- 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 -

28/12/05

Robots Hong Kong y Singapur 'pelean' por entrar en pirámide Giza

Las elites científicas de Hong Kong y de Singapur compiten por conseguir que las autoridades egipcias les den permiso para entrar con su nueva tecnología arqueológica en la legendaria Gran Pirámide de Giza, también conocida con el nombre del faraón Keops, que la mandó construir. Según publica hoy el diario 'South China Morning Post', un equipo independiente de Hong Kong, dirigido por Ng Tze-chuen, y sus rivales de la Universidad Nacional de Singapur han creado robots con ese objetivo, pero no parecen dispuestos a seguir trabajando juntos, como hacían hasta hace poco. El robot que propone el equipo hongkonés podría entrar con cierta facilidad en el monumento, de cuatro milenios y medio de antigüedad, ya que no requiere ningún soporte externo de energía. Además, según explicó el famoso arqueólogo egipcio Zahi Hawass, el aparato de Ng está diseñado específicamente para no dañar las paredes de Giza. Mientras, el robot singapurés es igualmente sólido pero el proyecto sería mucho más eficiente, según los egipcios, si el equipo de Hong Kong se prestase a colaborar con sus rivales en la adaptación de ambas máquinas. Tras la disputa, el propio Zahi Hawass, secretario general del Consejo Supremo de Antigüedades de Egipto, ha pedido a los científicos de las dos ciudades que trabajen conjuntamente, en beneficio del proyecto, y ha declarado que 'tomaremos una decisión pronto'. La Gran Pirámide de Giza, de 146 miembros de altura, fue construida en tiempos del faraón Keops, en torno al año 2.500 antes de Cristo, y está situada junto a las también célebres pirámides de Kefrén y Mykerinos, algo más pequeñas.

Fuente: Terra

25/12/05

Developing Egyptian Museum

- Desarrollando el Museo Egipcio de El Cairo -
Dr. Zahi Hawwas, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), said a project was underway to develop the Egyptian Museum's cellar.
"The project is meant to turn the place into a modern location for exhibiting ancient Egyptian antiquities," Hawwas said.
He said that the 12-month project is being implemented in cooperation with the National Security Service, which has been helping to secure the place.

Fuente: EOL

15/12/05

In Egitto avviato progetto restauro tempio Amenofi
Un mega progetto per il restauro del tempio di Amenhotep III (Amenofi, re dell'Egitto dal 1411 al 1357 avanti Cristo) e l'area circostante sulla sponda sinistra del Nilo, a Luxor, è stato avviato dal Ministero della Cultura egiziano in collaborazione con il Consiglio dei beni archeologici. Il progetto prevede anche il salvataggio dei colossi di Memnon, statue gigantesche di pietra che rischiano di essere erose dall'acque sotterranee il cui livello nella zona si è notevolmento alzato a causa dei lavori di irrigazione dei terreni agricoli. L'innalzamento del livello dell'acqua in passato aveva già ostacolato il restauro del tempio a cui stavano lavorando esperti egiziani insieme con un'equipe di archeologi tedeschi.

NUN (AGE) RED-CENT

Ver fotografías de los trabajos de limpieza y conservación en Luxor

Trabajos de limpieza de los colosos que se encuentran a la entrada del templo de Luxor

También han comenzado los trabajos en el Proyecto de Restauración y Estabilización del muro oriental de la columnata del Templo de Luxor, llevados a cabo por el SCA y el Instituto Oriental de la Universidad de Chicago.

Recuperación de la avenida de esfinges entre Luxor y Karnak

Hace tiempo ya dimos la noticia de que el SCA está llevando a cabo un proyecto de recuperación de la antigua avenida de esfinges que unía el templo de Luxor con el de Karnak. Ahora hay la siguiente noticia sobre el hallazgo de otra de ellas:

13/12/05

First "sphinx" found seeking to rediscover the "avenue of sphinxes"

An Egyptian mission found the first Luxor "sphinx". Secretary-General of the Higher Council of Antiquities Dr. Zahi Hawas said that the "sphinx" carries several carvings together with a royal "Kartouch". On his part, Samir Farag, Head of the City of Luxor, described the discovery as a turning point for Luxor.

Fuente: EOL.

 Pues bien, en el viaje de septiembre ya se encontraban allí trabajando y pudimos sacar algunas fotos que podéis ver en la web: http://www.egiptomania.com/lista/

Acordaos también de que tenemos un apartado en www.antiguoegipto.com destinado a ellas y en donde podéis comparar el estado en enero 2005 y en septiembre 2005 de la zona: http://www.egiptomania.com/antiguoegipto/upper/avenida_esfinges.htm (url reducida: http://tinyurl.com/adl5c )

07/12/05

Reina Nefertari del antiguo Egipto reaparece en subasta en N.York
Una estatua tallada en piedra de la reina Nefertari, que los expertos consideran una obra maestra de la escultura egipcia, es la estrella de una subasta de arte antiguo que se celebra esta semana en Nueva York.
La estatua de Nefertari, esposa favorita de Ramses II -del siglo XIII antes de Cristo y el mas poderoso faraón del antiguo Egipto-, pertenece a la colección del médico Benson Harer, que la pondrá en venta el viernes en la casa de subastas Christie's.
Los expertos en antigüedades han calculado su valor en dos millones de dólares, un precio muy superior a los 220.000 dólares pagados por Harer cuando la adquirió en 1979, casualmente, en una subasta de la misma firma.
Tallada en granito negro, la escultura muestra a Nefertari de pie, con los brazos extendidos, sujetando un pañuelo en su mano derecha y un estandarte en la izquierda.
'Se trata de la única escultura que muestra a una reina egipcia portando un estandarte, lo que indica que tenía un rol importante.Ramsés II tuvo muchas esposas y casi cien hijos, pero Nefertari era su favorita', dijo a EFE G. Max Bernheimer, director del departamento de Antiguedades de Christie's.
La conservación y procedencia de la estatua es 'excelente', según el experto, ya que Harer, ginecólogo de profesión, es un egiptólogo reconocido que 'por más de 25 años comenzaba cada jornada tomando una taza de café junto a la estatua de Nefertari'.
'Ahora me he retirado y me he dado cuenta de que la esperanza de inmortalidad de Nefertari supera inmensamente la mía', dice el medico y coleccionista en el catálogo de la subasta.
Harer se desprende con pesar de ésta y otras adquisiciones que, dice, vende a beneficio de la expansión de la colección permanente de la California State University de San Bernardino (California), y a fin de alcanzar otras metas personales y familiares.
En la subasta también pondrá en venta una escultura funeraria en piedra caliza que representa al príncipe Kanefer, que vivió entre 2465 y 2323 antes de Cristo y hermano de Keops -cuya pirámide es la mayor del conjunto de Giza-, junto a su familia.
La representación familiar, estilizada, impresiona por el contraste de escala entre la monumental figura paterna de Kanefer y las más pequeñas de su esposa e hijo, quienes le expresan su afecto abrazándole las piernas.
La pieza pertenece a una colección privada estadounidense y su valor se estima entre uno y un millón y medio de dólares.
Otra escultura que se pondrá en venta es una efigie en bronce del emperador romano Antoninus Pius (siglo II de nuestra era), cuyo precio se estima entre uno y un millón y medio de dólares.
'Antoninus es aquí representado como un hombre de mediana edad, muy apuesto y aristocrático, con cabello muy frondoso y ensortijado.La escultura debe haberse realizado después de su muerte, ya que su mirada oblicua, apuntando hacia el cielo, implica que ha sido deificado', explicó Bernheimer.
En la subasta destaca, además, una figura griega de terracota moldeada a mano que representa a Alejandro Magno (siglos IV y III antes de Cristo), cuyo precio ha sido estimado entre 300.000 y 500.000 dólares.
'Es muy raro ver una terracota griega del período Helenístico de esta escala tan grande. Se presume que fue esculpida cuando Alejandro estaba vivo, para llevar a la posteridad un momento cumbre de su vida', manifestó Bernheimer.
La estatua presenta la faceta mas bárbara del mítico rey macedonio, ya que captura el momento en que le entierra la lanza a su amigo Cleitus tras acusarle éste de exigirle pleitesía como si se tratara de un Dios.
Terra Actualidad - EFE 

06/12/05

Nefer Antike Kunst : statue d’une femme de la Ve dynastie

05/12/05

Helwan necropolis attracts Egyptologists

- La necrópolis de Helwan atrae a los Egiptólogos -
Egyptologists are again looking to converge on Egypt in order to continue excavating one of the most important archaeological sites in recent, years. The Helwan necropolis, 15 miles south of Cairo, is home to over 10,000 tombs that date from pre-dynasty Egypt to the third dynasty (5,000 years ago).
According to Salima Ikram, an Egyptologist and professor of Egyptology at the American University in Cairo, Helwan is the flagship site in Lower Egypt. 
"It is one of the most important sites in the north due to the necropolis' sheer size," said Ikram.
Under the direction of the Australian Center for Egyptology at Sydney's Macquarie University, teams of archaeologists have unearthed thousands of tombs over the years at Helwan - this year is sure to bring more of the same. 
Ikram is excited at the excavation period, which runs through the beginning of February 2006.
Like many urban digs in Egypt, Helwan is also home to thousands of Egyptians.
As villagers continue to flock to Cairo to look for work, places like Helwan are becoming flooded with more people than they can properly find housing for.
Similar to the City of Dead in overpopulation and poverty, Helwan residents are concentrated in a small area that gives families limited space for their tiny homes, which makes it difficult for archaeologists to maneuver the area at times. 
Egyptologists believe that the over 10,000 tombs at Helwan indicate the site is the true necropolis of Memphis, the ancient capital of Egypt. 
Directly in front of the cemetery of Saqqara, the Helwan necropolis is home to the tombs of common people and a few elite patrons. While most tombs belong to common citizens, some tombs indicate a status almost equal to the high officials buried at Saqqara.
Ikram, a specialist in burial practices, says that the tombs give insight into who is buried: "The owners of the larger and better equipped tombs were probably part of the administration of Memphis, derived from elite families, some possibly originating from the north of Egypt."
One tomb was simply a hole, less than one cubic meter, in which a man was buried holding a piece of bread. 
Last year's excavation saw 20 new tombs discovered, which gave insight into the transition period in Egypt when kings began to take over from village chiefs, developing a complex society. This eventually turned into the dynastic system that gave birth to the pharaoh as 
king of Ancient Egypt.
"In terms of mortuary archaeology it is very interesting as social differentiation can be tracked by size and complexity of tombs. Some have stelae, which are very important as they name and provide information about the deceased," Ikram said. "The activity at this site shows the well established government in lower Egypt at this time."
Helwan is the largest and most significant archaeological site from what is referred to as the earliest historical period. It is believed that with more excavations and study, this site could reveal much concerning the transformation of ancient societies from villages to kingdoms. 
"We expect to find more tombs this excavation period," Ikram said.
Many Egyptologists feel this site is vital in understanding the change in human development of our ancient past, from more rural beginnings to the early urbanization that occurred.
There was also shock at the health of the individuals uncovered. Surprisingly, even the poor buried at Helwan are in superb health, according to anthropologists working in Helwan. This discovery has led many to argue that Egypt at this time was more advanced than previously thought. 
However, there is great concern about the destruction that is continuing to take the site away from Egyptologists. A military base surrounds the site along with increasing high-rise construction and illegal shantytowns that encroach the excavation. The area once covered 100 hectares but today has been reduced by half. Egyptologists are working against time in their work, as fear that this site may soon disappear is a constant threat to the important work being done in Helwan. 
The Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) is doing its best to stop the builders from expanding near the necropolis. According to Ikram, the SCA is doing a good job of stopping construction around the tombs, but if the land is not owned by the SCA it is difficult.
"Other government departments are not as concerned by the loss of Egypt's heritage," Ikram said. This makes it extremely hard to put pressure on builders.
It is unclear whether the government is going to act in order to stop the destruction of the ancient site. 
"Perhaps a public outcry in Egypt would help stop the destruction," Ikram said.

Fuente: The Daily Star

23/11/05
Trafic sur Net
L'Egypte vient d'arrêter la vente d'une collection de 50 pièces pharaoniques avant leur vente dans une salle au Canada.
Depuis la création, au sein du Conseil Suprême des Antiquités (CSA), du nouveau département de la récupération des antiquités sorties illégalement du pays, on entend chaque jour parler d'actions pour mettre un terme au  trafic et aux ventes de pièces égyptiennes dans différents pays : Suisse, Grande-Bretagne, Etats-Unis et autres. Aujourd'hui, c'est au tour du Canada  avec ceci d'original : le trafic se déroulait à travers un site Internet.  Les responsables de la salle des enchères de Medousa, pour faire le plus de ventes possibles, ont  publié sur un site Internet la liste de toutes les pièces à vendre, ne sachant pas que le CSA était là à tout surveiller. å La  vente de ces pièces, qui était prévue en décembre 2005, a été arrêtée suite à une demande officielle égyptienne ò, a indiqué Farouk Hosni, ministre  de la Culture. La plupart des pièces mises en vente remontent aux époques  tardives. Ce sont surtout des fragments de pièces, des statuettes, des scarabées et autres. å La majorité de ces pièces sont petites, de taille  facile à transporter. Aujourd'hui, après les mesures de sécurité prises aux frontières égyptiennes, il est devenu très difficile de déplacer les  antiquités de grande taille ò, souligne Ibrahim Abdel-Méguid, directeur du département des antiquités récupérées auprès du CSA. Ce dernier a imprimé le catalogues des enchères et  l'a distribué aux responsables des sites archéologiques qui ont déjà annoncé la perte de pièces pour tenter de les identifier. Une mesure de sécurité en plus est de suivre de près les sites  web des grandes salles des enchères connues pour leur vente de pièces égyptiennes.
Les spécialistes suivent tous les jours les sites de quarante-trois grandes salles de vente. Une fois des pièces découvertes, notre travail commence ò, souligne Zahi Hawas, secrétaire général du CSA. å On a distribué les photocopies des images trouvées sur le Net sur  les musées, les sites archéologiques, la police du tourisme et des antiquités. Et c'était la surprise ò, reprend Abdel-Méguid. Deux institutions ont annoncé que des objets leur appartenaient. La première est la faculté de littérature de l'  Université du Caire qui opère sur un site archéologique à Maadi et qui avait annoncé la perte de près de 300 pièces de ses entrepôts. Alors que la  seconde institution, la police, continue à faire des investigations sur plusieurs grands procès d'antiquités et qui a un grand doute que quelques-unes des pièces  exposées à Medousa soient de la collection de Farouq et Mohamad Al-Chaër, les accusés dans le grand procès des antiquités. å La police assure également que quelques pièces semblent appartenir au  collectionneur Zaki Mohareb, qui possédait une grande quantité de pièces quand la loi le permettait ò, indique Ibrahim Abdel-Méguid.  Suite aux soupçons nourris par la police, le CSA a demandé au procureur général d'informer les autorités canadiennes pour arrêter la vente des  pièces et de les retenir en attendant de les récupérer. Ainsi, un comité archéologique égyptien se rendra prochainement au Canada pour examiner les pièces concernées pour les récupérer.
Fuente: Al Ahram Hebdo
  
23/11/05
L'Histoire au bord de l'eau
Un premier musée relatant la période antique de la zone côtière à l'ouest d' Alexandrie doit voir prochainement le jour. Un musée à ciel ouvert tout près de la mer. C'est le projet qu'entame actuellement le Conseil Suprême des Antiquités (CSA) qui en a commencé les premiers pas dans la région de Marina Al-Alamein, sur la Côte-Nord occidentale de l'Egypte. L'installation d'un tel musée vient en fait dans le  cadre d'un plan adopté par le ministère de la Culture qui tend à transformer la cité archéologique de Marina Al-Alamein, à l'ouest d'Alexandrie, en un  musée à ciel ouvert accessible aux touristes égyptiens et étrangers 24 heures sur 24. å Ce musée est le premier à être aménagé sur la Côte-Nord égyptienne pour raconter l'histoire des différentes époques du lieu qui fut un important site archéologique ò, indique Farouk Hosni, ministre de la Culture.
Le bâtiment du musée a été installé en 2003 pour un coût total estimé à trois millions de L.E. å C'est le ministère de l'Habitat qui a offert le bâtiment au CSA, voulant commémorer l'histoire de cette cité antique qui était à l'époque gréco-romaine une ville avec ses  maisons, son marché, son tombeau et son temple ò, explique de son côté Zahi Hawas, secrétaire général  du CSA. Le musée s'étendra donc sur 800 m2 de superficie. Constitué d'un seul étage, il a été construit selon un style moderne, et comprend trois salles  d'exposition permanente et une quatrième destinée aux expositions temporaires. 

Le nouveau musée de Marina regroupera environ 500 pièces qui ont été choisies avec soin parmi l'ensemble des objets mis au jour dans la région archéologique durant les travaux de fouilles exécutés ces dernières années.  Des pièces de monnaie en or et en bronze, des statues, des pots en céramique  en plus des ruines de plusieurs édifices monumentaux et architecturaux feront partie de la collection du musée. å Les objets seront exposés par  ordre chronologique. L'exposition commencera par les objets représentant l' époque  ptolémaïque jusqu'à l'époque gréco-romaine. Le musée jette la lumière sur les différents aspects de la vie quotidienne, religieuse et culturelle  des habitants à travers ses époques ò, explique Mohamad Abdel-Maqsoud, directeur général de l'administration centrale des  antiquités égyptiennes. Le musée tracera également les aspects des activités économiques et ceux des échanges commerciaux, surtout que la cité antique de Marina Al-Alamein se  situe au bord de la mer. Un centre d'accueil sera installé pour donner aux touristes une idée générale du site archéologique de Marina. Un documentaire sera diffusé pour évoquer les principaux industries et artisanats dominants dans la région pendant ces périodes historiques, ainsi que le mouvement commercial et maritime. å Le musée renfermera en outre  des pièces dont les plus importantes sont actuellement au musée gréco-romain d'Alexandrie, dont des tangaras de 13,5 cm de longueur. D'autres pièces qui n'ont jamais été exposées seront prises des dépôts du même musée, comme la tête d'un lion de 42 cm ò,  explique Fakher Sobhi, directeur général des projets des musées au CSA. Parmi les objets les plus importants figure une statuette en calcaire d 'une femme romaine présentant les petits détails de ses habits et de ses cheveux.  Un catalogue archéologique et touristique relatif à toute la région de Marina sera publié tout prochainement. L'aménagement d'un musée à la Côte-Nord vient en fait en parallèle avec les  efforts déployés par le ministère du Tourisme afin de promouvoir la région. Cette initiative permettra donc aux étrangers comme aux estivants de voir l' autre aspect des plages de la Méditerranée.
Fuente: Al Ahram Hebdo
 
22/11/05
Auction of 86 antiquities halted
"The hammer didn't fall. The Attorney General has contacted authorities in Germany to put a stop to the auctioning of 86 Egyptian antiquities. It was thought that they were going to be purchased by an American dealer for export to the USA. It was the Egyptian  Ambassador in Berlin who warned colleagues back home in Egypt and a team from the Supreme Council of Antiquities flew to Germany to recover the precious artifacts. The  antiquities had been smuggled out of the country by brothers Farouq and Mohammed  el-Shaer, Abdel-Karim Abu Shanab and others, who were recently sentenced to up to 15 years with hard labour by Cairo Criminal Court for  smuggling offences. Since starting its major campaign, the SCA has managed to retrieve over 31,000 antiquities that have  been smuggled out of the country since the 19th century".
Fuente: Egyptian Gazette
 
23/11/05
POLEMICA L'ACCADEMIA DELLE SCIENZE DENUNCIA: IL MUSEO PUNTA SUL LOOK E MORTIFICA GLI SCIENZIATI
La ricerca perduta nelle stanze dell'Egizio
Il ministero dei Beni Culturali non solo da 10 mesi non paga all'Accademia delle Scienze la pigione dovuta per i locali affittati al Museo Egizio, ma rischia di paralizzare anche l'attività scientifica degli egittologi. E' in sintesi la tesi espressa ieri dal professore Pietro Rossi, presidente dell'  Accademia, nel corso della cerimonia che ha inaugurato il 223° anno d' attività. Rossi ha ricordato che è stata inviata una diffida al ministero, invitandolo a regolarizzare i pagamenti. Ma ha anche manifestato la sua  speranza affinchè la «Fondazione per le Antichità Egizie», istituita per  gestire in futuro il Museo, possa quanto prima diventare un interlocutore operativo, in grado di subentrare al ministero. Per farlo deve attendere il  conferimento dei beni dell'Egizio da parte del ministero. Il che dovrebbe avvenire il 19 dicembre. «La Fondazione - ha detto Rossi - pur avendo  completato i suoi organi e nominato un direttore, è ancora in larga misura un'istituzione sulla carta, tanto è vero che, in assenza del conferimento  dei beni, la gestione del museo rimane affidata alla relativa Soprintendenza». Rossi è preoccupato del protrarsi della situazione. Sostiene che «da tempo l'attività scientifica del museo, è, se non  paralizzata, certo ridotta, e si moltiplicano i segni della tendenza a trasformarlo in sede di eventi di larga risonanza, a discapito  dell'attività di ricerca, e ciò proprio nel momento il cui l'Ateneo ha istituito una  cattedra d'Egittologia, affidata ad Alessandro Roccati». Secondo Rossi «quello che avrebbe dovuto essere il primo esempio di collaborazione fra  pubblico e privato nel settore dei beni culturali della nostra città, sembra piuttosto tradursi in iniziative di carattere cosmetico, che comportano un consistente dispendio di risorse».
Fuente: La Stampa web
  
22/11/05
Karnak, architecture 3 D

- Karnak, arquitectura en 3D -
À l'Université de Montréal, une équipe d'architectes aidée d'un égyptologue cherche à savoir comment s'est construit Karnak. Ce site archéologique de l'Égypte ancienne est le plus gros complexe religieux jamais érigé par l'homme. Pendant deux millénaires, les  pharaons l'ont agrandi, défait, modifié. Aujourd'hui, le Groupe de recherche en conception assistée par ordinateur (GRCAO) utilise des outils informatiques pour essayer de le rebâtir virtuellement. Pour assembler les pierres aujourd'hui dispersées sur le site, l'équipe  utilise les hiéroglyphes qui y sont dessinés. 

Fuente: Radio Canada
- Más Información:
Descripción del Proyecto
 
20/11/05
Un encuentro con los faraones
La destacada historiadora Violeta Pereyra brindó una conferencia en la UNLP.
Habló sobre la conservación de la tumba tebana Nº 49. Se trata de un sepulcro construido hace más de 1.300 años antes de Cristo, que está siendo reparado por un equipo interdisciplinario de profesionales argentinos  El viernes último, una de las aulas de la Facultad de Humanidades fue el espacio que permitió a un grupo de estudiantes remontarse en el tiempo y  trasladarse hasta las desérticas tierras de Egipto, durante el reinado del emblemático faraón Tutankamón.  Violeta Pereyra, una destacada egiptóloga que trabaja en la conservación de  una tumba en el lejano Oriente, visitó la ciudad y cautivó al auditorio con sus relatos sobre las costumbres que tenía esa civilización, hace más de mil  años antes de Cristo.  Pereyra es profesora de Historia Antigua del Cercano Oriente de la Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA) e investigadora del Consejo Nacional de  Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET). "Todo Egipto es un sitio  arqueológico", afirmó en dialogó con Hoy, mientras exhibía en pantalla gigante las imágenes de la tumba.  Desde 1999, dirige una misión de profesionales argentinos que trabaja en elproyecto de restauración y conservación del monumento funerario de  Neferhotep, un funcionario de primer nivel del Templo de Amón (en Karnak).  Fue contemporáneo del faraón Tutankamón y vivió en la antigua ciudad de  Tebas, 1.300 años antes de Cristo. En aquel entonces, Tebas era la capital egipcia y se denominaba ImperioNuevo. La parte oriental correspondía a la Ciudad de los Vivos y la occidental a la Ciudad de los Muertos (Necrópolis). El sepulcro se encuentra localizado en el Valle de los Nobles en Luxor, a 600 kilómetros de El Cairo. Fue descubierto por primera vez en el siglo XIX por J. F. Champollion, que lo denominó tumba Nº 53.  A lo largo del siglo pasado, otros investigadores realizaron relevamientos  dentro de la construcción. Hasta que finalmente, en 1999 Pereyra y su equipo obtuvieron la concesión para realizar las tareas de conservación en la tumba que ahora está catalogada con el número 49 (hay más de 400 y muchas  otras que falta numerar). Según la historiadora, para imaginarse la Necrópolis de Luxor uno debe  comparar el sitio con un queso gruyer lleno de agujeros: "En cada hueco se encuentra una tumba". Sin embargo, la relevancia que se otorga a la tumba de Neferhotep se debe a que -hasta el momento- son pocas las que se hallaron del periodo en que vivió el poderoso funcionario. "Toda la información que pueda proveer nuestra investigación va a ser muy importante", afirmó. El monumento contiene inscripciones de jeroglíficos, pinturas murales, bajorrelieves, esculturas y objetos de cerámica. "Es probable que fuera la tumba más bella de la Necrópolis de los Nobles", opinó Pereyra.  Sin embargo, en la actualidad, la construcción se encuentra en un estado de gran deterioro: desde que fue descubierta hace dos siglos, además de  investigadores ingresaron en ella saqueadores y usurpadores. Se sabe que, hasta 1930, fue utilizada como vivienda por pobladores del lugar. Se estima, además, que en algún momento se vio afectada por un incendio, y  ésa sería la causa por la cual las paredes están cubiertas de hollín. "La  limpieza lleva muchísimo tiempo. Pero pensamos que vamos a terminar en cinco años", expresó.  A pesar de que aún se conservan esculturas de Neferhotep y su esposa Merytra, entre otros objetos,  los especialistas no pudieron hallar loscuerpos momificados de la pareja. "Un egipcio muy estudioso del reinado de aquella época nos dijo que, si seguimos excavando, podemos llegar a encontrar restos. Yo creo que con toda la gente que ingresó a lo largo del tiempo, Neferhotep y su esposa deben estar fuera del sepulcro", indicó.  Junto a Pereyra, realizan la ardua y meticulosa tarea de restaurar los tesoros egipcios, las profesoras de la UNLP Silvana Fantecci y Andrea  Zingarelli, investigadores del Instituto de Arte y Cultura del Oriente Antiguo de la Facultad de Artes de la Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, y un equipo de expertos alemanes.
Fuente: Diario hoy.net
- Más Información:
Descripción del Proyecto de restauración
 
18 /11/05
World Heritage Alliance launched
United Nations Foundation and Expedia announced the launch of the World Heritage Alliance, an innovative joint initiative to promote sustainable tourism and awareness of World Heritage sites and communities around the world. This partnership believes conscientious  travelers can contribute directly to nature conservation, historic preservation, and poverty reduction through sustainable tourism.  "As one of the world's leading travel service providers, Expedia has the unique privilege of helping educate our customers,  suppliers, and employees about the importance of sustainable tourism," said Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of  Expedia, Inc. "By working with the UN Foundation to found the World Heritage Alliance, we hope to expand our customers' travel horizons and help  prese ve our world's treasures for current and future generations to enjoy."  There are currently 812 designated World Heritage sites that span 137 countries and offer an extraordinary range of travel experiences. These  sites have been internationally recognized for their outstanding value and  are protected by the 1972 World Heritage Convention, signed by 180 countries and  administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural  Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage sites include many of the most iconic travel spots on the planet, such as the Great Barrier Reef in Australia; the Egyptian Pyramids,...
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17/11/05
Pyramids bid farewell to Aida

- Desmontarán las gradas para l aópera de Aida situadas en la Meseta de Giza -
"Minister of Culture Farouq Hosni has ordered the removal of the makeshift theatre at the Giza Pyramids, used for performances of the opera Aida. The theatre was built in 1998 as a temporary measure. This decision has come in the light of an urgent request made to the Minister by Secretary-General of  the Supreme Council of Antiquities Zahi Hawass to remove the theatre, as it poses a threat to this famous archaeological area. Mansour Beirk, responsible for the Pyramids Archaeological Area, stated that the  dismantling of the theatre will take place in the next few weeks".
Fuente: Egyptian Gazette.
 
15/11/05
Prehistoric museum for Qena

- Museo Prehistórico para Qena -
Egypt is going to have its first museum for prehistoric relics, according to a decision taken by Minister of Culture Farouq Hosni. The museum will include 1,400 archaeological treasures, currently located in the storehouse of the Supreme Council of Antiquities. An area  of land has already been set aside in Qena Governorate for the construction of the museum. Qena is a very appropriate location, bearing in mind that the oldest skull ever found in  Egypt was found here, while this Upper Egyptian Governorate is home to many ancient  tombs and other structures. A blueprint for the museum has already been drawn up, including rooms for exhibitions about the life of prehistoric  man and how the first urban communities were established. There will also be displays about the agricultural work and  industries of ancient man, as well as the pottery utensils he used. Meanwhile, moving forward in history, there will be an exhibition about the life and times of the Pharaohs".
Fuente: Egyptian Gazette
 
15/11/05
Ancient egyptian pork ban a myth

- La antigua prohibición de comer cerdo es un mito -
Italian researchers have found a pig-related disease in a mummy, squashing a common belief that Ancient Egyptians had a dietary ban on pork. Until now historians have found evidence suggesting ancient high priests in Egypt prohibited pig meat, in common with many Middle Eastern peoples who still  don't eat pork today. "It has hitherto been thought that there was a sort of religious-hygienic ban on eating pork in Ancient Egypt", said Pisa University historical pathologist Fabrizio Bruschi. The researchers recently  found the oldest recorded case of a rare disease called cystercosis in the belly of a second-century BC mummy. Cystercosis, which can spark dangerous  mood swings and epilepsy, is caused by an intestinal parasite contained in raw or poorly cooked pork. It can also get into the body from fruit and  vegetables that have been contaminated with pig faeces. Cystercosis, which has only recently been recognized and is very uncommon in the industrialised world, strikes the human nervous system. It develops when people consume the  larval form of the parasitic tapeworm Taenia solium. The larvae eventually  affect the muscles and brain, and moving larvae can be detected in the affected person's eyes. In the brain, the larvae can severely damage the  frontal lobe and cause personality changes. The most common symptom of this disease is mood swings.
Fuente: ANSAmed
  
13/11/05
Awards for SCA officials

- Recompensas para los oficiales del SCA -
The Supreme Council of Antiquities will present awards to a number of officials who have done much to boost the archaeological work of the Council. At a ceremony today, SCA Secretary-General Zahi Hawass will honour Ahmed Abdel-Hamid Yussef, former head of the Central Administration of the  Egyptian Antiquities Authority. Yussef has contributed to the Egyptian Encyclopedia with many scientific articles, as well as writing a number of books that have been translated into other languages.

Fuente: Egyptian Gazette 

12/11/05
Nubia's Black Pharaohs

- Los Faraones negros de Nubia -
Will a lost coronation temple reveal how the ancient Nubians rose up and seized the throne of the mighty Egyptians?
On a cloudless morning in northern Sudan, the first rays of the sun cast a glow on Jebel Barkal, a small tabletop mountain perched near the Nile River. Jebel Barkal rises barely 320 feet above the surrounding desert but is distinguished by one prominent feature: a pinnacle jutting out from its southwestern cliff face. If your imagination is keen enough, the isolated  butte might resemble a crown or an altar, and the pinnacle an unfinished colossal statue-perhaps a rearing serpent, its body poised to strike. Striding toward an  excavation near the base of the pinnacle, archaeologist Tim Kendall pauses momentarily to admire what he calls the "little mountain with big secrets." Thousands of years ago, Jebel Barkal and Napata, the town  that grew up around it, served as the spiritual center of ancient Nubia, one of Africa's earliest civilizations. The mountain was also considered a holy  site by neighboring Egypt, whose pharaohs plundered and tyrannized Nubia for 400 years. But in the eighth century B.C., Nubia turned the tables on its former  colonizers. Its armies marched 700 miles north from Jebel Barkal to Thebes, the spiritual capital of Egypt. There the Nubian king Piye became the first  of a succession of five "black pharaohs" who ruled Egypt for six decades with the blessing of the Egyptian priesthood. What happened? asks Kendall.  How did the Nubians, overrun by Egypt for centuries, crush their colonizers? And why did the priests of Thebes decide the black pharaohs had a mandate from heaven? Kendall has been searching for those answers for 20 years. They  can be revealed, he believes, by cracking a code of geomorphological symbols at Jebel Barkal and by parsing hieroglyphic texts that refer to the mountain  as Dju-wa'ab, or "Pure Mountain." "I feel as if I'm deciphering a mythological puzzle," Kendall says. "It's a real mystery story." 

Fuente: Discover

08/11/05

Heroic collections find a worthy setting

Behind its elegant façade, the state of Oxford's Ashmolean has long been an embarrassment - but a £49m rebuild is about to change that, says Giles Worsley The Ashmolean in Oxford is one of the great museum buildings of the world and arguably the most sophisticated classical building ever erected in this country. But as a modern museum it fails lamentably.

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08/11/05

A Japanese team have completed the first phase of the restoration of the Tomb of Amenhotep III of the 18th Dynasty.

- Un equipo japonés completa la primera fase de la restauración de la tumba de Amenhotep III -

This first phase included cleaning the tomb and photographing the walls with their engravings of the King and the gods. Other work involved repairing some of the engravings that were damaged and strengthening the walls and columns. Meanwhile, the fungi and bacteria on the walls were killed by the team, using chemicals that would not harm the engravings. By taking X-rays of the monument, the Japanese members of the team were able to pinpoint the constituents of the paints used by the Pharaohs to colour their engravings, including the pigments orpiment (used to make a yellow colour), hematite (for white) and arsmeti (for orange). The tomb, located in the Valley of the Kings in Luxor, consists of a long corridor with three halls. The corridor descends steeply to a well surrounded by gods. There is also a room with two square pillars, descending to 21 small rooms with damaged engravings. Meanwhile, there is a burial chamber with columns. It also contains parts of a broken coffin. Some of the rooms were looted in the era of King Ramses IX. There is a papyrus in existence which records the confessions and names of the thieves."

Fuente: Egyptian Gazette

08/11/05

Egypt foils attempt to sell 50 artifacts in Canada

- Egipto paraliza subasta de 50 piezas del antiguo Egipto en Canadá -
Egypt has managed to foil an attempt to sell 50 Pharaohnic artifacts at the Medousa auction in Canada, said Minister of Culture Farouq Hosni. 
Secretary of the National Council of Antiquities Dr. Zahi Hawwas said that the Council has been monitoring 43 auctions all over the world to trace Egyptian artifacts on sale there. 
Hawwas said that the Prosecutor-General was notified and the Canadian authorities contacted in order to halt the sale and have the artifacts returned to Egypt. 
He said that the Canadian authorities have already taken measures to impound the pieces until Egypt sends a technical and judicial committee.

Fuente: EOL

08/11/05

Egyptian-Japanese team to locate artifacts of the New Valley
- Proyecto equipo egipcio-japonés para nuevas excavaciones en el "Nuevo Valle" -
On a 3-year mission, a research team from the National Institute for Geophysics and Astronomy, "Helwan Observatory" will resume its project to survey and determine sites to dig for monuments in the Kharga Oases region. This will be carried out in cooperation with the Computer Science Lab in Technology Institute in Tokyo as well as the Supreme Council for Antiquities. 
Such enterprise aims at the detection of antiquities around Al-Zaiyan Temple in Polaq district in Al-Kharga Oases, in which state-of the art-technology will be used to determine and locate significant antiquities sites. 
Notably, a similar field study was carried out before to locate the underground water surrounding Hebes Temple in the New Valley

Fuente: EOL

04/11/05

Rosetta national museum to be inaugurated in November

- El Museo Nacional Rosetta será inaugurado en Noviembre -

Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni will inaugurate the Rosetta National Museum after refurbishing works in the second half of November. The rehabilitation operations of the museum took two years to be completed at a total cost of LE 4 million, said Dr Zahi Hawwas, the Secretary General of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) on Wednesday. Hawwas said that the rejuvenation operation of the museum came as part of a national plan undertaken by the Ministry of Culture and the SCA with a view to creating a number of provincial and specialized museums in Egypt. The plan is aimed at shedding light on the history of Egyptian cities and their historical importance, he added. The whole project is meant to sensitize the Egyptian people to the archaeological value of Egypt, Hawwas said.

Fuente: EOL

01/11/05

Egyptian-German project to renovate Minya monuments

- Proyecto germano-egipcio para restaurar los monumentos de Minya -

The permanent committee for monuments agreed to allow a German archaeological mission to conduct a study on Tuna Al-Jebal tombs in Minya, Upper Egypt, in preparation for renovating them. Dr. Zahi Hawwas, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities said the German mission will launch an archaeological survey in the area in preparation for the renovation of the site and turning it into a world tourist destination.

Fuente: EOL

30/10/05

He's no Tennessean, but state museum holds mummy dear 
- Sobre la momia del Tennessee State Museum -
Amid displays about Antebellum Nashville and how the state Capitol was built, the Tennessee State Museum features a haunting exhibit: A 3,600-year-old Egyptian mummy. Visitors strolling through the museum might find the mummy jarring, or at least out of place. Enclosed in a glass case, the mummy is unwrapped; the skin of his entire body is exposed. That skin appears leathery and taut against his skeleton. In a word, after being lulled by the heroic history of Daniel Boone and Andrew Jackson, it's downright scary. And the mummy is here to stay, even if it has little to do with Tennessee history other than the fact it was brought here by a prominent Nashville resident in 1859 after he acquired it during a trip to Egypt. "It's not something we're really proud of because we're about Tennessee history and culture," state museum spokeswoman Paulette Fox said. "Of course, it's part of Tennessee history, but it's certainly not the most important part."

The state museum, by and large, has not been pulled into a growing global debate over whether mummified remains and other cultural artifacts should be returned to the country of origin. Egypt, as well as countries like Mexico and Peru, are making efforts to restore a cultural heritage that has been partly lost to other countries.
Zahi Hawass, an archaeologist and secretary general of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, told National Geographic last year that he would like to see other cultural artifacts come back to Egypt.
The return of Ramses I "can tell the world that artifacts that have no parallel in Egypt should come back to Egypt," Hawass told the magazine. "This was a pharaoh, and he should be at home. But the same may (also) be true for a very unique item like the Rosetta stone or the bust of Nefertiti."
Tom Dillehay, a professor of anthropology at Vanderbilt University called the debate over returning cultural remains to their country of origin and whether to display human remains "a difficult issue, an ethical issue.
"There are, quite literally, millions of cultural remains from other countries in museums throughout the world," Dillehay said.
He said countries seeking the return of their cultural remains usually have no set system for doing so. Plus, Dillehay said, "A lot of these weren't illegally taken," noting that items were often sold or given as gifts.
In 1990, Tennessee lawmakers made it illegal to publicly display the remains of Native Americans in an effort to protect burial sites and properly bury remains already disturbed. During that debate, legislators said they wanted to write the law in order to make sure the museum's Egyptian mummy could be kept on display.
Tennessee's mummy was a gift from Jeremiah George Harris, a one-time Nashville newspaper editor who obtained it while in Egypt in 1859. The state historical society brought it to Nashville in 1860 and displayed it in the state Capitol.
When Union soldiers took over the Statehouse, according to folklore, troops unwrapped it, hoping to find jewelry on the body.
The mummy has been on display in the museum since 1937.
One person who is torn over the question of whether the mummy should be returned is a Nashville psychic who caused a stir in 1989. Gale Carrier told The Tennessean that the mummy's ghost caused problems for workers when the mummy was moved to the Polk Cultural Center, where the Tennessee State Museum is housed.
A London tabloid, The Daily Star, picked up on Carrier's comments and ran a blockbuster story: The mummy awoke one evening, angrily smashed priceless exhibits and terrorized a guard into quitting his job — all because the mummy was unhappy about being taken from Egypt.
Museum officials denied the reports that the mummy awoke.
"The mummy is one of the most popular things in the Tennessee State Museum," Carrier said. "People would rather go to the museum to see the mummy than go to see Tennessee artifacts."
Fox said she is aware of the movement to give antiquities back their countries of origin but said that no one has raised any concerns with her.
Even if there is very little state history tied to the mummy, Fox said it's worth it to have it on display.
"Kids love it," she said. And it gets better when museum officials talk to school groups about the mummification process.
"Oh, if you tell them the details of how it's done, that there's a hook they use to stick up the nostrils and they wiggle it back and forth to liquefy the brain, then turn the head to let the brains run out the nostrils, they love it," she said. "They're kids. They'll say, 'Ooooooh, it's gross,' but they're all fascinated."

26/10/05

- Fallece Marshall Clagett, autor de "Ancient Egyptian Science: A Source Book" a la edad de 89 años -
Marshall Clagett, 89, Scholar on Science in Ancient Times, Is Dead
His death was announced by the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, where he was a professor emeritus in the Department of Historical Studies. He arrived to teach in 1964 and took emeritus status in 1986, but continued to publish, and at his death was working on the fourth and final volume of his "Ancient Egyptian Science," the institute reported.  Dr. Clagett's major work was his five-volume "Archimedes in the Middle  Ages," published over 20 years starting in 1964. It covered the range of work and the influence of Greece's most famous mathematician and inventor, about whom little is known.  Archimedes worked mostly in his native Syracuse, the principal city-state in Sicily, but is believed to have spent time in Egypt early in his career and later corresponded with Alexandrian scholars. Dr. Clagett's achievement was to trace and document the continuity of science from antiquity, through Byzantium and Islam to the Europe of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.   His volumes analyzed, interpreted and, at times, retranslated Archimedes's surviving treatises and examined them in a new context under subtitles like "Fate of the Medieval Archimedes, 1300-1565." The final volumes on the subject were published by the American Philosophical Society in 1984.   In the same fashion, "Ancient Egyptian Science: A Source Book" stretched  over several volumes - the first of which appeared in 1989 - surveying the entire scope of the ancients' knowledge and mechanics. Volume 2 (1999), for instance, lists "Calendars, Clocks, and Astronomy" in its title.   Dr. Clagett was the author of "Greek Science in Antiquity," first printed in  1955 and reissued by Dover Press in 2000. It provided an inventory of Greek medicine, biology, mathematics, physics and astronomy, along with Roman and  Latin science in late antiquity and the early Middle Ages.   Marshall Clagett was born in Washington and began his studies at the California Institute of Technology. Transferring to George Washington  University, he graduated in 1937 and received a doctorate in history from Columbia in 1941. His thesis was on the  history of science.  He saw combat in the Pacific during World War II, returning as a Navy  lieutenant commander, and started his academic career at Columbia in 1946 as an instructor in history and the history of science. Moving to the  University of Wisconsin a year later, he became a full professor of the  history of science in 1954, and directed the university's Institute for Research in the Humanities from 1959 to 1964.   He is survived by his wife of 59 years, the former Susan Riley; a daughter,   athleen Williams of Towson, Md.; two sons, Dennis, of Nyon, Switzerland, and Michael, of Yardley, Pa.; a half-brother, Brice, of Washington; and five grandchildren.
Fuente: New York Times

26/10/05
Live Webcam Captures the Beauty of the Pyramids
- Cámara en directo captura la belleza de las pirámides -
The Pyramids of Egypt are arguably the most famous and grandest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, yet only a small percentage of people have ever viewed them live -- until now. PyramidCam.com provides the first live view of these ancient and beautiful monuments, seen through the lens of a high definition network camera (http://www.pyramidcam.com). Located on the Giza Plateau outside Cairo, the Great Pyramids have  mystified, enthralled and captured the imagination of over forty generations since they were first built by the pharaohs Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure over 4,500 years ago.  Because of their great antiquity, complexity of construction, enormous size and physical grandeur, they elicit awe and mystery like no other man-made edifice. Their actual purpose and the way  in which they were constructed remain two of the world's great mysteries -- theories abound, spanning the spectrum from the strictly scientific, espoused by mainstream archeology, to  the truly offbeat, represented by some New Age postulations. But still the mystery  endures. "The Internet and network cameras make it possible for anyone with a  computer to view the Pyramids during the daylight hours in Cairo in all their varying moods under changing light and local weather conditions," said  Jim Sorenson of PyramidCam.com. "Our main objective is to make the Pyramids  visually available to the entire world on a real-time basis: to schools and universities; to those who cannot travel; and to those who only know them  from pictures in books, from television or from scanned photos taken off the  web." "Our secondary objective is to stimulate interest in Egypt and Egypt  tourism. Live cameras are a dramatic improvement over static imagery, but standing on the Plateau in the shadow of Khufu and looking down on the city of Cairo is an unforgettable  experience. Nothing prepares you for the dominating physical presence of these mammoth structures or their wonderful symmetry and perfect harmony. We believe that making them available to all  through live viewing and time-lapse video will encourage people to come to  Egypt and see for themselves." The high definition network camera used at PyramidCam.com is from StarDot Technologies (http://www.stardot-tech.com), a southern California  corporation, best know for its high profile cameras seen on the Yosemite and Yellowstone National Park web sites. "This is such an exciting use of  technology -- to be able to provide a live view of the Pyramids for the entire world to see," said Vance Kozik, StarDot's Product Manager. "Capturing the majesty of these great monuments is a  perfect application for our high definition NetCam IP cameras." 

Fuente: Market Wire
  

26/10/05
Upgrading Queen Hatsheput's Temple
- Proyecto urgente para preservar el Templo de Hatshepsut en Deir el Bahari, cuyo coste se estima en 7 millones de LE. Será dotado también de luz para posibles visitas nocturnas -
"An urgent project will start soon to preserve the el-Deir el-Bahari Temple of Queen Hatshepsut in Luxor, on the instructions of Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni. The project will cost LE7 million, as part of a grant from the US Research Centre to preserve and develop the Valley of  the Kings. The total grant is estimated at US$10 million. Supreme Council for Antiquities Secretary-General Zahi Hawass said that the project includes providing the  Temple of Queen Hatshepsut with close circuit cameras to monitor visitors inside the temple for security  purposes. He explained that visitors will only be allowed in through one entrance, which will be an electronic gate  for checking visitors' personal belongings. Hawass added that lighting round the temple will be upgraded to allow visitors entry at night, especially in the summer". Fuente: Egyptian Gazette
  
23/10/05
Documentary on Predynastic life
- Documental sobre la vida en la Época Predinástica será producido por el Departamento de Monumentos Predinásticos y el Consejo Supremo de Antigüedades Egipcio-
"The Department of Pre-Dynastic Monuments, an affiliate of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, will produce a documentary on life of ancient Egyptians who lived in the pre-dynastic era. According to Culture Minister  Farouk Hosni, the documentary sheds light on ancient Egyptian's daily life.  'The film is aimed to be a historical reference for specialists in that era, ' said Hosni. The film is inspired by the concept of the Pharaonic Village,  according to Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Antiquities Zahi Hawass. 'The film will shed light on  different means of living of the early man, his hunting tools, how he cultivated the land, and funerary items. The  documentary is expected to correct some wrong concepts and beliefs that have spread among historians about that era,' added Hawass. Various copies of the  film will  be available at archaeological sites, said Khaled Saad, the director of the Department of Pre-Dynastic Monuments". 

Fuente: Egyptian Gazette
- Misma noticia en castellano
 
23/10/05
Cairo Museum basement to be opened to visitors
- Los sótanos del Museo Egipcio de El Cairo serán abiertos al público -
The basement of the Egyptian Museum will be opened to visitors. Zahi Hawass, head of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, declared that a contract has been signed with a state-owned company to insure and reorganize the Egyptian Museum's basement before making it accessible to visitors. The decision comes after several items from the basement storage area have been 'lost' or stolen in the past year, to the embarrassment of those responsible.

Fuente: Cairo Magazine 

18/10/05

Tebtunis papyri returned to UC Berkeley's Bancroft Library decades after their discovery 

- El Papiro Tebtunis regresa a la UC Berkeley's Bancroft Library décadas después de su descubrimiento -
Just a few weeks ago, three tins of ancient papyri belonging to the University of California, Berkeley, finally arrived home, shipped across the Atlantic more than a century after they were collected in Egypt.
British archaeologists Bernard Grenfell and Arthur Hunt excavated the temple, town and cemetery of Tebtunis, Egypt, in an expedition for UC Berkeley in the winter of 1899-1900 at the behest of university benefactress Phoebe Apperson Hearst. After uncovering a treasure trove of papyri and artifacts, they brought them to their home base at Oxford for study and publication of selected pieces. 
After the first two volumes were published, further publication was slowed by the illness and death of the two scholars, so the papyri remained at Oxford for longer than expected, said Todd Hickey, a papyrologist and curator of the Center for Tebtunis Papyri at UC Berkeley's Bancroft Library. 
Although much of the material was eventually sent to the campus from the late 1930s through the '50s, additional containers remained overlooked, Hickey said.
But a couple of years ago, Hickey noted that an inventory of the numbering applied by Grenfell and Hunt to many pieces in the center's more than 30,000-piece collection showed many gaps in the sequence. The newly hired curator also noted that a research paper published by a University of Toronto scholar cited pieces of papyri that he studied at Oxford; they contained excavation numbers that identified them as part of UC Berkeley's Tebtunis collection. 
"So, we had a pretty good idea there was material at Oxford that belonged to us," Hickey said. 
Next, Donald Mastronarde, a UC Berkeley professor of classics and director of the Tebtunis Center, wrote to the chief of Oxford's Oxyrhynchus Center, which houses an extensive papyri collection assembled from a community north of Tebtunis, through the Egyptian Exploration Society. 
Oxford University acknowledged possession of some pieces of the Tebtunis papyri collection, said Hickey, and efforts began in earnest to bring them home.
Some of the papers went on display today (Tuesday, Oct. 18) at UC Berkeley in a ceremony at the Morrison Library within Doe Library to celebrate the largest papyri collection in the United States.
Among the new materials are fragments of Euripides' "Phoenician Women," Homer's "Odyssey," an ancient medical handbook, and papers from an influential prophetess of the local crocodile god, as well as a family priest's writings that trace that a family's history over eight generations.
"There remains unknown and potentially blockbuster items in these boxes of mummy cartonnage," said Hickey.
Whatever they find, he said, UC Berkeley students and scholars will benefit by having still more papyri to review and study, he said.
In ceremonies today, Mastronarde noted that Hearst had hired the German scholar George Reisner as her agent to help with the Egyptian and Greco-Roman civilization materials from Tebtunis, but he ended his employment with her in 1905. He went to work for the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, where some of the Tebtunis documentary materials and four Middle Kingdom papyrus rolls remain to this day.
"We hope that the good example set by Oxford in the delivery of Mrs. Hearst's Tebtunis papyri may have some effect in persuading others to show a similar sense of cooperation," said Mastronarde.
Roger Bagnall, the 92nd Sather Professor of Classical Literature for fall 2005 at UC Berkeley and a professor of classics and history at Columbia University, said the recently transferred pieces of papyri appear relatively complete and in even better condition that some of the rest of the collection.
A leader in the field of papyrology, Bagnall said the items seem to push the date back even earlier for some of the materials found in Tebtunis, a village inhabited over 1,700 years ago.
The materials also will "connect some of the dots" between the Tebtunis Center material and that obtained from the Egyptian village by clandestine means and housed in other institutions scattered around the world, Bagnall said.
In addition, he said, studying the new documents should help shed new light on the archaeological processes used by Grenfell and Hunt in excavating what he called "one of the great finds in the field of papyrology."
The collection is significant for the insights it offers into everyday social relations and economic life in the 2nd century B.C., said Bagnall, and reflects the differences and similarities between the past and present.
Some of the findings made from the Tebtunis collection will be explored in an international conference, "Papyrology: New Directions in a New Generation," to be held at UC Berkeley Nov. 11-12. 

Fuente: UC Berkeley News.
- Más información sobre el Center for Tebtunis Papyri

- Comentarios del Centro sobre el regreso del Papiro Tebtunis

10/10/05

European grant to renovate silver artifacts at Egyptian Museum

- Ayuda de 75.000 Euros de la Unión Europea para restaurar objetos de plata en el Museo Egipcio de El Cairo -

Minister of Culture Farouq Hosni okayed plan to renovate silver artifacts and antiques on display at the Egyptian Museum. Dr. Zahi Hawwas, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said the renovation is part of a master plan by the Ministry of Culture to maintain the metal artifacts through a 75,000 euro grant from the European Union. Some 1,400 ancient pieces, including sarcophaguses, jewellery, crowns, belts and statues will be renovated.

Fuente: Egypt on line

08/10/05

Egypt, Sudan to jointly build museum for Nubian antiquities

- Egipto y Sudán construirán un nuevo Museo de Antigüedades Nubias -
Egypt and Sudan will jointly establish a museum for Nubian antiquities in Sudan’s Wadi Halfanear the borders with Egypt, Egypt’s official MENA news agency reported Friday.
It is part of a recently started giant project of cooperation between the two countries in the field of antiquities.
At a press conference at Egypt’s Alexandria Library, Regine Schulz, chairperson of the International Committee of Egyptology at the International Council of Museums (ICOM), announced the start of the project.
The project would be held under the umbrella of ICOM and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Schulz was quoted as saying.
She called on all museologists to extend a hand in sprucing up the dialogue and communication with each other and widening the scale of cooperation worldwide in research and publication.
"With a dialogue between all colleagues we can create an innovative and good project for the benefit of the protection of the heritage, and also as we are museums for all audiences we serve from school kids up to scholars," she said.
Talking about Nubian museum in Wadi Halfa, Mohamed el-Beyali, director of Upper Egypt’s department of antiquities, said that the establishment of the museum is an important project coming as part of continued cooperation between Cairo and Khartoum in the field of antiquities.
ICOM is an international non-profit organization for museums and museum professionals. It is committed to the conservation, continuation and communication to society of the world’s natural and cultural heritage, present and future, tangible and intangible.
Since its creation in 1946, ICOM has maintained formal relations with UNESCO and has a consultative status with the United Nations’ Economic and Social Council. It arranges and organizes workshops, publications and training programs for its 21,000 members.
Fuente: Xinhua
    

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