Submitted by Sean Williams on Tue, 11/17/2009 - 16:36
Austrian archaeologists have unearthed the oldest cuneiform seal inscription fragment ever found in Egypt. The piece dates to the Old Babylonian reign of King Hammurabi, who brought the world its first code of law, between 1792 - 1750 BC. Egypt's culture minister Farouk Hosni announced the discovery today, made by the Austrian Archaeological Mission in a pit at Tel El-Daba, modern name of ancient Avaris, 120km north-east of Cairo in the Nile Delta.
Submitted by Sean Williams on Fri, 09/18/2009 - 16:42
Workmen may just have downed tools after laser scanning the Sphinx, but a new Egyptian-Japanese venture aims to seek out even more archaeological hotspots along the Nile, using technology at the bleeding egde of science. The far-flung team, headed by Egypt's National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences, hopes to reach areas in the river's western Delta and nearby El-Beheira governorate, whose geography has resisted conventional techniques thus far. The team has already employed satellite imaging and remote sensing devices to map heritage sites in the area, and experts are confident more will appear when a second phase gets under way next February.
Submitted by Sean Williams on Fri, 07/03/2009 - 14:36
The area of land around the Middle East and the Levant – also known as the Fertile Crescent - lays a precarious claim to be the 'cradle of civilization'. But is it really the birthplace of the world’s most ancient civilized societies? And what do we even mean by civilization, anyway?
What’s in a Word?
Attempting to pin down a definition of the world 'civilization' is no easy task. As it turns out, annoyingly, there are quite a few opinions on the issue. Some even argue the very definition of the word has to be intrinsically shifted as ‘civilization’ moves along, for example from writing to government (though surely those words in themselves suffice?). Still, there seem to be some running themes throughout this infinite mish-mash of musings, whereby a civilization comprises:
1. The gathering of people in populated areas, as opposed to sporadically-placed in wilderness regions.
2. The advancement of societies through record-keeping, like writing.
3. The development of social and political institutions.
First person to use satellite images to reveal Egyptian archaeological sites
Dr. Sarah Parcak, Professor of Anthropology at the University of Alabama, Birmingham, is one of the world's leading Egyptologists, and was the first person to use satellite images to discover archaeological sites in Egypt, primarily in the Nile delta. Since she began, Parcak has confirmed no less than 132 sites of interest; some of which date back as far as 3000 BC. More recently, Parcak has scoured satellite images to search for possible water sources in Egypt - greatly reducing the cost from traditional surface detection excavation. Parcak's work has led her, and many of her peers, to reinstate the conclusion that what is known of Egypt now is merely the tip of the ancient iceberg.
The deity Horus of Pe was once seen as the 'soul' of Buto, once the capital of the Nile Delta in Upper Egypt. Symbolizing the predynastic rulers of the region, the god would act as a protector to the ruling king and depictions of the deity were particularly associated with coronations and anniversaries. The pose of the statue typifies the way the god was usual represented and is thought to show a move in a ritual dance. It is thought that this figure was once covered in gold leaf and inlaid with precious stones, indicating that it must have belonged to a very wealthy citizen of the town.
