The latest edition of Focus Magazine has seven page article entitle Discovering Ancient Egypt.   This article accompanies the forthcoming BBC six part docu-drama on the ‘discoverers’ of ancient Egypt, simply titled Egypt and due to air some time in October, with two episodes dedicated to each of Giavanni Battista Belzoni, Jean-François Champollion, and Howard Carter.   The article is written by Paul Bradshaw, the producer of the series, and contains box-outs entitled “Dead mummies come alive: Is this the face of Tutankhamun?” about the Tutankhamun CT scan and subsequent facial recreation; “The golden casked mummy: The most beautiful mummy ever” about the ‘beautiful’ gilded mummy that was discovered in Saqqara recently; “Cracking the code” about the decipherment of hieroglyphs; and “Ask the expert” where Dr. Aidan Dodson of Bristol University answers some questions.

BBC Focus Magazine, BBC Worldwide Publishing, UK, No. 254, September 2005.

As with most BBC series this one is also accompanied by a book to be published on October 6, 2005, this time by Joyce Tyldesley.   The book goes by the title Egypt, How a lost civilisation was rediscovered in the UK and Egypt, Discovering the Secrets of a Lost Past in Canada.

Pre-order the book from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.ca.   At the time of writing the book was not listed on the Amazon.com website.

The latest edition of Ancient Egypt Magazine has arrived and contrary to what the front cover says it is volume 6 number 1 and not volume 5 number 7.   A summary of the contents follows.

• The Oriental Museum in Durham
  Karen Exell tells how the collection was formed and looks at some of the more important exhibits.
• Who were Nefertiti's Parents?
  Marshall Hindley discusses the possible parentage of one of Egypt's most famous Queens.
• Replica Tomb of Thutmose III
  Nacho Ares describes the project to create a full-sized replica tomb of Thutmose II, soon to be on display in Edinburgh.
• Reconstructing the Face of Tutankhamun
  A report from the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities on the facial reconstruction of Tutankhamun following the recent CT scan.
• Meretamun at Akhmim
  The story of the discovery and restoration of a remarkable colossal statue of Queen Meryetamun, daughter and Great Royal Wife of Rameses II, told by Ayman Wahby Taher.
• A river full of water ... but was it safe to drink?
  Jo Morris investigates where the ancient Egyptians obtained their drinking water.
• Dressing Nefertiti: Ancient Egyptian Costumes on Television
  Egyptology Clothing Consultant Janet Johnstone describes the problems of designing reproductions of ancient costumes for television programmes and films.
• Archive Image
  Old and new images of the obelisk of King Senuseret I at Heliopolis.
• News of the Friends of the Petrie Museum
• Defending Egypt from Chaos: Rameses III and his Battles
  Nicholas Wernick looks at the military campaigns of Rameses III, as detailed in his temple at Medinet Habu, to determine if he was truly one of the great warrior pharaohs.

Ancient Egypt Magazine, UK, Volume 6, No 1, August / September 2005.