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!
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Tags: Eighteenth Dynasty, Forensic Mummy Studies, Genetic Mapping, Tutankhamun
Dr. Otto Schaden has posted an update to his webpage stating that the excavation of KV63, the tomb/mummy cache he discovered back in 2005, has been completed. This milestone was passed this fall when the remaining sealed jars discovered in KV63 were opened and their contents examined. In addition to seven empty (except for smashed jars and mummification tools) coffins, Dr. Schaden’s team discovered 28 large storage jars in one of the chambers of KV63, most of them sealed.
But with all the jars now opened, work on KV63 is far from over and the most exciting discoveries are certainly yet to come.
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Tags: Eighteenth Dynasty, kv63, Otto Schaden, Valley of the Kings
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?
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Tags: Akhenaten, Amarna, Ashraf Selim, Ay II, Eighteenth Dynasty, Forensic Mummy Studies, Howard Carter, Mummification, Richard Covington, Tutankhamun, Zahi Hawass
Last week Shemsu trudged out into the cold and rain just to bring a local interest story to Em Hotep!’s Kentuckiana readers. Stuffed grape leaves, butter-scotch baklava, and bellydancing. These are just a few of the hazards I braved to bring you this exclusive.
Pictured to the left, Shemsu’s better half—Sekhmet.
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Tags: Akhenaten, Amarna, Amenhotep III, Andrea Deagon, Apis Bull, Bellydancing, Egyptian Art, Eighteenth Dynasty, Ghawazee, Karnak Temple, Louisville, Luxor, Nebamun, Roman Period, Temple of Amun at Karnak, Tomb Art
Dra Abu el-Naga is a sort of suburb, if you will, of the Valley of the Kings where some tombs belonging to Seventeenth Dynasty royalty (such as Queen Ahhotep I, to the left) have been discovered, along with the tombs of Theban priests and officials.
Zahi Hawass has released a new video, which premiered at Heritage Key, with some of the recent discoveries at Dra Abu el-Naga, including some details about the tomb of Amun-Em-Opet, the Supervisor of Hunters.
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Tags: Ahhotep I, Amun-Em-Opet, Dra Abu el-Naga, Eighteenth Dynasty, New Kingdom Period, Tombs, Valley of the Kings, Zahi Hawass
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Tags: Ahmose I, Akhenaten, Amarna, Amenhotep I, Amenhotep II, Amenhotep III, Amenhotep IV, Ay II, Eighteenth Dynasty, Hatshepsut, Horemheb, Memphis, New Kingdom Period, Priesthood of Amun, Smenkhkare, Thutmose II, Thutmose III, Thutmose IV, ThutmoseI, Tutankhamun
Kate Phizackerley of News from the Valley of the Kings has raised a few questions of her own regarding DNA Testing Limitations. It is the most accessible treatment of the subject that I have seen so far, and if you really want to have a thorough understanding of this very interesting story as it unfolds, you owe it to yourself to give it a read.
Tags: Eighteenth Dynasty, Forensic Mummy Studies, Genetic Mapping
If I were a stockbroker and Nefertiti was a commodity, I would be advising my clients to buy. Dr. Zahi Hawass’ last year with the Supreme Council of Antiquities promises to be an interesting one, with robots crawling the Great Pyramid, mummies in CT scanners, and rumors of KV64.
But somehow Nefertiti seems to keep slipping back into the story.
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Tags: Altes Museum, Ankhesenamun, Bust of Nefertiti, Eighteenth Dynasty, Forensic Mummy Studies, Internal Ramp, Jean-Pierre Houdin, Khufu's Pyramid, KV64, Mummies, Mutnodjmet, Nefertiti, New Kingdom, Repatriation, Secret Doors, Supreme Council of Antiquities, The Great Pyramid, Tutankhamun, Zahi Hawass
The Altes Museum in Berlin has certainly dug its heels in on this issue–Nefertiti’s iconic sculpture is now a “part of German cultural identity.” But what exactly does this fight over an Egyptian artifact obtained under very questionable circumstances communicate about Germany’s cultural identity?
Props go to Timothy Reid of The Egyptians for first blogging about the latest news in this on-going controversy. After you check out his scoop, Nefertiti Please Come Home, hop over to Heritage Key where I blog about this as well under my daytime name, Keith Payne: The Bust of Nefertiti – A Century-Old Archaeological Detective Story Nearing an End?
Zahi Hawass is going full court. We’ll see how far he gets!
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Tags: Altes Museum, Archaeology, Bust of Nefertiti, Eighteenth Dynasty, Heritage Key, Modern Egypt, Nefertiti, Repatriation, Zahi Hawass
It’s 4 am, do you know where your mummy is?
Zahi Hawass is ready to do his next mummy DNA study, this time on Queen Mutnodjmet. Unfortunately, Her Majesty is MIA. This is actually a pretty big deal because as the DNA study of the Eighteenth Dynasty continues cross referencing may prove that Mutnodjmet and Nefertiti are actually sisters.
I blog about this under my daytime name, Keith Payne, over at Heritage Key. Check out Queen Mutnodjmet: Another Branch in Tutankhamun’s Genetic Line Found (and Lost)?
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Tags: Egyptian Tombs, Eighteenth Dynasty, Forensic Mummy Studies, Horemheb, Mummies, Mutnodjmet, Nefertiti, Zahi Hawass
More than two thousand Egyptophiliacs lined up outside Clowes Memorial Hall for what Director of Operations Karen Steele informed me was a sold-out house.
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.
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Tags: Archaeology, Egyptian Tombs, Eighteenth Dynasty, Forensic Mummy Studies, Giza Plateau, Indianapolis, Indianapolis Children's Museum, Khufu's Pyramid, Mummies, Nefertiti, Osiris Shaft, Queen Tiye, Secret Doors, Valley of the Kings, Zahi Hawass
