might be one of Egypt’s oldest archaeological sites, but it’s certainly one of the hottest right now. And the omnipresent Zahi Hawass has been enlightening fans on the latest breakthroughs and theories circulating the ancient necropolis. The first of these centres on the giant Step Pyramid of Djoser, Egypt’s first pyramid. Eleven burial shafts have been excavated, homes to each of the Old Kingdom pharaoh’s daughters. As such it was the only Old Kingdom pyramid built for the king’s family. Yet there’s another shaft, soon to be studied, which Dr Hawass (coming to London soon!) feels may be the final…
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With the UN’s Climate Change summit taking place in Copenhagen next month, it seems everyone’s minds are adjusted to the environment. Zahi Hawass is no different. The sands of time and weather pose a serious threat to many of his famous Egyptian landmarks, and the antiquities chief has set up several projects to combat the forces of nature on some of man’s greatest achievements. Though the rising tides of the Nile have been threatening Egypt’s monuments for millennia, the 20th and 21st centuries have no doubt posed their biggest problems. Man has hardly played a positive role in this: take…
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Think youd make a ruthless Roman? Find out when Terry Dearys Horrible Histories books make it on to the games market in North America on January 26, 2010. Graffiti Entertainment has secured the rights to publish Wii, Nintendo DS and PC versions of Horrible Histories: Ruthless Romans in North America. It has been developed by Slitherine, which released the game in the UK and Europe in August. Slitherine is also the company behind the Field of Glory and Legion Gold games. Ruthless Romans features a series of mini-games about a young boy, Rassimus, who is captured and forced into slavery…
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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. King Tuts guts in keeping with the generally lavish and wondrous spirit of his mummification and burial were given extra-special treatment, as we discover in the first instalment of the new four part video series, Tuts Treasures. Shot…
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Hadrians Wall all 84 miles of it will be bathed in light for one night only in March. A spectacular line of light will run along the entire coast-to-coast Hadrians Wall Path National Trail on Saturday, March 13. Lights will be placed at 250m intervals along the route thats around 500 illuminated spots stretching from Wallsend to Bowness-on-Solway in Cumbria. The Romans built fortlets, known as milecastles, along the Wall at intervals of one Roman mile. Between each milecastle, and spaced one third of a Roman mile apart, were a series of turrets. The plan is to create a point…
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As I write this piece, we are only hours away from the opening of King Tut and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs, at the Art Gallery of Ontario, in Toronto Canada. I was at the media preview on Friday and wrote an in-depth article on what to expect. For me the Toronto show was the first time in my life that I saw Tuts treasures in person. Its a very remarkable experience to see them withmyown eyes andonethat Im never going to forget. I thought I would take the opportunity to point out a few of Tutankhamun’s treasures which,…
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Archaeologists from USC, UCLA and the Middle East have developed a searchable online map that details 7,000 archeological sites on the West Bank and Jerusalem – many of them never publicy disclosed. The map – an effort to identify Israeli archaeological activity since 1967, when Israel took over the West Bank and East Jerusalem – is freely accesibly online at the USC’s Digital Library. Built over several years through hundreds of hours of research, bolstered by freedom of information requests and, when necessary, a lawsuit in Israeli courts, the Web site provides interactive satellite maps showing locations of about 7,000…
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Tut has returned to Toronto. After 30 years the boy king’s treasures are back in the Canadian city, with a new show set to open this Tuesday, at the Art Gallery of Ontario. It’s the first time the king’s been in town since 1979. In that year Egyptomania was at its height, and Steve Martin was doing his King Tut dance and all. Before the media preview began today, the organizers tried to re-create a little bit of that 1970’s magic. A pair of dancers from the group ‘For the Funk of it’ performed a tutting dance routine in front…
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With King Tut’s road trip hitting no fewer than three North American cities in 2009/10, you’d think the continent was getting its fill of Egyptian treasures. Not so Arkansas’ capital city Little Rock, whose Arkansas Arts Center currently plays host to ‘World of the Pharaohs: Treasures of Egypt Revealed‘, a celebration of all things Egyptian. Beginning September 25 and running until July 5 next year, the show combines ancient artefacts with a packed events calendar, comprising lectures, films and much more. The 200 treasures on show include a spectacularly wide range of items, including a risque bead dress, funerary stelae…
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Have you always wished to meet Dr. Hawass in person? Now is your chance!The world-famous archaeologist comes to London in December and Heritage World Press invites you to a special lecture by the Egyptologist – and maybe even dinner. Zahi Hawass will also introduce his two new books: Inside the Egyptian Museum and A Secret Voyage. Reception &Lecture at the British Museum Tuesday, 8th of December Dr. Zahi Hawass – probably the world’s most famous Egyptologist – will speak at a special lecture in the British Museum’s lecture theatre, after a reception in the Egyptian Sculpture Gallery. The lecture –…