Category: Ann - Part 15

Queen Behenu’s burial chamber discovered at Saqqara

What is left of the north wall of Queen Behenu's wall, with the pyramid texts clearly visible. A French archaeological team digging at Saqqara has discovered the burial chamber of 6th Dynasty Queen Behenu, wife of either Pepi I or Pepi II. The burial chamber was revealed while the team was cleaning the sand from Behenu’s pyramid in the area of el-Shawaf in South Saqqara, west of the pyramid of King Pepi I.

The burial chamber uncovered by the French mission is badly damaged, apart from two inner walls which contain engraved Pyramid Texts. Those texts were widely used in royal tombs carved on walls as well as sarcophagi – during the 5th and 6th Dynasties (circa 2465-2150BC).

Click the photo for a larger view.

Pyramid Texts are religious texts composed of spells primarily concerned with protecting the king’s remains, reanimating his body after death, and helping him ascend to the heavens. The spells delineate all of the ways the king could travel through the afterlife, including ramps, stairs, ladders, and most importantly, flight. The spells could also be used to call on the gods for help, even threatening them if they did not comply. Unlike the Book of the Dead, into which parts of the pyramid texts later evolved, these Old Kingdom texts were not illustrated.

Dr. Philippe Collombert, who heads the mission, said that further excavation inside the burial chamber led the team to the queen’s sarcophagus. He adds that although the sarcophagus is in good condition, it still stays unclear if this queen was the wife of Pepi I or Pepi II: “It is a well-preserved granite sarcophagus engraved with the queen’s different titles, but says nothing about the identity of her husband”.

The French mission has been working within the necropolis of Pepi I at Saqqara, where they discovered the 25 meter long pyramid of Behenu and Pyramid Text fragments, since 2007. They have located a total of seven ‘queen pyramids’ dating to the reigns of Pepi I and Pepi II rulers of the 6th Dynasty – since the beginning of their project in 1989. The pyramids have been attributed to Queens Inenek, Nubunet, Meretites II, Ankhespepy III, Miha, and a yet unidentified queen.

Evidence of ‘Upper Class’ Africans Living in Roman York

Skull of the Ivory Bangle lady found in a grave from Sycamore Terrace, York, by Gareth Buddo, copyright the Yorkshire Museum 2.jpg Skull of the Ivory Bangle lady found in a grave from Sycamore Terrace, York, by Gareth Buddo, copyright the Yorkshire Museum Using the latest techniques in forensic archaeology, the University of Reading has revealed a new image of multi-cultural Roman Britain. New research demonstrates that 4th century ADYork had individuals of North African descent moving in the highest social circles.

The research conducted by the University of Reading’s Department of Archaeology used modern forensic ancestry assessment and isotope (oxygen and strontium) analysis of Romano-British skeletal remains such as the Ivory Bangle Lady’, in conjunction with evidence from grave goods buried with her.

The ancestry assessment suggests a mixture of ‘black’ and ‘white’ ancestral traits, and the isotope signature indicates that she may have come from somewhere slightly warmer than the UK.

Taken together with the evidence of an unusual burial rite and grave goods, the evidence all points to the Ivory Bangle Lady’s high status in Roman York. It seems likely that she is of North African descent, and may have migrated to York from somewhere warmer, possibly the Mediterranean.

Dr Hella Eckardt, Senior Lecturer at the University of Reading, said: “Multi-cultural Britain is not just a phenomenon of more modern times. Analysis of the Ivory Bangle Lady’, and others like her, contradicts common popular assumptions about the makeup of Roman-British populations as well as the view that African immigrants in Roman Britain were of low status, male and likely to have been slaves.”

Ivory Bangle Lady copyright Aaron Watson University of Reading

The research helps paint a picture of a Roman York – or Eboracum as it was known – that was hugely diverse and which included among its population, men, women and children of high status from Romanised North Africa and elsewhere in the Mediterranean.

Eboracum was both an imperial fortress (it was the last base of the famous Ninth Legion) and civilian settlement, and ultimately became the capital of Britannia Inferior. York was also visited by two Emperors, the North-African-born Emperor Septimius Severus, and later Constantius I (both of whom died in York). All these factors provide potential circumstances for immigration to York, and for the foundation of a multicultural and diverse community.

Ivory and Jet bangles found in a grave from Sycamore Terrace, York, by Gareth Buddo, copyright the Yorkshire Museum “To date, we have had to rely on evidence of such foreigners in Roman Britain from inscriptions. However, by analysing the facial features of the Ivory Bangle Lady and measuring her skull compared to reference populations, analysing the chemical signature of the food and drink she consumed, as well as evaluating the evidence from the burial site, we are now able to establish a clear profile of her ancestry and social status,” adds Dr Eckardt.

The Ivory Bangle Lady was a high status young woman who was buried in Sycamore Terrace, York. Dated to the second half of the fourth century, her grave contains jet and elephant ivory bracelets, earrings, pendants, beads, a blue glass jug and a glass mirror. The most famous object from this burial is a rectangular openwork mount of bone, possibly from an unrecorded wooden casket, which reads “Hail, sister, may you live in God”, signaling possible Christian beliefs.

The research was funded by the AHRCand conducted by the University of Reading’s Department of Archaeology, working with the Yorkshire Museum‘s collections. The museum will open in August 2010 following a major 2 million refurbishment. The skeleton and grave goods will be part of the museum’s exhibition entitled Roman York: Meet the People of the Empire, which aims to show Roman York in a new, cosmopolitan light, with inhabitants from Africa, Spain, France and every corner of the vast Roman Empire.

Imesy’s Sarcophagus to Return to Egypt

Imesy's sarcophagues (coffin) ready for transport After two years of investigation and negotiation, the 21st Dynasty coffin of Imesy is being returned to Egypt. Minister Farouk Hosni describes the coffin as beautifully plastered and painted with colourful religious scenes.

It was intercepted at Miami International Airport in 2008 when the importer failed to show the necessary documents to prove his ownership of the ancient Egyptian sarcophagus, which was part of a shipment from Spain. This raised concern amongst the American authorities that the coffin had left Egypt illegally.

An investigation was started by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) of the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS). As the earliest public record of the piece dates to 2007 when it was being exhibited in Madrid, they concluded that the coffin had left Egypt after 1970. ICE then confiscated the coffin and contacted the SCA, who petitioned for the artefact’s return to Egypt.

In November 2009, the matter went before US courts, at which time the SCA presented their case with the help of a pro-bono lawyer from Miami.

The importer eventually retracted his claim and withdrew from the case. The SCA agreed that the coffin be entrusted to US authorities, with the guarantee that it would be repatriated to Egypt as soon as possible.

Detail of the coffin of imesy. Arrangements are currently underway for the coffin to be handed over to the SCA in early March, when Dr. Zahi Hawass will be travelling to Washington DC to retrieve the coffin – of course – during an official gala ceremony.

Two other high-profile ‘repatriation’ cases in which artefacts that illegally left the country made their way back to Egypt are the reinstatement of a chunk of red granite to the ‘naos’ of Amenemhat I (willingly donated by the METmuseum) and the return of fragments of wall paintings that were removed from Theban Tomb 15, after which they turned up in the Louvre (after Egypt threatened to suspend the Louvre’s excavations).

Earlier, Egypt announced that it will be hosting a ‘Repatriation of Artefacts Abroad’ conference in March. The conference – with Greece, Italy, China and Mexico attending – will be a world first.

We’ve previously asked Heritage Key users to share their opinions on ‘Artefacts Abroad’, have a look at the results!

In the meantime, Egypt is not the only country demanding their ‘pieces of heritage’ to be returned (there’s Greece and the Elgin Marbles, Italy and the Lysippos Statue, the Maoris demanding their heads back, and many more…). Find an overview – and join the discussion – here.

King Tut Further Unwrapped – The Family of Tutankhamun Project

It’s only 24 hours since all Tut broke lose, and additional information is still gradually being released (confirming my theory that the main bulk of the information was leaked too early ahead of the press conference). That, or it took the released information a while to percolate through my brain. The following bits are new or extra info (to me) from the official SCApress release.

My grey mass failed to process the fact that this study is part of the ‘Family of Tutankhamun Project’ rather than the ‘Egyptian Mummy Project’. Somehow, limiting the scope does make sense, despite the Onion’s report on the extinction of the Egyptian mummies*. The other half of that same grey mass neglected to apprehend that rather than the protozoan Plasmodium falciparum being observed in King Tut’s DNA, traces of the malaria parasite’s DNA were discovered in Tut.

The SCA release states that:

“Two types of DNA analysis were performed on samples taken (see how they do this, red) from the bones of these mummies: analysis of specific nuclear DNA sequences from the Y chromosome, which is passed directly from father to son, to study the paternal line; and genetic fingerprinting from the autosomal DNA of the nuclear genome that does not directly decide a persons sex. To authenticate the DNA results, the analyses were repeated and independently replicated in a newly equipped ancient DNA laboratory staffed by a separate group of personnel.”

I’m glad to see the ‘separate group of personnel’ written here, as that wasn’t explicitly mentioned in previous reports (which were thoroughly processed by said grey mass). The neural structure does wonder:”If we have thoroughly tested the 18th dynasty’s DNA, then why absolutely no mentioning of any ethnic ancestries? At least some data must have been found?”

A special award goes to the person that decided on the use of the words ‘conclusively’ (putting an end to doubt or question) and definitely (known for certain). The report claims absolutely that:

The mummy found in KV55 is Tutankhamun‘s father** (Even though his age at death is now estimated to be between 45 and 55, rather than 20 to 25, it is only ‘almost certain’ that this was Akhenaten. I guess it also can ‘almost certainly’ not be Smenkhkare any more)
The ‘Elder Lady’ from KV35 is Queen Tiye, who is Yuya and Thuya‘s daughter.

Yet, I’m not entirely confident that ‘positively identified’ means there is no possible argument against the fact that the ‘Younger Lady’ from KV35 is Tutankhamun’s mother. The assumption that the two fetuses found hidden away in KV62 are Tut’s kids is even more hasty. But then again, that claim is just as likely as the mummy KV21Abeing the most likely mother of these likely children and thus likely Tutankhamun’s wife, making her probably (that was quite enough ‘likelies’ in one sentence) a royal mummy. At least she’s not under superstition of being male, as was Tutankhamun’s likely mother for a while. Aren’t we all looking forward to the removal of the ‘protected’ status on King Tut’s wikipedia entry, so we can start updating it?:p

What I did not fail to notice, not just in the SCA’s press release, is that the research is quite clearly sponsored by Discovery Channel. For those nagging about the big ‘hype’ factor of this and ‘King Tut Unwrapped’ (photo preview here), please know that I’m not on your side. I’m perfectly happy with this arrangement. UNESCO is not needed to help fund the research and can spend some more on errr.. what about Colchester’s Roman Circus? 😉 Taxes do not need to rise because a growing number of mummies are in need of trips to the mummy-hospital and with Discovery Channel sponsoring, the majority of the results are made freely (cost of the bandwith) accessible to all. A sweet deal altogether?

With that to ponder () I leave you, as Ihave some ‘likely’ removing to do on various Heritage Key directory pages.

*No, the grey mass did not fail to notice that the Onion is indeed one big joke.
**I thought that – although the probability is extremely high – a DNApaternity test is never 100% conclusive.

King Tut Unwrapped – Tutankhamun Mummy Forensics to Air on Discovery Channel

When I wrote that it was most likely we’d see more conlusive information on King Tut’s pedigree on TV first, I obviously was wrong, partly. Spoiler alert:yes, King Tut died at age 19 of (in order) a failing immune system, a leg fracture and malaria, but for the the fine details, and juicy imagery, you’ll need to tune in to Discovery Channel’s ‘King Tut Unwrapped’. The network – which sponsored Egypt’s ‘mummy lab’ – promises us an unprecedented forensic investigation into the life and times of King Tut that reveals the identity of Tut’s parents and grandparents, details on his cause of death and new details of his reign. Here are some more reasons to definitely watch the show.

“The life and death of King Tut continues to hold a special power and mystery for people all over the world,” said Clark Bunting, president and general manager, Discovery Channel. I would never dare disagree, and like to add that his afterlife seems to be working out pretty well! 😉

King Tut’s family tree

The road to understanding the Tut tree (18th Dynasty) begins with filling out his parents’ branches. Based on historical records and previous digs, Dr. Hawass determined King Tut’s father could be one of three great Egyptian pharaohs: the successful and popular ~~second~~ ninth king of the 18th Dynasty Amenhotep III; the radical and controversial Akhenaton aka ‘The Heretic King’, who moved Egypt into the age of monotheism, or the little-known Smenkhare who reigned just prior to Tutankhamun’s rule.

When Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon discovered King Tut’s tomb, who could have forseen that almost a century later KV62 would be the site for the cutting edge of forensic Egyptology? To effectively solve the mystery of Tut’s parentage, the team needs to test Tut’s DNA and compare this to his possible family members. Carefully, to avoid contamination, some bone marrow is extracted from the mummified leg. This first-ever DNA extraction from Tut’s mummy sets into motion a series of cross-reference studies to identify the Boy King’s family.

Specimens now abound for testing, but the expert team assembled at Discovery Channel’s DNA lab at the Cairo Museum faces challenge upon challenge in connecting the forensic dots. In order to test the ancient DNA, Dr. Carsten M. Pusch and Professor Albert Zink work with Dr. Yehia Zakaria Gad of the Department of Medical Molecular Genetics at Cairo’s National Research Center to perform, for the first time, microsatellite-based DNA-fingerprinting on familial Egyptian mummies.

There is triumph in the lab but that is only the start of the Tut family odyssey. With successful DNA sequencing of Tut’s father (Akhenaten, for those not following the news), Hawass is able to pursue leads that will eventually point to confirming the mummy of King Tut’s mother as well as identifying his great-grandparents Yuya and Thuya.

Tutankhamun died of…

Part two of ‘King Tut Unwrapped’ uses never-before-examined evidence from Tut’s mummy to conclude what caused his death and how that information sheds new light on his reign as a military, religious and political leader. Results from the DNAresearch and CT-scans reveal that the young pharoah suffered from various maladies and diseases, a combination of which eventually caused his demise.

Of course, no Ancient Egypt documentary would be complete without Egyptology superstar Dr. Zahi Hawass playing a leading role. From the pristine interiors and precision work of the DNA lab to dusty, unpredictable dig sites in the field, Dr. Hawass takes the viewer on an intense, deeply personal journey for the truth.

“Discovery is honoured once again to work with Dr. Zahi Hawass. Dr. Hawass’ trailblazing leadership has successfully fused traditional, methodical archeology with cutting-edge, advanced forensics. This is a new chapter in Egyptology firmly establishing Cairo as a center for innovation and scholarship,” said Clark Bunting. I wonder, did the Curse of the Mummy affect the high-tech equipment again? 😉

‘King Tut Unwrapped‘ premires Sunday, February 21 at 8pm ET in the US. Part two is on Monday, February 22 at 8pm ET. For your ‘local air dates’, check out our publication entry, or Discovery.com. For the UK, that’s March 3th & 4th 2010.

Leg fracture and brain malaria cause King Tut’s death?

King Tut's legs Ahead of tomorrow’s press conference on King Tut’s DNAand relatives, some of the news already escaped. Pharoah Tutankhamun died of complications from a broken leg aggravated by malaria. And his family? ‘Most likely’ (still) Akhenaten is the daddy, with one of Akhenaten’s sisters being Tutankhamun’s mum (and thus also his aunt!).

The article – to be published tomorrow in the Journal of the American Medical Association alongside the press conference – contains results of over two years of research in two different dedicated ‘mummy labs’.

It was already (though maybe not that widely) known that King Tut was not murdered, and most likely died because of complications after a leg fracture. CT-scans and DNAtests by the team of scientists now confirm this, adding that the young king was already weakened, and his condition after fracturing his leg was aggravated by a nasty case of cerebral malaria.

Tutankhamun sufferered from a cleft palate (like his presumed father, Akhenaten) and had a club foot (like presumed grandfather, Amenhotep III). In combination with Kohler’s disease (a lack of bloodflow causes the bone tissue to die, then bone to collapse) this must have severely weakened his immune system over time.

~~More details are likely to follow (or so we hope) after tomorrow’s press conference.~~ Nevermind that one!Please, follow me here for some splendid photographs of the DNA sampling in KV62, courtesy Discovery Channel.

Invaders of London – Roman War Pigeons

Thanks to the Ancient World in London (and currently the books from Neal Stephenson) I’m quickly catching up on my history of London and neighbouring areas. I’m still far from an expert, or even seriously knowledgeable – hence I’ve decided to judge who the best invaders of London were on looks. Instantly the Silures – quite sexy in King Arthur, 2004 – spring to mind. Quite neglected when talking and writing about history, they would make the perfect entry… were it not that, unlike Boadicea, they never made it to London, and spent their days in Wales making sure the Romans had one hell of a time. Figuring that the Vikings are quite the clich (and Mel Gibson is covering that one already anyway), this leaves me with just the Romans – a bunch of wusses that eventually got kicked out, and had quite some problems getting in in the first place. They and J. Caesar (pronounced ‘YOO-lee-us KYE-sahr’ for those in doubt/the office!) bored me to death, or at least sleep, during that particular chapter of De Bello Gallico.

Thank God (and maybe the Romans?) for lunch breaks, though. A quick stroll outside offered the solution; the only ‘invaders’ London never got rid of (disregarding all immigrants, Belgae included) are pigeons. So if we combine the well organized but eventually unsuccessful Romans with these quite persistent birds, you get a new breed of super-invaders.

Thus behold:
Roman War Pigeons
(which are quite handy,
and beat
Greek War Elephants,
as they can multi-task,
delivering mail without having the urge to go on strike!)

Somewhere halfway through messing up the shadows on this entry, I realized Pixar (and various armed forces) quite got the idea before me. So definitely check out their (World) War (II) pigeons.

I admit, Valiant would would kick my Roman attack pigeon’s bird-ass any time! 😉

You have a better take on London’s Greatest Invaders?
It is not to late yet to join our Bloggers Challenge!
(and you don’t really need to worry about having my splendid Roman War Pigeon entry as competition,
as I can’t win anyway. ;))

A semi-random fact to prove I am not totally insane: Atotal of 32 ‘war pigeons’ were rewarded with the Dickin Medal, honouring the work of animals in war during World War II. Congratulations to Commando, GIJoe, Paddy and William of Orange (and Kaiser, also pronounced ‘KYE-sahr’)!

King Tut DNA Research and Cause of Death Finally Revealed?

King Tut's Mummy - Head (Photo by Sandro Vannini) This Wednesday the long awaited results of the DNAresearch on King Tut’s mummy – and some of his possible family members – will be announced at a press conference with Egyptian Minister of Culture, FaroukHosni and Dr. Zahi Hawass. They will announce new discoveries surrounding the family of Tutankhamun and the cause of the young king’s death.

The study on the family of Tutankhamun (keep an eye on all things Tut on our dedicated page) was conducted through the Egyptian Mummy Project (EMP) headed by Dr. Zahi Hawass, and a team composed of Egyptian scientists from the National Research Center, members from the Faculty of Medicine at Cairo University, and two German DNA specialists.

Tutankhamun – Cause of Death?

In the past, the EMP has conducted two further studies on ancient Egyptian mummies. The first project, carried out in 2005, performed a CT-scan of the mummy of Tutankhamun. The study concluded the king had died aged 19, but contrary to earlier speculation had not been murdered by a blow to the back of the head – Egyptian scientists revealed that the hole was created post-mortem during Dynasty 18, in order to insert mummification liquid.

“It was a hole that they opened in Dynasty 18 when they do mummification,” Hawass explains in this video.

The scientists also noted that the king suffered a fracture to his left leg a day or so before his death. Will there be conclusive evidence that this was the cause of the young Pharoah’s demise?

King Tut’s Parentage:A. Amenhotep III , B. Akhenaten or C. Someone Else?

We’re anxiously awaiting the announcement of not only the CoD, but also more information on Tutankhamun’s family tree. King Tuts parentage is a matter of intense debate. Initially it had been thought that Tutankhamun was the brother of Akhenaten and the son of Amenhotep III. Recent evidence, however, has indicated that he was in fact born in Tell el-Amarna – the short-lived 18th Dynasty capital of Egypt – and was most likely the son of Akhenaten.

King Tut Video with Dr Hawass:

VIDEOHow did King Tut Die?
VIDEOThe Curse of the Mummy
VIDEOThe Robbing of King Tut’s Tomb
VIDEOTutankhamun’s Treasures

A match of King Tut’s yDNA(passed on from father to son) will not be able to sort out the above question, though. Shared yDNA would leave the possibility open that Amenhotep IIIis Tutankhamun’s grandfather, and the DNAwas passed through Akhenaten (aka Amenhotep IV), or any other son of Amenhotep III. Yet, in case of a match, it will confirm that Amenhotep III’s mummy is actually labelled correctly. But then again, in case of a mis-match, it is still possible…wait – did they have milkmen in ancient Egyptian times?

Shortly summarised:although the information from the press conference will surely be interesting – is it Wednesday already?!! – it might not be conclusive. Rather, more pieces will be added to the mystery of the Pharaohs, and our Boy King in particular.

King Tut - Stillborn Child - Fetus

Testing Ancient DNA

The study on King Tut’s DNAwas conducted inside two DNA laboratories under the supervision of the Supreme Council of Antiquities. One is located in the basement of the Cairo Museum (have a peek in the museum’s basement in this video), and another is in the Faculty of Medicine at Cairo University. These are the only two DNA laboratories aimed exclusively at the study of ancient mummies.

Mummy DNA is different from that of living people: “It is very old and fragile, so we have to extract and multiply it before tests,” says Dr. Hawass. The DNAsamples on mummies are taken by entering the same puncture hole from a number of different angles with a bone marrow biopsy needle, a less invasive technique than those employed by previous researchers.

Queen Hatshepsut’s Tooth

The EMPs second project succeeded in identifying the mummy of Queen Hatshepsut from remains found in KV60 in the Valley of the Kings, by matching her mummy (the obese woman from KV60) with a molar found in a wooden box inscribed with Hatshepsuts throne name. As usual in the ‘who’s who’ of mummies, this is still debated by some, saying the obese mummy was actually Queen Hatshepsut’s wet nurse.

Anyway, we’ll be holding our breath for the next 48 hours. If you can’t stand the anticipation and need some distraction, do check out our Ancient World in London series. There’s quite a bit going one:Win a book by writing the most romantic, hilarious or original ancient world-inspired love declaration or personal; put your questions to the London Stone on Twitter (for a Roman stone, he’s quite up with the times) or join our Bloggers Challenge on who best invaded London. Else, have a guess, what is the Grand News we can expect to come out of Wednesday’s press conference at the Cairo Museum, .

Have an Ancient World-inspired Valentine’s Day and Win a Book!

In need of some last-minute ‘background information’ on the history of Love and Romance, to spice up your Valentine’s Day (or impress a date with your knowledge)? Looking for some ancient Egyptian love poetry to go on the back of a card? After you’ve inceased your ‘Valentine Skills’, it’s time to join our Valentine’s competition:leave the best personal ad or declaration of love here in the comments, and get to choose your favourite book from the Thames &Hudson Spring collecti… errr.. catalogue. Browse our Valentine’s menu below for inspiration, or go win your book.

On Heritage Key’s (historical) Valentine’s menu:

Starter
Racy Poems from the Amarna Era by Owen Jarus

Soup or Graffiti from Pompeii

Sorbet
A choice of the Top 10 sexiest ancient artefacts in the world

Main Course
The History of Love, or how romance and relationships were err… acted upon in ancient societies, a must read by new HK writer Nick Gilbert.

Dessert
Lyn serves you Weddings, Sex, and Contraception. The 10 Best Uses for a Stone Circle

Tea and Coffee?
Book your romantic dinner at Stonehenge Virtual.
We advise staying overnight, to watch the virtual sunrise.

If upon finishing these stories you are still hungry for love, we’ll help you find it. Or attempt. Or at least, you can win a book (and 150 points)!We’re rewarding the most original/funny/serious/sincere (in short: the best) ancient world-inspired love advert or declaration we find here – made by a registered user – in the comments by Monday the 15th of February, midnight.

TIP: Think ‘Pharoah seeks afterlife love’, ‘caveman looking for lady to drag’ or Agrippa seeks 12th husband. Declare your love for the (pwetty!) Alexander the Great, the courageous Hannibal and the beautiful Cleopatra, possibly all at the same time. Consider, how would you woe Queen Nefertiti?

Whomsoever leaves the best comment (voted for by Prad, Meral, Sean and Ann), will get to choose a book from the Thames &Hudson 2010 spring catalogue.This means you might as well give your love (no doubt, found here in the comments) a Roman Britain: A NewHistory, or even the Secrets of the Universe!

ADDYOURCOMMENT

Best of luck to all, I’m looking forward to reading your (of course, very romantic) entries!
Ann

Rules – By entering this competition you agree to comply with the Ancient World in London Competition Rules, as well as the following rules, which are specific to this contest:

Entries can consist of text, images, video or mixed media.
All entries must be the contestants own work, and any supporting material (e.g. photos or music) must be used with the permission of the copyright owner.
Heritage Key writers and Rezzable staff can play, but can’t win (dammit – ed).

Ancient Egyptian Artefact, Returned by Met Museum, to be Reunited with Statue at Karnak

The naos piece in its original position in the Ptah Temple at Karnak. Photograph by Jennifer Willoughby Egypt’s Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni and Dr. Zahi Hawass returned a piece of red granite belonging to an ancient Egyptian temple to its rightful place – the base of Amenemhat I’s naos. Both officials are on an inspection tour along the Avenue of Sphinxes that connects the Temple of Luxor with that of Karnak, home to the Ptah temple where the naos is to be found.

The naos pieace was returned to Egypt last October by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, after it was purchased by the Museum from an antiquities collector in New York in order to return it to Egypt.

Dr. Hawass described the Metropolitan Museum’s action as “a great deed,” as it is the first time a museum has bought an object for the purpose of returning it to its country of origin.

This action, asserted Hawass, highlights the deep cultural cooperation between the SCA and the Metropolitan Museum, as well as the Mets devotion to return illegal antiquities to their homelands.

“It is also a kind gesture from the newly appointed Metropolitan director Thomas Campbell,” said Hawass.

Hawass relates the story of this object, which started last October when Dr. Dorthea Arnold, the curator of the Egyptian section at the Metropolitan Museum, wrote an official letter to Dr. Hawass stating the Mets desire to offer Egypt the piece; a part of the base of Amenemhat I’s naos (1991-1962 BC). The rest of the naos is now in the Ptah Temple of Karnak in Luxor.

The naos fragment was presented to the Metropolitan Museum by a collector in New York, who claimed he bought it in the 1970s. Dr. Arnold discovered the granite fragment must join with the naos in Karnak, which scholars believe was moved there during the New Kingdom. The piece was subsequently returned to Egypt, and will now be returned to its rightful place.

Hopefully, the ‘Return of the Naos‘ will serve as an example for future repatriation of artefacts, rather than another recent story in which Egypt threatened to suspend the Louvre’s Saqqara excavations until the French museum promised to return two fragments stolen from a noble’s tomb it had acquired.

And who knows, maybe – after it is attested that the Egyptians are not pirates – the Rosetta Stone might even travel to Egypt in time to star at the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum? Iwonder if the English bookies have any odds for that.