In a review written for the January [7th] edition of The Independent Nicola Smyth praises Stephanie Moser's new book, Wondrous Curiosities: Ancient Egypt at the British Museum, for its revealing look at the powerful role of museums in shaping our understanding of science, culture, and history. According to Smyth, Moser's book is a fascinating study of the ways the British Museum has extended the domain of western culture by appropriating not only the physical objects in its collection-but their cultural significance as well. Citing artefacts gained through looting or as trophies of war, to the considerations of pattern and juxtaposition meant to manipulate viewer's perspectives of the objects on display...

, Stephanie Moser, University of Chicago Press, USA, 2006, pp. 368.

Review: Moser, Wondrous Curiosities, The Chicago Blog, Chicago University, Illinois, USA, January 16, 2007.

Previously:

Review: Wondrous Curiosities: Ancient Egypt at the British Museum, January 08, 2007.

The discovery in 2003 of the tomb of Djehuty, overseer of works at Thebes during Queen Hatshepsut's reign, amazed Egyptologists and historians not only because of its distinguished and uncommon architectural design and decorative scenes, but also for the artefacts found within its corridors — objects from different dynasties piled in the tomb to form a haphazard treasury. These finds, made at Draa Abul-Nagaa on Luxor's west bank by a Spanish-Egyptian archaeological team, revealed more details about an unusual time in Egypt's ancient history.

This week after six consecutive concessions, the mission has unearthed instruments used at the funeral inside the tomb that add emphasis to the importance of Djehuty's position.

While cleaning the debris in the tomb's open courtyard archaeologists found a 70cm-deep pit containing 42 clay vases and 42 flower bouquets.

"These are probably the remains of Djehuty's funerary [bouquets] that were later thrown inside the tomb," Spanish mission director José Gal´n said...

Project Djheuty official website.

Say it with flowers, Nevine El-Aref , Al-Ahram, Egypt, Issue No. 838, March 29 - April 04, 2007.

Previously:

Egyptian-Spanish mission discovers flowers funerary items in Djehuty tomb, March 22, 2007.

Scientists discover Egyptians' 'backgammon', April 07, 2006.

Parlour of Hatshepsut time unearthed, April 04, 2006.

The Supreme Council of Antiquities has marked a day of homage to those archaeologists who spent their lives exploring, enriching, documenting and preserving Egypt's heritage...

If any ancient Egyptian spirits are still with us, then they were gathered at the Cairo Opera House last week when Egyptologists met to celebrate their first official day of tribute.

The grand theatre became a temple for the day, embellished with a noble façade, columns and statues of ancient Egyptian Pharaohs and deities. The stage had a special backdrop featuring animated ancient Egyptian workmen carving the title of the gathering: "The First Day of Archaeologists" on a limestone wall...

Now, [Hawass] continued, a social club for archaeologists is under construction in Al-Fustat, while plans for a hospital for members of the profession are being studied. Administration officers are also looking at ways to increase archaeologists' salaries and retirement pensions.

During the ceremony seven archaeologists in particular were honoured with a certificate and a golden collar. These were Abdel-Hamid Zayed, Abdel-Rahman Abdel-Tawwab and Ahmed Abdel-Hamid Youssef as well as four deceased archaeologists: Ahmed Pasha Kamal, Selim Pasha Hassan, Mustafa Amer and restorer Ahmed Youssef...

On site heroes, Nevine El-Aref , Al-Ahram, Egypt, Issue No. 838, March 29 - April 04, 2007.

The duck box story began in 1979 when Egyptologist Dieter Arnold excavated several calcite (Egyptian alabaster) food boxes in the shape of ducks from the pyramid complex of Amenemhat III at Dahshur. The boxes were reconstructed and immediately taken to the magazines at Saqqara, where they were stored.

Some years ago the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where Arnold is now senior curator, was offered two calcite duck boxes, one from Christie's in New York and the other from Rupert Wace Ancient Art Limited in London. Arnold knew the ducks must be royal and was intrigued, but the Metropolitan Museum was not satisfied with their origins and decided against buying them. Arnold and his assistant, however, persisted in studying photographs of the ducks, and soon realised that they were one and the same as the boxes he had excavated in 1979. It appears that at some point they were re-restored so as to appear slightly different. Arnold immediately informed Zahi Hawass, secretary- general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), of the situation.

Hawass took procedures to check on the ducks. Careful checking of the ducks against Arnold's excavation notes and the information recorded in the Saqqara magazine registers confirmed the identification of those as Christie's and Wace ducks. An inventory of the Saqqara magazines showed that they were indeed missing, along with a number of other items...

Ducks fly home, Nevine El-Aref , Al-Ahram, Egypt, Issue No. 838, March 29 - April 04, 2007.

Previously:

Artefacts Return To Egypt!, March 30, 2007.

Egypt restores two archaeological food alabaster boxes, March 26, 2007.

I stayed in Miami for two weeks but could not see the streets of the city. I had to stay in an apartment because I recently had eye surgery. During this period, I had to keep my head down at all times for 24 hours a day and began to reflect on my life. In all the years of my career, I never took time for myself. I began to think about the people that I had forgotten and realised that there were many things in my life that I had also forgotten.

While I was staying in the apartment, many people called me from Egypt. President Hosni Mubarak called me twice. Before he called me the second time, I was quite miserable because the first operation on my eye was unsuccessful. I almost had tears in my eyes because of this. The phone rang around noon Miami time, and someone said that President Mubarak would like to speak to Dr Zahi Hawass. I could not believe that the president would call me for a second time. It was the day before I had to go back to the clinic to find out the results of my second operation. The president's call made me happy and significantly improved my health and mood. When I discovered the next day that the operation had been successful, I called the office of the president because he had asked me to tell him how the surgery had gone...

When I was examined by William Smiddy and found that the hole in my eye had closed, I asked him to recommend a dentist. So he called his dentist's secretary to make an appointment but his dentist was busy for the entire day. About 15 minutes later, the dentist himself called back and asked me to come to see him at noon. He was happy to hear that I was the patient and that is why he changed the appointment of another patient in order to see me...

Dig days: The Pharaoh's dentists in Miami, Zahi Hawass, Al-Ahram, Egypt, Issue No. 838, March 29 - April 04, 2007.

Previously:

Dig Days: Lucky rabbit's hat (2), March 16, 2007.

Dr. Hawass in U.S. For Eye Surgery, February 02, 2007.

A French architect believes he has finally solved one of the most puzzling construction problems in history by working out how the ancient Egyptians built such a massive structure without the benefit of iron tools, pulleys or wheels.

In Paris tomorrow, Jean-Pierre Houdin will unveil the fruits of eight years' work by describing at a conference how the pyramid of the pharaoh Khufu was built from the inside out. He will propose that the Egyptians carried the building blocks up an internal ramp that formed a spiral tunnel within the structure's outer wall. These tunnels, he believes, must still exist today.

With the help of sophisticated computer software developed by the French company Dassault Systemes, M. Houdin has been able to reconstruct a three-dimensional simulation of how the great limestone and granite blocks of the pyramid were put together stone by stone...

3D Unveils the Mystery of the Great Pyramid, Dassault Systemes.

Ancient riddle of the Great Pyramid's construction is turned inside out, Steve Connor, The Independent, March 30, 2007.

Previously:

Real-time 3D Helps to Finally Solve the Mystery of the Great Pyramid of Kheops!, March 30, 2007.

Sudan's archaeology is finally stepping out of Egypt's shadow as teams work against the clock to rescue an entire swathe of Nile Valley heritage from the rising waters of a Chinese-built dam.

"The paradox is that, yes, an entire area is being wiped off the map but thanks to the rescue project, Sudanese archaeology is being put on the map," says Sudan's antiquities chief Salah Ahmed.

The Merowe dam is a controversial hydroelectric project one of the largest in Africa being erected on the Nile's fourth cataract and due to start flooding the valley over more than 100 miles within months...

Sudan's rich past comes into its own, Jean-Marc Mojon, AFP via The Washington Times, District of Columbia, USA, March 28, 2007.

Previously:

Sudan archaeology flourishes before the flood, March 19, 2007.

Italian archaeologists to join international efforts to save Sudan's ancient artefacts, March 02, 2007.

Damming Sudan, October 19, 2006.

Nubians will be displaced from ancient seat by lake built for dam, January 20, 2006.

Race to save first kingdoms in Africa from dam waters, January 17, 2006.

Hungarian Archaeology Expedition in Nubia, September 20, 2005.

An Egyptian archaeological delegation Thursday headed for Paris to retrieve locks of hair from the mummy of Rameses II (about 1,302 BC - 1,213 BC), one of the greatest pharaohs in ancient Egypt, the official news agency MENA reported.

Chairman of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities Zahi Hawass said the retrieving of the precious hair was guaranteed under a protocol signed between Egypt and France 31 years ago.

Hawass hailed the efforts exerted by the French authorities to get back the stolen locks...

Egypt's team heads for France to retrieve mummy's hair, Xinhua News Agency via China View, China, March 29, 2007.

cf. Egypt's team heads for France to retrieve mummy's hair, Xinhua News Agency via People's Daily, China, March 30, 2007.

Previously:

France to return 'pharaoh's hair' to Egypt, February 26, 2007.

France Says 'Pharaoh's Hair' Scandal in Police's Hands, December 04, 2006.

Frenchman arrested for trying to sell lock of pharaoh's hair, November 29, 2006.

Dassault Systemes (DS), a world leader in 3D and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions, announced that it today held a world premiere unveiling of the scientifically proven Great Pyramid construction theory with its creator, architect Jean-Pierre Houdin.

Dassault Systemes' real-time 3D solutions enabled Jean-Pierre Houdin to model and explore the pyramid in 3D and run simulations confirming his theory that the pyramid was built from the inside!

The secret of the Great Pyramid, the sole survivor of the Seven Wonders of the World, has fascinated people throughout time. Countless theories exist as to how it was built, but none stands up to analysis. In 1999, Houdin had an insight and decided to devote himself to developing his theory. Eight years of passion and research ensued, whereby he imagined the construction site of Kheops [Cheops / Khufu] as the first industrial construction site in history. To further refine and test his theory, he called on Dassault Systemes to help. As part of its "Passion for Innovation" sponsorship programme, DS decided to help Houdin solve the 4,500-year-old mystery with its real-time 3D solutions...

3D Unveils the Mystery of the Great Pyramid, Dassault Systemes.

Real-time 3D Helps to Finally Solve the Mystery of the Great Pyramid of Kheops!, PRNewswire via Yahoo! Finance, USA, March 30, 2007.

, Jean-Pierre Houdin, Dar al-Mushaf, 2006, pp. 160.

Egypt succeeded [in getting] return[ed] two food alabaster boxes in the shape of ducks which [had] been excavated by Dr. Dieter Arnold in 1979 from the pyramid complex of Amenemhat III at Dahshur. These were reconstructed, then taken immediately to the magazines at Saqqara and stored there, Culture Minister Farouk Hosni announced today.

Dr. Zahi Hawass secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) explained that [the] boxes [were] returned back to Egypt with the help of Arnold who is now senior curator at the Metropolitan Museum in New York. Dr. Hawass continued that several years ago, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York was presented with two alabaster duck boxes, one from Christie's New York and the other from Rupert Wace Ancient Art Limited in London. Dr. Arnold was intrigued by these ducks, as he knew they must be royal, but the Metropolitan Museum was not satisfied with their provenances and decided against buying them. However, he and his assistant, Adela Oppenheim, continued to study photographs of these ducks, and realized that they were, in fact, the same ducks that Dr. Arnold had excavated in 1979. Dr. Arnold informed Dr. Hawass immediately of this situation...

Artefacts Return To Egypt!, Zahi Hawass, Guardian's Egypt, Egypt, March 30, 2007.

Previously:

Egypt restores two archaeological food alabaster boxes, March 26, 2007.