Tutankhamun:  The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs

Dr. Jeffrey Patchen, CEO of the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis discusses this, current exhibits connected to Egypt, and the forthcoming National Geographic Treasures of the Earth in this exclusive Em Hotep! interview.

Em Hotep:  Dr. Patchen, the story of how the Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs exhibit came to Indianapolis and the story of your involvement with the Suzanne Mubarak Children’s Museum are really the same story, aren’t they?

Dr. Patchen:  They are clearly connected, but one came before the other.  The work with Mrs. Mubarak, well, actually prior to the work with Mrs. Mubarak we were doing some work with Dr. [Zahi] Hawass that led to the work with Mrs. Mubarak that led to King Tut. 

Em Hotep:  From what I understand you were working with Dr Hawass on the National Geographic Maps project, right?

Dr. Patchen:  That’s right, it was a travelling exhibit called Maps: Tools for Adventure with National Geographic.

Em Hotep:  So how did that lead to you working with Mrs. Mubarak on the Children’s Museum in Cairo?

Dr. Patchen:  Well, we were invited to come to Cairo to film Dr. Hawass for the video portion of one of the information stations in the Maps exhibit.  Dr. Hawass had provided us with some of his equipment, such as the remote robot that he used inside the Great Pyramid to travel into some of the new chambers and tunnels there, so when he asked us to come to Cairo to record him, of course we were glad to.

When we got there Dr. Hawass said he would really like our presence at the First Lady’s office the following afternoon to provide a critique of the progress being made on the new Suzanne Mubarak Children’s Museum.  And it would be an opportunity to meet the first lady.  Well, of course how do you say no? 

First Lady of Egypt, Her Excellency Mrs. Suzanne Mubarak

So the next day we attended the presentation with the First Lady and Dr. Hawass, where we also got a chance to meet the architect, Michael Mallinson from London, who we had never met before.  Our Vice President, Jennifer Robinson, was also there with me, and part way through the presentation Dr. Hawass turns to us and says “So what do you think?”  I said its very nice, thank you, it looks like it will be a fine museum, and he said “I want to know what you really think.  How can we make this better?” 

We made a few suggestions in terms of how the exhibits might be made family friendly versus just for young children.  Dr. Hawass liked what he heard, and the first lady liked what she heard, and at the end of the meeting Dr. Hawass turned to Mrs. Mubarak and said “If you agree, I think that the Children’s Museum in Indianapolis should design all of the exhibits for your new children’s museum.”  And she said “Dr. Hawass that would be wonderful if the museum would be willing to do that.” 

Of course we hadn’t really discussed doing that!  But Mrs. Mubarak is nothing if not compelling and very, very passionate about her work with children and families, so of course we said yes.  What transpired over the next two years were a series of visits to Cairo and serving as the lead organization to help put the design of the exhibits together. 

Well, one night we were at an open gala dinner for the Maps exhibit, and without having told me what he was going to do, Dr. Hawass stands up and announces that as a way of saying thank you for all the work we did with the Suzanne Mubarak Children’s Museum he would like to bring Tut to Indianapolis!  Of course everyone was thrilled, and two years later King Tut arrived and opened on June 27^th. 

We had a four month run, and just last Monday the final truck left on its way to Toronto.  It was a wonderful, wonderful run here, and we put almost a quarter of a million people through that exhibit in just four months, so it was very, very good.

Em Hotep:  There is really no way to prepare yourself for the exhibit, not justthe artifacts themselves, which were beautifully presented, but the way the exhibit was arranged was a large part of the experience as well.

The entrance to the Antechamber of King Tut’s Tomb (Photo courtesy of the exhibit Facebook page)

Dr. Patchen:   Arts and Exhibitions International really did a nice job.  I may be a little prejudiced because it came here, but we had seen the previous exhibit that had been in San Francisco, and they are both produced by the same exhibit company and both are very fine exhibits, but we really like the context that this exhibit put Tut in as compared to the previous exhibit.  This really gave you a sense of what court life was like, and religion in the time of the pharaohs, and the focus from many gods to one god, and it was just, I thought, very well done.  And kids in particular just love that entrance piece as you go into the tomb, it feels like you are entering the tomb with Howard Carter for the first time, so they really liked that.

Em Hotep:  I also noticed that the labeling was close to the ground, which makes this an especially inclusive exhibit for young people.

Dr. Patchen:  We thought that placing the labels both down low and up high, which was how the exhibit came to us and is going to other cities, really worked well for us because the labels were convenient for children who can read, that was just great.  And adults of course could just look up slightly and see the same labels.  So we really liked that a lot.

Em Hotep:  Were there any parts of Tutankhamun:  The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs that particularly stood out to you?  Do you have any favorite parts of the exhibit?

Colossal statue of King Tutankhamun (Photo courtesy of the exhibit Facebook page)

Dr. Patchen:  Well, the two huge sculptures, one of Amenhotep IV, who is thought to be Tut’s father, and the actual sculpture of Tut at the end of the exhibit were just spectacular.  But there is one piece that I just really loved how it was displayed, and that was the staff with the feathers on it.  I talked to the folks at Arts and Exhibitions International about how that piece was displayed and there is really a great story behind that.

The feathers were done as an imprint on glass, because the original feathers, of course, would have disintegrated thousands of years ago.  But when Howard Carter opened the tomb in 1922 he took pictures of the staff and the pattern in the sand where the feathers had disintegrated.  Arts and Exhibitions took that photo of the feathers and then had it etched in glass and then put it on top of the staff.  I thought that was just brilliant in terms of exhibit display because it really gave you a sense of how the staff with the feathers on it must have really looked.

Em Hotep:  So to return to the subject of your involvement with the Children’s Museum in Cairo, Mrs. Mubarak is known to be a champion of human rights, particularly as they relate to education and children and women’s rights.  She has down a lot to raise the life condition of the Egyptian people, which of course has a ripple effect throughout the entire world.

Dr. Patchen:  It does.

Em Hotep:  So through your involvement with the Children’s Museum in Cairo you are really a direct part of Mrs. Mubarak’s mission, so, when you began work on the National Geographic Maps project,  did you ever imagine that you would become a world ambassador for children?

Children's Museum Jordan (Photo courtesy of CMJ Facebook page)

Dr. Patchen:  Well, not specifically in Egypt.  We have done a number of other projects that are equally interesting and important.  We served as consultants to the Children’s City in Dubai, and to the first national children’s museum in Jordan.  I did some work for Queen Rania of Jordan who, like Mrs. Mubarak and Princess Haya in Dubai, is very committed to children’s libraries, women’s issues, and to her people.  So this is kind of outreach is ongoing for us, but the invitation from Dr. Hawass and Her Excellency Mrs. Mubarak came as a wonderful surprise.  Mrs. Mubarak is just absolutely passionate about libraries and museums and wanting to make sure that children throughout Egypt have access to both.

Em Hotep:  What is the current status of the Suzanne Mubarak Children’s Museum?

Dr. Patchen:  It has been several months since I have personally been back to Cairo, but the architect does send me pictures, so I know that the building is out of the ground.  The museum is in a suburb of Cairo called Heliopolis, on the site of the previous Children’s Museum which was considerably smaller.  I believe all the external work and coverings are done, and basic infrastructure is going on inside.  The exhibit fabrication process is moving forward and right now we have firms in the United States and Europe bidding to do the fabrication.

Em Hotep:  So, to return to Indianapolis, even though the Tutankhamun exhibition has moved on to Toronto, I understand there is still a permanent exhibit at the Children’s Museum for young Egyptologists?

Riding through Take Me There: Egypt (Photo courtesy of the Children's Museum of Indianapolis)

Dr. Patchen:  Well, there is, it’s called Take Me There:  Egypt, and at 13,000 square feet it’s actually the largest exhibit on contemporary Egypt ever mounted in the U.S.  It’s a cultural immersion experience that takes you to Egypt via Egypt Air, although it’s only a two minute flight, I should say!  And you arrive in Cairo and you can change your money, obviously virtually, and you can don traditional Egyptian clothes, and explore the exhibit.

Visitors have a chance to interact with and explore living spaces, one which is modeled on an urban setting, and another that is modeled on a rural setting.  You can participate in the marketplace, you can pass by and through the façade of a mosque, there is a section of the Nile that focuses on the care of the environment because of course Egypt is the gift of the Nile.  And there is a coffee shop, a tent-maker, an herbalist shop, plus lots of hands-on activities related to musical and visual arts.

There is also a whole cultural immersion room where you actually join a contemporary Egyptian family for the presentation of the celebration of the sebou, the celebration of the seventh day after the birth of a child.  And kids learn the sebou song, a sebou dance, you learn to play instruments, and learn about the sebou tradition and help make gifts, and there is a procession through the village. 

Take Me There:  Egypt is an immersive experience that opened the same day that the Tut exhibition opened, and is one of our permanent displays.  The focus will be on Egypt for two and a half years, and then it becomes Take Me There: China for an entirely different cultural experience.

Em Hotep:  So is there a lot of interaction between the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis and the schools in the region?  Do you see a lot of educators using the Take Me There:  Egypt exhibit as a means of exposing young people not only to Egyptian history but to Egyptian culture as well?

Dr. Patchen:  Absolutely.  We have two units of study that are tied to state and national standards, and we did dozens of teacher professional development institutes in the summertime before and after Tut opened so when the school groups started in September they were all prepped and ready to go.  We put about 90,000 school children through Tut and Take Me There:  Egypt during the first four months of the school year.

Em Hotep:  Let’s say that I’m a teacher who wants to bring my class to the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis to experience the Take Me There: Egypt exhibit.  Who would I contact and how would I go about setting that up?

Dr. Patchen:  Well, teachers can make reservations on our website or they can call our Call Center which is (317) 920-2001 and can make a reservation there and talk to folks about specific times.  Teachers can choose from  a facilitated or un-facilitated tour, depending on their preference.   If they would like a facilitated tour that’s tied to units of study they can do so, that’s a wonderful way to go.  Or some teachers prefer the un-facilitated and just come and go through at their leisure.

Em Hotep:  Does the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis have any future plans that involve ancient history in general and ancient Egypt in particular?

The Terracotta Warriors (Photo by Miguel A. Monjas)

Dr. Patchen:  Actually yes, we are working with National Geographic on a new permanent exhibit that we will be announcing in the next month or so.  It’s called National Geographic Treasures of the Earth and it will be an exciting archaeology exhibit that will explore three archaeological sites. 

One of the sites that will be represented is the tomb of Seti I.  We will have a partial replica of the tomb where kids will have an opportunity to learn about hieroglyphics and conservation, in particular the preservation of artifacts and the hieroglyphics there. 

Another site represented will be a replica of the Terracotta Warrior dig in China.  We have a wonderful relationship with the Terracotta Warrior Institute. 

And the third area will be an underwater archeology experience in partnership with Indiana University who has found what is believed to be the shipwreck of Captain Kidd the Pirate in ten feet of water in the Dominican Republic. 

So we are very excited about the National Geographic Treasures of the Earth exhibit.  Kids will have an opportunity to continue to focus on Egypt as well as China and the famous Terracotta Warrior find, and then experience some underwater archaeology as well.  This exhibit will open in late 2011.

Em Hotep:  Do you have any intern programs for students who may want to get involved with the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis?

Dr. Patchen:  Absolutely.  We have a full-time intern coordinator that’s part of our volunteer and intern program.  We don’t have many paid internships, but in the summertime we have had as many as 40 interns from all over the United States, and some from other countries as well, who have an interest in working with children across the sciences and arts and humanities.  There is information about our internships on our website under the Employment, Volunteer, and Internship section.

Em Hotep:  So volunteerism plays a role at the Children’s Museum as well?

Dr. Patchen:  Yes, we have several hundred volunteers.  Debbie Young is our Director of Volunteer and Intern Programs, and we are always looking for volunteers, not only adult individuals, but also families that might like to volunteer together. 

Em Hotep:  So on a more personal level, someone doesn’t just wake up one day and say “You know, I’d like to run the largest and best children’s museum in the world.”  Or do they?  What led you to the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis? 

Dr. Patchen:  Well, I was working in state government here from 1984 to 1990, working at the State Department of Education as the State Arts Consultant, and I was aware then of this great museum here.  I went away to take an endowed chair at the University of Tennessee in arts education and later to work for the J. Paul Getty Trust and Museum.

When I had an opportunity to return to Indianapolis to work with the Children’s Museum it was really an opportunity to do all the things that I am most passionate about, which is learning, family learning in particular, and love of the sciences and the arts and the humanities and ways in which they intersect in their disciplinary and multigenerational ways. 

This museum has an 85 year history, it’s the world’s largest children’s museum and it is committed to creating these truly extraordinary learning experiences, and has the power to transform the lives of children and families.  I couldn’t be in a better place.

Em Hotep:  One last question.  Helping children understand the world and their power to change it seems to be part of what drives you personally and professionally, so if I may ask, how do you see your work in terms of the effort to expand the dialogue between the world’s cultures and how your work really contributes to world peace?

Dr. Patchen:  There are several ways in which we do that, and that’s a wonderful question, and more and more we think this museum has a role in that effort.  We created an exhibit in 2007 called The Power of Children and it features the lives of three children whose life and death transformed the world in unique ways. 

Visitors are introduced to the stories of Anne Frank, Child of the 1940’s and the Holocaust, Ruby Bridges, Child of the 1960’s and victim of prejudice and discrimination in entering schools in the 1960’s, and Ryan White child of the 1980’s and also a victim of prejudice and discrimination related to his contracting pediatric HIV.

And an important part of that exhibit experience is taking you to the Anne Frank house, taking you to the classroom in Williams Frantz Elementary School in 1960, and taking you to Ryan’s house in Cicero, Indiana and meeting those very children.  At the end of the experience you are invited to make your own promise to make the world a better place. 

It’s a very different kind of an exhibit for a children’s museum to be engaged in because the topics of racism and religious intolerance and pediatric HIV.  These are not typical subjects that you would associate necessarily with a children’s museum, but it has been one of the most transforming experiences for us as a staff and for visitors who come.

We also created an awards program called the Power of Children Award which honors Hoosier youth age eleven to seventeen who have made an extraordinary difference in the lives of others.  These are children who have gone out and seen a need in their community, or in the world, and identified the funds or the resources needed to help alleviate that need and have had success in their project. 

We hosted our Sixth Annual Power of Children Awards this past Friday night where we awarded six Hoosier youths with $2,000 each to continue their philanthropy and their good work, and with four-year scholarships to Indiana University.  That’s a way that the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis can help encourage youth to make a difference in the world and make a difference in a big way.

Copyright by Keith Payne, 2009.  All rights reserved. 

Photos from the Tutankhamun:  The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs Facebook page may be accessed here.  Photo from the Children’s Museum Jordan may be accessed here.  Photo “Group of terracotta warriors at Xian.jpg” by Miguel A. Monjas is provided courtesy of Wikimedia Commons  and are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 License. In short: you are free to share and make derivative works of those files under the conditions that you appropriately attribute them, and that you distribute them only under a license identical to this one. Official license 

The Children’s Museum, which just bid farewell to the Tutankhamun:  The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs travelling exhibit last week, has a special relationship with Egypt so it should come as no surprise that they would continue to deliver Egypt to the region, an easy drive from the Louisville and Kentuckiana area.

The tomb of Seti I (KV17) is the largest tomb discovered in the Valley of the Kings to date.  The tomb was discovered in 1817 by Giovanni Battista Belzoni and was originally believed to be about 328 feet long.  More recent excavations have shown the tomb to be at least 446 feet long, and there is reason to believe that more remains to be discovered.  The tomb of Seti I is one of the most exciting digs currently underway in Egypt.

The tomb of Seti I (KV17) is the largest discovered in the Valley of the Kings to date (Photo by Jean-Pierre Dalbera)

Painted hieroglyphs in bas-relief from the wall of KV17 (Photo by Jon Bodsworth)

In addition to being the largest tomb in the Valley of the Kings, KV17 is also one of the most richly decorated.  Every wall of every passageway and room is adorned with intricate raised reliefs and vividly colored hieroglyphs and paintings.  The second pharaoh of the Nineteenth Dynasty, and father of Ramesses the Great, Seti I ruled Egypt during one of its most culturally and artistically productive periods, and his tomb reflects this sophistication.

The work to stabilize and preserve the tomb of Seti I is a continual process (Photo by Jean-Pierre Dalbera)

As part of an exhibit called National Geographic Treasures of the Earth, the Seti I section will be a partial replica that will teach kids about hieroglyphics, archaeology, and site conservation.

Heroic efforts have been made to stabilize and preserve KV17, and young future archaeologists will gain an appreciation for the kind and amount of work that goes into protecting these heritage sites for generations to come.  Due to open in late 2011, Dr. Patchen will be making a more detailed announcement about the exhibit in the next few months.

Anubis guarding the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis skywalk (Photo by Meredith Hayden)

Young people (and the young at heart alike) will have an opportunity to enjoy the next best thing to standing within the tomb of Seti I.  The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis has a reputation for transporting its visitors to distant locations on a grand scale.  In a current exhibit called Take Me There: Egypt, kids can board a two minute simulated Egypt Air flight that lets out in a 13,000 square feet reproduction of Egyptian urban and rural settings where they can interact with “locals” and participate in cultural events.

To learn more about Take Me There: Egypt, and to learn what other archaeological sites wil be featured in the National Geographic Treasures of the Earth exhibit, be sure to read the full interview with Dr. Jeffrey Patchen, which will premiere on Monday, November 9, 2009, on Em Hotep!  We will be talking about how the Tutankhamun travelling exhibit came to Indianapolis, Dr. Patchen’s involvement with the Suzanne Mubarak Children’s Museum in Cairo, and a number of other issues of interest to local and international readers.

Copyright by Keith Payne, 2009.  All rights reserved.

Photo “La tombe de Sethi 1er (KV.17) (Vallée des Rois, Thèbes ouest) – 2.jpg” by Jean-Pierre Dalbera, “Image-La tombe de Sethi 1er (KV.17) (Vallée des Rois, Thèbes ouest) -3.jpg” by Jean-Pierre Dalbera, “Hieroglyphs from the tomb of Seti I.jpg” by Jon Bodsworth, are provided courtesy of Wikimedia Commons  and are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 License. In short: you are free to share and make derivative works of those files under the conditions that you appropriately attribute them, and that you distribute them only under a license identical to this one. Official license 

Pictured to the left, Shemsu’s better half—Sekhmet.

T’was the night before Halloween and despite the rain and the cold, Louisville’s Frankfort Avenue was bumper to bumper traffic, and the sidewalks were busy with costumed merry-makers bouncing from boutiques to bistros, and from clubs to cafés.  It was the last Friday of the month, so the Frankfort Avenue Trolley Hop was in full swing.

There is no shortage of eateries on Frankfort Avenue.  Along with Bardstown Road and Fourth Street downtown, it is one of the places locals take their out-of-town friends when they visit.  But on a chilly and rainy fall evening there is no better place to be than Maria Bell’s It’s All Greek to Me kitchen, with a hot bowl of fakyes soup and a steamy stack of pitas for dipping. 

Maria Bell of It's All Greek to Me

Maria first started feeding Louisvillians with her Greek Paradise Café on Story Avenue, and when she was forced to close her doors due a disagreement with her landlord, for her many fans it was like moving away from home.  Good, authentic Greek comfort food doesn’t just grow on vines.  So when Maria moved into the property vacated by the Wine Rack, it was an occasion for Ouzo.

But it wasn’t just the food and people watching that brought me to Maria’s kitchen on Halloween Eve.  Shimmering Hips, the students of bellydancing instructor Anna Murray—also known by her dancing name Azayani—were performing from 7:00 to 10:00 that evening.  And if good food and beautiful dancing were not reason enough, then add the fact that my own lovely wife Anne Payne, also known as Sekhmet, is one of Azayani’s students.

Azayani, aka Anna Murray, teaches bellydancing and is the primary in Shimmering Hips (Photo by Keith Payne)

Azayani began belly dancing as a law student in Salem, Oregon, and has trained, taught, and performed this ancient art all across the country.  In 2007 she was part of a troupe called Sisters of the Desert Moon that won Third Place in the Bellydancer USA competition.  Her Shimmering Hips troupe regularly performs at Bardstown Road and Frankfort Avenue establishments and is available for events.  Planning a Mediterranean-themed wedding?  Marie Bell caters and Shimmering Hips entertains.

Anne Payne, also known as Sekhmet (Photo by Keith Payne)

Azayani’s classes present bellydance as an art form and a path to both physical and mental fitness.  As a display of both grace and strength, bellydancing moves focus on specific parts of the body, such as shoulder rolls and hip shimmies.  More than just a workout for the abs, belly-dancing involves the entire body and is an excellent way of building upper body strength while promoting deep, regular breathing. 

Azayani even has bellydancing training specifically for expecting mothers.  In fact, Azayani explains that many teachers believe that bellydancing originated as a way to prepare women for childbirth.

Sarah Combs of Shimmering Hips (Photo by Keith Payne)

In addition to Sekhmet, Azayani had another of her students entertaining visitors to Maria’s kitchen—Sarah Combs, who as of yet has not chosen a bellydancing name.  Individually and in duets (they were limited in terms of space), the Shimmering Hips wove their magic to the sound of Eastern music, as well as one of U2’s more etheric tunes. 

Their dancing styles ranged from traditional to tribal, with Azayani performing a sword dance as well.  But most surprising was when Maria Bell herself, with a shout of “Opa!,” smashed a plate on the floor and began dancing around it!

Maria Bell dances around a smashed plate (Photo by Keith Payne)

For three hours Azayani, Sekhmet, and Sarah (and Maria!) took turns dancing for those who were drawn in from the cold and rain by the sound of zills and the smell of roasting lamb.  At one point Maria pulled me outside, where in nicer weather there are tables for dining al fresco, and as we stood under the eave to avoid the rain explained her plans to open a larger place downtown in the very near future. 

Maria’s desire is to bring to Louisville the sort of Greek restaurant where the patrons eat and dance with abandon, without landlords who get snippy over the occasional broken plate on the floor.  “Eat, dance, and eat some more” she explained as we scooted past Sarah and Sekhmet and back into the warmth of the eatery.

The Egyptian Angle

Lest anyone think I have written this just to brag about my wife and her lovely friends, there is an Em Hotep! angle to this article.  To begin with, Its All Greek to Me is one of the more authentic places in Louisville where you can eat like an Egyptian.  The Middle Eastern and Mediterranean palates have much in common.  Chicken and lamb grilled with fresh vegetables, chickpeas and lentils, cucumber, eggplant, lots of garlic and the ever-present pita bread are standard fare from Kozani to Aswan.

Tzatziki and grape leaves

An Egyptian evening at It’s All Greek to Me might begin with some hummus—which the Egyptians might call ta’amiyah—and maybe some tzatsiki with some grilled pita bread to go with them.  If it is a Tuesday or Thursday, a nice cup of the previously mentioned fakyes soup with a little vinegar or olive oil will help finish off any remaining pita bread.  For an entrée have the mousaka, or for those with a Pharaonic appetite, the Zeus platter—a sampling of lamb, chicken, tzatziki, feta, olives, tomatoes and grape leaves for two.

Oh, and as my wife would point out, they have salads too.  Lots of wonderful salads.  For the It’s All Greek to Me menu, click here.  And like Azayani, Maria Bell offers regular classes so you can eat like an Egyptian, or Greek, at home.    

With regard to belly dancing, Egypt has a long and romantic history.  Egyptian style bellydancing as it has been practiced in modern times is believed to be closely related to Moroccan belly-dancing, although that is not to say that one style necessarily led to the other.  Egyptian bellydancers make use of veils in their dancing, but for most of the performance will typically have their faces uncovered, whereas with more Arabic styles the face will usually remain covered throughout the performance. 

In addition to veils, there are several props traditionally associated with Egyptian bellydancing.  Candles, swords, and canes are often used, with canes being commonly used by male bellydancers.  In recent centuries Egyptian bellydancers, called Ghawazee, worked in troupes that included both men (called Ghazee) and women (called Ghazeeye), and would typically perform in streets and market-places.  The Ghawazee were actually a nomadic tribe whose members moved from city to city making a living at dancing, and who were tolerated because they tended to make very good money and were a reliable source of tax revenue wherever they showed up.

Religious intolerance eventually exerted sufficient pressure to put an end to public bellydancing, and Ghawazee performances were banned in Cairo in 1834.  The sanctions were relaxed somewhat beginning in 1849, but public bellydancing remained illegal.  This led to performances being held behind closed doors, which resulted in the birth of the Egyptian cabaret (source).

Azayani with zills (Photo by Keith Payne)

So for the purposes of Em Hotep!, there is obviously a recent connection (200-300 years is actually quite recent by Egyptological standards..) 

What about a link to antiquity?  Tradition has it that bellydancing has been around as an art form for 6,000 years.  Is there evidence of bellydancing in ancient Egypt?

The Art of Dance in Ancient Egypt

Musicians and dancers are a common motif in Egyptian art (Photo by courtesy of Eloquence)

There is a tradition that bellydancing in Egypt dates back to Pharaonic times, and examples of dancing are represented in art all throughout Egypt’s long history.  Some of the most commonly reproduced pieces of Egyptian painting represent female musicians and dancers in gauzy dresses of the finest linen, if not practically nude.  Some of these paintings have led to an unfair and inaccurate association between bellydancing and more vulgar forms of entertainment, but such modern connotations ignore the fact that nudity in ancient Egyptian art, culture, and even religion had none of the puritanical baggage of the modern era.

But while Egyptian art is replete with dancing figures, is there any evidence that the bellydancing of modern times has a precursor in Pharaonic Egypt?  One example of Egyptian art offered as a depiction of an ancient form of bellydancing comes from the tomb of Nebamun.  An accountant who worked at the Temple of Amun at the Karnak complex at Luxor, Nebamun is believed to have died around 1350 BC, during the reign of Amenhotep III of the Eighteenth Dynasty, and just prior to the Amarna Revolution of Akhenaten.  That certainly qualifies for Pharaonic. 

Musicians and dancers from the Eighteenth Dynasty tomb of Nebamun (Photo courtesy of Fordmadoxfraud)

The fresco from Nebamun’s tomb certainly depicts music, clapping, and dancing, but does it portray an early form of bellydancing?  At first glance there seems to be a lot going on with the dancers.  As stated above, bellydancing usually focuses on one part of the body at a time—the entire body might be relatively still while the head weaves side to side, for example.  But the stylized nature of Egyptian art can be misleading.  A single figure may be representing different movements simultaneously in a kind of single figure animation.  So the dancers may be depicting a variety of moves that are not normally executed simul-taneously, but are shown in such a way that allows one or two figures to demonstrate what would otherwise require a number of dancers to illustrate.

So when evaluating whether or not the figures from the Nebamun tomb painting represent a form of bellydancing you should consider the possibility that the actual dance may not have looked exactly how it is depicted.  The figures tell a narrative and the actions shown would have played out sequentially rather than simultaneously.   Fortunately, we don’t have to rely strictly on Egyptian art for representations of Egyptian people.  Dr. Andrea Deagon, the coordinator of the Classical Studies and Women’s Studies Programs at UNC-Wilmington, and an accomplished bellydancer herself, has provided evidence that bellydancing existed in a recognizable form at least as far back as Egypt’s Roman Period.

Unlike Egyptian art, which changed remarkably little in terms of convention and style for millennia, Roman art could be much more dynamic and expressive.  Dr. Deagon points to the example of a Roman relief sculpture from the Second Century depicting the Egyptian festival of the Apis Bull.  Describing the frieze, she notes:

“the artists have taken great care to illustrate the women’s hips as protruding, and their hands in unusual positions.  In other words, they are clearly indicating a form of dance in which the hips, hands and arms are used in ways that were foreign to Rome.  The dancers are all in different positions, suggesting solo-improvisation”  (source, with photo).

Dr. Deagon concludes that if a form of bellydancing was being practiced in Egypt during the Roman Period, then it is feasible some variety was being practiced as early as 1350 BC.  Bear in mind the leisurely pace at which Egyptian arts and styles evolve.  While not 100% conclusive, it would seem not too far a stretch to presume some form of bellydancing was practiced during Pharaonic times in Egypt. 

Azayani and Maria Bell celebrating life (Photo by Keith Payne)

But you don’t need to have an interest in ancient Egypt to want to take bellydancing lessons or to enjoy hearty Greek food, or for that matter, to take lessons in Greek cooking from Maria Bell.  All you have to do is live in or near Louisville and check out their websites, which I have repeated below for your convenience. 

And by the way, this is an unpaid endorsement for both Azayani’s Shimmering Hips troupe and Maria Bell’s It’s All Greek to Me.  No undue pressure was applied by Sekhmet, and I have her permission to say so.

It’s All Greek to Me                        Azayani Bellydance

2715 Frankfort Ave                          Email to Azayani

Louisville, KY  40206

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Copyright by Keith Payne, 2009.  All rights reserved.

Photographs ”Almeh fesquet.jpg” by Frederic Goupil Fesquet, “Maler der Grabkammer des Nacht 004.jpg” by Eloquence, and “Nebamun tomb fresco dancers and musicians.png” by Fordmadoxfraud are provided courtesy of Wikimedia Commons  and are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 License. In short: you are free to share and make derivative works of those files under the conditions that you appropriately attribute them, and that you distribute them only under a license identical to this one. Official license 

The last time I had a chance to see so many priceless artifacts I was at the Cairo Museum in Egypt.

This is an exhibition you do not want to miss.  With more than 50 objects from Tutankhamun’s tomb, and another 80 artifacts from other Egyptian pharaohs, this is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity (unless you visit more than once, which I intend to do!)

I blog about our visit to the Tut Exhibition over at Heritage Key under my daytime name, Keith Payne:  Top 10 Things You Don’t Want to Miss at the Indianapolis Tutankhamun Exhibition.  Although photography was not allowed, the fine folks at Heritage Key managed to dig up some shots Sandro Vannini had taken of some of the artifacts (Thanks Rebecca and Ann!!), so you should really hop over and check it out.

This is a travelling exhibition, and will be at the Indianapolis Children’s Museum until October 25, 2009, after which the exhibit will travel to the Art Gallery of Ontario at Toronto from November 24, 2009, through April 18, 2010.  And I have recently learned that before returning to Egypt, the exhibition will revisit the U.S.  The exhibition will be at the Discovery Times Square Exposition in New York City from late April through December, 2010.  After that, the whole lot goes home, so check it out while you can!

Regarding Em Hotep!

On an unrelated note, I’d just like to take a minute to apologize for falling behind schedule on several projects here at Em Hotep!  I have been busy with outside projects, including quite a bit of really cool stuff that has been going on at Heritage Key.  I am currently in the middle of covering the Ancient Abydos: From Egypt’s First Pharaohs to its Last Pyramid symposium taking place at the Penn Museum this weekend, but after that things should cool off a little and I can get caught up on some work here. 

I am still working on the reference article for the Great Sphinx, and after that I am going to be moving away from the Cairo/Giza area and documenting sites around Luxor and the Valley of the Kings.  But the feature projects, particularly Jean Pierre Houdin’s fascinating work with Khufu’s Pyramid, will get top billing.  Even after the series and interview are done you can expect Em Hotep! to follow M. Houdin’s work very closely. 

Also coming down the pike, we will be taking an in-depth look at the M. A. Mansoor Amarna Collection, which will also take the form of a series to be followed by an interview or two.  Look for this in mid- to late October.

Thanks for reading!

Copyright by Keith Payne, 2009.  All rights reserved.

It would not be too much of an exaggeration to say the event had the feel of a rock concert.  We were there to see a star.  What secrets would he reveal tonight?  What announcements would he make?

Shemsu scoops the news for Heritage Key. 

I have already written about the interview with Zahi Hawass, which naturally was the main event for me.  But Heritage Key also sent me to cover the event, Zahi Hawass’ Mysteries of Tutankhamen Revealed.  It was an exciting night all around, and Dr. Hawass made several announcements.

What is the status of the probing of the “secret doors” inside Khufu’s Pyramid, and when can we expect an update?  How far did he get with the Osiris Shaft?  What is going on with the CT scans and genetic testing of Tutankhamen and his family?

Dr. Hawass addresses these questions and more, and I detail them in my blog entry on Heritage Key.  Read about it here:  Lecture Review: Zahi Hawass’ Mysteries of King Tut Revealed.

This is a separate article from the interview, so hop over and check it out.  I can’t reproduce it in full here because it was written while on assignment, but I can say that I ruminate about who might rest in a new tomb to be revealed in October, 2009, and I discuss Hawass’ promise to reveal in one month some very, very interesting information about King Tut…

Copyright 2009, all rights reserved.

Dr. Hawass’ plans for the near future..  Additional sites about to open to the public..  The secrets of the Great Pyramid..  Repatriation of stolen artifacts.. 

Read it here:  Exclusive Interview with Dr. Zahi Hawass in Indianapolis

Photograph “Zahi_Hawass.jpg” is provided courtesy of Wikimedia Commons  and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 License. In short: you are free to share and make derivative works of the file under the conditions that you appropriately attribute it, and that you distribute it only under a license identical to this one. Official license

Well, add to that a visit from Dr. Zahi Hawass..

Dr. Hawass will be giving a lecture entitled Mysteries of Tutankhamun Revealed at the Clowes Memorial Hall of Butler University on Friday 7th August, 2009.  The lecture will begin at 7:30pm.

Click HERE to visit the official announcement on Dr. Hawass’s blog, including a way to save $5.00 off the cost of a ticket.

Combine this event with a trip to the Tutankhamen exhibition at the ICM and you have an awesome Egyptian roadtrip to Indy!

 Photograph “Zahi_Hawass.jpg” is provided courtesy of Wikimedia Commons  and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 License. In short: you are free to share and make derivative works of the file under the conditions that you appropriately attribute it, and that you distribute it only under a license identical to this one. Official license 

And for my fellow Louisvillians:  Heads up!  There is a wicked King Tut exhibition just two hours away!

First things first.  Andie Byrnes from Egyptology News has brought to our attention a Tutankhamen exhibition going on at the wonderful and world-famous Indianapolis Children’s Museum!   Check out her post, Exhibition: Tutankhamen in Indianapolis, for details.

Indy is just two hours away, and we all know that Indies and Louisvillians are always looking for reasons to visit each other’s beautiful cities–usually involving fast horses and even faster cars.  A road trip to the ICM to see 130+ artifacts from the tomb’s of Tut and other Egyptian kings sounds like a pretty good way to spend a balmy day in August.

Jane Akshar from Luxor News brings us an article by Zahi Hawass about measures being taken to protect some of the more delicate—and highly important—tombs in the Valley of the Kings.  You can read her article here:  Protecting the Valley of the Kings.

Archaeoblog has dug up a good article on the Egyptian Neolithic and Predynastic Periods.  Check it out here:  Buried City in Oasis Lends View of Ancient Egypt.

Tim from The Egyptians has found an article about a 7^th Century BC fort unearthed in the Delta region.  Read it here:  Late Period Fort.

And last but not least, Vincent from Talking Pyramids has good news for those of us who like to web-surf the Giza Plateau from outer space:  Google Upgrades Giza Resolution.

Copyright 2009, all rights reserved.