A scientific approach to the study of ancient Egyptian mummies.…
REVIEW BY ROGER FORSHAW This brief book by W Benson Harer discusses the controversial question of what caused the death of Tutankhamun, with the author strongly supporting the view that the king was killed by a hippopotamus. Within the publication is a chapter by Peter Sheldrick, a physician who has…
More than 2,000 mummified rams’ heads have been discovered by an American Mission excavating near to the Ramesses II temple at Abydos, inside a newly discovered storage room in the northern area of the temple. Alongside the rams’ heads, the team found the mummified remains of other animals, including sheep,…
A beautifully painted zodiac ceiling has been revealed at the Temple of Esna following cleaning and restoration work by a German-Egyptian team. The colourful scenes, carved on the ceiling of the Roman Period columned hall, have not previously been published, as they were not clearly visible under layers of dirt,…
A Dutch-Italian team has discovered a new tomb at Saqqara, belonging to a man named Panehsy who was associated with the Temple of Amun in the early part of the Ramesside Period. The tomb is in the form of a small temple measuring 13 by 8 metres, with a monumental…
The ancient East Delta city of Pithom mentioned in the Bible was an important hub for international trade according to new discoveries made at Tell el-Maskhuta (Ismailia Province). The Italian-Egyptian mission excavating there has uncovered a large collection of pottery vessels and other items of trade dating to the Late…
The joint German-Egyptian mission at Heliopolis, excavating the area surrounding the Obelisk Open-air Museum, has discovered a series of stone fragments from statues depicting Ramesses II, Ramesses IX, Horemheb, and Psamtek II. The finds include heads belonging to sphinxes that were originally placed near the front gates and obelisks of…
German researchers analysing 12 severed hands that were discovered at Avaris (Tell el-Dab’a) in 2011 have published their findings, suggesting that the amputations were part of a ritual, rather than a punishment for crime. The hands, dating to about 1500 BC, were found in shallow pits dug outside the walls…
Researchers at the British Museum have used a new technology called neutron tomography to reveal the contents of six votive animal coffins, made of copper alloy, without having to open them. The technique involved sending beams of neutrons through each object to create a 2D or 3D image of the…
The Egyptian archaeological mission working at the Meir archaeological site in el-Quseyya (Asyut Governorate) has uncovered a building dating to the Byzantine era. The structure consisted of a courtyard with a number of rooms, storage spaces, and a fireplace. The walls of one of the rooms were decorated with prayers…
A round-up of some of the latest news from the world of ancient Egypt.…
• Min, the God of the Eastern Desert
• Temple of Mentuhotep II: an innovative building at Deir el-Bahri
• Divine kingship: Sety I, Ramesses II, and their colossal alter egos
• Pharaoh’s chariot wheel
• Exploring tomb distribution in Upper Qurna
• Horemkhauef of Hierakonpolis…
Dr Campbell Price examines a tiny artefact in the British Museum
that names one of Egypt’s earliest pharaohs.…
EGYPTIAN MUMMIES: EXPLORING ANCIENT LIVES An international touring exhibition exploring the hidden history behind six ancient Egyptian mummies from the British Museum, as revealed by state-of-the-art, non-invasive technology. Caixa Forum, Sevilla, Torre Sevilla Shopping Centre, C/López Pintado s/n, Seville, Spain https://caixaforum.org/es/home Until 3 September 2023 TUTANKHAMUN: THE IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE This exhibition…
Roger Forshaw explores the transgressions of the ancient Egyptian priesthood.…
Auguste Mariette uncovers the funerary complex of the Apis bulls.…
Peter J Brand begins a new series focusing on the Ramesside Period by exploring the divinity of the early Ramesside kings.…
The international ScanPyramids team has published a paper revealing more details about one of the voids discovered in the Pyramid of Khufu in 2016/2017 (see ‘News’, AE 93). Several large anomalies were discovered after the pyramid was bombarded with radiographic muon particles, a non-invasive method of visualising the pyramid’s internal…
• Min, the God of the Eastern Desert
• Temple of Mentuhotep II: an innovative building at Deir el-Bahri
• Divine kingship: Sety I, Ramesses II, and their colossal alter egos
• Pharaoh’s chariot wheel
• Exploring tomb distribution in Upper Qurna
• Horemkhauef of Hierakonpolis…
Ancient Egyptians believed that the foods and goods listed in their tombs would magically become available to them for eternity. Hilary Wilson reports.…
Review by Sarah Griffiths The city of Alexandria, founded by Alexander the Great (c.331 BC), was strategically situated on the Mediterranean coast at the junction of three continents, protected by reefs, headlands, and the Pharos Island to the north, and by Lake Mareotis to the south. The city quickly grew…