| New burial site found in Abusir |
2 August 2007 |
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A tomb, recycled by a royal guard named Menkhep-Nikaw, which dates back to the 26th Dynasty, was unearthed by an Egyptian-Czech archaeological mission in Abusir.
The find includes a large limestone sarcophagus, which enclosed yet another casket. The embedded box is made of diorite and has on it inscriptions from the Book of the Dead.
The tomb appears to have been looted in antiquity.
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| Hidden city found beneath Alexandria |
24 July 2007 |
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Archaeologists have discovered underwater traces of the city of Rakotis (Ra-Kedet), a flourishing urban center that may perhaps date to 1000 BC, carbon-dating even hinting at remains dated to the Old Kingdom. The find supports the description in ancient texts of a pre-Hellenistic settlement named Rhakotis in the area where Alexandria stands today.
Ceramic shards, high levels of lead that was likely used in construction, building stones imported from elsewhere in Egypt and organic material likely coming from sewage were detected in the sediment. These all suggest the presence of a significant settlement well before Alexander the Great built his capital there.
More on the web:
- Egyptology Blog
- Discovery Channel
- GSA Journal Online
- MSNBC.com
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| Largest ever pharaonic-era fort discovered |
22 July 2007 |
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 Large remains, assumed to have been part of or connected with the fortress of Tjaru (Tharo) were discovered in the Sinai. The strategically located fortress was built along the roads that connected Ancient Egypt with the Near East and were intended to protect Egypt from foreign invasions, as well as a bridge head for Egypt's military expeditions into Syria-Palestine. Believed to have been built by Thutmosis III during the 18th Dynasty, the fortress is dated to the New Kingdom, when Egypt reached its widest military expansion.
The fortress was surrounded by a water-filled moat which could only be crossed by using a removable wooden bridge, with the fort's administrative buildings, temples, storehouses and market places found nearby.
More on the web:
- Egypt State Information
- Egyptology Blog
- France24.com
- Het Laatste Nieuws (in Dutch)
- News24
- People's Daily Online
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| Old Kingdom town found in Bahariya oasis |
16 July 2007 |
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A joint Egypt-Czech archaeological mission found a city dating to the Old Kingdom (2687-2191 BC) in the Garat al-Abyad region in the Bahariya oasis, some 400 kilometres to the southwest of Cairo.
Being one of the oldest known pharaonic settlements found to date in the Bahariya region, the find includes remains of walls, buildings, mugs, food baskets and two ovens. The finds seem to indicate that the town was residential in nature.
More on the web:
- Egypt State Information
- Egyptology Blog (19 July)
- Egyptology Blog (16 July)
- Middle East Times
- News.com.au
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| Hatshepsut's mummy identified? |
27 June 2007 |
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 One of the two female mummy found in 1903 by Howard Carter in tomb KV60 of the Valley of the Kings, that contained references to the lady Sitra, the wetneurse of Hatshepsut, may well be the mummy of king/queen Hatshepsut herself.
Although this mummy had already been hypothetically identified as Hatshepsut's by Elizabeth Thomas, and this hypothesis was reiterated by Donald P. Ryan, a broken tooth found in a box that was inscribed with Hatshepsut's name, may have provided the missing piece to confirm this identification. Through CT scans, this broken tooth, assumed to be Hatshepsut's, was fitted into to the mouth of the mummy of a rather obese woman who was found to have suffered from diabetes and who most likely died of bone cancer aged somewhere between 45 and 60 years old.
DNA samples taken from this mummy are to check if there was a close family relationship with the mummy assumed to be that of Ahmes-Nefertari, the wife of king Ahmose. It is, however, not certain that Hatshepsut and Ahmes-Nefertari were related, so a positive or negative result from the DNA comparison may probably add to the "mystery" rather than solving it.
Despite the very interesting results, some caution is, however, necessary. It is not because the tooth was found in a box that was inscribed with Hatshepsut's name, that the tooth actually did belong to Hatshepsut herself. No matter how tempting this identification may be, it is still possible that the tooth belonged to someone Hatshepsut cared about very much. (Photo: Discovery Channel)
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| 3000 year old mummy found in the Valley of the Nobles |
23 June 2007 |
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The mummy of Seneferi, a high priest who lived during the 18th Dynasty, was found in the Valley of the Nobles, on the Theban Westbank. Several other mummies were found during the same excavations, including that of a person with a brain tumor and a female mummy.
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| Belgian team finds intact 1st Intermediate Period tomb |
20 May 2007 |
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 A Belgian team of the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, led by professor Harco Willems working on the Middle Egyptian site of Deir el-Bersha, has found the intact tomb of Henu, a man who lived during the late 1st Intermediary Period, at around 2050 BC. Hidden away inside the rear chambers of the tomb of Uky, Henu's burial was found undisturbed and intact.
Henu's burial chamber contained a well-preserved set of tomb equipment consisting of a decorated wooden box coffin, a mummy, and several wooden tomb models on top of and next to the coffin. The objects are in an excellent state of preservation. (Photo: K.U.Leuven website)
More on the web:
- The Tomb of Henu (K.U.Leuven)
- Egyptology Blog
- al-Ahram
- Gulf Times
- Het Nieuwsblad (in Dutch)
- National Geographic News
- Reuters
- Reuters UK
- Reuters via MSNBC
- Xinhua Net
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| Belgian expedition discovers oldest rock drawings in Egypt |
15 May 2007 |
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 A Belgian expedition, financed by the Yale University and led by dr. Dirk Huyghe from the Royal Musea of Art and History in Brussels, has discovered 3 distinct sites with rock drawings near the Kom Ombo, in the South of Egypt.
More than 160 drawings have been found thusfar, representing a wide variety of animals as well as human beings. The animals are drawn in such a natural, realistic way that several species can easily be identified.
Between 15000 and 16000 years old, these are the oldest known rock drawings to have been found in Egypt to date. (Photo: KMKG)
More on the web:
- al-Ahram (in French)
- Antiquity Journal
- Egyptology News
- Het Laatste Nieuws (in Dutch)
- VRT Nieuws (in Dutch)
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| French team finds Persian-era temple |
21 February 2007 |
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A French team working at the southern edge of the Kharga oasis has found a temple dated to the 27th Dynasty, the first Persian era. Along with the temple, some documents written in demotic were also found.
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| Old Kingdom tomb at Saqqara reveals wooden statue |
19 February 2007 |
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 A joint Egyptian-Australian team found a mudbrick tomb belonging to Ka-Hay and his wife at Saqqara, next to the pyramid of Teti. Its location at the Teti cemetry makes it likely that the tomb dates to the 6th Dynasty.
Along two offering tables and a wooden door, the remains of a wooden statue, probably intended to represent Ka-Hay, was found in the tomb.
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| Dutch team finds 18th Dynasty tomb |
14 February 2007 |
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 The
Dutch mission of the Leiden University working at Saqqara
has discovered a new tomb, due east of the tomb of the late 18th
Dynasty official Mery-Neith. The tomb is relatively well-preserved
and dates to the 18th Dynasty.
The owner of the tomb has been identified as Ptahemwia, royal
butler and seal-bearer and his wife, the songstress of Amun, Maya.
The reliefs on the walls are in the more naturalistic style typical
to the Amarna period and show scenes from daily life, such as monkeys
eating dates. The fact that Maya was a songstress of Amun, along with other references to the traditional religion, date this tomb to the post-Amarna period at the end of the 18th Dynasty. (Photo: AFP)
More on the web:
- Digging
Diary Leiden University
- Egyptology Blog
- Middle
East Times
- Photos
in Het Nieuwsblad
- Reuters
- Yahoo!
News
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| Japanese team finds Middle and New Kingdom sarcophagi |
11 February 2007 |
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 A
Japanese team of archaeologists, led by Sakuji Yoshimori for the Waseda
University, has discovered three painted sarcophagi in a burial shaft
at the necroplis of Saqqara
to the southwest of modernday Cairo.
The fact that two of the sarcophagi can be dated to the Middle
Kingdom makes the find all the more interesting, as there are only
few traces of activity at the Saqqara necropolis during this period.
One sarcophagus belonged to a man identified as Sabak Hatab
(probably for Sebekhotep) and a woman named Sint Ayt Ess.
The third sarcophagus, still containing a mummy, is dated to the 18th
Dynasty and identifies a man named Waya-Ay as its owner.
(Photo: Reuters)
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