by Brian Rudman.

Auckland Museum is putting the mummified remains of a long-dead Egyptian back on display by the end of March.   Does this mean the scary tattooed Maori heads that were a highlight of my boyhood visits in less politically correct times will return from the storeroom too?

One suspects not.   Years of pressure from Maori, Aborigines, American Indians and other indigenous peoples have forced museums around the world to treat human remains of "first peoples" with respect.

Only the poor old Egyptian "first people" seem to get left out of this international protocol.   Why remains a mystery...

[More]  The New Zealand Herald, New Zealand, 02.02.2005, via ArchNews.

For millennia, ancient Egyptians used oil tar to preserve bodies. New geologic research shows that the tar came from several sources, shedding light on how trade routes of old compare to those of today.

All tar sands -- crude oils, asphalts and bitumen -- contain source-specific compounds, known as biomarkers, which have unique chemical signatures that are closely related to the biological precursors of the oil. Using gas chromatography and mass spectrometers, geologists can identify these biomarkers in the oil to create a very specific "fingerprint" that enables them to trace the location where the oil originated...

[More]   Geotimes, February 2005, via Archaeologica.

Al-Ahram's travel itinerary of the month.

If you are a desert fan and also interested in archaeology then this itinerary might be suitable for you as it combines some of the most important oases of Egypt like Bahariya, Farafra and Dakhla along with Luxor in Upper Egypt.   This 6day/5night itinerary gives you the chance to tour most of the archaeological sites in the oases, while at the same time, to enjoy the vastness of the desert, with all of its mystery and splendor.   To add richness to the itinerary, you could visit Luxor on the last day of the trip to take pleasure from touring its ancient sites...

[More]  Al-Ahram, Egypt, issue 728, 3 - 9 February 2005.

cf. Minerva Travel & Tours