Hatshepsut - Amarna (from Tour Egypt)

Certainly Hatshepsut is not the first name we think of when looking at finds from excavations at Amarna.

The Cairo Museum has at least one item found at Amarna. Its an inscribed Alabaster vessel.

Tour Egypt has a picture of this item, Museum number JE 57203.

If anyone has information on the discovery of this item, or others of Hatshepsut found at Amarna then please feel free to contact me.

Regards,
Stuart

Hatshepsut - Hierakonpolis

The Petrie Museum houses many small finds (from Hatshepsut) such as scarabs, foundation deposits, tools, vessel fragments.

Searching through their collection this evening i came across a foundation plaque (UC8532) which was found in excavations by Petrie at Hierakonpolis, Egypt. This is the first mention of this site i have been able to locate through my own research, so further details will follow once they become available to me.

Tomorrow i attend a day school about Petrie (good timing!). I may be able to find out about excavations by Petrie in this area. Certainly i will ask the right questions which will at least point me in the right direction.

To find out about modern excavations at Hierakonpolis, see Hierakonpolis Online and follow the links.

Regards,
Stuart

Secrets of Egypt's Lost Queen - Discovery Channel

"Secrets of Egypt's Lost Queen" is the documentary behind the "discovery" of the mummy identified as Hatshepsut.

This documentary, by Zahi Hawass is the unveiling of this mummy to the world.

The link is not to a video, but Discovery Channels description of the documentary. When they show it again, i will be sure to say.

Regards,
Stuart

British Museum (UK) Tour - coming soon

From Andie at Egyptology News

I've checked the database and Hatshepsut is covered. Also featuring will be Senenmut, Neferure and Thutmose III.

Whilst every attempt will be made by me to visit Bristol and Birmingham, nothing is ever certain so if any of you visit and photographs are allowed- please get in touch. It may be that artifacts vary from museum to museum and it may be that the above names may not visit the same museums as i do.

Thanks to Andrea for the heads- up.

Regards,
Stuart

Photo - Hatshepsuts Mummy

As a follow- on to the last post, here is the Mummy herself. At rest in the Cairo Museum.

From National Geographic

Photo courtesy of Amr Nabil (follow link above).

Regards,
Stuart

Hatshepsut's Mummy (video)

This video shows Catherine Roehrig and Zahi Hawass discussing the identification of the mummy of Hatshepsut (in 2007).

Catherine Roehrig is Curator of the Metropolitan Museum of Art - home of the only Hatshepsut Gallery i am aware of in the world. Her work on "Hatshepsut from Queen to Pharaoh" has been noted by me previously. I'm sure most of you know who Dr Hawass is.

The discussion takes place with Charlie Rose (an American talk show host) and lasts for 26 minutes 56 seconds.

Update: Catherine Roehrig was being interviewed before Dr Hawass aired his documentary on the mummy, so she was rather put on the spot. Her input about the "Hatshepsut- From Queen to Pharaoh" exhibition was brief but she seemed genuinely excited to talk about it. Hawass confirmed he is 100% sure we have the mummy of Hatshepsut. He discusses why in the interview.

Regards,
Stuart

Karnak video on You Tube by UCLA

Updated 11/04/2014

Here is a video on You Tube from UCLA, who are responsible for the Digital Karnak Project.

It shows the building progression of the Temple complex at Karnak. Hatshepsut (amongst other things) built the 8th pylon, erected 2 obelisks - both in an areas which housed no other buildings and were therefore remote and started the Wadjet Hall.

After Hatshepsut, the next Pharaohs were Thutmose III and then Amenhotep II. Both of these Pharaohs have been accused of the "destruction" of Hatshepsut's monuments.

What is of interest to me is Thutmose III built the Contra Temple which incorporated the obelisks within its design and Amenhotep II completed Hatshepsut's Wadjet Hall. The Red Chapel was dismantled by Thutmose III and incorporated into a later pylon foundation by Amenhotep III.

It seems that the "destruction" was more of a "progression" rather than anyone wishing for the name of Hatshepsut to be no more. As a general rule- Hatshepsut (at Karnak) was treated no differently than any other Pharaoh when it came to building projects of later Pharaohs. Progression meant "out with the old and in with the new" and nothing personal.

Regards,
Stuart

Deir el Bahri Photo - Lower Anubis Chapel

This photo was sent to me by Nebojsa Milosevic (a follower of the Hatshepsut Project and author of a blog on Cleopatra) and shows an area of the Lower Anubis Chapel.

The frieze at the top of the photo appears as a cryptogram (see Rebus) of the throne name of Hatshepsut, Maat-Ka-Re.

Below the frieze appears the vulture goddess Nekhbet, patron of Upper Egypt.

Lastly at the bottom of the picture we see the winged sun disc (Behdety).

All of the above show their original colour in spectacular fashion. Years of cleaning and restoration work makes this possible. Work which is still being undertaken today.

Thank you Nebojsa (Englez) for this and the other photos you kindly sent to me. I will include the others as i go.

Regards,
Stuart

Hatshepsut by Dr. Kara Cooney

Here is a series of short videos from Discovery, where Dr. Kara Cooney discussing the life of Hatshepsut. No more than 10 minutes in total, these videos play one after the other, with short pauses in between.

I will locate and share more and more videos as i discover them. These will be the first.

Regards,
Stuart

The Topographical Bibliography of Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphic Texts, Statues, Reliefs and Paintings

As far as resources are concerned, i have been aware for some time of the series of publications called "The Topographical Bibliography of Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphic Texts, Statues, Reliefs and Paintings". The series has not been completely made available online (to the best of my knowledge) but is an absolute must for those who are serious about their research.

Authors: Bertha Porter & Rosalind Moss (also assisted by Ethel W. Burney and edited by Jaromir Malek ).

I have only one of the volumes, but will have to look at the other volumes at a later date for the wealth of information they provide.

The Griffiths Institute has a page on the 8 volumes and one example of a place to consider purchasing these volumes is Oxbow Books.

Further information on Porter, Moss, Griffith, Burnley and Malek and how they came to share in this wonderful project can be found in this excellent 5 page PDF from the Brown University, based at Rhode Island.

Regards,
Stuart

Hatshepsut Photo - British Museum Obelisk

British Museum Obelisk of Hatshepsut
Originally uploaded by styler78
By far the smallest of the obelisks erected under the name of Hatshepsut. Found at Qasr Ibrim, Nubia.
British Museum EA 1834.
Regards,
Stuart

Hatshepsut - Mut Precinct, Karnak - Brooklyn Museum

In a previous post, I mentioned the work being done at the Mut Precinct at Karnak Temple complex by the John Hopkins University Team.

What i hadn't grasped at the time is that also working at the same site is the Brooklyn Museum. It's always best practice to give everyone their dues and i am pleased to be able to share this information. The Brooklyn Museum has their own dig-diary, which is online and available to all.

Please follow the links for further information.

Regards,
Stuart

Hatshepsut - Medinet Habu

Maat-ka-Ra-Hatschepsut has a series of pages on Hatshepsut at Medinet Habu. Known today as the area where we see the 20th Dynasty Mortuary Temple of Ramesses III.

For her part Hatshepsut:

"built or finished a small temple of Amun ("Djeser set" or "Holy is the Place" )"

at Medinet Habu. Further information and the source for the above quote can be seen at Maat-ka-Ra-Hatschepsut - go to Monuments>Medinet Habu.

Regards,
Stuart

Hatshepsut Project - a YEAR has passed......

On June 2nd 2010 i posted my first article on this blog. How has a year passed so quickly?

This will be my 169th post. Let me start with thanking all of you who have popped-in, followed, commented, emailed and helped. There are too many of you to mention, but you know who you are.

The Hatshepsut Project has only just started. I have so many ideas for the future and further sites, museums, articles, artifacts, etc are always being brought to my attention. Saying that i can always make use of additional information.

One thing which has been a disappointment is my inability to learn how to get my head around posting on the Wikiversity pages. Goodness knows I've tried, but i am close to having to just admit that I may have to leave it for others. I take this opportunity to thank Anneke Bart for starting the Hatshepsut Project Pages on Wikiversity. I love them and visit often. I just cannot post anything on there wthout typing gibberish....! Time is my real issue (amongst other excuses!)

As for the future - where to start? A recent decision is to concentrate on Hatshepsut and only introduce her officials, based on their monuments, etc which bare her name(s). This way I have more time for Hatshepsut. Maat-Ka-Ra-Hatschepsut is absolutely the first place to go for those who wish to have very detailed information on these figures. Here i will concentrate only on their items, artifacts which in some way gives us information on Hatshepsut.

Also i am very keen to start on the very many blocks/ reliefs housed within museum collections and sites around the world. I want to do roughly the same thing as Stephanie Roberts is doing (perhaps without the visit to Egypt - unless i am really lucky!). Rather than seeing the relief as simply "oh that's from the Punt Colonnade" - i want to go to the next level. Why not find out the exact spot? I will absolutely need help, I but i think that mini- projects such as these will keep the blog fresh.

I will update older posts as i go, so to anyone new to the blog the information on each post should be accurate and up to date. Do point our errors to me. I love the feedback and the comments - It would be a lonely place without your voices.

Anyway, i am surrounded by books and papers and a cold cup of coffee. Better get the kettle on.

The photo at the top of the post is of Hathor, in cow form, leaving a shrine (from the Chapel of Hathor, Djeser Djeseru @ Deir el Bahri).

Thank you.
Stuart

Ebony Shrine at Deir el Bahri

This is an interesting article by Tim Reid, from the Egyptians blog.

Ebony Shrine of Deir el Bahri

Here are two excellent resources on the Ebony Shrine:

Naville, Edouard

The temple of Deir el Bahari (Band 2): The Ebony shrine, northern half of the middle platform

London, 1896

A full download is available via the Heidelberg University site. I will add that i was redirected to the Heidelberg Uni' site from the Egyptological Book Series Online.

The second article is courtesy of Etana and kindly pointed out to me by Tim.

ANCIENT RECORDS OF EGYPT ' HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS FROM TEE EARLIEST TIMES 30 THE PERSIAN CONQUEST. COLLECTED EDITED AND TRANSLATED WITH COMMENTARY JAMES HENRY BREASTED, PH.D.

VOLUME I1 THE EIGHTEENTH DYNASTY

The Ebony Shrine is today housed in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo. Thank you to Andie for the heads up on the database from the Griffith Institute.

Deir el-Bah.

ri. Great Temple of Hatshepsut. Shrine of Anubis. Found on roof.

ii2.355

Leaf of door and left side of ebony shrine, dedicated to Amun by Hatshepsut, re-used by Tuthmosis IV,

with erasures by Amenophis IV, in Cairo, Egyptian Museum, CG 70001 (JE 30739-40).

Roeder, Naos 1-11 pls. 1-3. See Maspero, Guide (1915), 510 [4920], 524 [5225].

Deir el-Bah.ri. Great Temple of Hatshepsut. Upper court. Finds

Quoted from page 311/1240.

Regards,
Stuart

Hatshepsut Osiride Head Project

I've begun looking at the 3rd Terrace of Deir el Bahri, specifically at the oversized Osiride statues of Hatshepsut. I am going to see how many of the Osiride heads can be located at Deir el Bahri and also within collections around the world. UPDATE: I am looking at all Hatshepsut Osiride Heads, not just the engaged (tied into the buildings structure and not freestanding) statues on the 3rd Terrace.

Another project (please excuse the over-use of the word "project") will be the Punt Collonade Block Project. Here i will concentrate solely on those Punt reliefs which survive today but do not appear at Deir el Bahri.

My aims are simple. I need to understand Deir el Bahri, bit by bit. Looking at specific subjects such as particular statues or colonnades will help me understand parts of the temple at a steady pace (or that's the plan). Also i am curious about what happened to these items since their discovery(ies). Where did they end up and how did they get there? I've tested the water on this recently and appreciate that provenance can be a bit of a sore point. However- its a pain in the neck i am happy to take on.

I am curious how much information I can be gather and how much I can learn in the process. A bit of serious fun.

Stuart

"Egyptological" features the Hatshepsut Project

"Egyptological" for those who do not know is a new free online magazine launched in 2011 by Kate Phizackerley and Andrea Byrnes.

Kate runs "News from the Valley of the Kings"
Andrea runs "Egyptology News"

It is my honour to be able to say that the Hatshepsut Project has been included on this new site, in the Favourite Blogs section.

My sincere thanks to Kate and Andrea for including me in Egyptological. Good luck with the magazine. I look forward to adding my 2 cents worth (where applicable). :)

Stuart