February 2011 Archeology - Egypt

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[Aisling]

Due to the sheer volume of stories related to the current situation in the country, Egypt has its own thread this month. For information on other Near Eastern countries, please see February 2011 Archeology - Ancient Near East

Data mining courtesy of: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Explorator/messages

First, a few blogs which are keeping on top of things (almost on an hourly basis):
http://egyptology.blogspot.com/
http://www.eloquentpeasant.com/
http://www.kv64.info/ (might have to scroll a bit through this one)
http://paul-barford.blogspot.com/ (ditto)

... and a Facebook page (Restore + Save the Egyptian Museum!):
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_197921123555505&ap=1

... and a looting database:
http://egyptopaedia.com/2011/

Mary Beard's son sent out some dispatches about the general atmosphere:
http://timesonline.typepad.com/dons_life/2011/01/cairo-riots-eye-witness-account.html
http://timesonline.typepad.com/dons_life/2011/02/live-from-cairo.html

No doubt folks are familiar with the early reports of damage to things associated with Tut, e.g.:
http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/01/28/5943271-archaeologists-assess-tut-tragedy
 
Zahi Hawass (now Minister of Antiquities) has given the impression that everything is 'just fine':
http://www.drhawass.com/blog/state-egyptian-antiquities-3-february-2011
 
... but he's giving mixed messages in the press:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hzDtpsLDQuq03GDXOwb6_QBcMvNg?docId=CNG.5059cecfb0aba8394b7f8d99ed739f16.5e1
 
... but clearly there were things happening at Saqqarah (and environs):
http://www.artsjournal.com/culturegrrl/2011/02/news_flash_detailed_report_abo_1.html
 
... and at the tombs of Neferefre and Sahure (not sure if this is lumped in with the Saqqarah items):
http://www.tntmagazine.com/tnt-today/archive/2011/02/01/egypt-revolt-antiquities-in-danger.aspx

... and Qantara Museum:
http://af.reuters.com/article/egyptNews/idAFLDE70U0XN20110131

... and there was possibly another attempt at the Cairo Museum (I'm not sure of the chronology of this
report):
http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5gwO71j6o3JQqrJOuDHmfO1yaLv3Q?docId=5811480

... and elsewhere:
http://www.lefigaro.fr/culture/2011/02/04/03004-20110204ARTFIG00656-les-archeologues-redoutent-de-nouveaux-pillages-en-egypte.php

... and Cleopatra-seeker Kathleen Martinez was suggesting otherwise too:
http://www.dominicantoday.com/dr/local/2011/2/4/38490/Dominican-Egyptologist-regrets-the-looting-of-antiquities

... and we're reading reports of several museums being looted:
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/fighting-raiders-of-ancient-history/story-fn6ccwsa-1226000503142

... and some sort of 'international alert' was sent out to watch for looted items:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/02/us-britain-egypt-antiquities-idUSTRE7114YM20110202
 
... and UNESCO waded in:
http://af.reuters.com/article/egyptNews/idAFLDE71013C20110201

... so despite the assurances, other scholars seem to be adopting a 'wait and see' attitude (these are all different; many of the scholars have 'connections' to digs going on, of course):
http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/media/chaos-in-todays-egypt-sparks-worries-about-its-ancient-past/19828072/ (Laurel Bostock)
http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/news/chiefeditor/2011/02/qa-with-dr-willeke-wendrich.html (Willeke Wendrich)
http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/02/03/egypt%E2%80%99s-treasures-at-risk/ (Bob Brier)
http://www.telegram.com/article/20110203/NEWS/102030853/-1/NEWS04 (Donny George; Alexandra Cleworth)
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/national_world&id=7936370 (Carol Redmount)
http://www.rnw.nl/english/bulletin/dutch-egyptologist-sounds-vandalism-alarm (Maarten Raven)
http://www.unreportedheritagenews.com/2011/01/damage-reported-at-giza-pyramids.html (Gerry
Scott)

Still, we're getting some followup pieces that are giving some hope:
http://blogs.ngm.com/blog_central/2011/02/report-from-egypt-checking-out-the-tombs-at-saqqara.html

And in case you were wondering about the beheaded mummies mentioned last weekend:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41433151/ns/technology_and_science-science/
 
Oddly, we didn't get many stories of evacuations of archaeological types:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/02/uc-study-abroad-students-archeology-team-evacuated-from-egypt.html

Folks were protecting the Bibliotheca Alexandrina:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/feb/01/alexandria-youth-protecting-library

We're also getting the first of the oped pieces suggesting 'repatriation' ideas from various countries might not be the best idea after all:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703833204576114580200904212.html

[Aisling]

Due to the sheer volume of stories related to the current situation in the country, Egypt has its own thread this month. For information on other Near Eastern countries, please see February 2011 Archeology - Ancient Near East

Again, some blogs were on top of all the developments:
http://egyptology.blogspot.com/
http://www.eloquentpeasant.com/
http://www.kv64.info/ (might have to scroll a bit through this one)
http://paul-barford.blogspot.com/ (ditto)

... and there was much discussion in the Facebook group:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_197921123555505&ap=1

Not sure we had this account of looting at Saqqarah last week:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lee-rosenbaum/news-flash-detailed-first_b_818903.html

Early in the week we heard of damaged items from the Cairo Museum being repaired:
http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=11&int_new=44780&int_modo=1
 
... with an update later in the week:
http://www.drhawass.com/blog/restoration-continues-egyptian-museum-cairo

... and we heard of more items being recovered:
http://www.drhawass.com/blog/update-antiquities

... and the two "Maya" tombs being safe (contrary to earlier reports):
http://blogs.ngm.com/blog_central/2011/02/report-from-saqqara-contrary-to-rumor-the-two-maya-tombs-are-safe.html
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/9/40/5092/Heritage/Ancient-Egypt/Egyptian-Museums-priceless-artifiacts-restored-.aspx

... but tourism was hurting (is that really news?):
http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=44877
 
... and other stories, with the pyramids also reopening to the public later in the week:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5i2XvYzla2bBpUwHCYY7V0NSlV4ww?docId=5909390

Work was suspended at the Seila Pyramid site:
http://www.unreportedheritagenews.com/2011/02/work-suspended-at-4600-year-old-seila.html

Then Zahi Hawass dropped a bombshell about damage which, curiously, he didn't seem aware of before (?):
http://www.drhawass.com/blog/sad-news
 
... with some useful commentary:
http://phdiva.blogspot.com/2011/02/cairo-museum-thefts.html (Dorothy King)
http://www.artsjournal.com/culturegrrl/2011/02/one-armed_tut_hawass_issues_de.html(Lee Rosenbaum)

Meanwhile, the Met says it still plans to return some Tut-related items to Egypt:
http://www.observer.com/2011/curse-mummy-met-says-king-boy-king-can-head-back-egypt-despite-unrest

Pondering the 'portrait' of Seneb and family:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2011/feb/09/egypt-portrait-seneb-family

[Aisling]

Due to the sheer volume of stories related to the current situation in the country, Egypt has its own thread this month. For information on other Near Eastern countries, please see February 2011 Archeology - Ancient Near East

Data mining courtesy of: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Explorator/messages

Early in the week we were hearing revised lists of what was missing and what has been recovered:
http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=44858

The small statue of Akhenaten was recovered:
http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=44974

... as were a couple of other items:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/9/40/5593/Heritage/Ancient-Egypt/Looted-artifacts-from-Egyptian-museum-found.aspx
 
... but alas, we're also hearing of more looting:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/~/NewsContent/9/40/5816/Heritage/Ancient-Egypt/More-breakins-at-Egypts-archaeological-sites-repor.aspx
 
Most of the touristy places should be opening today:
http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=45106
 
Zahi Hawass was the target of some of the protesting this week:
http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=44987
 
... which started the press a-speculating:
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Backchannels/2011/0214/Is-Indiana-Jones-the-next-victim-of-Egypt-s-revolution
 
... and just this a.m. he seems to be starting a campaign of using his two facebook pages as a place to show his accomplishments by posting a number of videos:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dr-Zahi-Hawass/112384738789408
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1629846793

The purpose of some prosthetic toes found attached to mummies:
http://news.discovery.com/archaeology/mummy-fake-toes-were-earliest-prosthetics.html
 
Hype for a tv show finding parallels between ancient Egypt and modern times (or something like that):
http://www.columbian.com/news/2011/feb/14/02-14-off-beat-hed-ehergege/

Feature on the pharaohs:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/feb/19/pharaohs-dynasties-ian-sansom

[Aisling]

Due to the sheer volume of stories related to the current situation in the country, Egypt has its own thread this month. For information on other Near Eastern countries, please see February 2011 Archeology - Ancient Near East

Data mining courtesy of: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Explorator/messages

The situation in Egypt seems to have calmed down ... they're now trying to get tourists to return:
http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=45300
 
Early in the week, Zahi Hawass' position was being questioned:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/is-the-face-of-egyptian-culture-the-next-to-topple/article1913442/

... but there was a settlement with antiquities-related employees:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/~/NewsContent/9/40/6137/Heritage/Ancient-Egypt/Egypts-antiquity-employees-demands-attained.aspx

... and Zahi Hawass gave an interview to Spiegel:
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,746955,00.html

... although he was accused of being involved somehow in smuggling:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/7/6138/Egypt/Crime/Accusation-against-minister-of-antiquities-referre.aspx

... if that doesn't work, cf:
http://culturalpropertyobserver.blogspot.com/2011/02/hawass-asks-for-egyptian-prosecutor-to.html

... and the Egyptian Museum in Cairo has reopened:
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/166355.html

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