HATSHEPSUT PROJECT: September 2011

Thursday, 15 September 2011

Message to Dylan Bickerstaffe re: British Museum Obelisk

I completely ignored the placard which accompanies the British Museum Obelisk. You question made me go back and i realised i had the following on Flickr:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/styler78/5540755753/in/photostream

The inscription reads "Beloved of Horus, Lord of Mian (modern day Aniba) Living like Re forever"

I am out of my depth but this inscription sounds like it may offer a clue to the answer to your question. What do you make of this inscription? Would a God's Wife of Amun "fit" within such an inscription?

Regards,
Stuart

Wednesday, 14 September 2011

More on the British Museum Obelisk from Qasr Ibrim

Owing the the amount of "new" material available to me, i have been able to revisit a number of artifacts recently to add further details than previously posted. The next item is the small Obelisk at the British Museum, EA 1834.

The following document gives some interesting, further information on the discovery of the obelisk (in 3 separate pieces):

Qaṣr Ibrim̂ 1963-1964Author(s): J. Martin PlumleySource: The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, Vol. 50 (Dec., 1964), pp. 3-5 Published by: Egypt Exploration Society.

"...Two areas for excavation were selected [within the Qasr Ibrim Fortress]: the Church, and the so-called Podium in the south wall of the Fortress.......
......Further excavation northwards from the Podium area may reveal the foundations of an earlier building, in all probability a temple, and possibly the building from which came much of the material for the construction of the Church. It is not without signi- ficance that amongst the debris moved from this area came a number of blocks bearing parts of hieroglyphic inscriptions. The greater part of these can be dated to the reign of Taharqa, though there are pieces from the Ramesside period. A surprising find was a small granite obelisk, which had been used to form a step in a stairway to the east of the Podium. Though the cartouches on this monument had been hammered out in antiquity, it is still possible to make out the prenomen of Hatshepsut."

Somehow, the findspot "Qasr Ibrim" never seemed sufficient enough an explanation. We now have an idea of the usage of the obelisk, as found during the excavations.

Regards,
Stuart

Monday, 12 September 2011

More on the Neferure fragment in Dundee

Before continuing, it is important that i thank two people for the following information. Rita Murray and Marianne Luban. Rita for your generous help in allowing me to obtain documentation from JSTOR and Marianne for asking questions on the original post, which can be seen here which made me look for a way of securing the location of the fragment within Deir el Bahri (or more correctly, Djeser Djeseru).

With Rita's help, i have been able to locate the following:

A LONG-LOST PORTRAIT OF PRINCESS NEFERURE' FROM DEIR EL-BAHRI By K. A. KITCHEN, The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, Vol. 49 (Dec., 1963), pp. 38-40

I quote:

"I have visited Deir el-Bahri and was able to place the pencil- rubbing of the Dundee head in the gap in the south wall of the Sanctuary. It fitted exactly. The provenance of this relief is thus placed beyond all doubt. My thanks are due to Dr. L. Dabrowski and Eng. W. Kolataj of the Polish expedition working at Deir el-Bahri for their practical help on the spot".

Regards,
Stuart

Sunday, 11 September 2011

Hatshepsut Database - Thoughts for the long term

I have yo-yo'd from thought to thought on the eventual future of the database. This is something i wrestle with on a daily basis and have done since setting up the Hatshepsut Museum Database Project.

As you may or may not now, a Wikiversity Page has was set up by Anneke Bart in response to my pleas for help. Even without any further amendments, its a great page. I have to decide whether to make use of this page or go in another direction. I currently have a single excel spreadsheet housing (eventually) all the information gathered, so that ALL of Hatshepsuts artifacts can be displayed on one page to allow for future study of these items.

The "grandest" idea to date is perhaps the least likely, certainly the most expensive and full of potential hazards.-The idea would be to have a CD with the database added, with the ability to have many filters, colour codes, photos, possibly even audio. I love what Bob Briar did with his "History of Egypt" audio tapes/ cd/ dvd. The idea would be to include the database and have the option to hear about the history of the discoveries, how items ended up in their current homes and the ancient history such as why certain items were made and how they relate to Hatshepsut.

The biggest issue here is cost. I wish to be able to share the information free of charge and available to all. Another thing is that the database will be compiled using items located by me (and those brought to my attention by others). As such, i will inevitably leave out items, locate new museums, have to input any "new" discoveries, correct errors, etc. For this i would have to bring out Version 1,2,3 etc. This increases cost.

Whilst i am a very long way from finishing the database - i am looking at the very best way of displaying it. I had thought of creating a website. That may happen still, but i am no closer to making the final decision.

Regards,
Stuart

Saturday, 10 September 2011

Book Recommendation: "The Temple of Queen Hatshepsut at Deir El-Bahari"

One of my most recent purchases has turned out to be a little gem:

"The Temple of Queen Hatshepsut at Deir El-Bahari" by The Ministry of Culture, Supreme Council of Antiquities and the Polish Centre of Archaeology, CAIRO 2000.

Whilst only 47 pages long the information, line drawings and pictures make this a great read. This will act as an introduction to the Temple of Hatshepsut to those new to the temple and further information to those who wish to have a better understanding of the temple and its history.

This is an example on Amazon

Regards,
Stuart

Wednesday, 7 September 2011

Hatshepsut Sphinx at Memphis? The Ostracon, Summer 2004

I recently found an article which brought up a interesting subject which i had not seen before. I posted it on Facebook due to the high level of Thutmose III information, including a great article from Aidan Dodson.

The whole document is extremely interesting, but the possibility of a Hatshepsut Sphinx in Memphis (the Administration capital of Ancient Egypt during Hatshepsuts lifetime) was the attention grabber for me.

Far from being a done deal, the sphinx may still represent Thutmose III, but stylistically, it could be either him or Hatshepsut. The article is well worth a read:

The Ostracon (Journal of the Egyptian Study Society), VOLUME 15, NUMBER 2; SUMMER-2004

Regards,
Stuart

More on Hatsheput Foundation Deposits from Catherine Roehrig

A recent free lecture was held regarding the Hatshepsut Foundation Deposits, by Catherine Roehrig- Curator of the Mertopolitan Museum of Art. Here's a description:

"Of the eleven excavated foundation deposits that are connected with the Eighteenth Dynasty temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahri, one was discovered by Naville in 1894-95, two were discovered by Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon in 1910 and 1911, and nine were discovered by the Metropolitan Museum of Art between 1922 and 1927. Largely based on the positions of these foundation deposits, Herbert Winlock postulated an original, unrealized plan for the temple that was very similar to the neighboring Eleventh Dynasty temple of Nebhepetr. A careful examination of the notes and photographs taken by the Metropolitan Museum excavation team does indicate that there are two sets of foundation deposits laying out an earlier and a later building phase. However, the first layout appears to be influenced by the existence of an early Eighteenth Dynasty structure, not by the plan of Mentuhotep’s temple"

From ARCE (American Rsearch Centre in Egypt).

It seems that a publication may be forthcoming. This will prove to be an interesting read. Please inform me if anyone out there hears any confirmation of this possible publcation.

Regards,
Stuart

More on the Liverpool Museum Pebble

Further to my recent post on the Hatshepsut "pebble" in the Liverpool Museum, i would like to add the following:

One of the Hatshepsut Project Group(Facebook) followers, Rita Murray has been kind enough to contact her local museum, which happens to be the Liverpool Museum. They confirm the item is on display, in the World Museum collection.

On the Liverpool Museums Facebook page, the item is displayed. They call it a "model shell type foundation deposit" and it can be seen here:

Liverpool Museum Facebook Page

Thank you to Rita for enquiring on my behalf. I appreciate your help.

If anyone wants to join us on Facebook, the Hatshepsut Project Group is happy to welcome you. Information within the Group is faster paced than this blog as its quicker to post. It is not a duplicate of this blog and there are some excellent photos and articles which may interest you

Please feel free to join us.

Regards,
Stuart

Monday, 5 September 2011

Munich Hatshepsut Head CORRECTION

Thanks to Dr. Karl Leser and Hans Ollermann for pointing out that the Munich Hatshepsut Head was on loan from the Metropolitan Museum of Art to the Munich Museum at the time the photo was taken, which i used on this post.

The item duplication has been corrected on the database itself.

Thank you to both for pointing this out to me.

Regards,
Stuart

Sunday, 4 September 2011

Hatshepsut Statue Head - Egyptian Museum Munich

2007_0826_104348AA
Originally uploaded by Hans Ollermann
The Egyptian Museum, Munich

Another museum where i only have one entry. I do not have the museum inventory number for this item as of yet. The same goes for other information i will need for the database. If you can help, please contact me.

Regards,
Stuart

Deir el Bahri Relief Fragment in Brussels

An addition to the Hatshepsut Museum Database is the Royal Museum of Art and History, Brussels. I only have details of one item so far - a depiction of Thutmose II (formerly Hatshepsut) on a relief fragment from Hatshepsut's Mortuary Temple.

Museum Number: E 3044
Object: Temple Relief
Type: Fragment
Material: Limestone
Link to Hatshepsut: Deir el Bahri
Origination: Deir el Bahri
Findspot:
Discovery Details:
Acquisition Details: Purchased in Egypt by Jean Capart
Acquisition Date: 1907
Photograph: Hatshepsut From Queen to Pharaoh, Page 155, figure 84.

Regards,
Stuart

Saturday, 3 September 2011

2005 Discovery found under Hatshepsuts Obelisk

Neferhotep - Karnak
Originally uploaded by styler78

This Press Release provides details of the discovery.

"The first leg of the Franco-Egyptian delegation will be to the northern side of the fifth pylon, the area between the eighth and ninth pylons, and the Wadjyt Hall. This last area is the site of the most important recent discovery at Karnak, a double limestone statue of 13th dynasty king Neferhotep. This was unearthed in a niche 1.5m below the foundation pit of an obelisk"

From: The Plateau (May 2005)

As a side note, the team uncovered a small cartouche- shaped plaque with the Prenomen of Hatshepsut, Maatkare during the same work around the double statue of Neferhotep). I would assume that it would have either gone into storage at Karnak or to the Cairo Museum but would like to know for the Hatshepsut database. If you are able to help regarding this item, i would be greteful to hear from you.

Regards,
Stuart

Hatshepsut Museums

I will be concentrating my efforts on releasing details of the final museums which i have located, but not yet added to the Hatshepsut Project within the coming weeks. That way i can consider other projects i have been storing up.

I've located around 38 museums in total with the information available to me. I am sure there are others i have no knowledge of. As soon as new information becomes available, new posts will be added.

Regards,
Stuart

Kestner Museum, Hannover

Kestner Museum, Hannover, Germany has at least one offering for the Hatshepsut Database.

Museum Number: 1935.200.200
Object: Temple Relief
Type: Fragment
Material: Limestone
Link to Hatshepsut: Deir el Bahri, Thutmose III
Origination: Deir el Bahri, Upper Terrace
Findspot:
Discovery Details:
Acquisition Details: Formerley Baron von Bissing Collection
Acquisition Date: 1935
Photograph: Hatshepsut From Queen to Pharaoh, Page 156, figure 85.

The relief fragment in question depicts a statue of Thutmose III in a procession, during the Opet Festival. If anyone out there knows of any other Hatshepsut related items from the Kestner Museum please let me know as this is currently the only entry on the database for this museum.

Regards,
Stuart

Thursday, 1 September 2011

Hildesheim Pelizaeus Museum, Germany

The Global Egyptian Museum brings us a fragment (Museum Number 4538) from the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el Bahri.

Depicting Thutmose, I assume this fragment must come from the Upper Tier of Djeser Djeseru. Limited information is made available, but a very good looking bibliography has been provided. Please click the link above for further information.

One other item from the Hildesheim Pelizaeus Museum, Germany added to the Hatshepsut Database is Museum Number 5961. This is an item of unknown origin, made of bronze (with Hatshepsut's Prenomen) and said to be from a foundation deposit.

Regards,
Stuart

Statue of Senenmut and Neferure - Field Museum, Chicago Photos

Most of us are familiar with the block and seated (tutor) statues of Senenmut and Neferure. This standing statue of Senenmut holding Neferure (Museum Number 173800) seems to be unique.

Made of Diorite, it was gifted to the Field Museum by Stanley Field and Ernest R. Graham in 1925.

The following photographs were kindly provided by Bob Manske and Kmt-Sesh and used with permission.

The different views of the statue allow us to see this statue from more than the usual frontal views we are all used to seeing::