Israel's many antiquities collectors should be interested in a single owner collection of antiquities from Capesthorne Hall in Cheshire that leads Christie's King Street sale on October 18.   The general sale will feature over 200 lots of Greek, Roman, Egyptian and Near Eastern artifacts, including a rare example of the earliest form of writing recording the beer-making process.

The general sale is led by the more than 3,000-year-old Egyptian granodiorite head of Sekhmet which means "the powerful."   Although this lioness deity was a symbol of destruction, she was also a protective goddess...

Auctions: Watched over by a lion goddess, The Jerusalem Post, Israel, August 19, 2005.

For the U.S. premiere of Mummy: The Inside Story, opening at the Houston Museum of Natural Science on Sept. 30, you'll get up close and personal with a real, dead mummy.

The star is Nesperennub, a well-preserved 2,800-year-old priest whose tomb has remained unopened since it was sealed by embalmers on the West Bank at Thebes around 800 B.C.   The man, age undetermined, was placed into a CT scanner; these multiple X-rays were then placed into a computer to create one 3-D virtual image.

Learn what forensic scientists did about his life (he had bad teeth) and death (he had a hole in his skull, suggesting disease).

Mummy's the word, The Miami Herald, Florida, USA, August 21, 2005.

A nine-metre-long Roman mosaic dating from the 2nd Century has been unearthed by an Egyptian-Polish archaeological team in northern Sinai, the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) said on Wednesday.

The mosaic was found while the archaeologists were restoring a Pelusium Roman theatre in an area 25km east of the Suez Canal.

"It is the most unique piece of mosaic ever found in Sinai," said SCA Secretary-General Zahi Hawass...

Archaeologists hail mosaic find in Sinai, IOL, South Africa, August 24, 2005.

A rather different story about the CT scans of the mummy of “Sherit”.

Ancient Egyptians developed the extensive process of mummification so that the bodies of the dead would not decompose in the afterlife and to give the spirit a body to guide them on their journey.

These days, mummification would probably be considered overkill as an attempt to preserve the dead, and technological approaches are preferred...

Computers are a dead technology, Contractor UK, UK, August 25, 2005.

Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni is to open next month the second hall for displaying the royal mummies at the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir square after the Ministry completed a project to develop display room 52 and fit it with modern technology.

Dr. Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities said 12 mummies will be displayed at the museum for the first time including mummies of Tuthmosis III known as the greatest warrior of Egypt and Amenhotep II, the most famous king of the 16 dynasty.

12 mummies to be displayed at Egyptian Museum, State Information Service, Egypt, August 24, 2005.

Contacts are being held with a number of countries to bring back to Egypt 2,000 artefacts reportedly displayed in 22 halls abroad.

Egypt recently received a number of artefacts from some countries including Britain, Australia and Canada.

Contacts to restore 2,000 pieces of antiquities, State Information Service, Egypt, August 23, 2005.

This is the second part of this article about King Tut from the Marco Island Sun Times Florida.   The first part can be found here.

...Carter said that in his life there will never be another day as wonderful as Nov. 26.   They worked throughout the morning.   In the middle of the afternoon, 30 feet down from the outer door they discovered a second sealed doorway, an exact replica of the first doorway.   Here again was evidence of disturbance.   This convinced them that they were about to open a cache put there by King Tut.   When at last the debris was removed, Carter made a small breach in the upper left-hand corner.   He let any foul air and noxious gases escape.   The chamber he peeked into was dark inside.   It did not contain rubbish as the other had, in fact it looked empty at first.   As his eyes grew accustomed to the light, he was struck dumb with amazement.

Lord Carnarvon, not able to wait any longer asked, "Can you see anything?" "Yes, wonderful things!" exclaimed Carter...

Who was King Tut and why was he so important? - Part II, Marco Island Sun Times Florida, USA, August 25, 2005.