Submitted by Sean Williams on Fri, 12/18/2009 - 18:06
A huge granite block, believed to be part of a temple belonging to Egyptian queen Cleopatra, has been lifted from the sea at Alexandria. The nine-tonne stone, quarried in Aswan some 700 miles south of the city, is expected to be transported to a new museum celebrating the sunken city.
As we described in our recent handy guide to how to make a mummy, the ancient Egyptians went to great and grizzly lengths to ensure that every last bit of a body was efficiently preserved. The internal organs had to be removed in order to effectively dry out a corpse. They would then be individually wrapped and preserved separately in canopic vessels.
Dr Janice Kamrin takes us on a trip through the Egyptian Museum, Cairo and shows the spectacular Canopic Shrine - a golden and intricately decorated container flanked by four figures of gods. Inside this stunning shrine was the Canopic containers, which held the vital organs of the mummified body. Made from solid blocks of alabaster, the individual viscera containers were themselves protected inside gold coffinettes.
The canopic shrine of King Tut is a beautiful gold container, which was discovered in KV62 – the tomb of the pharaoh Tutankhamun – by Howard Carter in 1922. It was used to house the canopic chest, which itself contained four vessels bearing the viscera of King Tut – his lungs, liver, stomach and intestines, which were removed for practical purposes during the mummification process.
As tall as a man and made from solid gold, it's one of the most beautiful examples of the many "wonderous things" found by Carter within KV62. On the sides of the shrine are statues of various gods and godesses, including the four sons of Horus – Imsety, Duamutef, Hapi, Qebehsenuef, who were essentially the canopic jars personified. It also bears images of Isis – matriarchal patron of nature and magic – and Serqet, the scorpion goddess. Among the many inscriptions on the side of the shrine are instructions on how to dismantle and put the artefact together.
The shrine currently resides at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, in a display case adjacent to that of the canopic chest.
The Antechamber of the Tomb of Seti I (KV17) is a small room which precedes the burial chamber, and features on its tomb walls scenes depicted from the Book of the Dead. The renown photographer in the field of Egyptology, Sandro Vannini took several photographs throughout KV17, including the First Pillared Room which we featured recently. This week we look at the tomb engravings of the Antechamber, and who they depict.
In New Discoveries in Drabu el Naga, Dr. Hawass brings us up to date with his excavations at this promising site on the West Bank of the Nile, close to Luxor and directly across from Karnak. There are about 80 numbered tombs at Drabu el Naga, some of which are royal tombs dating from the Seventeenth Dynasty, with other New Kingdom tombs belonging to Theban priests and privileged court officials.
In New Discoveries in Drabu el Naga, Dr. Hawass brings us up to date with his excavations at this promising site on the West Bank of the Nile, close to Luxor and directly across from Karnak. There are about 80 numbered tombs at Dra Abu el-Naga, some of which are royal tombs dating from the Seventeenth Dynasty, with other New Kingdom tombs belonging to Theban priests and privileged court officials.
Submitted by Bija Knowles on Thu, 07/09/2009 - 10:15
A Little-known Fact
A little-known fact about the emperor Titus Flavius Vespasianus is that he shares his name with a common word for public latrines in Italian. Not only were the antique communal latrines, such as those at Ostia Antica – see photo – referred to as 'vespasiani', but modern-day urinals in Italy, including the portable plastic versions often seen outside stadiums, also go by that name.
Titus Flavius Vespasianus was born on 17 November 9 AD. He became emperor of the Roman empire at 69 AD until his death in 79 AD. Born in the Sabine countryside around Rome in Falacrina near Reate, Vespasian went into the army and served in Thrace in 36 AD. He quickly rose through the ranks and became praetor in 40 AD. His marriage to Domiciliary the Elder produced the sons Titus and Domitian. After Domitilla's death Vespasian lived with his mistress Caenis.
He was part of the army under Claudius who invaded Britannia in 43 AD and he distinguished himself by capturing and invading several British forts and towns, including those at the Isle of Wight and Exeter. This earned him a triumphal regalia when he returned to Rome.
Vespasian also served as consul twice and was stationed in Africa for some time. In 66 AD Nero appointed him to command the war in Judaea in order to quell the Jewish revolt. This campaign was in mid-flow when Nero committed suicide and Rome was thrown into a political crisis, with the year of the four emperors in 69 AD. Galba, Otho and Vitellius quickly followed Nero, but none of them lasted longer than a few months. Vespasian was declared emperor and had the army's backing in 69 AD. He then resumed his campaign in Judaea, which culminated in the sack of Jerusalem.
It may not be immediately apparent that this limestone low-relief stele depicts and is dedicated to the famed Cleopatra. She is depicted in the same vein as traditional male pharaohs; she is wearing a triangular loincloth and the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt. Yet archaeologists are sure that Cleopatra is in fact being honoured; this stele is one of only three stele that mention Cleopatra by name.
Cleopatra can be seen offering two vases to the goddess Isis, who is depicted sitting in a throne and nursing her baby Horus. An association of temples, protected by the goddess Isis, offered this stele to Cleopatra.
The Antechamber of the 
