How they died is still a mystery, but examinations of the two mummies at the Putnam Museum have revealed some of their secrets.

The mummies, long-time attractions at the Davenport museum, were CT scanned and X-rayed Aug. 21 [2007] at Genesis Medical Centre's west campus to find out more about them.

It is unlikely a cause of death will be discovered, said Eunice Schlichting and Christina Kastell, Putnam curators...

But the scans at Genesis did show the female, possibly named Isis Neferit, may still have her heart, while showing her male counterpart, whose name is not known, was not pillaged by thieves.

There is dried tissue in Isis Neferit's chest cavity that could be her heart, Ms. Schlichting and Ms. Kastell said...

Three more CT-scan pictures accompany this story.

Putnam's mummies continue to give up their secrets, Anthony Watt, Quad-City Times, Iowa, USA, September 07, 2007.

Previously:

CT scans show how Putnam's mummies were preserved, August 29, 2007.

Putnam Mummies' exodus to Genesis goes well, August 24, 2007.

Iowa museum mummies to undergo CT scans, August 20, 2007.

Explore ancient Egypt on a Nile cruise, the capital city of Cairo and other country highlights with G.A.P. Adventures. The company will appeal to those seeking tours with smaller groups.

For instance, G.A.P's 12-day Egypt Explorer package, with no more than 15 participants (tours average 10) and is set to begin Oct. 13 [2007] in Cairo. Highlights include guided tours of Cairo, the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx. From Cairo you'll travel to Egypt's second largest city, Alexandria, to visit Pompey's pillar, the catacombs and the Royal Library, founded in the third century B.C. A day to visit the Aswan Dam along the Nile has enough free time to allow for a camel ride to St. Simeon's Monastery. Soak up the sights of life along the Nile aboard a cruise to Luxor, among the most ancient of Egypt's cities...

Egypt's treasures: The Nile and beyond, Clara Bosonetto Maerz, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Georgia, USA, September 09, 2007.

Cyprus is to launch sea surveys in an area where dozens of vessels led by warring successors to Alexander the Great are believed to have sunk in battle for control over the island in 306 BC.

Encouraged by the discovery of one wreck from a later Roman era, the survey slated for the summer of 2008 will extend into deep waters from the south-east tip of the island, known as Cape Greco, the island's Antiquities Department said...

Historical accounts suggest that the Cape Greco region — a rocky outcrop between the now popular tourist resorts of Agia Napa and Protaras, saw one of the biggest naval battles of the ancient world.

According to the ancient Greek historian, Diodorus of Sicily, in 306 BC Demetrios the Poliorketes (Besieger) triumphed over Ptolemy I of Egypt in a naval engagement off Cyprus, with dozens of vessels sunk as the result of combat...

Cyprus to seek ancient shipwrecks off its coast, Michele Kambas, Reuters, Africa, September 06, 2007.

The new issue of KMT is out now. A summary of its contents appears below.

• The Scientific Search for Hatshepsut's Mummy
  by Zahi Hawass. CT-Scans & DNA Analysis.
• Egypt in Milan
  by Lucy Gordan-Rastelli.
• Given Life Forever
  by George B. Johnson & Dennis Forbes. The Funerary Monuments of Amenhotep III.
• Combined Arms, Egyptian Style
  by Omar Zuhdi. Thutmose III's 8th Campaign, Across the Euphrates.
• The Egyptian Court of London's Crystal Palace
  by Clair Ossian. A Record in Old Photography.
• Ancient Egypt on Stage
  by Donald P. Ryan. A Brief Introduction to Two Splendid Operas: Aida & Akhnaton.
• Book Briefs: Review of
  by Duncan Sprott (fiction).
• Book Briefs: Review of
  by Nick Drake (fiction).
• Book Briefs: Review of
  by Alice Carocci & Gloria Rosati.

KMT, KMT Communications Inc., Sebastopol, California, USA, Volume 18, Number 3, Fall 2007.

Subscribe to KMT Magazine via Amazon.com.

The latest issue of Current World Archaeology is out now and contains A few articles of interest to Egyptophiles.

• News: Lascaux on the Nile
  
  Archaeologists trace 15,000 year old rock art sites at Qurta. (3 pages)
• Diary: Tut vs Qin
  
  Tow mighty exhibitions to hit London. (4 pages)
• Books: Off the shelf
  
  Review of by Peter Parsons. (2 pages)

Current World Archaeology, Think Publishing, London, UK, Volume 2, No. 12, Issue 24, August / September 2007.

Subscribe to Current World Archaeology Magazine via Amazon.com.

Derek’s mission in Paranormal Egypt was to “investigate” the death of Rameses III. The pharaoh had expired after an attempt on his life led to a trial of conspirators whose number included one of his wives and one of his sons. His death has foxed historians for three millennia, but not Derek, who had the advantage of being able to interrogate the dead man himself. Derek’s spirit guide, a medieval Ethiopian curiously named Sam was excited. “He is way excited,” Derek confided to his co-presenter, the “historian” Tessa Dunlop, “absolutely over-the-top excited.”

The pair — trio if you count Sam — made a promising start at the pharaoh’s tomb in Cairo. Derek felt the “presence of greatness” flitting among the shadows. “Rameses, Rameses,” he cajoled, “please don’t move about.” Tessa gamely declared that Derek was freaking her out. But it was in the temple in Luxor that Derek’s gift came into its own. “Rameses is HERE, bless,” he announced. “He is showing me the Eiffel Tower in France. Why is he doing that?” And why was Derek shouting the name “Giovanni”, going on about being robbed and making stabbing gestures? Fortunately Mansour Boraik, the local director of antiquities, was on hand to explain that an archaeologist, Giovanni Belzoni, had in the 19th century transported the king’s sarcophagus to the Louvre. I felt the spectral presence of Wikipedia.

But what of his death? The Egyptian monarch, whose grasp of modern-day idiomatic Scouse [dialect] was commendable, told Derek he had survived the attack for some months. “He died here of the affliction of injuries that caused a breakdown in his metabolisms which cause haemorrhage here,” explained Dr Derek, pointing to his own head, which was having difficulty forming sentences. It was more serious than that. Next thing, Derek collapsed and needed to be dragged to a stone slab where a member of the crew pleaded: “Stay with me, mate.” I fear he will. This series has seven more episodes to run.

It is Acorah’s relative success not his “gift” that spooks me. If you judge him as an actor, he is a bad one, with a limited repertoire of jerks, whoops and “serious” voices. His attempts at archaic language are just sad: “I have come to help you in such a manner and such a way as Rameses would have it be done.” Tessa, playing the easily frightened companion, is the better actor, although I fear for her credibility as a historian and pray Oxford does not rescind her degree. The show was a hoot...

Last Night’s TV, Andrew Billen, The Times, UK, September 05, 2007.

Previously:

If you Sphinx this is spooky..., September 05, 2007.

Interview: Derek Acorah's Paranormal Egypt, September 03, 2007.