News keeps rolling in from Egypt. To provide photos and videos of the damage within the Cairo Museum, please visit:
http://hyperallergic.com/17815/egyptian-museum-damage/
It would seem that Tutankhamun's objects have not been spared. Let me point out immediately that no upstanding Egyptian citizen is responsible and these reports should not be seen as a reason to avoid Egypt or make wild assumptions of any kind.
Other museums and sites within Egypt are in genuine danger. I have heard about a human shield outside the Cairo Museum and tanks protecting Luxor and Karnak Temple. Looting in Saqqara, escaped convicts on the run, dozens dead.........
Lets hope that Egypt can get back to some form of normality soon and we are able to concentrate on all things ancient again.
Regards,
Stuart
Sunday, 30 January 2011
Saturday, 29 January 2011
Egypt Unrest
Many, many reports are providing information which tells us that Egypt is suffering due to political unrest. I am currently on CNN and the more i hear, the harder it is to take in. Protests, fires, looting and the loss of lives.
I wish to offer all of those in Egypt, especially Cairo and Alexandria my best wishes.
Jane Akshar (Luxor)
Hekat and Priest of Hekat from Egyptian Dreams (forum).
To all of you - and every other innocent in Egypt including the very many holidaymakers, shopkeepers, emergency services - i wish for a quick end to the chaos.
Damage has been done in the Cairo Museum. So far none of the artifacts have been confirmed as stolen. Whilst this is good news, some people have lost their lives. My heart goes out to the families of those caught up in all of this.
Regards,
Stuart
Since writing this - i have been able to find a link, which state that artifacts have been damaged inside the Cairo Museum:
http://egyptology.blogspot.com/2011/01/another-update.html
(Thanks Andrea for the information)
from her blog, you will see a report from Kate Phizackerley about Tut's relics. Very bad news indeed.
I wish to offer all of those in Egypt, especially Cairo and Alexandria my best wishes.
Jane Akshar (Luxor)
Hekat and Priest of Hekat from Egyptian Dreams (forum).
To all of you - and every other innocent in Egypt including the very many holidaymakers, shopkeepers, emergency services - i wish for a quick end to the chaos.
Damage has been done in the Cairo Museum. So far none of the artifacts have been confirmed as stolen. Whilst this is good news, some people have lost their lives. My heart goes out to the families of those caught up in all of this.
Regards,
Stuart
Since writing this - i have been able to find a link, which state that artifacts have been damaged inside the Cairo Museum:
http://egyptology.blogspot.com/2011/01/another-update.html
(Thanks Andrea for the information)
from her blog, you will see a report from Kate Phizackerley about Tut's relics. Very bad news indeed.
Saturday, 22 January 2011
Hatshepsut - Foundation Deposits
http://www.britishmuseum.org/collectionimages/AN00418/AN00418471_001_l.jpg
Foundation deposits have been found in abundance at Deir el Bahri. Essentially each one is a little time- capsule, buried in the foundations at key points during the various phases of building.
What they tell us about Deir el Bahri is very important. I cannot say for sure why foundation deposits were deemed necessary, unless looking into the future and the assurance that people would know who was responsible for the commission and building of such a temple.
The example above, from the British Museum is just one of many objects retrieved from Deir el Bahri. It shows a well carved cartouche on a stone, which are aptly called "name stones". The cartouche - Maat Ka Ra is the throne name of Hatshepsut. Unclear, but present on the left hand side of the stone is an inscription which names "Senenmut, Overseer of the Works"
Such information can suggest that the location of this deposit was part of Hatshepsut's own work, under the watchful eye of her most trusted "friend" Senenmut.
From this we can get an idea of when this part of the temple was built (in the lifetimes of both Hatshepsut and Senenmut). Such information would immediately rule out her predecessors and previous Pharaohs when considering who is responsible for the various stages of the development of Hatshepsut's great mortuary temple, "Djeser Djeseru" (Holy of Holy's).
This is only one example of the information we can gain from such artifacts.
Other types of deposits i have seen include: Model tools, scarabs, plaques, baskets and more.
Please visit the following site for more information on foundation deposits and also a reconstruction of a Deir el Bahri foundation deposit:
http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/foundation.htm
Regards,
Stuart
Foundation deposits have been found in abundance at Deir el Bahri. Essentially each one is a little time- capsule, buried in the foundations at key points during the various phases of building.
What they tell us about Deir el Bahri is very important. I cannot say for sure why foundation deposits were deemed necessary, unless looking into the future and the assurance that people would know who was responsible for the commission and building of such a temple.
The example above, from the British Museum is just one of many objects retrieved from Deir el Bahri. It shows a well carved cartouche on a stone, which are aptly called "name stones". The cartouche - Maat Ka Ra is the throne name of Hatshepsut. Unclear, but present on the left hand side of the stone is an inscription which names "Senenmut, Overseer of the Works"
Such information can suggest that the location of this deposit was part of Hatshepsut's own work, under the watchful eye of her most trusted "friend" Senenmut.
From this we can get an idea of when this part of the temple was built (in the lifetimes of both Hatshepsut and Senenmut). Such information would immediately rule out her predecessors and previous Pharaohs when considering who is responsible for the various stages of the development of Hatshepsut's great mortuary temple, "Djeser Djeseru" (Holy of Holy's).
This is only one example of the information we can gain from such artifacts.
Other types of deposits i have seen include: Model tools, scarabs, plaques, baskets and more.
Please visit the following site for more information on foundation deposits and also a reconstruction of a Deir el Bahri foundation deposit:
http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/foundation.htm
Regards,
Stuart
Hatshepsut - Luxor Temple
Luxor Temple - Triple Bark Shrine
Originally uploaded by styler78
Luxor Temple, Luxor, (Upper) Egypt. Having visited this temple, there are many memories. At the time, i didn't know to look out for Hatshepsut. I concentrated on the Obelisk of Ramesses II still standing (one of a pair - the second being gifted to France and now residing in Paris), the remaining statues and random spots, hieroglyphs and the many pigeons which call the temple their home.
The temple itself, which we see today has undergone transformations over the years - both during ancient times and also after the Pharonic period.
When i started this project i noticed that there is a wonderful description and also some terrific information relating to the times of Hatshepsut on the always reliable MaatKaRa Hatshepsut website:
http://www.maat-ka-ra.de/english/start_e.htm
Please follow Monuments> Luxor Temple
Dr Karl Leser's work shows us that the Luxor Temple we see today is not the temple that Hatshepsut would have viewed for herself. We have no descriptions by Hatshepsut of Luxor Temple as it was in her day, but the link above shows that her footprints are present.
The photo itself was taken by my wife, Julie and shows the triple bark (barque) shrine of Ramesses II "The Great". It is in this area of the temple, which interests those of us interested in Hatshepsut's influence. We can also see, behind the shrine, the 1st pylon and Obelisk of Ramesses II.
Regards,
Stuart
Tuesday, 18 January 2011
KV20- Interesting Article by Tim Reid
As you can see from my profile page I am a follower of other blogs. This is how i started in the world of Ancient Egypt. When i find interesting articles (old and new) i am going to post them here, so that you can benefit too.
Tim Reid runs the Egyptians blog. The specific article i have linked to is relating to KV20 and looks at whether or not Thutmose I (Hatshepsut's father) was ever interred in KV20 or not (which seems to have been Hatshepsut's wish). I found it very interesting and hope that you do too.
I will (as promised in 2010) spend time (maybe in a stand alone page on this blog) start linking more to my resources, such as blogs. They are extremely helpful, the information is very frequent and the owners are very helpful and personable. Please feel free to post comments on these blogs. I know from experience that having followers and posters is very encouraging indeed.
I can't beloieve its nearly February- where is the year going?
Regards,
Stuart
Tim Reid runs the Egyptians blog. The specific article i have linked to is relating to KV20 and looks at whether or not Thutmose I (Hatshepsut's father) was ever interred in KV20 or not (which seems to have been Hatshepsut's wish). I found it very interesting and hope that you do too.
I will (as promised in 2010) spend time (maybe in a stand alone page on this blog) start linking more to my resources, such as blogs. They are extremely helpful, the information is very frequent and the owners are very helpful and personable. Please feel free to post comments on these blogs. I know from experience that having followers and posters is very encouraging indeed.
I can't beloieve its nearly February- where is the year going?
Regards,
Stuart
Monday, 10 January 2011
Hatshepsut Project - Challenge Anneke !
Growing up in the 80s and 90s I was a watcher of a TV programme called "Challenge Anneke". The show featured Anneke Rice as a swashbuckling hero (!), who armed with a helicopter, headset, clipboard and pen - she would achieve the impossible to those in need of help - in an impossible timescale.
Well, i needed help. Anneke Rice was sadly unavailable. I needed to present the individual items which the Hatshepsut Project located- in their entirety. My pre- Christmas plea for help was heard by a friend of the Hatshepsut Project, Anneke Bart.
If Anneke's name sounds familiar to you, then she will need no introduction. For those unfamiliar to Anneke, see one my my original posts regarding the 18th Dynasty Family Tree.
Amongst many things, Anneke runs her own site and still finds time to contribute to Wikipedia and is a huge part of the Ancient Egypt discussion forum, Egyptian Dreams, which has also been mentioned on the blog.
Anneke's idea was to make use of Wikiversity to create this:
http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Hatshepsut_Project
Anneke - this is a perfect way to present the information which the Hatshepsut Project accumulates. Thank You, dearly.
I will create an account and start work when i have time. From then on, do not be surprised to see many posts on he progress of the WikiHatshepsutProject.
The Hatshepsut Project problem is behind us. We now have the correct platforms to be able to present Museums, Sites and Artifacts. For this, i am grateful to Anneke. As more and more people take an interest in Ancient Egypt, then so Hatshepsuts light can only shine brighter. Having free resources to hand for future generations is essential. Wiki can be amended by all, so this will not be Annekes project, nor mine. It will truely be a universal project. Open to all.
Here's to 2011 - Who knows where it will take us....Luxor would be nice (wink)
Regards,
Stuart
Well, i needed help. Anneke Rice was sadly unavailable. I needed to present the individual items which the Hatshepsut Project located- in their entirety. My pre- Christmas plea for help was heard by a friend of the Hatshepsut Project, Anneke Bart.
If Anneke's name sounds familiar to you, then she will need no introduction. For those unfamiliar to Anneke, see one my my original posts regarding the 18th Dynasty Family Tree.
Amongst many things, Anneke runs her own site and still finds time to contribute to Wikipedia and is a huge part of the Ancient Egypt discussion forum, Egyptian Dreams, which has also been mentioned on the blog.
Anneke's idea was to make use of Wikiversity to create this:
http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Hatshepsut_Project
Anneke - this is a perfect way to present the information which the Hatshepsut Project accumulates. Thank You, dearly.
I will create an account and start work when i have time. From then on, do not be surprised to see many posts on he progress of the WikiHatshepsutProject.
The Hatshepsut Project problem is behind us. We now have the correct platforms to be able to present Museums, Sites and Artifacts. For this, i am grateful to Anneke. As more and more people take an interest in Ancient Egypt, then so Hatshepsuts light can only shine brighter. Having free resources to hand for future generations is essential. Wiki can be amended by all, so this will not be Annekes project, nor mine. It will truely be a universal project. Open to all.
Here's to 2011 - Who knows where it will take us....Luxor would be nice (wink)
Regards,
Stuart
Hatshepsut - Rijksmuseum van Oudheden
I am glad to report that my laptop is now back on. I have been catching up on emails, other sites, new information and blogs. More on that later.
As some of you will have seen, in late 2010 there was discussion on here (see comments), confusion and then clarity over one museum - The Rijkksmuseum van Oudheden, Leiden.
I have been contacted by one of our followers, Anneke Bart. She has kindly supplied a photograph for use, which i will post later. The photograph is of Hatshepsut. Specifically part (torso) of a seated statue of Hatshepsut.
Firstly, a link to the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden
Photo to follow.
Regards,
Stuart
As some of you will have seen, in late 2010 there was discussion on here (see comments), confusion and then clarity over one museum - The Rijkksmuseum van Oudheden, Leiden.
I have been contacted by one of our followers, Anneke Bart. She has kindly supplied a photograph for use, which i will post later. The photograph is of Hatshepsut. Specifically part (torso) of a seated statue of Hatshepsut.
Firstly, a link to the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden
Photo to follow.
Regards,
Stuart
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