Dès l'année prochaine, le site de Kom el Hetan va être transformé grâce à l'action de 12 archéologues, avec à leur tête Hourig Sourouzian, de centaines d'ouvriers égyptiens, et aussi grâce à de généreux donateurs. Ce site, situé derrière les célèbres colosses de Memnon, fut occupé à la XVIIIème Dynastie par le plus grand Temple de millions d'années jamais construit, celui du pharaon Amenophis III. Détruit dès l'antiquité, il a servi de carrière de pierre aux successeurs du roi.
Vous pouvez vous faire une idée de ce que nous avons perdu en regardant certains blocs qui se trouvent actuellement dans les , tout proche.
Seront ainsi remis en place une statue géante de l'épouse d'Aménophis III, la reine Tiy, récemment découverte (voir Egypt daily et National Geographic), deux sphinx représentant le couple royal ainsi que 84 statues en granit noir de Sekhmet, la divinité à tête de lion. Des colosses royaux de 15 mètres de haut découverts lors de précédentes campagnes de fouilles seront érigés en début d'année prochaine, à 100 mètres derrière les deux colosses qui dominent déjà le site et frappent le regard des voyageurs depuis des centaines d'années.
Les fouilles n'ont pu être réalisées que grâce à un mécénat privé, notamment celui de l'Association des amis des colosses de Memnon, présidée par Monique Hennessy, et des dons du World Monument Fund.

From next year, the site of Kom el Hetan is going to be transformed, thanks to the action of 12 archaeologists, with Hourig Sourouzian at the head of hundreds of Egyptian workers, and also thanks to generous donors. This site, situated behind the famous colossi of Memnon, was occupied during the 18th Dynasty by the greatest Temple of Millions of Years ever constructed, the one of Pharaoh Amenophis III. Destroyed since antiquity, it acted as the source of stone for the king's successors.
You can get an idea of what was lost by looking at some blocks which are currently in a , near by.
Also to be replaced, will be the lately discovered gigantic statue of the wife of Amenophis III, queen Tiy (see Egypt Daily and National Geographic), two sphinxes representing the royal couple, as well as 84 statuaries (made of black granite) of Sekhmet, the divinity with the head of a lion. Royal 15 metre giants, discovered at the time of previous excavation campaigns, will be erected at the beginning of next year, 100 metres behind the two colossi which already dominate the site and which have captured the gaze of the travellers for hundreds of years.
The excavations have only been possible thanks to private sponsorship, notably that of the association of the friends of the colossi of Memnon, chaired by Monique Hennessy, and from grants of the World Monument Fund.

Ce rendez-vous quadriennal de la profession a lieu du 22 au 29 mai 2008, sur l'île de Rhodes.
Il est encore temps de s'inscrire.
Vous trouverez sur le site un abstract téléchargeable des communications au format .pdf.

This quadriennal meeting of the profession takes place on the 22nd to 29th of May, 2008, on the island of Rhodes.
It is again time to enrol.
You will find on the site a downloadable abstract of the papers in .pdf format.

"Pour la première fois au monde, la reconstitution en un même lieu des temples égyptiens de : Karnak, Louqsor, Medinet-Habou. Ces maquettes ont été données au musée au Caire, et seront prochainement exposée dans le site choisi par les autorités compétentes".
Ce site de Gérard Homann (qui a aussi dessiné notre logo EgyptRing) vaut vraiment le coup ! Le travail de Gérard est stupéfiant, et vient d'être reconnu à sa juste valeur, puisqu'il sera exposé en Égypte. Il prépare actuellement une maquette de Thèbes au 1/1500ème. Nous avons hâte de voir tout cela.

"For the first time in the world, in the same place, are the reconstructions of Egyptian temples of : Karnak, Luxor, Medinet Habu. These models have been given to the museum in the Cairo, and will be revealed shortly in the location chosen by the authorities concerned". This site of Gérard Homann (who also drew our EgyptRing logo) is really worth a look! Gérard's work is astounding, and has just been recognised for its true value, since it will be seen in Egypt. He prepared a model of Thebes currently at 1/1500th scale. We can't wait to see it all.

Un relevé du fond du Nil en Assouan, entrepris depuis 4 mois, vient de porter ses fruits. A 40 m [?? je mets cette profondeur en doute] de fond, les plongeurs ont retrouvé un portique complet du temple de Khnoum ; deux grandes colonnes non identifiées ; trois clochers d'époque Copte. Le directeur du SCA, Zahi Hawass, a déclaré que ces objets étaient trop lourds pour pouvoir être sortis de l'eau. Des objets plus petits ont pu être remonté : amphores, pièces de la XXVIème Dynastie...

A four-month-long underwater survey conducted at Aswan is finally yielding its fruits. Forty metres [??] beneath the surface the divers discovered a complete portico of the temple of Khnum; two huge, unidentified columns; and four pollards from the Coptic era. Zahi Hawass, head of the SCA, said these pieces would remain on the river bed as they were too heavy to be lifted out the water. Early studies show that the pollards may be part of a Christian church that may have once been located in the area but for unknown reasons was demolished or destroyed. Several 26th Dynasty decorative pieces, along with Roman amphora and a collection of clay vessels, have been also found and removed from the Nile bed so they can be restored and placed on display.

Une découverte significative a été faite dans la tombe du pharaon Sethy I, dans la Vallée des Rois. Un ouchebti en quartzite inscrit au nom du roi a en effet été découvert, ainsi que des fragments de la peinture murale de la tombe, qui étaient tombés à terre. Par ailleurs, la longueur de la tombe a été revue à la hausse : 136 m au lieu de 100, comme l'avait indiqué le découvreur, Belzoni. De plus, il a été montré que le long corridor de la syringe n'a pas été conçu comme une "pièce" unique, mais bien comme des parties architecturalement différentes juxtaposées.

An important discovery has been made at the Valley of the Kings on the West Bank at Luxor. Egyptian excavators cleaning the long descending corridor, at the far end of Pharaoh Seti I's tomb, unearthed a quartzite ushabti figure inscribed with the cartouche of Pharaoh Seti I, the second ruler of the 19th Dynasty (1314-1304 BC). A number of clay vessels were also unearthed, along with fragments of the tomb's wall paintings that may have become dislodged and fallen off after its discovery. During the process to clean the corridor the length of the corridor was measured and found to be 136 metres, not the 100 metres recorded in the original report of the tomb's discoverer, Giovanni Battista Belzoni. Geological studies revealed the corridor was not carved inside the tomb as one single piece but was formed of separate parts, each with its own architectural features as if it were a gate leading towards the afterlife.

Egyptology News blog
Le premier musée du crocodile va ouvrir en Égypte, en face du temple de Kom Ombo (consacré, pour moitié, au dieu-crocodile Sobek). Il montrera une quarantaine d'individus.

The first crocodile museum is going to open in Egypt, opposite the temple of Kom Ombo (dedicated, in half, to the crocodile god Sobek). The museum will host 40 specimens of various sizes.

L'Université de Californie à Los Angeles vient de lancer son encyclopédie ègyptologique gratuite en ligne. Les articles, écrits par les meilleurs experts, et disponibles au format pdf. Ce travail de longue haleine en est à ses débuts, mais semble déjà prometteur.

"Egyptology has as its object of study the history, practices, and conceptual categories of a culture, which was remarkably prolific in terms of written texts, art, architecture, and other forms of material culture. The richness of this culture, of which we find ample traces, allows us to reconstruct religious thinking, economic systems, intimate details of daily life, as well as ancient pathology, to name just a few aspects. The knowledge of Egyptologists, archaeologists, linguists, geologists and all other disciplines that are involved in research in Egypt, reflect the interdisciplinary approach that is needed to make sense of such a wealth of information. Truly encyclopedic knowledge in this day and age means to have access to every relevant source, of guaranteed quality. The peer reviewed articles of the UEE will be written by the world's leading scholars and are commissioned by the UEE Academic Editorial Board".

EEF NEWS

Ce site montre, partiellement, l'état lamentable dans lequel se trouve la tombe de Neferhotep, TT 49, une des plus grande de la nécropole thébaine. Découverte avec des peintures intactes par Wilkinson dans les années 1815, elle servit ensuite d'habitation et d'étable...
Une mission conjointe Germano-Argentine travaille chaque année dans le monument pour essayer de restaurer du mieux possible ce que Gardiner décrivait ainsi : "The pictures in the tomb of … Neferhotep (49) are now recognizable only with the greatest difficulty; were they still as perfect as in the days of Wilkinson this would be the most attractive tomb of the entire necropolis.”(A.H. Gardener; A.E.P. Weigall; Litt, London 1913).
Le site est en Allemand, mais vous pouvez utiliser la traduction automatique Google pour avoir une idée du texte.

This site shows, partially, the miserable state of the tomb of Neferhotep, TT 49, one of the greatest of the Theban necropolis. Discovered with intact paintings by Wilkinson in the years 1815, it acted then as a dwelling and animal stall...
A conjoined Germano-Argentina mission works every year in the monument to try to restore as well as possible what Gardiner described as follows : "The pictures in the tomb of … Neferhotep (49) are now recognisable only with the greatest difficulty; were they still as perfect as in the days of Wilkinson this would be the most attractive tomb of the entire necropolis." (A.H. Gardener; A.E.P. Weigall; Litt, London 1913).
The site is in German, but you can get Google automated translation to gain an idea of the text.

Egyptology News blog
Tous ceux qui sont allés à Louxor savent que le prix des taxis est une variable hautement aléatoire.
Eh bien, il semble que cela ait changé pour le trajet menant de l'aéroport en ville. Jane Askar, qui tient un blog quasi quotidiennement mis à jour sur ce qui se passe dans la ville, vient de signaler que des tarifs officiels ont été préconisés.

All those who have been to Luxor know that the price of the taxicabs is a highly uncertain variable.
Well, it seems that it has changed for the journey from the airport to the city. Jane Askar, who holds an almost daily blog, has updated it on what happens in the city, has just announced that some official tariffs have been recommended.

EEF NEWS
Dans ce court article, Mervat Nasser propose une approche de la psychiatrie de l'Égypte ancienne, à travers quelques symptômes décrits par les principaux papyri médicaux. Un exercice difficile.

In this short article, Mervat Nasser proposes an approach to psychiatry in Ancient Egypt, through some symptoms described by the principal medical papyri. A difficult exercise.

Le SCA vient de mettre en ligne un nouveau site consacré à l'Égypte copte.

The Supreme Council of Antiquities is pleased to present to you the newly created website which was launched on the 23rd of April 2008. What makes this website unique is the fact that it provides a kaleidoscope of impressions on the Coptic Museum and historic churches in Old Cairo as well as various aspects of the Coptic heritage by means of multimedia: Panoramic views of churches, interviews with church fathers, virtual tours through the churches and Old Cairo, interactive audio-instruction for the pronunciation of the Coptic alphabet, reading of a Coptic script and photos of Old Cairo from the bird's eye view. A selection of artefacts from the Coptic Museum exemplifies its rich holdings. Outstanding articles on Marcus Simaika - the Founder of the Coptic Museum, the museum's history, Coptic language, monks and monasticism, art, music, customs and traditions reveal Coptic culture in all its diversity.