Edition - May, 2012
Ammit – Mother of the Sphinx?
In the 1st century BC, the pragmatic Roman orator, Cicero (De Natura Deorum 2, 2) felt that in his educated and informed age, “those inventions of the imagination” ought to be put aside. For he enquired: “Who believes that the Hippocentaurus or the Chimaera ever existed”? [more…]
Vernacular Voices: Phopis, A Romano-Egyptian
In the transition to Late Antiquity, an undercurrent of vernacular culture across the Roman Empire was beginning to reassert its voice, as people on the margins of society grew in confidence. Many people were illiterate, or at least were only able to write their own name. So how can we be sure when and how this happened? One way is to listen to the voices of local people and ordinary travellers, as they took their rest in the shade. [more…]
Review: Lost Nubia. A Centennial Exhibit of Photographs from the 1905-1907 Egyptian Expedition of the University of Cairo
This book, produced to complement the exhibition of the same name, is essentially a catalogue of the photographs. Preceded by a three and a half page Introduction and followed by a one and a half page Epilogue and a map of the Nile between the Sixth Cataract and the sea, the main body of the book presents some fabulous photos in black and white from the exhibition, accompanied with detailed explanations. [more…]
TV Review: The Pharaoh Who Conquered the Sea
The Pharaoh Who Conquered the Sea follows the activities of Cheryl Ward who decided that the only way to determine whether or not Hatshepsut’s expedition to Punt in the New Kingdom was a technically viable proposition was to recreate one of the ships shown on the walls at her funerary temple and test it on the Red Sea. [more…]
By Andrea Byrnes and Kate Gingell
Was Egypt the First Nation State?
By Kate Phizackerley and Michelle Low. Published on Egyptological, Magazine Articles, Edition 6, May 31st 2012 Editorial (Kate Phizackerley) Was Pharaonic Egypt a nation state? This is not a new question but it is hard to answer for a variety of reasons, including: the context of the question is rooted in a modern concept (nation-state); […] [more…]
By Kate Phizackerley and Michelle Low
Egyptologically Speaking: An Interview with Professor Salima Ikram
I have long been an admirer of Salima Ikram, even though as a modern (sentimental) pet lover, I struggle with the insights she provides into the sometimes gruesome details of animal cults in ancient Egypt. Anyone who has watched Professor Ikram’s many television appearances; heard her speak on animal mummification or read any of her many publications, cannot fail to be impressed at both her erudition and her easily accessible style of communication as she sets out her no-nonsense, non-sentimental account of the complex relationship between ancient Egyptians and the wide range of animals they worshipped, hunted, ate or preserved for eternity. [more…]
Colloquium Overview: Recent Archaeological Fieldwork in Sudan
By Patricia Spencer. The 2012 all-day colloquium of the Sudan Archaeological Research Society (http://www.sudarchrs.org.uk/) was held in the Stevenson Auditorium of the British Museum on Monday 14 May. This annual event concentrates on presenting up-to-the-minute reports of archaeological fieldwork, both that carried out by SARS itself and by other expeditions, British, Sudanese and from elsewhere, working in Sudan. [more…]
Edition - April, 2012
Recent Issue with Newsfeeds / Comments – Resolved
The site news feeds have recently been acting up. Our apologies. You might wish to visit to check on the latest content in case your newsreader missed any of the recent posts. The problem has been traced to a plugin called Hyper Cache Extended which has now been removed. We have reverted back to the […] [more…]
By Kate Phizackerley
Editorial: Egyptological Magazine Edition 5
We aim to bring you a new edition of the Magazine every two or three months but Edition 5 is published less than 6 weeks after Edition 4 as Egyptological goes from strength to strength. Headlining this edition, experienced writer Barbara O’Neill demonstrates a new talent as a journalist. Her interview of Dr Joyce Tyldesley […] [more…]
Egyptologically Speaking: An Interview with Joyce Tyldesley
In February 2012, Dr. Joyce Tyldesley announced the latest in the University’s impressive portfolio of online courses. The Diploma in Egyptology is set to receive its first intake of students in October; some (not all) will be tech-savvy graduates of previous Tyldesley-designed distance Egyptology. Recently, this busy academic took some time out to discuss Manchester’s pioneering online Egyptology programmes [more…]