Hatshepsut Sphinxes - and then there were two...

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Originally uploaded by Bobonacus
Continuing work on the Hatshepsut sphinxes at Deir el Bahri.
It will be interesting to see how many are restored in the future and where they will be displayed.

Regards,
Stuart

Cairo Museum collection, Georges Legrain (includes Hatshepsut) - online documentation

I have been spending a bit of time looking at the online documentation regarding the collections in the Cairo museum. Its actually a blessing for me that so much information has been digitised for study and i have been doing what i can to locate items belonging to Hatshepsut.

The following is something to share with you all. From the Internet Archive (which is proving a great resource) is the following:

http://archive.org/details/rpertoiregn00legruoft

Georges Legrain, 1908

"Repertoire genealogique et onomastique du Musee du Caire"

 I have included the full document, as i am aware some of you are interested in the Cairo Museum collection.

In French, i am sure (if nothing else) you will be as impressed as i am with Legrains work. This is one of a number of documents, but until i have had a chance to look at them myself- i have no idea of the content.

I read some of this on the way home and am pleased to note all the obvious names- Hatshepsut, Neferure, etc.

Read online as a PDF or save for a rainy day


Regards,
Stuart

Jacob S. Rogers and the Metropolitan Museum of Art

When i began my Hatshepsut interests i knew of her temple and her obelisks. Today i enjoy recording and sharing the artifacts that history has been kind enough to spare, relating directly and indirectly to Hatshepsut's lifetime. It is through the recording of artifacts that i stumbled upon a real "character" in Jacob S. Rogers.


MMA Article on Jacob S. Rogers


Our story begins with his death. He left a considerable sum of money to the MMA, under certain conditions, which the MMA went on to use well, as the article demonstrates.

Between 1911-1931, excavations conducted by Herbert Winlock of the MMA were undertaken at Deir el Bahri. During that period a great number of finds (hundreds) ended up in the MMA (as well as other museums).

The "Rogers Fund" helped fund the excavations. The results of the 20 years spent at Deir el Bahri provided the world with a great many finds. Statues, foundation deposits, temple relief and a great deal more. See for your self: MMA Hatshepsut archive. Of course, not all items at the MMA are from the Rogers Fund, but many relating to Hatshepsut are.


Today the MMA sports a room dedicated to Hatshepsut, showcasing some of the most fantastic statues recovered at Deir el Bahri by the museum during their 20 years. Many more items linked with Hatshepsut are on display elsewhere in the museum and in storage.


Regards,
Stuart

Hatshepsut Project followers- how can the EES help you?

Whilst posts have been light on here for a while, those of you who are following/ contributing to our Facebook Group, "Hatshepsut Project" will notice that i remain active online. Once i am back to full posting- i will create some form of summary of progress on Facebook. The Facebook Group is an extension to this blog and not intended to be a separate entity.

Christopher Naunton, Director at The Egypt Exploration Society is one of our group members on Facebook, providing help with a number of our discussions regarding the EES and Deir el Bahri - a relationship which began in the 1800s and remains intact today.


I was very excited for our group to receive the following post from Christopher:

"We at the EES have a very strong connection with Deir El-Bahri as you all know. There is a plaque at the temple commemorating the excavations (http://goo.gl/HYJtn), we have all the photographs taken at the time + correspondence and other archival material, and an awful lot of literature etc. in the library - if you haven't read it I especially recommend Vivian Davies' chapter on 'Thebes' in James, T G H (Ed.), Excavating in Egypt (http://goo.gl/5Mbzs) for Petrie's unsuccessful attempts to stop the EEF allowing Naville to work at the site. What would members of this group like to see the EES do for you? 

• A day of lectures about Hatshepsut and the site? 
• A visit to the EES archives and library? 
• More resources online? 

I can't promise anything but it would be very good to know what would be helpful and interesting to you all!"

Firstly, thank you to Christopher and the EES for the above post. My own response so far is that i would first like to get the views of you- the followers and contributors to the Hatshepsut Project. I will collate all responses and will contact Christopher in a week  with the collective responses of the followers here, on Facebook and Twitter (which is linked to the posts on here). 

Regards,
Stuart

Ahmose Son of Ebana, The Hyksos and the Speos Artemidos Inscription.

In his tomb at El Kab, Ahmose Son of Ebana left his life story. It survives today and has been recorded and studied many times.

Ahmose, a military man, fought for his country under Ahmose I (founder of the 18th Dynasty), Amenhotep I and Thutmose I. Interestingly enough during this time Ahmose witnessed the fall of the Hyksos (and with it the Second Intermediate Period) and the birth of the New Kingdom. 

Ahmose actually killed two Hyksos (soldiers?) in Avaris (the Hyksos Delta capital) which he was rewarded for. Not only would he see the end of the Hyksos, but he would live to tell the tale, surviving long enough in years perhaps to influence those later Pharaohs who he fought under, or perhaps even further? 

I wonder if Hatshepsut had heard tales of the Hyksos from someone who bore witness to the events. Perhaps even Ahmose Son of Ebana (although not necessarily so). He was not an unknown man- he was a decorated and very important man in his lifetime and known by Hathshepsut's father. No doubt his tale- and those of his contemporaries were very well known, not just in Thebes, but all over Egypt.

Perhaps the Hyksos stories were still prominent during this time. People still talked of their brave ancestors who expelled the foreign kings. Not only royalty, but all of those whose families stories survive via word of mouth. It was still in living memory.

Hatshepsut's mention of the Hyksos wasn't something her father, Thutmose I wrote about. This was Hatshepsut's precedent. So, why now? Could it be that she was the first Pharaoh with the time and resources since the Hyksos expulsion to restore the areas mentioned? Or, was it to show her worth as Lord of the Two lands, in comparison to those of the distant past?

Speos Artemidos Inscription of Hatshepsut, from Reshafim:
http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/hatshepsut_inscription.htm
 
Ahmose Son of Ebana Biography, from Reshafim:

http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/ahmose_inscription.htm

Photo of Ahmose Son of Ebana, from Oltau on Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Necheb_Felsengrab_Ahmose_04.JPG

Regards,

Stuart