It wouldnt be appropriate for the king to leave without a send-off, and the Art Gallery of Ontario has an interesting one. This Wednesday the gallery will play host to the premiere of Osiris and Isis the Opera. Composed by Colin Mack and directed by Guillermo Silva-Marin, this show will explore the most famous love story in Egyptian mythology. The company producing it is called Ariaworks, a start-up company created specifically to produce this.
Their website states: ‘The artistic vision of this presentation will make ancient Egypt and its mysteries vividly come to life through the dramatic expression of this passionate story of the ancient gods.’
To briefly sum up the Osiris and Isis myth, Isis is the loving wife of Osiris the same Osiris who has a rather nasty brother named Set. Set tries to kill Osiris by nailing him into a coffin (and throwing him into the Nile). Isis saves Osiris, recovering him intact. Set then chops Osiris up into pieces, forcing Isis to hunt them down and put them back together again. At the end of the day their son, Horus, is born. He in turn goes after Set, seeking revenge for all the mean things he did to Osiris.
Osiris isn’t the only Egyptian god to have escaped from the confines of the King Tut exhibitions recently. A giant Anubis was recently spotted being towed around New York’s harbour as a publicity stunt to announce that tickets are now on sale for the Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs exhibit at New York’s Discovery Times Square Expo. Tickets are also on sale for the Denver exhibit of the Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs show, and of course King Tut Virtual is always open to visitors.
Osiris and Isis the Opera premieres at the Walker Court at the Art Gallery of Ontario on Wednesday, March 31 at 7pm. Its a free event.
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.
The block is thought to have been the pillar of a temple to Isis at Cleopatra’s palace. Alexandria became a centre of commerce and education during antiquity, but was razed by a 4th century AD earthquake. The stone is one of a series of underwater discoveries made by the Greek archaeological team which has scoured the area since 1998. Sphinxes and fragments of the city’s fabled Pharos, or lighthouse, one of the seven wonders of the world, are among the team’s other coups.
The act of retrieving the relic has been an unenviable mission. First divers spent weeks cleaning it of mud and scum, before dragging it across the seabed for three days. A crane then carried out the lifting process, after which it was put on a lorry for transportation to a huge freshwater tank, where it will stay until all the corrosive salt on it is removed.
“This is one of the most important archaeological finds in Alexandria, among the 400 items recovered by the Greek archaeological team that has been engaged in underwater research since 1998,” says Egyptian Culture Minister Farouk Hosni. Antiquities chief Zahi Hawass has stressed the find’s importance: “We believe it was part of the complex surrounding Cleopatra’s palace,” he tells the Associated Press. “This is an important part of Alexandria’s history and it brings us closer to knowing more about the ancient 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.
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 by Nico Piazza, and featuring still photography by Sandro Vannini, it examines some of the finest artefacts found by Howard Carter in KV62 in the 1920s.
The lungs, intestine, stomach and liver needed to be removed in the process of mummification, Dr Kamrin notes, because they contained moisture and it added to the speed of the decay. The canopic shrine which stands almost as tall as a man and is made from solid gold was the outer casing of a nest of special ritual containers for Tutankhamuns regal innards.
Its ornately decorated, with lots of inscriptions and carvings of gods and goddesses (in both human and animal form) including the four sons of Horus Imsety, Duamutef, Hapi and Qebehsenuef, who were essentially the canopic jars personified.
Two deities that Kamrin highlights are matriarchal patron of nature and magic Isis (who handily has her name etched into her head) and Kamrins personal favourite, Serqet, the scorpion goddess (one of our Top Ten Animal Gods and Goddesses).
Among the inscriptions, quite remarkably are tips on how to put the canopic shrine together, IKEA-style. They took this stuff apart then put it back together using assembly instructions, says Kamrin. They really did think of everything, the ancient Egyptians.
The Canopic Chest
Kamrin next leads Shoaier and the camera to the canopic chest, located in an adjacent display case. This brilliant white box and lid both carved from solid blocks of Egyptian alabaster were found placed inside the canopic shrine.
They loved to nest things; its all layers of protection, Kamrin explains. The more you protect everything the better. The four individual viscera were stored in this chest, after they had been wrapped then sealed in beautiful inlaid miniature gold coffinettes (which can be viewed in the Egyptian Museums jewellery room). The canopic chest too is carved with goddesses, and inscribed with spells, which would be spoken by the goddesses, stating that they are protecting the gods which are protecting the viscera themselves.
This beautiful shrine was protecting the entrance to the treasury, Kamrin notes at the end, just after the credits in the video. She then neatly tees-up the forthcoming second instalment of Tuts Treasures. Shall we go look at Anubis? Kamrin asks, referring to the jackal-headed god which Egyptian mythology associated with mummification and the afterlife. A large statue of Anubis guarded Tuts tomb. To be continued… reads the final caption watch this space!
HD Video: Tut’s Treasures (Part 1/4) – The Canopic Shrine
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.
Sandro’s photography is the finest way to see Seti I’s tomb, after years of excavation have left it in a poor state of disrepair and leading to its closure to the general public. Sandro’s years of experience photographing the heritage of Ancient Egypt makes him the ideal man to send into the Tomb of Seti I to capture the beauty of one of the finest preserved tombs in the Valley of the Kings.
Heritage Key is working with Sandro to bring his fantastic photography onto the internet so you can enjoy it from the comfort of your own computer. You can also find out the latest from the excavation inside the tomb of Seti I in a video with the Director of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Dr. Zahi Hawass. And if that’s not enough, then Dr Hawass and Sandro Vannini have a new book out looking at the Lost Tombs of Thebes, which is highly recommended reading material!
Sandro Vannini’s Photography
Sandro’s experience in photographing Ancient Egyptian antiquities gives him the necessary skills and knowledge to be able to capture some of the most valuable artefacts in the world, such as the Golden Mask of King Tutankhamun. In the Tomb of Seti I, Sandro used a Hasselblad ELD Ixpress 528C to capture the detailed engravings of the walls in the tomb’s antechamber. Despite the tomb’s closure, we can experience the magnificence of one of the Valley of the King’s finest tomb discoveries through the lens of Sandro Vannini.
The Antechamber of the Tomb of Seti I(KV17)
Discovered in 1817 by Giovanni Battista Belzoni, the Tomb of Seti I is the longest and deepest to have been found in the New Kingdom, at 136 metres and still counting. However, numerous excavations during the 1950s and 1960s caused walls to crack and even collapse due to changes in the moisture levels in the tomb walls.
The numerous chambers and passages in the Tomb of Seti I are shown in the above infomap. This week focuses on the Antechamber, which is the small room that precedes the burial chamber. The walls in the room are decorated with scenes of Seti I before various deities taken from the Book of the Dead. The lack of colour in these scenes is due to the large number of squeezes (pressed imprints) taken from the room, causing damage to the paintwork. The ceiling of the room is adorned with painted stars.
Don’t miss out on new treasures!
This post is part of a series focussing on amazing photographs from ancient Egypt. Keep checking back as well keep adding new images by Sandro Vannini. To make sure you don’t miss out on any of the updates, simply subscribe by email to receive notifications when new images are uploaded. For the more digitally advanced, there’s also an RSS feed with updates available.
See More Amazing Photography by Sandro
Have a look at some of the other stunning photographs by Sandro Vannini here at Heritage Key:
We’ll be sitting down with our favourite photographer for an extended chat soon, so if you have any questions for Sandro we’ll send the answers straight to you!
King Seti I
King Seti I is displayed in the antechamber as a part of Spell 151, which would protect him from various dangers in the afterlife on his journey to the much sought-after Netherworld. The Book of the Dead was one of the most popular funerary texts used by New Kingdom Pharaohs on their tomb walls. Despite the effort that went into the planning of the tomb wall texts, the mummy of Seti I was not found resting in his tomb – instead it was found in the mummy cache of Tomb DB320 at Deir el-Bahri, from where it was moved to the Egyptian Museum, Cario.
Cutting the Foreleg
The cutting of the foreleg of a sacrificial ox was an important part of the funeral ceremony, which was essential for the Opening of the Mouth. The Opening of the Mouth is Spell 23 in the Book of the Dead, and would restore functionality to the mummy so the afterlife could be fully enjoyed. The purpose of the tomb was to act as a place of offerings and to be a platform for the Pharaoh to be able to enter the Netherworld.
The Iunmutef Priest
The Iunmutef priest were characteristic of royal temple mortuaries, and in this scene, represented the eldest son of the deceased King Seti I. Shown in the Tomb of King Seti I dressed in traditional panther skin and with a sidelock of youth, the Iunmutef priest was responsible for conducting the celebration of the funeral ceremonies in the proper manner. Amongst other duties, he attends to the purification and coronation ceremonies and the ritual of the Opening of the Mouth.
Isis
Isis was an Ancient Egyptian goddess who was idealised as the perfect mother and wife. On the Tomb walls of KV17, Seti I is portrayed as giving an offering of wine to the Isis in order to win her favour for a safe passage through the afterlife. Isis was considered to be the goddess of reincarnation and protector of the dead, and would allow Seti I free passage across the underworld of the afterlife.
Hathor
In the tomb KV17, Seti I is shown on the tomb wall being welcomed by the goddess Hathor. She was one of the most popular deities in Ancient Egypt, and was worshipped by numerous Pharaohs, as well as citizens. A goddess of music and dance, fertility and foreign lands, Hathor was the deity which welcomed the deceased into the next life, and for this reason her prominence in the Tomb of King Seti is important.
Movie: Dr Zahi Hawass and the Mysterious Tunnel in the Tomb ofSeti I (KV17)
Over the last two years, Dr Zahi Hawass has been leading a team excavating in the Tomb of Seti I, exploring a mysterious tunnel starting in the burial chamber. The purpose behind the tunnel and what it leads to is unknown, but Dr Hawass shares what he thinks could be there and updates the progress on the excavation on KV17.
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.
The site suffers from modern encroachment, with houses being built on top of some burial sites.Other sites have been looted in times both ancient and modern.But Dr. Hawass remains confident that there is still much to be discovered at Dra Abu el-Naga.
Indeed, there have been a number of exciting finds made recently at the necropolis.Dr. Jos Galn, of the National Research Center at Madrid, has had a Spanish team excavating Dra Abu el-Naga since 2002.At the end of the 2008 season his team discovered a deep shaft under the burial chamber in the tomb of Djehuty (TT11), a high official in the court of Queen Hatshepsut.At the beginning of the 2009 season Dr. Galn was able to properly survey his find and discovered a second burial chamber decorated with texts from the Book of the Dead, also called Pyramid Texts, with the goddess Nut adorning the ceiling.
It is even possible that some of the houses built over top of burial sites may have inadvertently protected the sites from spoilage.
Dr. Hawass discusses finds made by his own team, in particular three New Kingdom tombs (although one may date from the Late Period) belonging to Theban officials.The first he discusses is the tomb of Amen-Em-Opet, an official bearing the title of Supervisor of Hunters, who was previously dated to prior to the reign of Akhenaten, but in this clip Dr. Hawass speculates that he may have lived during the Amarna Period.
Although one might expect a bearskin rug and a mounted elks head over a fireplace in the tomb of the official Supervisor of Hunters, we are treated to no such fineries in this video.We are, however, shown a seal bearing Amen-Em-Opets name, and a shabti bearing the name of a usurper, “Ray-?”. Apparently the tomb was reused at least once during the Nineteenth Dynasty, or possibly during the early part of the Third Intermediate Period, and the interloper left behind one of his miniature servants.
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Dr. Hawass goes on to give some details of two other tombs which had previously only been described as two undecorated tombs [that were] found to the north-west of Amen-Em-Opet’s.The first was the tomb of a high priest of the god Montu, but the owners name is illegible.The entrance is decorated with the death scenes, including one depiction of the priest and his wife in adoration of Montu, and another scene depicting Osiris, Isis, and Nephthys.Dr. Hawass does not think it is one of the New Kingdom tombs, but probably dates to the Late Period.It has not yet been excavated.
There are fewer details about the second tomb, but Dr. Hawass reveals its owners name to be Ankh-min, and believes that it dates to the reign of Ramesses III.It also has a death scene depicting Osiris, and like the previous tomb, has not yet been excavated.The tombs have almost certainly been looted, but so had the tomb of Djehuty, and Dr.Galn, in addition to a beautifully decorated second burial chamber, recovered two gold rings and five gold earrings.Until the tomb is fully excavated, we have no idea ofwhat waits within.
Video: The New Tombs Discovered at Dra Abu El Naga
Dr. Hawass concludes the video clip, after the credits roll, by reasserting that there remains a possibility of finding intact tombs in Dra Abu el-Naga.It is even possible that some of the houses built over top of burial sites may have inadvertently protected the sites from spoilage.
In three weeks the King Tut exhibit Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs will be leaving Toronto, heading off to the mountains of Denver. The exhibition has been a huge success, and has prompted a new wave of Egyptomania unseen since King Tut’s 1979 visit to the city.
The Antechamber of the 
Although one might expect a bearskin rug and a mounted elks head over a fireplace in the tomb of the official Supervisor of Hunters, we are treated to no such fineries in this video.We are, however, shown a seal bearing Amen-Em-Opets name, and a shabti bearing the name of a usurper, “Ray-?”. Apparently the tomb was reused at least once during the Nineteenth Dynasty, or possibly during the early part of the Third Intermediate Period, and the interloper left behind one of his miniature servants.
