Edition - February, 2012
Book Review: Guide to the Nubian Monuments on Lake Nasser
This travel guide covers the monuments salvaged during the building of the Aswan High Dam, which were relocated to new higher land to escape the rising waters of Lake Nasser. The most substantial and impressive of these is Abu Simbel, but other sites, like Wadi al-Sebua, the sites at New Kalabsha and the tomb of Pennut are also important and very beautiful. [more…]
Review: HieroPocket 1.0 (iPhone app)
I have been using the iPhone app “HieroPocket” for a few months now, and I thought that for those of you who already own an iPhone or are thinking of buying one it might be useful to summarize its key features. The application is easy to navigate, featuring two main sections – the Dictionary and the Sign List, both available from nice big buttons on the home screen, which has a papyrus-themed background [more…]
Information on Sarwat Okasha
I am searching for biographical information on Sarwat Okasha who was Eqypt’s Minister of Culture during the 1960’s, as well as a Vice President. He was also active in Unesco during the same time period. Can someone provide some information or sources regarding Sarwat Okasha’s life and accomplishments? Many thanks Sally Cromier [more…]
By Kate Phizackerley
Ethnic origin of Ramesses I?
A question from Derek Martin. Is there any evidence that Ramesses I could have could have had a degree of Hyksos ancestry? Ramesses I was born in Avaris, the old Hyksos capital, his father’s name was Seti (the Hyksos chose the Egyptian God Set, because he was closest to their own God Ba’al) and he […] [more…]
By Kate Phizackerley
Question about healthcare facilities
We’ve had a query from andrea@hydeinc, who works in healthcare facility design and would like to know if any healtchare facilities have been identified from Ancient Egypt and how they wre laid out. She is particularly interested in floor plans and what sort of access to daylight and water were provided, with a view to […] [more…]
By Andrea Hyde
Exhibition spotlight: ‘Before the Pyramids’ at the Oriental Institute
The following short article provides a virtual tour of some of the items on show in the recent exhibition from the Oriental Institute Museum’s 2011 exhibit, Before the Pyramids: The Origins of Egyptian Civilization, at the University of Chicago. [more…]
By Brian Alm
Tomb K64 in the Valley of the Kings – The Story as it Broke
This brief article was written on 15th January when the discovery of Tomb KV64 in the Valley of the Kings was formally announced. Please refer to the Addendum of 18th January for the latest news, which also corrects some of the orginal report. The tomb was announced in Luxor by Mansour Boraik in Luxor and […] [more…]
Paneb – “The All Round Bad Guy”
In Joyce Tyldesley’s Judgment of the Pharaohs, Tyldesley makes several references to an individual at Deir el-Medineh named Paneb, whom she describes evocatively as “the all round bad guy” (2000, p.127). In this short article, I have brought together some of the misdemeanours outlined in a letter known as Papyrus Salt 124 (BM 10055) for a closer look at this colourful character. [more…]
Lecture Review: Dancers, Donkeys, and Dirt: New Discoveries from the Time of the Black Pharaohs from South Asasif, Egypt
Dr Pischikova recently gave a fascinating lecture on the rediscovered Twenty-fifth Dynasty early Kushite tomb of Karakhamun (TT 223) in the South Asasif necropolis, situated in Luxor’s West Bank. The lecture took place on 24th November 2011 in the Friends of the Egypt Centre in Swansea, south Wales (U.K.). [more…]
Help researching Ankhesenamum
I have been an armchair egyptologist for over 50 years. I have two main interests in Egyptology; Ankhesenamum and Tutmania. As a psychologist, I have long been interested in the impact of the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun as a social and cultural phenomenon and as an aspect of popular culture to the present […] [more…]