Treasures Hidden in the Cairo Museum's Basement
It is not only at excavation sites that amazing artefacts can be discovered, but the archives of previous digs as well as the artefacts already in museums can still surprise us. Or what about the basement of the Cairo museum? Thousands of pieces, hidden away from both scholars and public. At least for now. Plans are under way to do a thorough 'clean up'of the gigantic basement and who knows what will come to light when all items are eventually moved to the Grand Egyptian Museum?
In the mean while, Dr. Zahi Hawass tells us about how a recent 're-discovery' of the storage boxes of the Kom Abu Billu excavation by Sabah Abed el Razek revealed his first - archaeology - love: a statue of Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty and love, known as Hathor to the ancient Egyptians.
This isn't the first artefact to re-surface, sometimes literally. Renovation works in the western area of the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square, Cairo has more recently brought to light a new archaeological cachette. The find included nine artefacts, among them an offering table, the upper part of a limestone stela, stones bearing hieroglyphs, and an engraved Ramesside limestone column base, with a cobra found next to it.
Video: Dr. Hawass reacquainted with First Love in Cairo Museum Basement
(Transcription of this video.)
I found my love – archaeology.
Dr. Hawass then told the press that two cachettes had previously been found in the Egyptian Museum’s garden; before 1952, archaeologists used to bury artefacts of questionable authenticity there, but only after they had been recorded in the museum’s register books and scientifically published. No records, however, had yet been found concerning this latest cachette.
And the renovation works at the museum - it's becoming a real trend - continue: in the basement there are big plans for lecture and study halls as well as a temporary exhibition hall. And of course, the new exit - at the western side, where the cachette was found - visitors will be able to find a large book store, a cafeteria and other facilities.
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Its great to see his passion for Archaelogy after so many years and especially this video brings a very personal touch to his experience.
There's no reason for artefacts to be stuck in dusty old boxes in a hidden away basement.. open it up for the world to enjoy!
Unless it's the arc. Jones would probably advise it needs to stay in a dusty box for a looooong time.
Maybe some of these hidden gems should be entrusted to the Neues Museum as a loan - perhaps in return for, ooh, the bust of Nefertiti, for example?
Incredible that the Egyptians have so many artefacts they don't even know what to do with them all! They should come in handy when the Grand Egyptian Museum opens - there's going to be something like 100,000 square metres to fill.
It's for sure that a new museum must be construct. All these wonderful exemples of the Egypcian culture must be showed to all the people that goes to Egypt. I only want to make my dreams come true. One of them is to stay for all a month in this basement, with permission to look all around...
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