by Bob Brier

Royal riches discovered during World War II rival those of Tutankhamun, but remain virtually unknown.

Millions of Americans were dazzled when the treasures of Tutankhamun toured the country in the 1970s.   Now, as preparations are being made for a new exhibition, a new generation is eagerly awaiting a chance to see the boy king's royal paraphernalia.   But there is another royal Egyptian treasure, from the ancient city of Tanis, in the Nile Delta northeast of Cairo, that in many ways is more spectacular yet remains virtually unknown to the general public.

In the late 1930s and early 1940s, an entire complex of royal tombs was found intact at Tanis, yielding four gold masks, solid silver coffins, and spectacular jewelry, some even once worn by a pharaoh mentioned in the Bible.   The treasures are one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of all time.   But because it was discovered during World War II, and published only in French, it went unnoticed.   Even today, visitors to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo gather around Tutankhamun's gold mask and gawk, but walk right past the room in which the treasures of Tanis are displayed.   And while everyone knows Howard Carter's name, that of the excavator of Tanis is Egyptological trivia. It's Pierre Montet...

[Abstract]   Archaeology Magazine, USA, Volume 58 Number 3, May/June 2005.

Among the peoples of the ancient world, the Egyptians occupy a unique position with their approach to death and the possibility of resurrection, particularly since so much of the evidence that has survived over thousands of years comes from a funerary context.   The largest and most comprehensive collection of ancient Egyptian funerary material outside of Cairo is housed at The British Museum.   As part of its joint venture with the British Museum, the Bowers Museum has drawn upon this world-famous collection of mummies and funerary objects to present Mummies: Death and the Afterlife in Ancient Egypt... Treasures from the British Museum, opening April 17, 2005...

[More]   Art Daily, Mexico, not dated, via Explorator.

University of Michigan palaeontologist Philip D. Gingerich and colleagues at the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA) announced April 10 the successful excavation of an unusually complete and well-preserved skeleton of the 40 million-year-old fossil whale Basilosaurus isis...

[More]   University of Michigan, Michigan, USA, April 12, 2005.

cf. 'Footed' whale unearthed, News 24, South Africa, 08/04/2005.

cf. Whale found in desert, Reuters via ABC News, Australia, 19 April 2005.