Quarries, often ignored, were a crucial part of Egypt. It was from these sites that the precious raw materials and minerals used in the construction of decorative monuments such as sculptures and obelisks was hewn thousands of years ago. Among the most prolific were the Quarries of Aswan, which yielded the red granite of Cleopatra’s Needles and many of the quality stones used in the construction of burial chambers, sarcophagi and columns in the pyramids of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure at Giza.
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“Such heartbreaking failures must sometimes have driven the old engineers to the verge of despair before a perfect monument could be presented by the king to his god.” -- Reginald Engelbach
French archaeologist Dr Alain Zivie shows some of the findings from the Tomb of the vizier Aper-el, which dates from the latter part of the 18th Dynasty, around 1353-1335 BC and are now stored at the Imhotep Museum at Saqqara. Dr Zivie explains that the difficulty in accessing the tomb meant that it was never raided in modern times, and only in ancient times when the thieves were not seeking antiquities.
Dr Zivie also explains what archaeology means to him, and stresses that he's "looking for history, for facts, for better understanding of this civilization, of this culture and this period".
Dr Vasko (or Vassil) Dobrev explains his search for the tomb of Userkare - a Sixth Dynasty Pharaoh who ruled between the reign of Teti and Pepi I. In the video, Dr Dobrev explains that Egypt was in a power limbo after the assassination of Teti, until Userkare came to bring peace and restore order. He is excavating a site at Saqqara South where his team have so far covered a fifth of a hectare, out of a 15 hectare plateau. Dr Dobrev shows us in this video what he has found so far at this site including one of it's most famous locations, the chapel of Haunefer, and some insight into the world of archaeology.
Dr Zahi Hawass takes us on a tour of the restorations taking place at the Jewish Synagogue of Moses Ben Maimon. Dr Hawass explains that since taking his post as Director of the SCA, he has made a point of restoring Jewish Temples, as it is also part of Egypt's heritage.
It’s hard to imagine that anyone could have once lived on the Gilf Kebir, an arid, remote, desolate sandstone plateau the size of Switzerland, located in the far southwest of Egypt. Yet, as we discover in an exclusive new Heritage Key video report by Nico Piazza, around 10,000 years ago water, and with it vegetation and animal and human life, once ran through the barren land Egyptians today call “the Great Barrier.”
Gilf Kebir is the most arid and desolate places on Earth, but thousands of years ago, the site had water and was inhabited by humans and animals. In the 1930s, Hungarian explorer László Almásy discovered prehistoric paintings in the Cave of the Swimmers, which gave a view into the life of a long forgotten civilisation. The video takes us inside the Foggini-Mestekawi cave, discovered in January 2003, and gives us an insight into its ancient, mysterious past.
Submitted by Sean Williams on Fri, 10/02/2009 - 20:53
As a relative photography muggle myself, I'm hardly qualified to comment on the incredible technical wizardry employed by Heritage Key's favourite snapper Sandro Vannini. But I do have a pair of eyes, and an acute interest in the ancient world - so I can at least extoll the visual virtues of his latest work documenting amazing artwork in the lost tombs of Thebes. Equally, I can understand the wrench it must have been to work inside the cramped rooms, which weren't even made to be revisited by humans - let alone a camera crew and equipment.
Submitted by Keith Payne on Thu, 10/01/2009 - 11:17
Heritage Key has posted a new video clip on the process of mummification. Mummification Featuring Zahi Hawass is a video by Nico Piazza, featuring still-photography by Sandro Vannini. In the video Dr. Hawass is examining an unidentified (in the video, at least) mummy found quite serendipitously in a tomb at Saqqara. Once the cover is removed, I can’t quite make out if we are looking at a mask and other protective covering, or if it is an internal coffin, but the paintwork is vivid and very beautiful.
Mummification Featuring Zahi Hawass is a video by Nico Piazza, featuring still-photography by Sandro Vannini. In the video Dr Zahi Hawass is examining an Old Kingdom mummy found quite by accident in a tomb at Saqqara. Dr Hawass explains the mummification process and why each stage was carried out, as well as why the heart was left inside the body.
On a journey through the Tombs of Thebes, Dr Zahi Hawass and Dr Janice Kamrin explain the ongoing discoveries being made in the area, and how there are thousands upon thousands of "Lost Tombs" just waiting to be found! In the video, Dr Kamrin shows us around one of the new discoveries to have been excavated, while Dr Hawass explains who really was behind the Golden Age of Egypt. How does on capture the splendour of such an ancient tomb? Heritage Expert photographer Sandro Vannini explains.
A selection of the superb photographs by Sandro Vannini from the Theban Necropolis - accompagnied by text provided by the renowned Egyptologist Dr. Zahi Hawass - is now available in the book 'The Lost Tombs of Thebes: Life in Paradise' published by Thames & Hudson in English and in German as 'Die Verbotenen Gräber in Theben' by Philipp Von Zabern.
