NT-ARCE Newsletter 03 2015files.ctctcdn.com/1790d260101/53e03e6a-bc17-4b09-8863-1e28b49… · The Journal of the North Texas Chapter of the American Research Center in Egypt Volume

The Journal of the North Texas Chapter of the American Research Center in Egypt

Volume Three Issue Number Six: March 2015

Menhedj

This MonthJerry Rose

“Where the Heck is It?” Puzzle

Cyberscribe

Schedule of Events

Menhedj: The Journal of NT-ARCE, Inc. Copyright 2015

Officers and Directors

President/Director Myra Whitlock [email protected]

Vice President Marsha McCoy [email protected]

Secretary/Director Paul Zeis [email protected]

Treasurer/Director Hiram Patterson [email protected]

Director Clair Ossian [email protected]

Director Sally Hansen [email protected]

Committee Chairs

Crook & Flail Marsha McCoy [email protected]

Historian Norma Comer [email protected] Programs Marsha McCoy [email protected]

Refreshments Jennifer Danford [email protected]

Web Master Garett Jaeckel [email protected]

North Texas Chapter of the American Research Center in Egypt Located in Dallas, Texas

In This Issue

Where the Heck Is This Place? Page 3 By Clair Ossian

CyberScribe Page 4 By Clair Ossian

Upcoming Events Page 16

Copyright Notice The contents of this publication are copyrighted by their authors and the North Texas Chapter of the American Research Center in Egypt, Inc. unless otherwise indicated. All rights reserved. Content may not be reproduced,downloaded, disseminated, published or transferred in any form or by any means except with prior written permission of NT-ARCE. Members of NT-ARCE may download pages or content for their own use, consistent with the mission and purpose of NT-ARCE.

This Month:

Jerry Rose University of Arkansas

Ancient Amarna: Report from the Archaeological Trenches

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Answers to November’s Puzzle:

1. What is the name of this site? Erment, 12 miles south of Luxor

2. Who is credited with building most of what you see? Cleopatra VII, the famous one 3. What is the principal use of this

building today?Holding the stones of a sugar factory together. It was pulled down and converted to lime mortar when the factory was built in the late1800’s

Where The Heck is it? March 2015

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These ruins are the remains of the ticket office and snack bar of a drive in movie theater located on Elephantine Island, near Aswan. Constructed by Ramesses XIX, it ran successfully for a long time, till closed by Ptolemy XII after it began running numerous movies of questionable taste: “Asstria Needs Women”, “A Crocodile Named Desire”, and Neferhotep Does Swenett”, etc.

Or do you have a different interpretation of this site? If so:1. Where do you think these ruins are located?2. Who had them constructed and when?3. What was its original name when it was built?

Bring your answers to the March ARCE meeting where you can win prizes by answering these questions.


By Dr. Clair Ossian

CyberScribe March 2015, number 215

The CyberScribe feels compelled to open this month’s column with reference to the archaeological disasters that are going on by the hands of the revolutionary terrorists called ISIS. Anyone who is forwarding the news at all is aware of the complete destruction of entire ancient city sites in Syria and Iraq. One has to be concerned about the possibility of such horrible things one day happening in Egypt.It is a breath of fresh air to be able to report that serious and socially conscious Muslims are reacting to these terrorist events, events that are being driven by a perverted version of Islam. These counterattacks are being issued by clerics in the forms of fatwas or Islamic laws issued by imams. Two of these are especially important and are presented below, but it remains to be seen whether these will help stabilize the situation:

From al-Azhar (http://tinyurl.com/qgaoygp) comes:

‘Egyptian Islamic institute Al-Azhar has released a fatwa on Friday forbidding the destruction of ancient artifacts after Islamic State raids on a Mosul museum and the ancient Assyrian city of Nimrud.

‘Al-Azhar, which is considered the foremost authority on Sunni Islam, called the Islamic State’s actions a crime against humanity, given the global cultural value attached to these items. The institute dismissed Islamic State’s classification of the items as “idols”.

‘“These artifacts have important cultural and historical significance,” Al-Azhar said in an official statement. “They are an important part of our collective legacy that must not be harmed.”

‘Al-Azhar’s comments came shortly after Islamic State militants bulldozed the ancient Assyrian city of Nimrud, destroying many of its artifacts.

‘The institute also condemned the Islamic State for its hypocrisy, given that the group refers to the artifacts as false idols while also profiting heavily from their sale on the black market.

‘Al-Azhar added that the violent and destructive actions perpetrated by this group do not represent Islam or any faith.

‘Al-Azhar also said that the destructive and aggressive nature of the group places an urgency on the Egyptian government and the international community to place a concise plan to end this threat.’

And from the British news site “TNN” (http://tinyurl.com/novw47t) we hear:

‘Several British Muslim leaders have issued a fatwa (edict) condemning the Islamic State (formerly ISIL) jihadist group and its “poisonous ideology”. The edict also stated that the Islamic State uses tactics that are “oppressive and tyrannical”, and prohibits any prospective jihadists from joining the group.

‘“By murdering prisoners of war, journalists and civilians, including mosque imams who refused to endorse their campaign, and by enslaving the women and children of their opponents, ISIS has violated international agreements such as the Geneva Conventions and conventions on slavery that everyone, including Muslims, have signed up to,” the fatwa read.

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‘The edict continues with a push for religious tolerance, something in short supply when it comes to ISIL’s treatment of other religious sects.

“The ISIS persecution and massacres of Shia Muslims, Christians and Yazidis is abhorrent and opposed to Islamic teachings and the Islamic tolerance displayed by great empires such as the Mughals and Ottomans.”

Finally, the fatwa decreed that joining a group such as ISIL is prohibited under Islamic law.

‘“Based on all of the above: [Islamic State] is a heretical, extremist organization and it is religiously prohibited (haram) to support or join it; furthermore, it is an obligation on British Muslims to actively oppose its poisonous ideology, especially when this is promoted within Britain.”

The CyberScribe wishes to turn next to another dramatic discovery, the remains of a Pharaoh who met a grisly death, p r obab l y in ba t t l e . The ‘ Luxor Times’ (http://tinyurl.com/mryrqpm) gave us a great introduction to the discovery, replete with photos. CAUTION, THE PHOTOS ARE A BIT NASTY:

‘Elementary studies on the skeleton of Senebkay that was discovered in Abydos last year by the mission of University of Pennsylvania directed by Dr. Josef Wegner showed 18 injuries on the King’s bones as well as vertical cuts in feet, ankles and the lower back beside many injuries on the skull which indicated that the King died in a battle at age between 35 to 49 years old.

‘The King “Senebkay” was mentioned in Turin papyrus King List as a ruler of Abydos local ruling family for 4 and half years as a part of a family that didn’t last

for long (1650-1600 B.C.) contemporary to the period of the Hyksos in Delta.

‘ D r. J o s e f We g n e r , d i r e c t o r o f Pennsylvania University mission, said that the visible injuries refers that the King death was severe. Also the sizes of the skull injuries show the sizes of axes were used in that battle of the Second Intermediate Period.

‘The angle and direction of the King’s injuries suggest that he was at a higher place when he was injuries and he was close to his attackers. The injuries and cuts on the King’s ankles, feet and lower back explain how his attackers managed to knock him down on the ground and also that he was killed far from his residence as it seems that he was mummified a long time after his death.”

Menhedj: The Journal of NT-ARCE, Inc. Copyright 2015 5

‘The King was probably on his horse when he was attacked and hit at his lower back then ankles till he got on the ground when the attackers brutally killed him with their axes on his skull.

http://tinyurl.com/mryrqpm

The Pharaoh’s name “Son of the Sun (re), Snb-ka-y = Senebkay

‘The King was probably on his horse when he was attacked and hit at his lower back then ankles till he got on the ground when the attackers brutally killed him with their axes on his skull.

‘Even though using horses in battles were not common at that time but the ancient Egyptians showed good skills in horse riding during the Second Intermediate Period which is an indication of the great role horses played in the military actions during this period even before the chariots technology in Ancient Egypt.


‘Dr. Youssef Khalifa, head of Ancient Egypt department in the MSA, said “The studies show that the King “Senebkay” was between 172cm to 182cm tall. The pelvic and legs bones suggest that the King used to ride horses a lot ‘Dr. Youssef Khalifa also adds “It is not clear yet if Senebkay died in a battle against the Hyksos, who were occupying Lower Egypt at that time, or not. If future studies proved it so this will make him the first warrior king who fought for liberation even before “Senakhtenre” the

f ounder o f 17 th Dynas ty and the grandfather of “Ahmose” who defeated the Hyksos.”’

On a very interesting and totally non-nasty theme, the sun court at Hatshepsut’s great temple at Deir el-Bahari has been openedto the public for the first time. The painted scenes are magnificent, and the site is quite exciting. This feature, off the upper terrace, was in ruins and now it has been restored as much as possible.

A wonderfully illustrated article appeared in the ‘Luxor Times’ (http://tinyurl.com/lm5fhv7). The CyberScribe regrets that he cannot put all of the pictures in here, but go to the site for a treat. Here are a few along with some of the text that accompanied the photos:

‘The complex of the Sun cult is a group of rooms located in the northern part of the upper terrace of Hatshepsut's temple at Deir El-Bahari. It was first unearthed by the expedition of the Egypt Exploration Fund in 1893 under the direction of Edouard Naville and some of its texts and representations were published in his monumental publication of the whole temple.

‘No other work was done in the complex until the restoration of the upper part of the temple by the Egyptian-Polish

Archaeological and Preservation mission to the temple. The works of the mission d i r ec ted the f ina l r es to ra t i on and conservation of this part of Hatshepsut's temple. Hundreds of the decorated blocks in the temple's storerooms were attributed and finally inserted into the walls of the complex. The Sun altar and walls of the courtyard were restored as well. The upper Anubis shrine was secured against Esna-shale rocks and its famous representations protected by conservators.


Sun Cult Complex (Photo courtesy of The Egyptian-Polish Archaeological and Conservation Mission of the temple of Hatshepsut at Deir El-Bahari)

Sun Cult complex before restoration (Photo courtesy: Archive of The Egyptian-Polish Archaeological and Conservation

Theoretical reconstruction of the Sun altar in Sun Cult complex by Architect T. Dziedzid 3D render by P.Srokowski

‘The complex consists of two main rooms: the Night Sun chapel (Vestibule) and the altar courtyard together with two small transitory rooms, one separating the Night Sun chapel from the Altar courtyard and the other separating the Night Sun chapel from the rest of the upper courtyard. There are also three small niches as well: two in the west and south walls of the Altar courtyard and one in then north wall of the Night Sun chapel.

‘The Night Sun chapel was decorated with the representations of the solar bark with the sun god while his nocturnal journey in the netherworld. The location of the chapel in the eastern part of the complex stressed the idea of the resurrection of the sun in the eastern horizon after having travelled through the netherworld at night. From this chapel comes also the very first attestation of the text called King as the Sun Priest, an important theological treatise that stresses the role of the pharaoh as the heir and the servant of the solar god.

The main deity worshiped in the complex of the Sun cult was Amun-Re, but an important place was reserved also for Ra-Horakhty and Atum-Amun, which are nothing more than three different aspects and forms of the solar god, complementing each other. The rituals represented on the complex walls were performed by the king, which once again stressed the role of the pharaoh as the heir of the sun god. In the case of Hatshepsut it had also an additional purpose of the legitimization of her kingships as she claimed to be the bodily daughter of Amun-Ra himself.

Now, after the restoration, the complex of the Sun cult at Deir El-Bahari is one of the best preserved in the Theban temples. Pharaohs of the New Kingdom, especially by Ramses II, followed its architectural arrangement and theological ideas.

‘Until 2002, the vault of the Upper Anubis shrine was protected by a temporary wooden shelter on the form of a gable roof with a slope of ~45º. Technical condition of this shelter structure left much to be desired with the outer roofing damaged, frayed at the roof edges and with sections missing. It no longer served its purpose. Design guidelines for protection of the shrine and installing a roof above were invented and designed by Mieczyslaw Michiewicz in 1999.


The technical design for the roof satisfied the following physic-technical functions:

1) Protection from rainfall and water flow from neighboring rock slope;2) Protection from dynamic rock fall from considerable heights and uncontrolled burying under rock;3) Safe transfer of load from planned burying under rock detritus of the shelter roof up to 1.5 meters high;4) Ensuring ventilation of space between top of shrine vault and the shelter roof5) Protection from temperature variation, water condensat ion and ultrav io let radiation.

It was designed as a spatial, steel and reinforced concrete structure rising above the top of the shrine's vault. The carrying framework is formed of welded steel trapeze frames made of double T hot rolled profiles 140 mm high, spaced axially every 85 cm. These frames were supported on steel beams concreted in rock-cut sockets on one side and supported on the uncovered part of the north wall of the Altar courtyard on the other.

The supports distribute the vertical and horizontal loads from the frame strutting. The edge frame set on the wall surface was reinforced with steel tighteners, limiting the considerable spread of the support beams. The steel frames were filled with monolithic robbed plates 14 cm thick, reinforced with smooth steel of A0 class, 8 mm in diameter and with a span of 15 cm.

The edge panel of the reinforced concrete slab on the side of the rock slope is supported on a steel frame and continuous groove cut in the rock. The steel structure was given a rustproof costing. B20 monolithic concrete was used (C16/20). Slabs were poured in traditional framework of galvanized steel sheets, the latter also protecting the top surfaces of the shrine's vault from the wet concrete mass.


General view of the shrine (photo courtesy: The Egyptian-Polish Archaeological and Conservation Mission of the temple of Hatshepsut at Deir El-Bahari)

‘The discovery was made during the work in the courtyard of TT110. Further work will determine if they shared the same courtyard or not. The tomb is T shaped and consists of a Transverse Hall 5.10 meters in length and 1.50 meters wide that leads to another chamber that is 2.50 meters long and 2.10 meters wide. There is a small unfinished niche at the eastern end. There is also an entrance in the south that leads to a small side room, which is 2 meters by 2 meters. In the middle of this room there is a shaft that may lead to the burial chamber.

‘Eldamaty added that the tomb contains many stunning scenes with bright colors painted on plaster. Many of scenes represent the tomb owner and his wife in front of an offering table and a view of a goddess nursing a royal child as well as scenes of the daily life.’

Then, very shortly later, the discovered another unsuspected tomb in the same place, this one also decorated. The Ministry issued a second announcement:

‘The new tomb is T shaped and its owner is " Sa-Mut" and most probably dates to the 18th Dynasty of the New Kingdom. It contains a number of beautiful scenes painted on plaster with extremely bright colors. There are scenes representing everyday life activities, celebration scenes and other scenes representing the tomb owner and his wife " Ta Khaeet". The tomb consists of a transverse hall and unfinished side chambers with shafts. It was robbed in antiquity and some of the texts and scenery were deliberately damaged.

‘The new tomb lies to the east of TT110 and shares the same courtyard; the door of the newly discovered tomb opens to the north, and to the south of the door of the first tomb of (Amenhotep, Rebiu).’


(Photos are courtesy of The Egyptian-Polish Archaeological and Conservation Mission of the temple of Hatshepsut at Deir El-Bahari)

ARCE in Egypt got some fine news coverage recently when ARCE Associate Director John Shearman’s team found a nicely decorated new and unsuspected tomb at Luxor. A press release from the Ministry of Antiquities reported (abbreviated here):

‘A new tomb belonging to "Amenhotep " who is also called Rebiu, the door-keeper of god Amun, has been discovered by the American Research Center's Mission with an Egyptian team of inspectors working at the area. The tomb most probably dates to the New Kingdom, particularly the 18th Dynasty, declared Dr. Eldamaty, the Minister of Antiquities.


Folkestone this week. The unusual item was given to Tsar Alexander III under the guise that it was a genuine ancient Egyptian tablet. Unfortunately, the item turned out to be a 19th century fake.

‘Jonathan Riley from auctioneers Grand Auctions based on the Shearway Business Park said: “A gullible courtier gave him the tablet as a generous gift.

“Alexander III was presented with the tablet and used it as his paperweight.” A fascination developed throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries with Ancient Egyptian studies.

Fake Egyptian artifact given to Tsar Alexander III, which he then used as his paperweight. Picture: Grand Auctions

‘The tablet made its way to Britain after a sale of the Romanov family’s possessions in the early 1900s, Alexander died in 1894.


Just a quick note here for those of you who enjoy the writings of Aidan Dodson, and who has been to our chapter often as a speaker. He has just published a new book on ancient Egyptian coffins…and it is on the Internet as a FREE pdf file. The book is wonderful, full color, and of course, with Dodson’s crisp writing style. Interested? Go this site and download a copy of “Ancient Egyptian Coffins-the Medelhavsmuseet Collection” for free: http://tinyurl.com/krm9r67

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The CyberScribe found an odd bit on the net concerning the sale by auction of what had been considered a genuine Egyptian artifact, had been used by a Russian Tsar as a paper weight, and now had been identified as a fake.

According to an Internet site called “Kent On Line (http://tinyurl.com/mmfocvo), the story went like this:

‘An artifact thought to be from Ancient Egypt which was used by a Russian Tsar as his paperweight went under the hammer in

Even that journey has a bizarre twist.

‘A cover note was also included, explaining how it arrived in the UK via Pamela Redmayne in 1904, the daughter of Sir Richard Redmayne, who was the Professor of Mining at Birmingham University. The note adds how the tablet was smuggled into the UK wrapped in the wooden leg of a patient travelling to England for a new leg.

‘The item was sold to a buyer in Denmark for £170 - over its upper end guide price of £15

“ M a r s E g y p t H i e r o g l y p h U F O Crash Inscription

“Mars comet asteroid gouge crash could very well be an alien UFO’s ancient accident, which was recorded, in Egyptian inscriptions. BREAKING NEWS

‘A vessel gouged mars before and its been recovered; its earths passengers civilization[s] recorded it by its marooned star travelers. BTW that mars asteroid, comet smash pattern don’t look natural. A great UFO battle ensued or a solar event took place in our solar system and it caused a catastrophic event causing a smart bomb rift that affected some ancient UFO crafts operation devices to fail likewise to maybe to something like the Nuremberg Germany UFO Battle of (1561).’

At this point the CyberScribe suspects that you are going to rely on him to explain the paragraph above, and point out its relevance to Egyptology.

In which case you’d be wrong. The CyberScribe has no idea what Keith Ranville is saying. The only reason it is in here is because the CyberScribe noted the reference to ancient Egypt… then there was the word Mars…and of course there are flying saucers implied.

If you look up Keith Ranville on the Internet, you find quite a bit…and all of it babble. It is very clear that Mr. Ranville is a few blocks short of a complete pyramid.

And that’s probably enough for this month. See you all here next time.


By the way, if you ever want to read more of an article where it notes that the CyberScribe has abbreviated it, send the CyberScribe a note and he will try to send along the missing information.

http://www.altereddimensions.net/aliens/NurembergUFOBattle.aspx

http://www.altereddimensions.net/aliens/NurembergUFOBattle.aspx


Upcoming Schedule

Lectures are at 7:00SMU Campus, Fondren Hall

(building 29 on the campus map)Room 123

Evening lectures are free and open to the public.Seminars require tickets.

For more information, visitwww.arce-ntexas.org

March 21, 2015 : Jerry Rose (University of Arkansas) Ancient Amarna: Report from the Archaeological Trenches

April 3, 2015: Lecture: Nadine Moeller (UChicago) Recent Discoveries at Tell Edfu

April 4, 2015: Spring Seminar: Nadine Moeller (UChicago) Recent Discoveries at Tell Edfu 9am -4pm McCord Auditorium Dallas Hall

May 2, 2015: Paul Nicholson (Cardiff) Brilliant Things for Akhenaten: Glass and Faience at Tell el-Amarna

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Documents

NT-ARCE Newsletter 03 2015files.ctctcdn.com/1790d260101/53e03e6a-bc17-4b09-8863-1e28b49… · The Journal of the North Texas Chapter of the American Research Center in Egypt Volume