Our endless fascination with ancient Egypt owes much to the beauty of the tomb paintings, statuary, temple reliefs, and other magnificent artworks that are the legacy of this remarkable culture. But despite the multitude of objects and texts that have survived, questions abound, particularly about the true role of women in Egyptian society. This wonderfully illustrated, brilliantly researched book draws on unpublished material from author Zahi Hawass' own excavations as well as new analyses of older evidence to penetrate the silent images and paint an astonishing picture of women's lives. Hawass contrasts the stereotype-inspired by such symbols of femininity as the queens Nefertiti and Nefertari-with a more realistic view of the common woman's everyday involvement in matters ranging from family life to dress and adornment to the workplace and the legal system. Lavish photographs of places and objects, many made especially for this book, round out an enthralling, richly textured work. Zahi Hawass is a world-renowned archaeologist. He is director of the Giza Pyramids and field director of the Bahariya Oasis excavation, as well as a frequent lecturer around the world. He has written books on the pyramids and on kingship in ancient Egypt, and his articles have been published widely. He teaches archaeology at Cairo University and the University of California at Los Angeles. 150 illustrations in full colour, 9 3/4 x 11 3/4"

, Zahi Hawass, Harry N. Abrams, Inc, 1995 (2000), pp. 207.

An exhibition mounted by the Department of Art and Archaeology offers a look at vintage photographs from the second half of the 19th century, during the concurrent development of photography and tourism. The exhibition, "Global Views: 19th-century Travel Photographs," runs through Friday, Sept. 28 [2007], in the first floor lounge of McCormick Hall.

In the second half of the 19th century, professional photographic firms arose in the major cities of Western Europe, as well as in more remote travel destinations such as Greece, Egypt, India, Asia and the Middle East. Catering to an influx of European and American tourists, a growing number of travel photographers documented historical monuments, archaeological sites and scenes of daily life from the Middle East and Asia.

The exhibition features some of these unique images, which have historical value in terms of the development of photography and the study of the architectural and social history of the regions in which they were produced...

Princeton University Department of Art and Archaeology.

Exhibition highlights vintage travel photographs, News @ Princeton, Princeton University, New Jersey, USA, April 24, 2007.

An 83-year-old man and his family have appeared in court charged in connection with the sale of a fake Egyptian statue which was thought to be worth £1m.

Bolton Council paid £440,000 for the Amarna Princess in 2003 believing it was 3,300-years-old — but in 2006 experts found it was counterfeit.

George Greenhalgh, his wife Olive, 82, and sons, George, 52, and Shaun, 46, appeared at Bolton Magistrates' Court.

They were bailed to appear at Bolton Crown Court on 24 July [2007]...

Family in court over fake statue, BBC News, UK, April 26, 2007.

cf. Family in court over sale of fake statue to council, Jon Land, 24dash.com, UK, April 26, 2007.

Previously:

Two men charged over fake statue, April 23, 2007.

Fake £1m statue: Bail extended for trio, March 01, 2007.

The ancient Egypt statue from Bolton (circa 2003), March 28, 2006.

More on £500,000 statue in police 'fake' probe, March 21, 2006.

Two held as '£1m Egyptian statue' is found to be a fake, March 21, 2006.

Egyptian statue in forgery claim, March 20, 2006.

Archive:

cf. Museum secures rare Egyptian sculpture, BBC News, UK, September 30, 2003.

Could this mysterious, 3,000-year-old ring be part of the lost — and cursed — treasure of Tutankhamun?

It's owner, Markas Dove of Kintbury, certainly believes so.

Since the ring was unearthed by a huge storm in 1987, Mr Dove has been offered a fortune for the ring, although bad luck has followed in its wake.

Mr Dove said: "My dad found the band with a metal detector after the hurricane of 1987 removed about 10 feet off the beach at the Isle of Wight...

Elisabeth O'Connell, the research curator at the British Museum's Egyptology department, said: "The inscription suggests it belonged to either Tutankhamun or one of his inner court.

"I would not like to try and put a figure on its value."

She added that an early-20th-century shipwreck of a vessel carrying Egyptian antiquities was the most likely explanation for the find...

King Tut's treasure, John Garvey, Newbury Today, UK, April 26, 2007.

The 3,400-year-old bust of the wife of the Sun King Akhenaten has been in German hands since it was dug out of the desert by the archaeologist Ludwig Borchardt in 1912. It was smuggled out of Egypt and became a central part of Berlin’s museum collection.

Now the Egyptians want it back, if not for keeps, then at least on loan to mark the opening in 2012 of a new Grand Egyptian Museum, near the Pyramid at Giza. If the Egyptian Museum in Berlin does not agree, says Zahi Hawass, there will be trouble. “We will make the lives of these museums miserable,” the secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities in Egypt said. “It will be a scientific war.”

German officials say that the bust is too fragile to travel. “Nefertiti is not a pop star that can simply go on tour,” a senior official said. Dietrich Wildung, head of the Egyptian Museum, says there is no doubt that Nefertiti is German property. “She was donated to the state museum in 1920 by James Simon [who sponsored the Borchardt dig].”

The bust, he says, has become globally famous in a way that it would not have had it stayed in Egypt. “Nefertiti has become an outstanding example of how the foreign can be integrated into society,” Dr Wildung says. “She is accepted, not assimilated. She keeps her separateness and her uniqueness, yet she belongs here.”

Nefertiti, in other words, is not budging. Mr Hawass has sent the Germans an ultimatum: “We will never again organise antiquities exhibitions in Germany if it refuses the request...”

Museums at war over a flying visit home for Queen Nefertiti, Roger Boyes, The Times, UK, April 26, 2007.

Previously:

Egypt officially requests Nefertiti bust, April 23, 2007.

Nefertiti: Face to face, April 20, 2007.

Egypt Vows 'Scientific War' If Germany Doesn't Loan Nefertiti, April 19, 2007.

Berlin museum rebuffs threat over Nefertiti, April 17, 2007.

Egypt threatens German ban in Nefertiti row, April 16, 2007.

Nefertiti Is Too Fragile to Visit Egypt, German Minister Says, April 13, 2007.