- TODO SOBRE LA RECONSTRUCCIÓN DEL ROSTRO DE TUTANJAMON (TUTANKHAMON) -

- VER FOTOGRAFÍAS DE LA RECONSTRUCCIÓN DEL ROSTRO DE TUTANJAMON (TUTANKHAMON) -

- TODO SOBRE EL CAT REALIZADO A LA MOMIA DE TUTANJAMON (TUTANKHAMON) -

- VER ADEMÁS FOTOGRAFÍAS NUEVAS Y ANTIGUAS DE LA MOMIA DE TUTANJAMON -

30/07/05

1400 pharaohnic artifacts displayed at Sharm el-Sheikh Museum

Egypt's Minister of Culture Farouq Hosni said that the first stage of Sharm El-Sheikh museum will be completed in three months' time. The Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) Zahi Hawas said that the museum is being constructed on a surface of about 30 feddans. Hawas said this stage includes also Roman Theater and a Cafeteria. The supervisor of the project Abdul Hamid Qutb said that the second stage will start early next month, then the museum will be ready to open next year. Some 1400 pharaohnic artifacts will be displayed at the museum.

Fuente: Arabic News

28/07/05

World Heritage Egypt

El próximo 4 de agosto la United Nations Postal Administration publicará una colección de seis sellos conmemorativos sobre el tema 'World Heritage - Egypt'. With Memphis, Thebes, Abu Simbel, Cairo, Abu Mena, and St Catherine.

Más información, descripción e imágenes en:
http://www.un.org/Depts/UNPA/additional/egypt/index.htm
http://www.un.org/Depts/UNPA/additional/egypt/index2.htm

20/07/05

Hawass: Egypt retrieves artifact taken by American 
Egypt received on Tuesday a rare antique made of alabaster with hieroglyphic inscriptions. The antique had been taken by an American national from a tomb at the Valley of the Kings in Luxor in 1958. The piece has been retrieved almost 50 years after its disappearance, said Dr Zahi Hawwas, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities. Hawwas said Egypt restored the antique after Jack A. Graves, a professor at the US University of California, sent him a letter in which he explained how he had got the antique. In his letter, the American professor said one of his friends had given him the piece before he died recently. The professor translated the hieroglyphic text written on the monument and found it made references to the ancient Egyptian god Osiris, said Hawwas. Hawwas said the inscription also refers to King Seti I (died circa 1290 BC) and that the item was now at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo where it was being studied. Hawwas had written an article in an American newspaper on Egyptian monuments stolen abroad

Fuente: EOL

19/07/05

- Australia devuelve objetos robados a Egipto -

Australia returns stolen artefacts to Egypt
Ancient artefacts smuggled out of Egypt as part of a major antiquities scam were returned to Egyptian authorities on Tuesday after being discovered for sale on an Australian Internet auction site. The seven funeral objects, dated to about 664 BC, included a small statue, amulets, an axe head and a bowl, and were part of a collection of 50,000 artefacts illegally taken out of Egypt two years ago. Egypt's ambassador to Australia Mohamed Tawfik said the objects would be used as evidence in the trial of 10 people who were currently facing smuggling charges in Egypt. The objects were found in the southern Australian city of Melbourne after being located for sale on an internet site by Egyptian authorities. Tawfik said 619 of the missing objects had so far been returned to Egypt.  Australian cultural heritage laws protect indigenous artefacts, fossils, archaeological artefacts, historic documents and objects and guarantees the return of illegally exported foreign objects. 

Fuente: Reuters

Más información:

http://snipurl.com/gdse
http://www.sis.gov.eg/online/html12/o190725p.htm
http://www.sis.gov.eg/online/html12/o200725g.htm
http://snipurl.com/gesa

14/07/05

- La Gran Pirámide puede contner todavía la tumba faraónica intacta de Jufu. El descubrimiento de misteriosas puertas sugieren la posibilidad de tesoros escondidos - -

The Great Pyramid may still contain Khufu's intact pharaonic tomb. Discovery of mysterious doors suggests possibility of hidden treasures
For years scholars have believed that the pyramid of King Khufu, largest of the three "great" pyramids at Giza, had been plundered in antiquity and everything of value, including the body of Khufu himself, had been removed.  Now, Zahi Hawass, the secretary general of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities and director of the Giza Plateau, suspects that might not be the case.  "I really personally believe," he recently told a sold-out lecture hall in the University of Pennsylvania's Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in Philadelphia, "that the secret chamber of Khufu is hidden inside the pyramid." What changed his mind was the discovery of a set of previously unknown doors, hidden in the shafts of the so-called "queen's chamber" of the Great Pyramid. Located beneath the "grand gallery," the queen's chamber never housed a queen, and in fact, its exact purpose remains unknown. There is some speculation that it was an abandoned burial chamber, or possibly held offerings for the deceased.  In 1872 an archaeologist named Waynmann Dixon discovered a pair of what were thought to be ventilation shafts in this chamber hidden behind concealed stones. They were about 20 centimeters square and remained largely unexplored until 1993 when Rudolf Gantenbrink, an archaeologist with the German Archaeological Institute in Cairo, sent a robot up the south shaft.  The robot  was stopped after 64 meters by what appeared to be a sold block of stone with copper handles. However, Hawass became intrigued when sonar readings showed that the "block" was only 7.6 centimeters thick. In 2002, Hawass and a team of archaeologists drilled through the door during a live broadcast sponsored by the National Geographic Association.   "We did it [live] because we wanted to show that we had nothing to hide," said Hawass. In the past, although he regularly invited people to test out their bizarre theories, pseudo-scientists have accused Hawass of hiding or covering up secrets of the pyramids, of even building a secret passage from his office bathroom to the Great Pyramid.  Behind the door, Hawass and a live global audience found not answers, but more mystery: a second door only 24 centimeters  beyond the first, which once again blocked the way. The next day, off camera, Hawass and the team sent the robot up the northern shaft. This shaft made a series of abrupt bends, left, and right, and left again, before running into a third door also with two copper handles.   Both shafts terminate somewhere within the structure as there are no holes in the outside of the pyramid. In the past, scholars have speculated that because of their alignment with the North Star and constellation Orion, these shafts could be symbolic exits for King Khufu's ka, or soul.  Many archaeologists today find this unlikely because these small openings are unique to this pyramid. At the time of Khufu's reign, false doors served as symbolic gateways to the afterlife. As to whether the shafts terminate in larger rooms or not are still anybody's guess. The doors' copper handles are of much interest to scholars. "If you go to the Cairo museum," points out Hawass, "you'll find the canopic jars of King Tutankhamen, they have two copper handles - just like these. Those are for ropes, so the jars could be pulled. Maybe these doors  were pulled into place." In October 2005, a robot built by the University of Singapore will return to the queen's chamber to see what lies behind the second and third doors. This drilling, Hawass says, will not be broadcast live, but rather the results will be announced afterwards in a  press release.  "If something interesting is discovered," Hawass says, "we're going to show it to people all over the world."   At the same time, a team from Birmingham in the United Kingdom will perform non-intrusive radar mapping on areas in and around the pyramids.  While it  is possible these shafts actually lead to an undiscovered burial chamber, Hawass will not be upset or surprised if they turn out to lead nowhere.  "There may be nothing inside the pyramid. What's important is the adventure of archaeology, and to show this adventure to the  people," he says  One thing is certain: There will be answers - and more questions - in Cairo come October.

Fuente: Daily Stars

14/07/05

Save central Sinai
There are few locations in Egypt where evidence of Ancient Egyptian, Semitic and Nabataean culture overlap.
The Supreme Council of Antiquities has launched an LE10 million project to upgrade the temple of Serabit Al-Khadem and the nearby turquoise mines in Sinai for what is loosely called "safari tourism". The vagueness of the term is disquieting. "Safari" suggests excursions, either by camel caravan or four-wheel drive; "tourism" brings to mind paved roads and a visitors' centre; while upgrading a temple leads one to suspect an attempt at reconstruction -- a difficult and totally unnecessary exercise.
At this early stage, Al-Ahram Weekly appeals to the project planners to give serious consideration to minimum intervention in the Ancient Egyptian temple, limited intrusion on the environment, and to consider taking advantage of this unique opportunity to present the divergent and overlapping cultures of central Sinai.
Few places on earth have played so decisive a role in the history of mighty nations as this triangular peninsula that juts into the northern end of the Red Sea. Before the construction of the Suez Canal it provided a land-bridge to western Asia. As such it saw the passage, along the "Way of Horus", of the Pharaohs' armies to and from the Levant, the Assyrian hordes, the Persian army of Cambyses, Alexander the Great with his mercenaries, Antiochus and the Roman legions, the Arab army of 'Amr, Crusaders, and Ottoman Turks.
To the south of the coast a desiccated gravel and limestone plateau dominated by dome-like peaks, known as Al-Tih, provided the route of the Darb Al-Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca and also a trade route guarded over by Islamic monuments along its length.
As for south central Sinai, this stark and barren area is best known to Jews and throughout the Christian and Muslim worlds for its association with biblical tradition: the Exodus, the "wanderings" and the Mount of the Law of the Old Testament; the New Testament description of the Flight into Egypt and the return of the Holy Family to Palestine; as well as the Monastery of Saint Catherine, for centuries a major site of pilgrimage. 
Until the end of the 19th century the Bedouin population of Sinai, more affiliated ethnically to the Bedouin of Palestine and Arabia than those of Egypt, was concentrated in a limited number of places, mostly along the Mediterranean and the coastal belts of the two gulfs, the Gulf of Suez and the Gulf of Aqaba. The rest of the peninsula was largely uninhabited. Today that is no longer the case. Most of Sinai's north, east and west coasts have been lost to industrial and urban development and to recreational tourism.
Only the incredibly beautiful wild and tortured land of central Sinai remains, yet it is here, surprisingly enough, that we find the overlapping of cultures. Semitic and Nabataean inscriptions (more than 7,000 of the latter are known) lead one to suppose that there were more "wanderings" going on in Sinai than is generally supposed; it appears that Ancient Egyptians, Semites and Nabataeans were equally at home in Sinai, and this fact is worth serious consideration before any plan for "upgrading" Serabit Al-Khadem is set in motion.
Fortunately a large part of central southern Sinai -- specifically the area that lies between Mt Sinai and Mt Catherine, within which the Monastery of St Catherine is located -- has already been declared a protected area. Ideally this zone should be extended northwards to include Serabit Al-Khadem.
Serabit Al-Khadem is known not for the Temple of Hathor and the turquoise mines alone, but also because it was here that a mysterious script was found, a script that resembles hieroglyphics and appears to have evolved in Sinai. British archaeologist Flinders Petrie concluded that it was invented by a Semite who worked in the turquoise mines in about 1400 BC, using a linear script on the hieroglyphic model. His compatriot, the linguist Sir Alan Gardiner, noted the remarkable fact that at least six of the signs presented appearances that unmistakably corresponded to the meanings of letter-names belonging to the Hebrew and Greek alphabets. Even more convincing of cultural overlapping, one group of four letters -- repeated several times -- could read as Ba'alat, or 'the mistress', the female Ba'al, the name inevitably given by Semites to the Egyptian goddess Hathor (see insert). This confirmed that the inventor was a Semite who actually worked in the turquoise mines.
Evidence of Semitic tribes working alongside Egyptians in Sinai is important, not only because Egyptian hieroglyphics and the Semitic language combined to produce the remarkable alphabet, but also because the turquoise mines continued to be exploited right through to the 19th Dynasty which, according to most biblical historians, was the time of the biblical Exodus. If we consider the southern, traditional route of the exodus from Ain Musa to Abu Zeneima and through Wadi Feiran to the Mount of the Law, the Semitic tribes of Egypt must have come up against fellow Semites in Sinai. In addition, Egyptians would have taken no more account of them than they would have done of any other travellers carrying their goods, chattels, and trading items across the peninsula.
Take, for instance, the puzzling inscriptions and drawings that were noted by 18th- and 19th- century travellers which proved to be a form of Aramaic as developed by Nabataeans in the second to third centuries AD. The Nabataeans and their gods were clearly at home in Egypt, and nowhere more so than in Sinai. They used long- established routes frequented by nomadic tribes, Christian pilgrims and Ancient Egyptian expeditions, and carved their names on the rocks in places where they halted for food and water supplies. The strange script included drawings of camels, horses, donkeys and ibex. 
Many early travellers in Sinai were both enchanted and challenged by the inscriptions, some attributing them to the Hebrews of the Exodus. But it was the German scholar Eduard Beer who in 1840 identified them as the work of Nabataeans. He noted that some of the characters closely resembled Hebrew and Arabic letters and concluded that it was a form of Aramaic, although with "a few Arabisms". Scorn was heaped on Beer by a British clergyman, the Reverend Charles Forster, who claimed that the inscriptions were the work of the people of Moses, but nevertheless Beer's thesis was proved correct. The Sinaitic inscriptions are Aramaic as developed by Nabataeans in the second to third centuries AD, and Beer's identification and decipherment ultimately led to the rediscovery of this remarkable people about whom history had been silent for so long.
Let us now return to the Temple of Hathor at Serabit Al-Khadem on a 755-metre high plateau inland from Abu Zeneima. It was built in an area particularly rich in turquoise, a semi-precious stone much in demand by the Ancient Egyptians but of which there is no trace today. Although the earliest evidence of mining dates to an early period, it was not until the Middle Kingdom, especially between 1790 and 1778 BC, that a permanent Egyptian presence was established there. The Pharaoh Senusert developed the site of an earlier rock-hewn shrine known as the Cave of Hathor in which the miners may have placed a statue of their patron goddess. A portico and open court were constructed in front of it to form a temple, from which position rocky trails lead to several small turquoise mines. Naturally there was a residential area for the priesthood, and some of the inscriptions leave no doubt that miners themselves sometimes served as volunteer priests.
Expeditions set out from Egypt every three or four years -- annually in times of special need for the precious stone -- under the command of important officials, some of whom claimed to be "an acquaintance of the king". The miners mounted rocky trails where they left graffiti of boats and hieroglyphic inscriptions some of which refer to the goddess Hathor as "the lady of the turquoise". They worked each mine rapidly, and when the source was exhausted went in search of new veins, but not before first making offerings to their patron goddess whose temple was successively enlarged and adorned.
During the 18th Dynasty, in about 1580 BC, the barracks were enlarged and the Temple of Hathor received attention from Queen Hatshepsut and Tuthmose III. Its orientation was changed when another shrine, dedicated to Sopd, a god of the Eastern Desert, was added at its southern end. By this time the structure did not resemble a traditional Egyptian temple at all. Courts, pylons and some dozen chambers with roofs supported on pillars can be identified.
This was a period of the greatest mining activity in Sinai, and because the Bedouins, who always resented the Egyptian presence, became more troublesome, a small Egyptian garrison was set up to keep watch over their movements. Why the local community should have attacked the miners is difficult to say; perhaps it was for no more than a meagre booty. Nevertheless armed pursuits were made, and records of Egyptian successes were frequently presented in triumphal reliefs inscribed on the rocks -- possibly exaggerated portrayals of fairly inconsequential incidents.
The mines around Serabit Al-Khadem, along with the now destroyed mines of Wadi Maghera, represented Egypt's main source of this popular stone, and mining was clearly an arduous task. The men had to crawl through narrow horizontal openings at ground level. The larger, grander mines could hold about 50 workers and in the hot months conditions were almost unbearable, as was described in a text dating from the 12th-Dynasty reign of Amenemhet III. One of his officials was almost in despair when he experienced a desert that " ...burned like summer, the mountain was on fire... ", but, he continued, he fortunately survived and recorded that his mission was successful.
When Flinders Petrie studied the temple in 1905 he removed many of the smaller stelae and statues; deciding to leave only the larger stelae in situ. These -- taller and narrower than most Egyptian stelae -- appear to have been erected at random. Some of these were also later removed, others scattered, and many reused and placed in different positions.
The Temple of Hathor leaves one with a somewhat confused impression of its layout. Consequently, the very suggestion of sorting out these various elements and "upgrading" the temple is unrealistic. The site should be left as it is, and it is suggested that a visitors' centre be built at the foot of the plateau and travellers, if physically able, left to make a strenuous 15-minute climb up the stony trail of Rud Al-Ayr over dry, jagged rocks to the Temple of Hathor. This is not a tourist-friendly site, and neither should it be.
Twenty million years ago Egypt, Sinai and Arabia were part of the same land formation. Then thermal currents in the earth's mantle created great tear faults that lifted and stretched the land. South Sinai was torn from Egypt to the east, and Arabia to the west, leaving two gulfs, the northern arms of the Red Sea. So jagged, varied and diversified in composition are the levels and contours of South Sinai that geologists have identified no fewer than seven geological divisions. Within the gaunt pinnacles, in colours that represent ores and igneous rock, Ancient Egyptians, Semites and Nabataeans have left evidence of passage.
It is true that there is a major temple in central South Sinai, as well as mineral-rich mines and important graffiti, but there is more: there are caves and valleys in the isolated and desolate interior where early ascetics found safety and spiritual solace during the terrible Roman persecutions of the third and fourth centuries; and there is evidence that the landscape was traversed by people of diverse cultures who left tangible traces of their movement. We must not let its importance be underestimated or spoiled by what is loosely called "safari tourism".

Fuente: Al Ahram Weekly

11/07/05

Tutankamón recuperará su mausoleo en el Gran Museo de Egipto, junto a las pirámides de Giza
El Museo Egipcio de la plaza Tahrir de El Cairo se ha quedado pequeño. Hace unos días se presentaba el proyecto ganador del concurso para construir uno nuevo que se levantará a dos kilómetros de las pirámides de Giza El arquitecto Shih-Fu Peng, del estudio irlandés Heneghan & Peng, ha diseñado un complejo arquitectónico que se integrará en el paisaje de la meseta de Giza sin interferir arquitectónicamente con las pirámides de Keops, Kefrén y Micerinos, ni con la enigmática Gran Esfinge. Para lograrlo, buena parte de sus estructuras estarán semienterradas y rodeadas de grandes muros de material translúcido, cuya apariencia se mimetiza con la arena del  desierto y la piedra con la que fueron construidos tan emblemáticos monumentos. Todo el conjunto está concebido como un cono que se orienta desde el Parque del Nilo, en El Cairo, hacia las monumentales ruinas faraónicas de Giza, con  la intención, según los arquitectos, de conjugar antigüedad con modernidad. Uno de los hallazgos de este proyecto es la «Gran escalinata» que asciende desde el hall de entrada hasta la planta superior, que albergará la  colección permanente y recorrerá exposiciones temporales y otros servicios. El futuro Gran Museo de Egipto, que tendrá una superficie de casi cincuenta hectáreas, estará situado a dos kilómetros de las pirámides y albergará cien mil piezas  arqueológicas pertenecientes a las dinastías que gobernaron entre los años 3000 y 332 a. C. Estos fondos proceden en su mayoría del Museo Egipcio de la plaza de Tahrir en El Cairo, cuyo edificio ha cumplido recientemente un siglo. Las diversas colecciones estarán  ordenadas temáticamente para que el visitante pueda seguir la evolución de la geografía, historia, cultura y religión del Egipto de los faraones. Como es natural, la joya de la Corona será la sala dedicada al tesoro de Tutankamón, cuya tumba será reconstruida tal y como era originalmente, utilizando unas  3.850 piezas que están almacenadas en los sótanos de Tahrir. Actualmente se acondiciona el terreno sobre la que se edificará el museo y en septiembre se construirán la sala de restauración de las piezas arqueológicas, la planta de energía  eléctrica y el sistema contra incendios. Se espera concluir las obras en 2010.
Fuente: ABC
 
06/07/05
Exposiciones en el extranjero aportan más 32 millones dólares
Las exposiciones de piezas arqueológicas egipcias realizadas en el extranjero en los últimos tres años generaron a Egipto ganancias por más de 32 millones de dólares, informó hoy el ministro egipcio de Cultura, Faruq Hosni. 'Ese importante logro se obtuvo en las 18 exposiciones organizadas en países como Italia, Francia, Alemania, Austria, Estados Unidos, China y Suiza, entre otros', declaró Hosni en un comunicado del Consejo Supremo de Antigüedades (CSA) de Egipto. 'Esas exhibiciones arqueológicas en el exterior se realizan  conforme a acuerdos contraídos con los estados que acogen las exposiciones, y sólo se permite que salgan de Egipto piezas repetidas con las debidas garantías de protección', subrayó el ministro.  Hosni, que además es presidente del CSA, destacó que las ganancias serán usadas para financiar proyectos de restauración y construcción de nuevos museos para conservar el patrimonio histórico y cultural del país. Por su parte, el secretario general del CSA, el egiptólogo Zahi Hawas, confió en que la exposición itinerante de parte del ajuar del faraón  Tutankamon que se expone este año en cuatro ciudades estadounidenses dé al estado egipcio 35 millones de dólares. Este dinero -dijo- irá destinado a la financiación del nuevo Museo Egipcio que se proyecta en una explanada cercana a las Pirámides, y cuyo coste se ha  calculado en alrededor de 550 millones dólares.

Fuente: Terra 

 
06/07/05
Hawass, Italian ambassador open first lab in Middle East for restoration of papyruses
Dr. Zahi Hawas, Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Antiquities and Italian ambassador in Cairo Antonio Badini opened a libratory for renovating papyruses at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. The laboratory is the first of its kind in the Middle East. Hawas said the laboratory was established with a grant from the Higher Institute for Papyruses in the Italian city of Siracusa at costs amounting to 50,000 euros
Fuente: EOL
 
06/07/05
La egiptóloga Carmen Pérez está en contra de devolver obras
Carmen Pérez Die, conservadora de Egipto en el Museo Arqueológico Nacional, ofreció ayer una conferencia en la UA, dentro del curso sobre la vida en Egipto y Oriente Próximo en la antiguedad, uno de los que organiza la UA para los cursos de verano Rafael Altamira. Al finalizar la conferencia afirmó que no se muestra a favor de devolver las obras que no se encuentran actualmente en su lugar de origen o en el que fueron encontradas, en principio, porque «habría que devolver todo lo que no está en su sitio original y eso es muy difícil». Además, respecto a Egipto  concretamente, matizó que «muchas de esas obras que reclaman salieron de Egipto legalmente y con el visto bueno de las autoridades egipcias de la época». Respecto al posible traslado de la Dama de Elche no quiso pronunciarse. No obstante opina que «lo que se descubra a partir de ahora sí que debe  mantenerse en el lugar en el que ha sido encontrado». De hecho afirmó que esto se está llevando a cabo y «los nuevos hallazgos se quedan en los municipios en los que se han encontrado».  Aunque afirma que no puede ha er un futurible acerca de lo que puede haber oculto todavía en Egipto, Carmen Pérez Die afirma que es posible que se encuentren muchas cosas, ya que ahora mismo están trabajando en la zona 200 misiones.
Fuente: Información. Edición Digital.
 
05/07/05
PROYECTO COFINANCIADO POR ITALIA Y EGIPTO. Inauguran el primer laboratorio para restaurar papiros de Oriente Medio
EL CAIRO.- Egipto e Italia han inagurado este martes en El Cairo el primer laboratorio en Oriente Medio dedicado a conservar y restaurar papiros de la época faraónica, según ha informado la agencia oficial egipcia de noticias MENA. El recinto, situado en el Museo Egipcio de El  Cairo, fue abierto con una ceremonia presidida por el secretario general del Consejo Supremo de Antigüedades (CSA), el egiptólogo Zahi Hawas, y el embajador de Italia en la  capital egipcia, Antonio Badini. "Este laboratorio es el único en su tipo en la región y está equipado con los más sofisticados aparatos para la restauración de papiros", destacó  Hawas en una rueda de prensa realizada tras el acto. El responsable del CSA recordó que el proyecto fue financiado con 50.000  euros donados por el Instituto Internacional de Papiros de la ciudad italiana de Siracusa. Un centro gestionado por restauradores egipcios.  El laboratorio está compuesto de dos salas: una destinada a esterilizar los papiros para eliminar los gérmenes producidos por la mala conservación en las milenarias tumbas faraónicas, y otra dedicada a  registrar y fotografiar los papiros antes de restaurarlos. Por último, Hawas adelantó que un equipo de restauradores egipcios recibirán  próximamente entrenamiento en el uso de los equipos del recinto. Por su parte, la directora del Museo Egipcio, la arqueóloga Wafa al Sediq, destacó que la mayor parte de los papiros que serán mantenidos y restaurados en el laboratorio datan de las dinastías faraónicas, grecorromanas y coptas.  Los papiros en Egipto, fabricados de un junco que crece en las riberas del río Nilo, comenzaron a ser usados por la civilización faraónica hace alrededor de 5.000 años, y en ellos los antiguos egipcios dieron a conocer su historia, religión y tradiciones.
Fuente: El Mundo
 
03/07/05

- El Comité de Cultura, Información y Turismo, aprueba un acuerdo para proteger el patrimonio cultural -
Culture, media committee approves agreement of protecting cultural heritage
The Culture, Media and Tourism Committee of the Shura Council approved yesterday a republican decree regarding the agreement of protecting cultural heritage which was ratified by UNESCO in 17 October 2003. The agreement aimed at protecting and respecting the cultural heritage of individuals and groups on the local, patriotic and international Levels.  The agreement clarified the commitments of the countries to protect the cultural heritage. The committee agreed to the republican decree on the second protocol of the Hague Agreement.

Fuente: EOL
 
02/07/05
ARTE Y CULTURA: UN NUEVO LOGO PARA EL MUSEO EGIPCIO
(ANSA) - TURIN - Representa el rostro de la estatua de Ramsés II, una pieza única de la historia de la egiptología, el nuevo logo de la Fundación Museo de las Antiguedades Egipcias de Turín, diseñado por Pininfarina. El Logo fue presentado recientemente por el presidente de la  Fundación, Alain Elkann, y el administrdor delegado de la Pininfarina Extra, Andrea Pininfarina. 'Es un  símbolo -explicó Elkann- que contó con la aprobación unánime del Comité Científico. Tiene gran sencillez y elegancia. Además, puede ser entendido y comprendido por  todo el mundo. Esto nos ayuda en nuestro proyecto de realizar un museo siempre más abierto al mundo entero'. Por su parte, el administrador delegado destacó que 'Pininfarina tiene el gran honor de  apoyar un proyecto importante no sólo para Turin sino para toda Italia. Ya en  1967 la sociedad colaboró con el Museo Egipcio de Turín, permitiendo la reconstrucción del antiguo templo de Ellesja dentro del Museo a través de un importante apoyo técnico'. La imagen de Ramsés II, realizada por ordenador en cinco colores (los del desierto africano) tuvo que ser disminuida sólo por razones gráficas pero también para suscitar más curiosidad en el visitante, empujándolo a cruzar las puertas del museo.
Fuente: (ANSA) RTX
 
30/06/05

- ¿Asesinato en el Nilo en el año 2.000 a.C.? -
Murder on the Nile in 2000 BC?
This mummy's head, dating back thousands of years, is being scanned by specialists at a North East hospital to find out how its owner died. The ancient head is one of four Egyptian skulls which form part of an ongoing study into the Hancock Museum's historic Egyptian  Collections. Now a team of top scientists at Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary will use the latest medical equipment in a bid to delve back in time and discover its origins.  They hope to shed light on how the mummies met their deaths. Gillian Scott, curatorial assistant of Egyptology at the Hancock Museum, is leading the pioneering research.  She said: "The aim of this research is to clarify the findings of work which happened in the early 1990s and also to investigate any similarities between the heads. "By looking at the cranial management of  the heads and comparing them to research of a known population, we hope to be able to discover the subjects' origins."  All the heads are understood to be male and in various states of mummification. It is hoped the researchers will get a better understanding of one of the  worl 's most intriguing civilisations. Ms Scott added: "We want to discover more detailed information about the heads to increase our knowledge of the museum's collections.  "This data will then be recorded and made available to anyone wishing to study the heads in the future." Two of the heads were first scanned 10 years ago, raising questions about how one of the Egyptians met his death after it was established part of the  neck had been displaced. *Egypt Revealed: Life and Death in Ancient Egypt is at the Hancock Museum from Saturday, July 30, to April, 23, 2006.
Fuente: The Journal e-Edition

  
29/06/05
Arqueólogos españoles participarán en las excavaciones de la tumba del alcalde de Luxor en la XXV dinastía egipcia
Un equipo de arqueólogos españoles participará en un proyecto internacional para tratar de localizar la tumba del que fuera alcalde de Luxor en la XXV dinastía egipcia, Mentumhat, según anunció hoy en Barcelona el responsable del Sector Faraónico y Greco-romano del Ministerio de Cultura de Egipto,  Sabry Abd El Aziz Ibrahim Khater. Esta iniciativa se enmarca en la colaboración entre los Ministerios de Cultura de Egipto y España que se remonta a años atrás.  De hecho, un equipo de Madrid que trabaja en la Zona Media de Egipto halló recientemente una momia de interés relevante y próximamente iniciará "una nueva misión", de la que no ofreció más detalles.  El dirigente egipcio, que esta tarde impartirá una conferencia en Barcelona para explicar los hallazgos más recientes en Egipto, aseguró que el proyecto  para iniciar las excavaciones de la tumba de Mentumhan, en el que colabora estrechamente el Museo Egipcio de Barcelona, se iniciarán "muy pronto". "Ya tenemos varios patrocinadores de Barcelona apalabrados", remarcó, tras  añadir que la búsqueda de esta tumba "es mi sueño de siempre". Para localizar la la tumba de Mentumhat --"quiere decir por delante del Dios"-- y su familia, Ibrahim Khater insistió en que "serán necesarios  muchos especialistas" porque "es una tumba real, inmensa". Por ello, se trata de un proyecto internacional en el que "cogeremos al mejor de cada sitio". En su primera visita a España, el responsable del sector faraónico del  departamento de Cultura egipcio se refirió a los hallazgos más importantes de los últimos dos años en Egipto, entre los que destacó el teatro romano de Alejandría, localizado por una misión polaca. "Al excavar se dieron cuenta de que no sólo era un teatro sino que también tenía diez salas de  conferencia, por lo que debía tratarse de un punto de encuentro", añadió. Durante los más de 15 años que ha dirigido excavaciones en la  zona de Buto, se han hallado restos desde el periodo predinástico hasta el la época de los faraones, por lo que señaló la necesidad de "dedicar un poco más atención" al Delta inferior en lugar de centrar todos los esfuerzos en el superior.  También se refirió a la tumba de la VI dinastía hallada en El Cairo, en un  lugar cercano al aeropuerto donde iba a construirse un bloque de edificios, y las tumbas de un constructor de pirámides encontradas en en Giza. En este sentido, recordó que existe "una especie de mito" acerca de que las pirámides "no las hizo nadie del antiguo Egipto sino seres extraordinarios", pero aclaró que más de 500 tumbas avalan que "los constructores eran originarios del antiguo Egipto". A pesar de todos estos descubrimientos, dejó claro que todavía quedan por localizar "grandes tesoros", como la  tumba de Amenofis I, de la dinastía XVIII que, en su opinión, debería encontrarse en la parte occidental de Luxor, y la momia de Nefertari, esposa de Ramsés I. TUTANKHAMON NO FUE ASESINADO. Acerca del interés que despierta Tutankhamon, duodécimo rey de la XVIII  dinastía egipcia, y de los últimos estudios que se han llevado a cabo acerca de su muerte con métodos avanzados, Ibrahim Khater señaló que el faraón murió a los 19 años pero "no fue asesinado" porque "el cráneo está perfecto" y sólo se ha detectado una "pequeña fractura en la pierna" que pudo hacerse  "mientras cazaba". Finalmente, el dirigente del Ministerio de Cultura egipcio expresó su "preocupación" por la salida "ilegal" de objetos de Egipto, recordando que la ley que en 1951 permitía compartir hallazgos con misiones extranjeras "ya no es vigente" y "todo debe quedarse allí".

Fuente: Yahoo

 
29/06/05
Egipto sugiere congreso para devolución piezas a países de origen
Las autoridades egipcias de antigüedades pidieron hoy a la UNESCO celebrar una reunión en El Cairo para confeccionar una lista de las más valiosas piezas arqueológicas que algunos países, como Egipto o Irak, desean recuperar del extranjero. La petición la hizo el secretario general del Consejo Supremo de Antigüedades (CSA) de Egipto, Zahy Hawas, en un comunicado remitido a EFE. Hawas dijo que esa eventual reunión del Comité para La Devolución de Piezas  Arqueológicas a sus países de origen, dependiente de la UNESCO, debía celebrarse en El Cairo con la participación de los estados que acogen los  principales monumentos arqueológicos del mundo. 'La idea es que en esa cita se confeccione una lista de cada país con las antigüedades más valiosas que desean recuperar', precisó el jefe del CSA. Hawas indicó  que, entre las piezas que Egipto insistirá en que se le devuelva, figura la piedra de Rosetta y el busto de la reina Nefertiti, exhibidos en los museos Británico y de Berlin, respectivamente. También, aseguró el responsable egipcio, que exigirán la devolución de antigüedades  egipcias expuestas en los museos de Louvre (París) y Boston (EEUU). Hawas, por último, destacó la labor desempeñada por su institución en los  últimos tres años, ya que ha recuperado alrededor de 3.000 antigüedades que iban a ser subastadas en casas de remate europeas.
Fuente: Terra Actualidad - EFE
 
27/06/05
Hawass attends Nubia museum committee meeting in Paris
The Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) Secretary-General Zahi Hawwas heads to Paris today to attend the meeting of 15th session of the executive committee for Nubia museum in Aswan and the civilization museum in Fustat "ancient Cairo". The meeting will be held at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, according to  Hawass. Hawwas pointed out that the committee will discuss what have been implemented of construction works for setting up the civilization museum.

Fuente: EOL
 
24/06/05
Hosni: Grand Egyptian museum biggest cultural project in 21st century
Culture Minister Farouk Hosni said the Grand Egyptian Museum, to be built at the Pyramids area in Giza governorate, is the biggest cultural project of the 21st century. At a press conference held at the museum's site, Hosni said the first stage of the project has already started, adding that most of the world  organisations concerned have contributed to it. The press conference was attended by a delegation of the Japanese government, the international designing team, Secretary General of the  Supreme Council of Antiquities Zahi Hawas, director of  he project Mohammed  Ghoneim and Secretary of the project's technical committee Yasser Mensour. Hosni said the museum will house the biggest collection of artifacts. He added that the Egyptian and Japanese sides are about to agree on all details  on the financing of the project. After an agreement is reached, an international tender for building the museum's main building will be announced, he said. The Japanese government has initially agreed on allocating a US$ 40 million grant and a US$ 275 million loan to contribute to the project.  Hawas, on his part, said the museum will be built on a 117 feddan area with an initial cost of US$ 550 million. The museum will be financed by the  council and a Japanese loan and two grants, he said. He added the construction of the restoration centre will take 15 months and  w ll contain specialised labs and storage areas.
Fuente: EOL
 
21/06/05
Firm secures Egypt temple mission. The temple is being moved 500m by authorities
A specialist south Wales company has won a contract to help preserve an ancient Egyptian temple. Newport-based Cintec International will carry out work to reinforce the 2,500-year-old Temple of Hibis in the Western Desert. The company is using a system which it says will leave no visible change to  the temple's outward appearance. Cintec has work on 10 mosques and maqaads, or pillared rooms, in historic parts of the Egyptian capital Cairo.  The Temple of Hibis, which dates from 522 BC, was first excavated from the sands in 1910 by the Metropolitan Museum of New York, under the direction of  Herbert Winlock. It is believed that King Amun-Re had ordered construction on the temple to  begin in 588 BC during the 26th dynasty, with work continued by his successor Amasis II and completed by Darius I. Construction on the Temple of Hibis began in 588BC  The temple has suffered structural problems in recent years, which have been blamed on fluctuations in the water table caused by farming and irrigation.  The Egyptian authorities decided to move the temple 500m to a new s te and  have already dismantled its Islam Gateway. The Cintec system involves injecting a special cement grout into a steel "anchor" section in a mesh fabric sleeve.  The flexible sleeve expands and moulds itself into the shape and spaces within the walls to support the building.  Heritage Cintec managing director Peter James said the firm's involvement would be long-lasting.  "Once completed, no-one will ever know we've been there, but a result is  that the temple will last for another 2,500 years at least," he said. The company won a Queen's Awa  d for Enterprise and Innovation in 2002, and its work on heritage buildings has included rail bridges in India, Christ  Church Cathedral in Australia and Windsor Castle. The firm's global expansion is being supported by the Welsh Assembly  Government's overseas trade arm, Wa es Trade International, which is working closely with Cintec to help it identify new international contracts.
Fuente: BBC News
Fotos: http://tinyurl.com/7gvz4

21/06/05
Las tumbas egipcias 'excelente laboratorio' varias áreas
Las tumbas del antiguo Egipto son además de una fuente de conocimiento para la arqueología, un 'excelente laboratorio' para otras disciplinas como la entomología, la biología o la geología. Así lo aseguró hoy a Efe José Manuel Galán, arqueólogo del Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) y director del Proyecto Djehuty en  Egipto, que excava tumbas en la antigua necrópolis de Tebas, hoy Luxor. Galán pronunciará esta tarde una conferencia en el Museo Nacional de  Ciencias Naturales de Madrid en la que establece un paralelismo entre cómo los humanos del antiguo egipto construían sus tumbas y cómo los insectos  construyen sus nidos, 'una especie de juego' entre ambos 'arquitectos'. En la tercera campaña de excavación en Luxor, dijo Galán, se unieron al  equipo de investigadores dos entomólogas del Museo nacional de Ciencias  Naturales de Madrid, Isabel Izquierdo y Carolina Martín, para estudiar los insectos que habitan la tumba y los que se quedaron atrapados desde la  antigüedad. Las entomólogas investigaron los insectos que se habían quedado atrapados en un ataúd de madera cerrado e intacto, y descubrieron dentro de la caja todas las fases del proceso de crecimiento del invertebrado, que había quedado atrapado en diferentes etapas de su vida. También en un cráneo momificado, que encontraron en el exterior de  las tumbas, las entomólogas descubrieron entre los vendajes nidos de insectos que databan de la momificación, por lo que se comprueba, según Galán, que en ese proceso debió de haber un intermedio que permitió que anidaran entre los  vendajes. Los artrópodos también pueden revelar otros datos importantes como la existencia de cuevas o cavidades menores.  Esto último se descubrió gracias a un tipo de avispas del Nilo que construyen sus nidos donde hay corrientes de aire, señal de que hay agujeros aunque estos se encuentren tapados en el periodo actual.  Galán indicó que el estudio de los insectos en las tumbas también permite avances en la egiptología. Por ejemplo, explicó, en la base de una vasija de cerámica encontraron una pasta negra que resultó ser un amasijo de restos de escarabajos y  averigua  on que se trataba de una ofrenda de esos coleópteros, algo 'poco conocido' pese a que eran un 'dios' en el antiguo Egipto. A raíz de este hallazgo, indicó Galán, descubrieron que este tipo de ofrenda se repetía en dos o tres excavaciones más. El proyecto Djehuty, que comenzó en  2002 'ha ido aumentando', según Galán y durará todavía 'unos 15 años más', ya que hay mucho trabajo y el proyecto se encuentra abierto a muchas disciplinas. Para Galán, las tumbas del proyecto Djehuty son un laboratorio 'donde caben todos' y a las entomólogas, que  repetirán visita el próximo año, se unirá un geólogo para estudiar los daños de la piedra de las tumbas así como una profesora especialista en momias.
Fuente: Terra Actualidad - EFE
 
16/06/05
SCA implements projects to treat subterranean water
The rise of subterranean water is a source of chronic headache for archaeologists in Egypt. With most sites across the country endangered by rising water levels, officials were forced to work out plans to reduce the already gathered water or, in the worst cases, to dismantle the monument and reconstruct it on higher ground. On the recommendation of Subterranean Water Research Institute studies, the Supreme Council for Antiquities (SCA) is currently supervising the implementation of such projects in several Upper Egyptian sites.  Commenting on the projects, Mohamed Abdul Fatah, head of the Central Administration for Egyptian Antiquities, said that the tomb of Osireion in  Abydos, Sohag, had witnessed high subterranean water levels owing to large plantations in the vicinity of the archaeological site. The lack of a sewerage  project for the surrounding housing agglomeration has made the situation worse. Fatah went on to say that the water has adversely affected reliefs on the walls of the tomb.  The Osirion, he explained, is constructed of huge granite blocks in the unique Fourth Dynasty construction which is interpreted as a cenotaph to the  god Osiris. The structure is entered via a long descending gallery and decorated with excerpts from the Book of Gates and the Book of the Dead.  Fatah affirmed that the project does not hinder in any way the comprehensive restoration  project underway in Abydos. He noted that pipelines in the western side will be installed ten metres after the end of the descending gallery. No pipes are to be installed above the gallery on the northern side. The Ashmunein area in Minya is another site being treated from subterranean  water. Despite the significance of the site throughout the ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman ages, it has suffered much in modern times from underground water. The current project is proceeding smoothly as there are no archaeological hindrances, said Abdul  Fatah. Ashmunein was the capital of the 15th Upper Egyptian province, located to  the west of the Nile. It retains traces of temples dating to the Middle and New Kingdoms. There are also remains of a Coptic basilica constructed  on the foundations of a Ptolemaic temple built in the Greek architectural style.
Fuente: Egyptian Gazette

 

L'égyptologie française est en proie à de profondes dissensions LE MONDE | 07.06.05 | 13h19  •  Mis à jour le 07.06.05 | 14h43

u lendemain du référendum sur le traité constitutionnel européen, l'Elysée a discrètement nommé par décret, lundi 30 mai, l'égyptologue Laure Pantalacci à la tête de l'Institut français d'archéologie orientale (IFAO), basé au Caire (Egypte). Pourtant pris conformément au rapport du ministère de la recherche, lui-même rendu sur l'avis d'instances scientifiques compétentes, ce décret présidentiel revêt un caractère inhabituel. D'abord, le nom du futur directeur de l'Ecole du Caire est demeuré l'objet de spéculations jusqu'à la dernière minute. Ensuite, cette nomination est censée mettre un terme à la crise profonde que traverse l'égyptologie française depuis plus de six mois. Le plus grand institut orientaliste au monde Fondée en 1880 par Gaston Maspero, l'Ecole française du Caire devient l'Institut français d'archéologie orientale (IFAO) en 1898. Comme les quatre autres écoles françaises à l'étranger (Ecoles d'Athènes, de Rome, de Madrid et Ecole française d'Extrême-Orient), l'institut est placé sous la tutelle du ministère de l'éducation, de l'enseignement supérieur et de la recherche, mais il garde des liens privilégiés avec l'Académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres. Centre névralgique de l'égyptologie française, l'IFAO a cependant une vocation pluridisciplinaire : il accueille également des chercheurs spécialisés dans les études coptes, arabes ou encore hellénistiques. "L'IFAO est le plus grand institut orientaliste au monde , résume Christiane Desroches-Noblecourt, doyenne des égyptologues, qui fut, en 1938, la première femme pensionnaire de l'institut. Il est installé dans un palais au centre du Vieux Caire, sa bibliothèque compte plus de 80 000 volumes où l'on trouve aussi du sanskrit ou de l'araméen ; il dispose d'une imprimerie d'où sortent des ouvrages magnifiques qui sont la proie des universités du monde entier..."   Depuis novembre 2004 et la non-reconduction du mandat de Bernard Mathieu, 46 ans, directeur de l'IFAO depuis 1999, la communauté des égyptologues vit dans une atmosphère irrespirable. Pétitions, mises en cause publiques, injures relayées par voie de presse et rumeurs de complot sont le quotidien d'une discipline dont les dissensions, réputées fréquentes, ne sont généralement pas portées sur la place publique. Outre la violence des échanges, la direction de l'IFAO sera restée vacante de longs mois, compromettant sa bonne marche. Que s'est-il passé ? Fin 2004, en dépit des avis formulés par les instances scientifiques ad hoc ­ Conseil national des universités (CNU), Académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres et conseil d'administration de l'IFAO ­, le ministère de la recherche ne renouvelle pas le mandat de M. Mathieu. Inédit et contraire aux usages, le procédé nourrit la suspicion. Une pétition circule sur Internet dès le mois de décembre 2004 et elle connaît un succès inattendu. Au fil des mois, plus de 350 "égyptologues, papyrologues, archéologues, coptisants et arabisants" y apportent leur signature, dont des personnalités scientifiques de premier plan, comme Jean Yoyotte, Christiane Desroches-Noblecourt, Pascal Vernus ou Jean-Pierre Adam. Tous soulignent le bilan positif de M. Mathieu, les relations de confiance nouées avec les autorités et les chercheurs égyptiens, et s'étonnent du sort qui lui est fait, "sans justification" . Il fait peu de doute que la motion rassemble une majorité de l'égyptologie française. S'y joignent plusieurs dizaines de scientifiques étrangers. VISÉ PAR LA FRONDE L'égyptologue a aussi ses détracteurs, qui font une tout autre lecture de la situation. "C'est Bernard Mathieu lui-même qui a ouvert la crise actuelle, estime l'un d'eux, qui a requis l'anonymat. Car il faut savoir que le poste de directeur des études arabes de l'IFAO est vacant depuis l'été 2004 et ce, parce que M. Mathieu n'a pas voulu du candidat -Sylvie Denoix- choisi par le conseil d'administration." D'Internet, la polémique gagne vite la presse. La pétition est publiée dans Le Monde du 9 février, dans un encart publicitaire que M. Mathieu assure avoir financé sur ses fonds personnels. L'une des signataires les plus connues, Mme Desroches-Noblecourt, doyenne des égyptologues, se dit "écoeurée" du traitement réservé à M. Mathieu et s'indigne de ce que les "vraies raisons" de sa non-reconduction n'ont pas fait l'objet d'une "information publique" . En décembre 2004, dans une déclaration à l'Agence France-Presse (AFP), réitérée au quotidien Midi libre, Jean Yoyotte, professeur honoraire au Collège de France, invoque, lui, "l'action d'une mafia" . Sans plus de précisions. Le message est pourtant clair. Les partisans de M. Mathieu accusent Nicolas Grimal, ancien directeur (1989-1999) de l'IFAO, aujourd'hui titulaire de la chaire d'égyptologie du Collège de France, d'avoir intrigué jusque dans certains milieux politiques pour entraver la reconduction de Bernard Mathieu. Les deux hommes se sont, notamment, opposés sur le soutien à apporter à la théorie d'un égyptologue amateur, Gilles Dormion, développée dans un livre préfacé par M. Grimal, La Chambre de Chéops (Fayard, 314 p., 25 €). M. Grimal dément toute intervention et se dit "surpris et blessé" d'être mis en cause. Au-delà, c'est Jean Leclant, secrétaire perpétuel de l'Académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres et père spirituel de Nicolas Grimal, qui est visé par la fronde. Personnalité tutélaire de l'égyptologie française, membre du conseil d'administration de l'IFAO, M. Leclant a ouvertement plaidé le remplacement de M. Mathieu. UNE BONNE RÉPUTATION Il lui reproche, notamment, d'avoir tenu les Inscriptions et belles-lettres à l'écart de la gestion de l'institut. En outre, selon M. Leclant, "il n'y avait pas suffisamment de candidatures" lors du premier concours : Bernard Mathieu n'y était opposé qu'à un unique postulant, Michel Chauveau, chercheur à l'Ecole pratique des hautes études (EPHE). "A l'issue des votes, il y a eu beaucoup de "croix" -c'est-à-dire d'abstentions- et, dans le monde académique, nous savons ce que cela veut dire, précise M. Leclant. Il fallait recommencer, avec plus de candidats." Une grande part de la profession s'interroge cependant sur les raisons pour lesquelles l'Académie n'a pas "suscité" , comme c'est l'usage, d'autres candidats au premier concours. Simplement, répond M. Leclant, parce que l'ouverture du poste a été publiée "en février et non en mai comme c'est l'habitude" . L'Académie, dit en substance M. Leclant, n'a donc pas "vu" l'ouverture officielle du poste. Elle n'a donc pas pu "susciter" ses candidats à temps, ceux-ci ayant un mois, à partir de l'ouverture officielle du poste, pour se déclarer. Sans que le premier concours ait été formellement déclaré "infructueux" ­ ce pour quoi M. Mathieu a saisi le Conseil d'Etat ­ un second concours est donc ouvert, le 6 janvier, par le ministère. Trois nouveaux candidats se déclarent : Laure Pantalacci, de l'université Lyon-II, Claude Traunecker, de l'université Strasbourg-II et Sylvie Cauville, chercheur au CNRS. Le Conseil national des universités (CNU) donne sa préférence à M. Traunecker ; le conseil de l'Académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres puis, fin mars, le conseil d'administration de l'IFAO donnent leur faveur à Mme Pantalacci, réputée proche de M. Grimal, qui remporte ainsi le second concours. Mais, jusqu'à la dernière minute, de nombreux courriers émanant de responsables politiques et de chercheurs sont parvenus à l'Elysée pour demander le rétablissement de M. Mathieu. La nomination de Mme Pantalacci ­ qui jouit d'une bonne réputation dans le monde académique, et jusque chez les partisans de M. Mathieu ­ devrait remettre l'IFAO en ordre de marche. Elle ne refermera cependant pas les plaies ouvertes par six mois de crise. Bien au-delà d'une querelle de chapelles, cette situation illustre le malaise d'une discipline où les postes académiques sont rares. La jeune génération, disent en substance de nombreux égyptologues ­ à travers ce que l'un d'entre eux nomme son "soutien massif et mécanique" à M. Mathieu ­ a aussi manifesté le désir de s'émanciper de ses tutelles, et notamment de l'Académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres.

02/06/05

- Roban objetos egipcios del Abington Museum en Northampton - 

EGYPTIAN ARTEFACTS STOLEN FROM ABINGTON MUSEUM, NORTHAMPTON 
Some of the stolen artefacts: a blue glazed ushabti with tools, a wooden Ba statue and one of a pair of blue glazed wings. Courtesy Abington Museum.
Museum staff are appealing to the public after a number of ancient Egyptian artefacts were stolen from Abington Museum in Northampton.
The thieves broke in through a window on the night of May 29, 2005, and took artefacts from a late 19th/early 20th century collection. The items formed an important part of the museum’s Victorian style room, which remains open despite the thief (or thieves) smashing a glass cabinet of curiosities. 
"There was a fair amount of damage to the case,” said Will Brown, Information and Resources Manager at Northampton Museum. “They smashed through the top of it and cut out one of the windows."
Mummy beads stolen from the collection. Courtesy Abington Museum.
“They also poured some sort of substance around the room in an attempt to mask their entrance or exit – possibly bleach,” he continued. “The police have taken it away for analysis.” 
Other exhibits in the room such as stuffed animals and ceramics weren’t touched. The items that were taken include several ushabti figures, scarab seals, statues and carved articles. 
One artefact was broken during the burglary – the thieves grabbed a 17cm-high tomb model, but left behind one of its arms, presumably by rough handling.
The tomb model whose arm was left at the museum. Courtesy Abington Museum.
Asked about his reaction, Will Brown told the 24 Hour Museum: “I was appalled. It’s a real shame that these artefacts have gone missing, lost from the public domain.” 
The local press have reported the incident and an appeal has gone out on the Portable Antiquities Scheme website for information on the objects’ whereabouts. 
“Hopefully the publicity will help,” said Brown, “but we’ve got to be realistic. We can but hope.”
Also stolen: a carved wooden head, part of the museum's Victorian style Egyptology display. Courtesy Abington Museum.
Anyone with information about the objects’ whereabouts should contact Will Brown, at Northampton Museum on 01604 837279 or email wbrown@northampton.gov.uk.
   
   

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Nota: Las noticias sin origen referenciado en las mismas, provienen siempre de http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html1/