in the June issue of the Journal of Archaeological Science."

The samples were taken from an Egyptian coffin; Manning also examined wood from funeral boats buried near the pyramid of Sesostris III. He used a technique called "dendro radiocarbon wiggle matching," which calibrates radiocarbon isotopes found in the sample tree rings with patterns known from other places in the world that have already identified chronologies, such as the long European oak chronology or the bristle cone pine trees of North America.

Because the dating was so precise – plus or minus about 10 years – it helps confirm that the "higher" Egyptian chronology for the time period is correct, a question scholars have hotly debated.

But the samples also showed a small, unusual anomaly following the year 2200 B.C. Paleoclimate research has suggested a major short-term arid event about this time."

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Funeral Relics of Pharaonic Singer Unearthed at Saqqara Necropolis

Three painted sarcophagi belonging to an Ancient Egyptian singer have been unearthed at Saqqara

Nevine El-Aref, Saturday 17 May 2014

During excavation works carried out in Bastet cemetery at the Saqqara necropolis just outside Cairo, French archaeologists stumbled upon three wooden sarcophagi belonging to Ta-Ekht, a singer in a sacred choir in the 18th dynasty period (1543–1292 BC).

 

Mohamed Ibrahim, the antiquities minister, said that the sarcophagi were found inside each other. The outer sarcophagus is a little deteriorated while the middle and inner ones are well-preserved.

Ibrahim told Ahram Online on Saturday that the sarcophagi were unearthed during excavation works at the tomb of the daughter of 18th dynasty pharaoh Akhenaten, Maya, who was known as Meritee Atun.

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Long-Lost Mummy of Pharaoh's Foster Brother Found

MAY 23, 2014 10:00 AM ET // BY ROSSELLA LORENZI

"The mummy of the pharaoh Amenhotep II's foster brother may have been found in a former monastery, according to archival research into 19th-century documents.

The mummy, now reduced to a skeleton, is believed to be that of Qenamun, the chief steward of Amenhotep II (about 1427–1400 B.C.) who was the 7th Pharaoh of Egypt's 18th Dynasty and likely Tutankhamun's great-great-grandfather.

Qenamun was effectively Amenhotep II's foster brother, as his mother, Amenemipet, was the chief royal nurse of the future king. The two grew up together and the bond endured in adult life, with Qenamun enjoying a high and powerful status."

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Of Interest?
 
Egypt’s Looted Antiquities

By ERIN THOMPSON

MAY 30, 2014

"Since 2011, Egypt’s police force and other governmental authorities, overwhelmed by political upheaval, have let their protection of the country’s thousands of archaeological sites and museums fall to a bare minimum. Looters have taken full advantage of this opportunity.

More than a thousand objects were stolen from the Malawi National Museum in Minya last year and satellite photographs show some 10,000 hastily dug looting pits cratering the country’s archaeological sites. In some places, more organized gangs of looters have used dynamite and bulldozers to uncover and steal antiquities under the protection of guards armed with automatic weapons.

In response, the Egyptian government has attempted to stanch the flow of antiquities to the United States, which has some of the highest demand for these artifacts. In 2013, America imported more than $10 million worth of Egyptian antiquities — a 105 percent increase from 2012. The Egyptian government requested a bilateral agreement under America’s Convention on Cultural Property Implementation Act. If the State Department approves the request after an advisory committee meets next week, United States Customs agents will be responsible for seizing Egyptian antiquities that cross illegally over the border."

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Spanish Archaeologists Find 9 Mummies in Egypt

EGYPT ARCHAEOLOGY | 02 de junio de 2014

Spanish archaeologists find 9 mummies in Egypt Ampliar

Cairo, Jun 2 (EFE).- "Spanish experts have discovered an intact funeral chamber containing nine mummies in the tomb of governor Haqaib III, which dates back to the Middle Kingdom (2050-1750 B.C.), in the southern Egyptian city of Aswan.

The team has found the tomb of a Middle Kingdom governor for the first time in 100 years, project director Alejandro Jimenez told Efe."

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4,000 Year Old royal Tomb Discovered in Luxor

Daily News Egypt

June 15, 2014

The Spanish expedition in collaboration with the Ministry of Antiquities has made a new discovery in Upper Egypt

By Menna Zaki

"Spanish archaeologists, in collaboration with the Ministry of Antiquities, have discovered a new tomb in Luxor dating back to the era of the 11th dynasty (2046 BC – 1991 BC), Minister of Antiquities Mohamed Ibrahim announced in an official statement on Monday.

The minister pointed out that the discovery belongs to one of the high-ranking statesmen and officials that used to live during the time of the 11th dynasty.

According to AFP, the tomb was discovered during the excavations done by the Spanish archaeologists in Abu Deraa. Ali Al- Asfar, an official in the ministry, said that the tomb contained pottery and utensils that were used during the 17th dynasty as well, which suggests that the tomb was reused in that period."

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Remains of 'End of the World' Epidemic Found in Ancient Egypt

By Owen Jarus, Live Science Contributor | June 16, 2014 07:42am ET

"Archaeologists have uncovered the remains of an epidemic in Egypt so terrible that one ancient writer believed the world was coming to an end.

Working at the Funerary Complex of Harwa and Akhimenru in the west bank of the ancient city of Thebes (modern-day Luxor) in Egypt, the team of the Italian Archaeological Mission to Luxor (MAIL) found bodies covered with a thick layer of lime (historically used as a disinfectant). The researchers also found three kilns where the lime was produced, as well as a giant bonfire containing human remains, where many of the plague victims were incinerated.

Pottery remains found in the kilns allowed researchers to date the grisly operation to the third century A.D., a time when a series of epidemics now dubbed the "Plague of Cyprian" ravaged the Roman Empire, which included Egypt. Saint Cyprian was a bishop of Carthage (a city in Tunisia) who described the plague as signaling the end of the world. [See Photos of the Remains of Plague Victims & Thebes Site]"
 
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Polish Scientists Will Study the Climate of Egypt Thousands of Years Ago

16.06.2014

HISTORY&CULTURE

"Eight several metres deep boreholes in northern Egypt have been drilled by a team of Polish scientists led by Prof. Leszek Marks of the Faculty of Geology, University of Warsaw. Detailed analysis of the obtained cores will allow the reconstruction of climate in this area over the last 10,000 years.

Drilling was carried out in February in the area of Lakes Edku, Borolus and Mariout in the northern Nile Delta. Articularly important, however, will be the analyses of geological cores from the Fayoum Oasis - from the southern shore part of Lake Moeris (Birket Qarun), as these cores have provided interesting information.

Previous researchers have made a number of geological drillings in the area, but without analysis as detailed as planned by the Polish team. Now, from only 8 cores researchers have collected more than 1,000 samples. Some of them will be tested in Polish laboratories by specialists in various fields of science.

"No one has ever obtained similarly complete cores from this area, or subjected them to such a detailed analysis. Therefore, the results of our project will be crucial for the reconstruction of the natural environment in Egypt, also with regard to research on the history of Egyptian civilization" - explained project coordinator, Dr. Fabian Welc of the Institute of Archaeology, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw."

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Polish Archaeologists Found Tombs Dating Back Four Thousand Years in Egypt

20.06.2014

HISTORY&CULTURE

"A team of Polish archaeologists discovered tombs from the early second millennium BC and unknown pharaonic carvings in Gebelein in Upper Egypt. It was a part of rescue studies associated with the devastation caused by the widening range of fields and settlements.

Gebelein is a complex of archaeological sites approximately 30 km south-west of Luxor. More than 5 thousand years ago it was a capital of one of the proto-states, which preceded the state of the pharaohs. The first European archaeologists came here at the end of the nineteenth century, but over the last few decades scientists seldom studied this area and did not publish the results of their research. Therefore, it is not well recognized. The name "Gebelein" means "two hills" in Arabic. It comes from the characteristic element of the local landscape - two hills. On the east hill there once was a temple of the goddess Hathor and a fortress.

"At the foot of the rocky hill we tracked down another place of worship of the goddess Hathor - sanctuary carved into the rock, with reliefs preserved on the walls. So far, the site has only been mentioned in the scientific literature and basically no one knows anything about it" - explained Wojciech Ejsmond, leader of the expedition.

Hathor was the goddess the ancient Egyptians usually associated with singing, dancing, love, and death. However, scientists know little about the cult of Hathor in Gebelein, the location of the oldest known temple of the goddess."

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Wrocław Archaeologists Discovered Unknown Structures in Egypt

23.06.2014

HISTORY&CULTURE

"A team of scientists from the Institute of Archaeology, University of Wrocław discovered an about 4 thousand years old burial chapel with partially preserved equipment in one of the ancient necropolises in the area of Luxor in Upper Egypt.

The discovery was made in the yard of the rock tomb of an important pharaonic official - Horhotep in the Asasif necropolis adjacent to the famous Hatshepsut temple in Deir el-Bahri. The deceased lived during the reign of the pharaohs Amenemhat I and Senweseret I of the 12th dynasty.

"This is the first known deposit of monuments of this type known from the period of the Middle Kingdom (2055 - 1773 BC). Within the surviving fragments of walls built of dried mud bricks we discovered a fragment of limestone altar where sacrifices were offered and where ancients prayed. We found dozens of shattered pottery pieces, in which the family of the deceased had brought gifts for the deceased"- explains Patryk Chudzik, head of research."

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Remains of Ancient City Found in the Nile Delta

Posted by TANNArchaeoHeritage, Archaeology,

7:00 PM

"During a magnetic archaeological survey under the Nile, 25km south of Rashid (Rosetta), a complete Roman city has been located.

The survey revealed that the city includes several structures including a huge rectangular building which archaeologists suggest could have been used for administrative or religious activities. Part of the city is dated to the Hellenistic period and others to the late Hellenistic period and the beginning of the Roman era."

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Original Article @ AhramOnLine:

Roman City Located Near Rosetta
 

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King Mentuhotep II's Chapel Unearthed in Sohag

A well preserved limestone chapel from the reign of the 11th Dynasty king Mentuhotep II has been unearthed in Sohag

Nevine El-Aref , Wednesday 2 Jul 2014

"At the Arabet Abydos area in Sohag, where the large temple of King Seti I is located, an Egyptian excavation mission from the Ministry of Antiquities and Heritage (MAH) stumbled upon a limestone ancient Egyptian chapel from the 11th Dynasty.

The excavation work came within the framework of a cleaning programme carried out by the MAH in that area, after officers of the tourism and antiquities police caught red handed inhabitants trying to illegally excavate the area in front their residences in search of treasured artefacts."

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Scientists are Studying Mummies from the Temple of Hatshepsut

07.07.2014 HISTORY&CULTURE

"Scientists from the Polish-Egyptian Archaeological and Preservation Mission at the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari are using computed tomography and X-ray to study more than 2.5 thousand years old mummies of the priests of the god Montu - told PAP Zbigniew E. Szafranski, director of the Research Station of the Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology of the University of Warsaw in Cairo.

The project began in May. The first mummies, which are currently stored in the Luxor Museum, have already been scanned. The next activities are planned in Cairo, at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC) and the Egyptian Museum."

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