Plus: Catching Up Em Hotep!
All the world is abuzz with the long-awaited release of the current genetic study of the Eighteenth Dynasty, particularly as it relates to the goose that continues to lay the golden eggs—King Tut.
Your humble scribe is still mulling over the subject before attempting his own contribution, but in the meanwhile, here are a few excellent pieces from some of the most excellent writers in the Egyptology blogosphere. In the spirit of parsimony, I have narrowed my selection down to the three which I found to be the most unique in their approach and thought provoking in their implications. Enjoy!
Read the rest of this article »
Posted by: Shemsu Sesen
Tags: Akhenaten, Amarna, Ashraf Selim, Ay II, Eighteenth Dynasty, Forensic Mummy Studies, Howard Carter, Mummification, Richard Covington, Tutankhamun, Zahi Hawass
King Tut is known as the Boy King for two reasons. The first is the young age at which he assumed the throne—around eight or nine. The second is that he died at around nineteen, so he never really reached adulthood. Why he died so young is a question that has been with us since his tomb was discovered by Howard Carter in 1922.
In 2005 a team of top radiologists conducted a series of CT scans on Tutankhamun’s mummy, and when the results were announced the following year at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America, the results were not 100% conclusive. Most of the team felt they had settled the question of what had caused Tut’s early death, but there were some holdouts.
So when Zahi Hawass announced last August that he was on the verge of announcing the exact cause of Tut’s death, Em Hotep! took notice. So does a new article and video on Dr. Hawass’ website finally put the question to rest?
Read the rest of this article »
Posted by: Shemsu Sesen
Tags: Djeba, Djedkare, Edfu, Fifth Dynasty, First Intermediate Period, Harsomtus, Hathor, Henri Henne, Horus, Isi of Edfu, Middle Kingdom, Nadine Moeller, Old Kingdom, Oriental Institute, Osiris Chapel at Edfu, Psamtik I, Ptolemaic Dynasty, Second Intermediate Period, Seventeenth Dynasty, Sixth Dynasty, Tell Edfu, Tell Edfu Project, Temple of Horus at Edfu, Teti, Thebes, Thirteenth Dynasty, Twelfth Dynasty, Unas, Wetjeset-Hor
Edfu is most often associated with the Temple of Horus built there during the Ptolemaic Period, but the Tell Edfu Project, directed by the Oriental Institute’s Dr. Nadine Moeller, is literally uncovering a much older story. Ancient Edfu was a persistent city that took a two-fisted approach to adversity and not only survived the first two Intermediate Periods, but flourished.
In Edfu Part One: Ancient Djeba we will look at the history of this ancient mid-sized town that shattered the myth of Egypt being a “civilization without cities.”
Read the rest of this article »
Tutankhamun’s tomb lasted undisturbed for thousands of years, but after mere decades of constant visitors the most famous burial site in the world is on the endangered list.
It would seem we have found the infamous Curse of King Tut, and it is us…
Read the rest of this article »
Posted by: Shemsu Sesen
Tags: Alabaster Sphinx, Amenhotep II, Cleopatra VII, Colin Reader, Criosphinxes, Djedefre, Dream Stela, Emile Baraize, Great Sphinx, Horemakhet, Karnak Temple, Khafre, Khufu, Mark Lehner, Mit Rahina, Nekhtnebef I, Ptolemy XII, Queen Hetepheres II, Rainer Stadelman, Ramesses II, Sphinx Temple, Sphinxes, Temple of Amun at Karnak, Temple of Luxor, Temples, Thutmose IV, Zahi Hawass
Almost everybody knows what the Great Sphinx of Giza is, but how much do we really know about it? In this article we will be looking at the role of sphinxes in Egyptian mythology—what they are, what they mean, and what they did. We will also be taking an in depth look at the history of the Great Sphinx. Who may have built it and why? When was it built? Do we really know?
We will also look at how the Great Sphinx’s significance in both religion and politics has changed over the many centuries of its known lifetime. From the ancient days of early Egypt, when little is really said about the Sphinx and its existence seems to be taken for granted, to the height of Egyptian culture, when the Sphinx was synonymous with the great solar deities and had the power to legitimize a king’s reign, the more we learn about the Sphinx, the more we know about Egypt.
Read the rest of this article »
