New Discovery, Edfu: Ancient Egyptian Beer-Making Facilities Found by Archaeologists

Structures consist of two large mudbrick buildings surrounded by vast open courtyards and workshops. Excavation of an ancient Egyptian site has found evidence of beer and bread-making in a newly discovered building complex.

The city of Tell Edfu, located around 400 miles south of Cairo in the Nile Valley, has been explored by archaeologists for the past 16 years. At the end of 2017, researchers from the University of Chicago found a complex of buildings that marked the earliest point of the town’s occupation. They dated from around 2400 BCE – the so-called “Old Kingdom” period of ancient Egypt, when the great pyramids were built.

The structures consist of two large mudbrick buildings surrounded by vast open courtyards and workshops. “It’s a wonderful find because we have so little information about this era of settlement in the southern provinces,” said Professor Nadine Moeller, an Egyptian archaeology specialist who co-led the excavation.  “We don’t know any such similar complexes for the Old Kingdom.”

The excavation uncovered storage containers and other artifacts in the workshops that suggested the towns inhabitants had been brewing beer and making bread on the site. There was also evidence for copper smelting in the complex, which the archaeologists think was built to provide accommodation for important officials sent to oversee the mining of precious minerals from the eastern deserts.

Underneath the floors of the buildings the archaeologists discovered stamps marked with the name, in hieroglyphs, of an official who led a group of prospectors to mine for the pharaoh Djedkare-Isesi – the penultimate rule of Egypt’s Fifth Dynasty. “It’s just about this time that the Egyptian royalty, until then focused on the northern area directly around the capital Memphis, began to expand its reach after a period of contraction during the fourth and much of the fifth dynasties,” said Professor Moeller.

The use of Edfu as a departure point for expeditions to the east was further confirmed by the presence of shells from the Red Sea and rare imported ceramics from the ancient civilization of Nubia, in what is now Sudan. “This is a first sign that the ancient city of Edfu was evolving into an important departure point for large expeditions leaving for the Eastern desert regions, and possibly the Red Sea shore, located about 125 miles to the east,” Professor Moeller added.

The researchers also said the building may have had religious or cult ties, given their proximity to the temple of the falcon god Horus.  “It’s such a unique site. We’ve had a hard time finding architectural parallels, because no other settlement in Upper Egypt has such extensive remains from this time period,” said Professor Moeller. “We’ve learned so much at Tell Edfu, and there’s still more to come.”

Source: Independent UK

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New Discover, Dahshur: Rock-Hewn Burial Shaft Uncovered in Egypt's Abusir Necropolis

Three rock-hewn burial shafts filled with coffins and faience pots have been uncovered in Egypt's Abusir necropolis near Cairo. Written By/ Nevine El-Aref.

The discovery was made after authorities received reports of illegal excavations in the area.

Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, told Ahram Online that the antiquities ministry formed an archaeological committee led by Sabri Farag, the director-general of the Saqqara Necropolis, to conduct urgent excavations at the site.

Waziri explains that excavation revealed three rock-hewn burial shafts containing funerary collections, including four wooden coffins in bad conservation condition bearing hieroglyphic texts.

Farag says that one of these texts bears the cartouche of King Ptolemy IV (244 – 204 BC), but the remaining text is not clear enough to decipher. More studies are set to be carried out to determine to which reign the coffins belong.

Farag said the coffins hold four mummified bodies, presumably of birds, along with three round-shaped linen wrappings housing the mummies' stomachs.

A collection of 38 symbolic pots carved in faience was also found. All the objects are being held in storage at the site for restoration.

Source: Ahram Online

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News, Luxor: Radar Scan Underway to Search for Hidden Chambers in Tutankhamun’s Tomb

The northern and western walls of king Tutankhamun's tomb

On Thursday, experts from Italy and Egypt began a "decisive" search at the tomb of King Tutankhamun on Luxor’s west bank to reveal if there are any chambers hidden behind its northern and western walls. Written By/ Nevine El-Aref.

The search involves utilising ground-penetrating radars to detect the presence of empty spaces or corridors hidden behind the walls of the boy king’s burial chamber.

In 2015, British Egyptologist Nicholas Reeves published a theory suggesting that the northern and western walls of Tutankhamun's tomb house hidden doorways that could lead to the final resting place of Queen Nefertiti, the wife and co-regent of the monotheistic King Akhenaten and the golden king’s step mother. Reeves’ theory was based on his examination of 3D photos of both walks.

Former minister of antiquities Mamdouh El-Damati was enthusiastic about the theory and asked reeves to travel to Luxor to prove his hypothesis. Two radar surveys and an infra red examination have since been conducted, but have given inconclusive results. A Japanese radar survey suggested the existence of void spaces, while a survey by an American team asserted that there is nothing behind the walls.

Carter examining Tutankhamun's coffin

Meanwhile, the infrared researchers asked to re-examine the walls as the environment inside the tomb was not conducive to accurate results. To put an end to such conflicting results, Mohamed Ismail, supervisor-general of the Permanent Committee at the Ministry of Antiquities, told Ahram Online that a third radar survey has begun inside and outside Tutankhamun’s tomb.

The survey took place after approval was given by from security authorities, the Permanent Committee and the board of directors of the Supreme Council of Antiquities.

“This step was taken according to recommendations suggested at a press conference held last year at the Grand Egyptian Museum to discuss the results of all the scans; the step is a reflection of the Ministry of Antiquities' keenness on ensuring scientific credibility,” Ismail said.

Ismail explains that researchers from the Italian University of Turin led by Egyptologist Franco Porcelli are now conducting state-of-the-art, non-invasive "decisive geo-radar measurements" inside the tomb for six days.

Tutankhamen's tomb, discovered in 1922, was a unique find among the pharaonic tombs in Luxor's Valley of the Kings due to the wealth of its contents. Unlike most of the other tombs, it had not been plundered in ancient times.

Source: Ahram Online

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New Discovery, Giza: Tomb of 5th Dynasty Top Official Hetpet Discovered Near Pyramid of Khafre on Giza Plateau

After almost 109 years of searching, the tomb of Hathor’s priestess Hetpet has been uncovered. Written By/ Nevine El-Aref.

“It is the first discovery to be announced in 2018,” said Minister of Antiquities Khaled El-Enany at a press conference held at the step of Hetpet’s tomb in Giza's western cemetery.

El-Enany explained that blocks of the tomb were unearthed in 1909 by a British explorer who sent them to Berlin and Frankfurt.

“The tomb has never been uncovered until October 2017 when the Egyptian mission started excavation in the Giza western cemetery,” El-Enany said.

The minister explained that the cemetery was previously excavated by several archaeological missions since 1843, and the most distinguished and important ones were made by renowned Egyptologist and former antiquities minister Zahi Hawass.

The newly discovered tomb belongs to a lady named Hetpet, a top official in the royal palace during the end of the 5th Dynasty.

Mostafa Waziri, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities and the head of the mission, told Ahram Online that the tomb has the architectural style and decorative elements of the 5th Dynasty, with an entrance leading to an “L” shape shrine with a purification basin.

On its western rear end there is a rectangular arcade lined with incense and offering holders. There is also a naos with a yet missing statue of the tomb’s owner. The tomb has very distinguished wall paintings in a very good state of conservation depicting “Hetpet” standing in different hunting and fishing scenes or sitting before a large offering table receiving offerings from her children.

“Scenes of reaping fruits, melting metals and the fabrication of leather and papyri boats as well as musical and dancing performances are also shown on walls,” Waziri said. He added that among the most distinguished paintings in the tomb are those depicting two monkeys in different positions. Monkeys were domestic animals at the time.

The first scene shows a monkey reaping fruits while the second displays a monkey dancing in front of an orchestra. Similar scenes are found in other tombs. The first one is painted on the wall of a 12th Dynasty tomb of Khnoum Hetep II in Beni Hassan in Minya governorate; the second is found in the Old Kingdom tomb of Ka-Iber in Saqqara, though it displays a dancing monkey in front of a guitarist not an orchestra.

Source: Ahram Online

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News, Cairo: AUC Shares Hassan Fathy Archives to Help Restore New Gourna Village

Documents, drawings and images from the Hassan Fathy Collection held at the AUC's Rare Books and Special Collections Library have been used to plan the village restoration project. Written By/ Nevine El-Aref.

The American University in Cairo's (AUC) Rare Books and Special Collections Library has been assisting with a project to restore New Gourna village in Luxor, providing original drawings, documents and images from the AUC’s Hassan Fathy Collection.

Built between 1946 and 1949, New Gourna village has experienced significant deterioration in recent decades, inspiring several plans for its restoration that have not come to fruition until now.

A UNESCO-sponsored project, however, is set to succeed in preserving pioneering architect Hassan Fathy’s well-known experiment at constructing an ideal village, a plan that perfectly embodies the innovative architect’s mission and values.

With the help of the special collections library and the backing of UNESCO, the National Organization for Urban Harmony was able to concretize plans for revival of the site and restoration of its buildings, guided by the original materials from the Hassan Fathy Collection.

“We’re happy to see the Hassan Fathy Collection used for restoration purposes,” said Ola Seif, assistant director and curator for photography at the Rare Books and Special Collections Library.

“For the past 10 years, it has been a wonderful source for many researchers worldwide, and soon, AUC Press will publish a thoroughly researched book titled Hassan Fathy in His Time. So the collection is really being explored as Hassan Fathy would have liked it to be, and to serve the purposes of his architectural ideology.”

Considered one of the first architects to make “appropriate technology” a principle of designing modern buildings, Fathy constructed the New Gourna village around the unique needs of its inhabitants.

In the process, he was able to assist in relocating an entire community that had previously been living near archeological Pharaonic sites. To build a “better village,” Fathy used local materials and traditional mud bricks, thereby empowering those in need to build their own affordable housing and reflecting the community’s connection with its environment.

The library was also central in curating an exhibition for the project’s launch event that was recently held at the Cairo Citadel. Through photographic archives, the exhibition traced the original construction of the village and Fathy’s architectural style, paying homage to his vision for New Gourna.

The final segment of the photographic gallery presented digital images that offered a peek into plans for reconstruction of some of the New Gourna buildings. Tarek Waly, CEO of the Tarek Waly Center and consultant for the restoration project, also introduced the main strategies for restoration. Additionally, Ghaith Fariz, director of UNESCO Regional Bureau for Sciences in the Arab States, spoke to the significance of Fathy’s architecture and ideology.

The first stage of the project will tackle the village khan and mosque. Later stages will move on to rehabilitating the theatre, marketplace, Fathy’s residence, the village hall and main square, with plans to also increase the efficiency of the roads approaching the site. 

The project involves plans to reuse the buildings according to the needs of the villagers, with the possibility of converting some areas into artist studios, a cultural centre, a centre for youth and, potentially, a training centre to continue communicating Fathy’s mission and methods.

Source: Ahram Online

New Discovery, Dakhla Oasis: Fossil of School Bus-Sized Dinosaur Dug Up in Egyptian Desert.

Scientists have unearthed in a Sahara Desert oasis in Egypt fossils of a long-necked, four-legged, school bus-sized dinosaur that lived roughly 80 million years ago, a discovery that sheds light on a mysterious time period in the history of dinosaurs in Africa.

Researchers said on Monday the plant-eating Cretaceous Period dinosaur, named Mansourasaurus shahinae, was nearly 33 feet (10 metres) long and weighed 5.5 tons (5,000 kg) and was a member of a group called titanosaurs that included Earth’s largest-ever land animals. Like many titanosaurs, Mansourasaurus boasted bony plates called osteoderms embedded in its skin.

Mansourasaurus, which lived near the shore of the ancient ocean that preceded the Mediterranean Sea, is one of the very few dinosaurs known from the last 15 million years of the Mesozoic Era, or age of dinosaurs, on mainland Africa. Madagascar had a separate geologic history.

Its remains, found at the Dakhla Oasis in central Egypt, are the most complete of any mainland African land vertebrate during an even larger time span, the roughly 30 million years before the dinosaur mass extinction 66 million years ago, said paleontologist Hesham Sallam of Egypt’s Mansoura University, who led the study published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution. The scientists recovered parts of its skull, lower jaw, neck and back vertebrae, ribs, shoulder and forelimb, back foot and osteoderms.

A lot of Africa is covered in grasslands, savannas and rain forests that obscure underlying rock where fossils may be found, said postdoctoral researcher Eric Gorscak of the Field Museum in Chicago, who was formerly at Ohio University.

While as massive as a bull African elephant, Mansourasaurus was modestly sized next to titanosaur cousins such as South America’s Argentinosaurus, Dreadnoughtus and Patagotitan and Africa’s Paralititan, some exceeding 100 feet (30 metres) long.

“Mansourasaurus, though a big animal by today’s standards, was a pipsqueak compared to some other titanosaurs,” said paleontologist Matt Lamanna of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh.

The researchers determined Mansourasaurus was more closely related to European and Asian titanosaurs than to those from elsewhere in Africa and other Southern Hemisphere land masses including South America formerly joined in a super-continent called Gondwana.

“This, in turn, demonstrates for the first time that at least some dinosaurs could move between North Africa and southern Europe at the end of the Mesozoic, and runs counter to long-standing hypotheses that have argued that Africa’s dinosaur faunas were isolated from others during this time,” Lamanna said.

Source: Ahram Online

News, Luxor: Egypt's Archaeological Sites to Be Made More Accessible to People With Disbilities

Luxor and Karnak Temples are among the first ancient sites to see improvements, with wooden ramps and paths for wheelchairs, along with information boards accessible to those with impaired sight and hearing. Written By/ Nevine El-Aref.

Egypt's antiquities ministry has launched a project to make archaeological sites and museums more accessible to people with disabilities, starting with improvements to Luxor Museum and the temples of Karnak and Luxor.

Sherif Abdel Moneim, supervisor of the ministry's Development of Archaeological Sites department, told Ahram Online that the project will bring improved mobility for those in wheelchairs, as well as making information more accessible to those with impaired sight and hearing.

Special paths will be constructed at Karnak and Luxor to facilitate the movement of wheelchairs, while information boards will be put up that are accessible to those with disabilities. A documentary film on display at the visitor center will have sign-language incorporated.

The toilets, meanwhile, will be renovated and equipped to suit special-needs visitors, according to international standards.

Mustafa Al-Saghir, director-general of Karnak Antiquities, explained a few of the improvements planned for the Karnak Temple site. The podium area and the area between the Teharaka column and the open-air museum will feature ramps measuring 1.5 metres in width, he explained, while a wooden slope will be installed from the start of the Avenue of Sphinxes.

The ministry is conducting the project in partnership with an Egyptian NGO called Helm (which translates into English as "Dream") that specialises in promoting the inclusion of people with disabilities in all aspects of life, including access to public premises.

Eman Zidan, supervisor of the ministry's Financial Resources Development Department, said that the project to improve accessibility at archaeological sites highlights the role of NGOs in serving the community.

Source: Ahram Online