Mrs. Mubarak, Prince Albert open Egyptian antiquities exhibit in Monaco

From the State Information Service (original article)

Mrs. Mubarak and Prince Albert of Monaco co-opened the Egyptian antiquities exhibition featuring the Queens of Pharaonic Egypt.

Hosted by the Grimaldi Foundation, Monaco’s culture and enlightenment fort, the exhibit will shed light on women’s role in the Egyptian civilization and history.

The event will be receiving visitors from all countries until September 10, marked by tourist attractions for Europeans, Americans and Japanese during this period each year.

The Egyptian exhibit, where a mega image of Queen Cleopatra was hung outside the building, acquires a special importance as visitors would try to detect the secrets and treasures of ancient Egypt.

Mrs. Mubarak and Prince Albert have toured all seven pavilions of the exhibition that stands over an area of 4,000 square meters. It comprises 250 archeological pieces from 15 countries, including 25 from the Egyptian Museum and one piece from the Nubian Museum.

What with all the exhibitions currently touring the world, the Egyptian Museum must feel pleasantly spacious for a change. Or empty, though I think I could put aside my concerns over the transport of Egyptian antiquities for the terrible hardship and boredom of seeing an exhibition of Egyptian antiquities in Monaco…

Note: Correction to the press release, the institution in Monaco working on the exhibition is the “Grimaldi Forum”, not the Grimaldi Foundation, as mentioned in the original article.

Grimaldi Forum Website - Egyptian Queens Exhibition details

 

Menkaura and the Mediterranean

This is hardly up to date news, it did in fact hit the pages of The Times  back in June (link), however I havn’t had a chance to comment on this until now. However, I feel it warrents a mention.

The empty sarcophagus of Menkaura, a Pharaoh of the 4th Dynasty of the Old Kingdom, was found inside the burial chamber of his Giza pyramid by Richard Vyse, who had  ”excavated” the pyramid using gunpowder. In a true testament to Menkaura’s engineers and architects, this didn’t bring the entire structure down on top of either Vyse or the sarcophagus.  He also found shards of a wooden coffin, inscribed with Menkaura’s name, and a skeleton wrapped in cloth. The coffin turned out, interestingly, to be from the 26th Dynasty, whilst it’s inhabitant was from the Coptic Period. The Pharaohs of the 26th Dyansty had, it seemed, piously re-consecrated the pyramid, having found it robbed, as was common at the time, the 26th Dyn. being the height of the Archaic Revival mentioned in my last post on the Late Period tomb of Harwa.

Vyse claimed that the basalt resting place of  Menkaura would be endangered if it were to be left in place, and decided to ship it back to the British Museum in London, along with the coffin shards and remains.  All did not go to plan, however. The sarcophagus was loaded onto one ship, the Beartrice, along with some other artifacts Vyse had found, whilst the coffin and remains were placed upon another vessel. The Beartrice departed Egypt, and stopped in at Malta, where she departed, ominously enough, on October 13th 1838.

Exactly what happened next is unclear, but the Beartrice was lost, and sank somewhere off the Spanish Mediterranean coast, never making it as far as Gibraltar.  It is speculated that the wreck lies around the south eastern coats of Spain, around Cartagena. And now, Dr. Zahwi Hawass wishes to recover the sarcophagus, and has enlisted Robert Ballard, who located the wreck of the Titanic with help of the US Navy (they were using the mission to search for two lost 1960’s nuclear submarines) to help him.

Many have said that the project is next to impossible, as the exact location of the Beartrice is not known. However, in comparison to the project to locate the Titanic, conditions are in fact much easier, from a marine point of view. Firstly, the area is in fact, fairly confined. If we are to go with the fairly well founded assumption that the best chance for finding the vessel is along the coast of Cartagena, then the actual area of seabed to be searched is not huge compared to the North Atlantic. Secondly, conditions are infinitely better. The sea bed in this area is much shallower. The Titanic lies at some 3,800 metres, and more than 600km from the nearest land, in an area of frequent violent storms. The Mediterranean, by contrast, is an enclosed, almost tideless, sea, with much more moderate weather conditions. The area in question is close to land, as indeed, almost every single point in the Mediterranean is. The difficulties with this project are not technical.

The difficulty is legal, and, of course, political. Egyptian antiquities, on a British vessel, that (it is believed) sank in Spanish waters. In addition, Dr. Hawass announced this project before an agreement with the Spanish authorities has been reached, and I have been unable to find any actual acceptance of the request for his assistance, or confirmation, by Robert Ballard.  Dr. Hawass has stated that he is hoping for co-operation with the Spanish authorities, citing the positive publicity this would bring for all parties (in association with National Geographic, one assumes, especially given the involvement of Ballard) and has also stated that whilst the sarcophagus would return to Egypt, any other Egyptian antiquities found with the wreckage would remain with the Spanish.  This is a pragmatic move, and is more likely to lead to Spanish co-operation. However I cannot help but think this a rather risky offer to make, as well as somewhat contradictory in light of the wish, often expressed by the SCA, to return Egyptian antiquities to Egypt. It is risky, because we do not know for certain what other artifacts were on board the Beatrice when she went down. There may be some unique or extremely valuable items amongst the wreckage, and should this be the case (rather than “less valuable” or lower profile items, which is expected) then I cannot help but fear that many in Egypt will be eating their hats, as it were, in frustration.  It will inevitably lead to arguments…

So, what is to be done? Personally, I see no reason why this project shouldn’t go ahead. I feel the technical issues, whilst expensive to tackle, are far from insurmountable. Politically and legally, a genuine and out of the limelight dialogue between the Egyptian, Spanish and British authorities could easily be stepped up, with no side issuing unilateral statements to the awaiting media.  Menkaura’s sarcophagus could, and should, be brought home. There is a strong argument for this, but it is not one that should be fought through the media. Meanwhile, deciding on who gets the other “spoils” before they are even seen is, I fear, only going to lead to further problems down the road, as well as conjuring up unseemly images of vultures fighting over a carcass.

 

The Tomb of Harwa

On Friday I attended an EES lecture by Dr Francesco Tiradritti of the Italian Archaeological Mission to the Theban Tombs, held at the The Society of Antiquaries of London. It was a fascinating lecture, and I must admit that up until then I had known very little about the Late Period tombs in this area, so the talk was a true eye opener for me.

The renaissance, or Archaic Revival, of the Late Period has long held a fascination for me, and it’s normally something I think of as having been “kicked off” - as it were - by the Pharaohs of the 26th Dynasty. But these classical Saite signatures, such as the passion for (exquisitely executed!) scenes in the Old Kingdom traditions, and even the inclusion of parts of the Pyramid Texts, can be seen in Harwa’s tomb (TT37, El Assasif) at the height of the 25th Dynasty.

Harwa was the Great Steward of the Adoratrice of Amun, during the reign of Taharqa, and possibly acted as a vassal ruler of the south under him, since the Pharaohs of the 25th Dynasty remained in Nubia and only held power through the Priesthood of Amun, hence Harwa’s great importance. The scale of his tomb would indeed suggest this, for although it’s layout is entirely different, in it’s ambitious design, and in the quality of carving, it is certainly the equal of some royal tombs.

Sadly, time has been unkind to Harwa’s eternal home. Only fragments of the decoration survive, having been re-used for subsequent burials during the Late period, and functioning as a chapel to Osiris in Ptolemaic times. Dr Tiradritti also presented some of the tombs later history that had been unearthed during excavations, including an earlier Italian visit to the tomb by soldiers during the Second World War, leaving behind part of a biscuit packet for future generations.

Thankfully, the team have been able to take advantage of changes in technology over the long course of their work so far (excavation began in 1995, and there is still much work to be done) and this has allowed maps, images and also a complete catalogue of decorative fragments found to be made available on an online database. This has also allowed for digital reconstructions of numerous wall scenes to be made, allowing a much better understanding of the tombs original design.

A multi-lingual web portal has now been online for ten years, and is available at http://www.harwa.it

All in all, it was an interest and enjoyable lecture, and I certainly took home some new insights from it. Plus, the reception was excellent, particularly the cheesecake.

 

UNESCO praises efforts for developing Luxor

From the State Information Service (Link to original article)

“UNESCO has commended Egypt for its efforts to develop the Upper Egyptian city of Luxor,” Head of Higher Council of Luxor City Samir Farag said Tuesday8/7/2008.

The international organization also hailed projects being implemented to turn Luxor into an open museum, he added that such admiration has been expressed to the Egyptian delegation to the annual conference of the World Heritage Committee being held in Quebec, Canada, he pointed out.

Projects implemented in the city fall within the overall development plan that runs till 2030, he said.

Also, a more complete article is available on Jane Akshar’s blog

For those who have only visited Luxor within the last few years, or who have never been in person, it’s hard to understand the scale of development that has taken place around Luxor Temple, as well as on the west bank, where several sites have  had extensive works carried out, such as the Valley of the Kings visitors centre.

Meanwhile, as I write, the approach to Karnak is also being completely revamped. No one can deny that a lot of money is being pumped into these projects and that they are viewed by both the SCA and the touristic powers that be as the way of the future.

 

5,000 Year old cemetery unearthed in Sohag [Abydos]

From State Information Service (Link to article)

5,000 year old cemetery has been unearthed in Sohag governorate, Upper Egypt, officials said on Saturday 5/7/2008.

The cemetery is believed to be of senior royal staffers or persons who participated in the establishment of the royal tombs. It contains 13 tombs.

The cemetery was discovered by a mission of the Supreme Council of Antiquities in Umm el-Ga’ab area, south of Sohag’s Abydos archaeological city.

The mission also found a group of wooden caskets, containing embalmed remains, as well as a “Senet” game which resembles chess.

This is the second time an ancient Egyptian Senet game is discovered. The first was found in King Tutankhamen’s tomb.

The 5,000 year age given for these discoveries would put them in the Early Dynastic time frame (Dyn. 1 to 3). The Sohag name here applies to the province. The actual discoveries took place in Abydos.

Note that the statement that this is only the second time a senet board has been discovered, is, to the best of my knowledge, incorrect. Other boards have been found, including one belonging to Amunhotep III (Brooklyn Museum), as well as a more modest version from the New Kingdom in the British Museum, and another at the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum in San Jose in the United States, to name a few. None of these were found in the tomb of Tutankhamun, as far as I am aware.

 

Wrapping up smuggled goods

From Al-Ahram Weekly by  Nevine El-Aref (Link to original article)

The Ministry of Culture and the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) have been at the forefront of a campaign since 2002 to stamp out the trade in artifacts illegally smuggled from Egypt and bring them back home. To put the campaign into effect, the SCA has created a new department in its administrative body, the National Committee to Return Smuggled Antiquities (NCRSA), to list all the objects that have been illegally smuggled out of the country together with those missing from archaeological storehouses and museums. It also traces all reports provided by Egypt’s embassies and consulates abroad of possible infringements of the antiquities law, and from time to time it checks the sale catalogues of well known auction houses such as Bonhams and Christies.

The report goes on to mention an “outreach” programme, aimed at education Egyptians about the issue of antiquities smuggling, as well as hoping to engage Egyptians more with their own history:

On the local level, the NCRSA will raise the awareness of Egyptians for their heritage and its importance through history. This will be implemented through establishing seminars and open discussions highlighting such subjects, as well as organising a touring archaeological exhibition to visit towns in Egypt and publishing a periodical newsletter.

Despite the efforts vested in trying to persuade foreign countries to co-operate in the tracing down and return of stolen artefact’s, it is these local activities that have the potential to really  make an effective impact on  antiquities smuggling and theft. At the present there is little awareness of the harm of this trade amongst the  bulk of the Egyptian public. Education and, for want of a less annoying word, “outreach”, is the order of the day on the part of the SCA.

However, though I’d dearly love to be optimistic about this matter, at the end of the day as long as the average Egyptian  earns, if he is lucky, a twentieth of what an average  western European or American does, and as a long as  said western European or American is willing to  part with a thick wodge of that money to own a “little bit of Ancient Egypt”, then it’s going to be a very hard trade to stop.

Hard cash is mighty tempting to a  man with  a hungry  household, regardless of how honest and educated he may be. I’d like to believe this will work, but as long as poverty remains the norm in Egypt, her past will always be at risk, and from more than just theft.

 

Yet more discoveries in Saqqara

A little confusion here. According to a Yahoo News article there have been several significant discoveries in Saqqara of 19th Dynasty and Late Period coffins.

The Yahoo article goes on to mention that Ahmed Said, of Cairo University, reported that statues of the deceased were also found, suggesting some fairly substantial burials, though the State Information Service makes no mention of  the statues, though does report the discovery of “colored vessels for intestines” and a box. The SIS also mentions that the discoveries took place near Unas’ causeway.

Link to Yahoo article

Link to State Information Service article

 

Sphinx in dire need of a bird-repellent

From Daily News Egypt (May 29th) - Link to original article

By Ahmed Maged

CAIRO: The crowds of pigeons, doves and sparrows that have been landing regularly on several parts of the Sphinx indicate that the level of humidity is dangerously increasing within the stone structure of the statue, senior tour guide Bassam El Shammaa warned.

Visitors to the site have noticed birds settling on the statue’s head and the shaded northern part of the structure. Other birds sit in the shaded gaps that make up the Sphinx’s eyes and ears.

Besides leaving behind acidic droppings, the birds also slowly eat into the fragile stone as they pick the tiny grains of sand.

El Shammaa launched an on-line campaign last year called “Save the Sphinx,” in which he expanded on his theory that the rising groundwater levels endanger the monument, with water seeping into the stone and creating calcium deposits.

It is these calcium deposits, he says, that are attracting increased numbers of birds.

“I spoke to experts who told me about capillary action, a natural phenomenon that causes any fluid to ascend or descent through hair-like tubes,” he said.

“Most probably this is the Sphinx’s current condition: most specialists support the assumption that humidity must have ascended and interacted with the Sphinx’s limestone rock, resulting in a kind of calcium that is usually relished by pigeons,” he added.

“But we shouldn’t forget that the birds eat into the stone as they pick those tiny bits of calcium. The Sphinx has suffered enough and it’s about time to take immediate action. The effect of underground water coupled with the presence of these birds can result in the archaeological loss of one of the emblems of Egypt.

I am not a supporter of Bassam El Shammaa’s theories on the Sphinx, but the problems on the Giza Plateau caused by sewer water from nearby urban development (including some of the hotels in the immediate vicinity of the site) has been an issue for some time now. Whether or not this is the sole cause of the bird problems, I wouldn’t like to say. In temple sites, the presence of birds on site predates the water level changes in the late 20th century, so I don’t think the situation is - so to speak - quite as cut and dried as that. However, both issues, water table, and damage caused by bird droppings, are critical conservation issues, and the latter does tend to get less attention that it demands. Even a cursory uneducated glance at sites such as the Ramesseum will clearly show how damaging the effects of both these problems can be.

 

The Pharaohs are alive, with the sound of music

From the Daily News Egypt (June 3rd) - Link to original article

By Ahmed Maged

CAIRO: Some of the images found on ancient Egyptian papyri and tombs reflect the variety of musical instruments used at the time, attesting to the developed state art had reached during the Pharaonic age.

Abdel Halim Nureldin, professor of archaeology and former director of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, spoke of Israeli attempts to claim that those instruments are part of the Jewish heritage which began to take shape in ancient Egypt when the Jewish people emerged as a distinct community.

Nureldin, who had given a lecture last month on the subject at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, pointed out that in spite of the fact that some Pharaonic documents prove that music was present at royal ceremonies, funeral processions and other events, no musical notes were found to translate that music into melodies.

Ancient Egyptians used many string, wind and percussion instruments including the harp, lute, pipe, flute, hand-held drums, the sistrum, bells and others. Men and women alike played music professionally as reflected in the depictions on the walls of tombs and papyri.

And who doesn’t like a little bit of controversy in the morning? I must admit that this controversy over the origin of musical instruments in Pharaonic culture is something new to me. It should be made clear, however, that that musical instruments are known to have existed in Pharaonic Egypt from at least as early as the Old Kingdom. There is no indication that any single outside culture brought a musical revolution to Egypt, though in later periods new instruments appear that most likely were introduced via various inter-cultural influences and exchanges, particularly in the Greco-Roman period. Certainly the most important musical instruments - those which appear most frequently in Pharaonic era art and cultural references - were in place by the Old Kingdom, including the harp, pipes and the sistrum, amongst others.

An interesting table of the first known appearances of various musical instruments in Ancient Egypt can be found here at UCL’s Digital Egypt site.

 

Apologies…

Apologies for the delays this blog has been experiencing recently. I shall return with some proper posts later in the week and at the weekend, for I do have things of interest for my dear readers. In the meantime please bear with me. Also, there are some news events I’d like to mention that will follow shortly.