As a result of illicit dig, Thutmose III temple discovered
/ Photo : Luxor Times Magazine
Un temple enfoui, datant vraisemblablement de l'époque de Thoutmosis III vient d'être découvert sur le site de Tell Al Aziz, à 40 km au sud du Caire. Il s'agit d'une découverte fortuite faite par un habitant sous sa maison. Sept stèles, des restes de colonnes en granit ainsi qu'une statue sans bras également en granit on été retrouvés baignant dans l'eau de la nappe phréatique.
Des fouilles scientifiques vont être effectuées.
Minister of Antiquities announced the discovery of remains of a New Kingdom temple in Tell AlAziz, 40 km south of Giza. The discovery is a result of illicit dig by someone under his house. Seven stelas, remains of pink granite columns bases as well as a pink granite statue were submerged under the underground water. The statue represents a seated person of 2.5 meters height and its arms are broken. The temple more likely belongs to Thutmose III and an excavation project will start to continue the work in the site.
11th International Congress of Egyptologists
Le 11e congrès international des égyptologues se tiendra au Musée Égyptien de Florence du 23 au 30 août 2015. Le site web officiel du congrès est maintenant en ligne.
The 11th International Congress of Egyptologists will take place in the Egyptian Museum of Florence, August 23-30 2015. The official web site of the congress is now on-line.
Italian-Spanish archeologists to launch dig into Luxor tomb
/ Photos : Ansa & Min project
Le Projet Min est conduit par une équipe italo-espagnole et vise à la documentation de la tombe TT 109 (photo de gauche), à Cheikh Abd el-Gournah et de son extension Kampp 327. Il s'agit de fouiller, restaurer et publier les monuments et enfin de les rendre accessibles au public, ce qui prendra environ 10 ans. L'équipe a aussi découvert une tombe annexe (nb : je n'ai pas bien compris s'il s'agit de l'extension 327 de Kampp ou d'une autre) appartenant à un certain Maya, haut fonctionnaire de la XVIIIe dynastie (photo de droite).
Min Project is an Italian-Spanish project in co-operation with Egypt, born for the study and publication of a Theban Tomb (TT109 and its extension Kampp -327-) in the Necropolis of Thebes.
The tomb of Min TT109 (left side image) has not been systematically studied and has never been recorded or examined in detail. Many early travelers -Champollion, Burton and Rosellini among them - copied many of the scenes and inscriptions, some of which are now gone, but a complete publication was never done. The purpose of the “Min Project” is to copy and study the inscriptions and the scenes and to document the architecture, as well as to clean and conserve the structure of the tomb and its wall decorations and to prepare the monument for a future opening for the public in ten years.
The team also came upon the tomb of May through a horizontal tunnel located within Min's monument (right side image). The identification of May was made possible thanks to a funerary taper, found by chance as the team entered the tomb. The start of the excavations, planned for mid-October, will begin from the courtyard.
Hibis Temple to be reopened for public in November:
Le temple d'Hibis dans l'oasis de Kharga devrait de nouveau être accessible à la visite au mois de novembre. Il s'agit du temple le plus grand et le mieux conservé des oasis de l'ouest. Le monument a été construit pendant la première domination Perse (XXVIIe dynastie) essentiellement sous le règne de Darius I (522 - 486 av. J.-C.). Initialement consacré à la triade thébaine, il fut ensuite utilisé comme garnison. On retrouve des traces d'occupation chrétienne et islamique.
The temple of Hibis, located in Al-Kharga Oasis 600 kilometers southwest of Cairo, is the largest and best preserved temple in Egypt’s Western Desert. It was built during the First Persian Domination (XXVIIth dynasty), mainly under Darius I (c. 522 - 486 BC). Devoted to the Theban Triad, the monument was then used as garrison.
Deux livres récents gratuits / Two books downloadable for free Studies in Ancient Oriental Civilization (SAOC), SAOC 69. Creativity and Innovation in the Reign of HatshepsutArchaeological Research in the Valley of the Kings and Ancient Thebes: Papers presented in Honor of Richard H. WilkinsonStudies in Ancient Oriental Civilization (SAOC), SAOC 69. Creativity and Innovation in the Reign of HatshepsutArchaeological Research in the Valley of the Kings and Ancient Thebes: Papers Presented in Honor of Richard H. Wilkinson
Deux livres récents sont téléchargeables gratuitement. Profitez-en !
. Edited by José M. Galán, Betsy M. Bryan, and Peter F. Dorman. Il s'agit des minutes du Theban symposium qui s'est tenu en 2010 à Grenade et dont le thème était "Créativité et innovation sous le reigne d'Hatchepsout". Le livre contient 19 articles. Il est téléchargeable au format pdf sur le site de l'Oriental Institute de Chicago.
, edited by P.P. Creasman. Le livre est composé de 24 articles écrits par des égyptologues de renom. Disponible en téléchargement sur le site de l'AWOL.
The two books are:
. Edited by José M. Galán, Betsy M. Bryan, and Peter F. Dorman. Groundbreaking for the study of Hatshepsut's reign and the beginning of the Eighteenth Dynasty, this volume publishes the proceedings of the Theban Symposium that took place in May 2010, in Granada, Spain, on the general theme of “Creativity and Innovation in the Reign of Hatshepsut.” The volume contains nineteen papers that present new perspectives on the reign of Hatshepsut and the early New Kingdom. The authors address a range of topics, including the phenomenon of innovation, the Egyptian worldview, politics, state administration, women’s issues and the use of gender, cult and rituals, mortuary practices, and architecture.
edited by P.P. Creasman. At nearly 400 pages and including 125+ color illustrations, this work is composed of two dozen chapters by leading scholars from around the world. A great variety of new discoveries and current research are presented, covering topics as diverse as ancient tomb robbery to historic love letters.
Mummy remains refute antiquity of ankylosing spondylitis
/ Photo : livescience
Des études menées assez récemment suggéraient que certaines momies de souverains égyptiens montraient des signes de spondylarthrite ankylosante, une maladie inflammatoire invalidante. Une étude scannographique a exclu ce diagnostic.
Quatre momies présentent des signes caractéristiques d'une hyperostose squelettique idiopathique : Amenhotep III, Ramsès II, son fils Merenptah et Ramsès III. Il s'agit d'une affection commune durant la vieillesse, conforme à leur longévité et à leur mode de vie actif à l'âge adulte.
Researchers studied the computed tomography (CT) scans of the royal Ancient Egyptian mummies dated to the eighteenth to early twentieth Dynasties for the claimed diagnoses of Ankylosing spondylitis and diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) and correlated the findings with the archaeology literature. CT findings excluded the diagnosis of ankylosing spondylitis based on absence of sacroiliac joints erosions, or fusion of the facet joints. Four mummies fulfilled the diagnostic criteria of DISH: Amenhotep III (18th Dynasty), Ramesses II, his son Merenptah, and Ramesses III (19th to early 20th Dynasties). Diagnosis of DISH, a commonly asymptomatic disease of the old age, in the four Pharaohs concord the longevity and active life styles that they have lived. CT features of DISH in this ancient period were similar to those commonly seen in modern populations and likely they will be in the future. Affection of Ramesses II and his son Merenptah supports familial clustering of DISH. The process of mummification may induce changes in the spine that should be considered during investigations of mummy diseases.
Egypte: le train perdu de la ligne Dakhla-Louxor
/ Photo: RFI
Bon, il ne s'agit pas d'Égypte ancienne mais vous allez peut-être un jour vous rendre en train dans les oasis, alors ceci devrait vous intéresser.
La nouvelle a fait le tour du Net avant de finir sur les pages des journaux. On y voit les photos d’un train composé d’une locomotive, de douze voitures et de six wagons au milieu du sable et pas la moindre trace de rails. Les rails ont été volés sur plus d’une centaine de kilomètres entre l’oasis de Dakhla dans le désert occidental et Louxor. Un jour de 2008 le train des oasis s’est donc retrouvé bloqué en plein désert, faute de rails. Les conducteurs ont abandonné le train et sont rentrés par la route. Négligence oblige, le train a fini par être oublié avant que quelqu’un ne s’inquiète. Un train qui vaut dix millions d’euros quand même...
Well, that's not about Ancient Egypt, but this story may help you plan your next trip to the Oases.
A barely believable story. A train lost since 2008 has been found again. The rails had been stolen on over 100km... So one day, in 2008, a train stopped in the middle of the desert because he couldn't go further. The drivers came back by car. Negligence is alleged to explain why the train was forgotten for 8 years. A 10 million euros train, which now stands in the sands in the middle of nowhere with no rails around it...
Comment dessiner les hiéroglyphes / How to draw hieroglyphs
Une intéressante initiative des éditions Safran : des animations simples et précises pour dessiner les 200 hiéroglyphes les plus courants. Basé sur Ancient Egyptian Calligraphy, de H.G. Fisher.
Vient en parallèle avec la seconde édition de "Égyptien hiéroglyphique. Grammaire pratique du moyen égyptien"
par Claude Obsomer.
In parallel to memorising hieroglyphs, one should also learn how to draw them in a way that is both simple and precise. For the 200 signs most commonly found, animations allowing everyone to draw them are available on the this page. These animations are based on Ancient Egyptian Calligraphy, by H.G. Fisher.
Complement to the book "Egyptian Grammar", 2nd edition, by Claude Obsomer, Safran editor.