Book Review: Judgement of the Pharaoh
In Judgement of the Pharaohs Tyldesley has tackled a subject that challenges the populist view of Ancient Egypt as a perfect world untroubled by social problems. Tyldesley begins by explaining how she described the idea for her new book to a colleague who said “Crime and punishment in ancient Egypt – surely there wasn’t any?” If an archaeological colleague was so quick to question that perfection of the Egyptian idyll, it is just as well that Tyldesley begins by assuring the reader that there was plenty of crime to be punished. [more…]
Hatshepsut, King of Egypt (1479–1458 BC)
By Barbara O’Neill. Published on Egyptological, December 7th 2011, Magazine Edition 3. “There’s a world of difference between truth and facts. Facts can obscure the truth” (Maya Angelou) In the Beginning Most people first learn about Hatshepsut on discovering her elegant mortuary temple at Deir el Bahri. Some visitors to the site may […] [more…]
Ancient Egyptian Religion, Part 3 – Temples, Festivals and Personal Piety
By Brian Alm Published on Egyptological, Magazine Edition 3, December 7th 2011 Introduction Thus far we have covered the fundamental concepts and ideologies that informed the religion of ancient Egypt — cosmic order (maat), the duality of paired principles, and divine magic (heka) — and how theology explained Creation and equipped humankind with the […] [more…]
By Brian Alm
An Introduction to The Coptic Period in Egypt. The Early Christian era 1st Century AD – 7th Century AD
By Howard Middleton-Jones. Published on Egyptological, Magazine Edition 3, December 7th 2011. First in an occasional series about Coptic heritage by Howard Middleton-Jones. Introduction The Middle East is a region of remarkable achievements, captured in literature from the 19th century onwards, often expressed in superlative terms. Readers will be familiar with the ‘Cradle of […] [more…]
AWT Conference 2011 Review: Glass Faience and Pottery Making at Amarna (Paul Nicholson)
O45.1: An Ancient Industrial Estate Review by Kate Phizackerley. Published on Egyptological, Magazine Reviews, Edition 3, 7th December 2011 Introduction As described in the overview of the 2011 AWT Conference which I co-authored with Andrea Byrnes (see bottom of this review), Dr Paul Nicholson spoke about his excavation of the Amarna site designated O45.1, which […] [more…]
AWT Conference 2011 Review: Curse of the Pharaoh’s DNA (Jo Marchant)
Review by Kate Phizackerley. Published on Egyptological, Magazine Reviews, 7th December 2011 (Edition 3). Introduction Many people were looking forward to hearing Jo Marchant speak about the DNA tests undertaken by Drs Zink, Pusch et al, and she didn’t disappoint. She was an outstanding speaker. She opened her talk by describing DNA itself, a […] [more…]
Book Review: Gifts of the Nile – Ancient Egyptian Faience (Florence Dunn Friedman)
Faience was celebrated in the exhibition “Gifts of the Nile, ” which was organized by The Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design in Cleveland (U.S.), where it opened in 1998 before it then travelled to the Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth in Texas (U.S.). Published to accompany the exhibition, the book Gifts of the Nile brings together academic insights, an exhibition catalogue, and colour plates. [more…]
AWT Conference 2011 Review: House and Home at el-Amarna by Kate Spence
Review by Andrea Byrnes. Published on Egyptological, Magazine Reviews, 29th September 2011. AWT Conference 2011. House and Home at el-Amarna: some thoughts on domestic architecture by Dr Kate Spence Introduction Dr Kate Spence of the University of Cambridge introduced the audience to an area of the city of Amarna which formed an equivalent of […] [more…]
AWT Conference 2011 Review: Christianity on the Edge by Gillian Pyke
Review by Andrea Byrnes and Kate Phizackerley. Published on Egyptological, Magazine Reviews, 29th September 2011. AWT Conference 2011 – Christianity on the Edge: The North Tombs Settlement at Amarna. By Gillian Pyke. Introduction Gillian Pyke was the only speaker at the 2011AWT Conference to discuss aspects of Amarna which date to outside the […] [more…]
By Andrea Byrnes and Kate Phizackerley
The Granite Plugs of the Great Pyramid
The Great Pyramid on the Giza plateau at the apex of the Nile delta is one of the oldest and largest and yet perhaps the most enigmatic manmade structure in recorded history. Egyptologists have determined that it was commissioned by the pharaoh Khufu in the 4th Dynasty of the Old Kingdom to be his royal tomb. Figure 1 shows a vertical cross section indicating the main passages and chambers. However, within these passages and chambers are many elements of construction that are difficult to explain within the context of a royal tomb. This article focuses on one such enigma: the set of three massive granite blocks that plug the lower end of the Ascending Passage. [more…]