After reading Andie’s post on the Temple of Denderah I have gone through some of my old photos of Egypt and found some of the Temple of Hathor at Denderah. I’ve added these to the Photo Gallery which you can view by clicking on the link on the side panel on the right or by clicking here: Photo Gallery
HEIDI: The University of Heidelberg’s Library Catalogue has a range of books on Ancient Egypt that can be viewed online or downloaded and printed out. Here are just a few examples of books that can be found there:
Richard A. Proctor:
The Great Pyramid: observatory, tomb, and temple
William M. Flinders Petrie:
Tanis (Band 1): 1883-4
London, 1885
William M. Flinders Petrie:
Researches on the great pyramid, or fresh connections, being a preliminary notice of some facts and a fuller statement
London, 1874
Thomas Gabb:
Finis pyramidis or Disquisitions concerning the antiquity and scientific end of the great pyramid of Giza, or ancient Memphis, in Egypt, and of the first standard of linear measure
Retford, 1806
John Ward:
Pyramids and progress: sketches from Egypt
London, 1900
The debate over whether or not the pyramid builders used a type of limestone cement to construct the pyramids continues. Just in the last couple of weeks a rebuttal of the ‘cement pyramid’ theory by Ioannis Liritzis and his colleagues from the University of the Aegean and the University of Athens has been all over the news.
Now the ball is back in Professor Michael Barsoum’s court. In December 2006 Barsom, professor of materials engineering at Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania wrote a paper that was published in the Journal of the American Ceramic Society and also appeared in the scientific magazine Nature vol. 444 supporting previous claims that some of the blocks that make up the pyramids were made from a limestone-based form of concrete.
Professor Michael Barsoum is now preparing to deliver the 2008 Sigma Xi Lecture entitled “The Mystery of the Great Egyptian Pyramids: The role of materials research in suggesting a partial solution”.
From the article in MIT News:
“Barsoum earned his BSc degree in materials engineering from the American University in Cairo in 1977, and an MS from University of Missouri-Rolla in 1980 before getting his PhD in ceramics from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at MIT. Barsoum’s research into the highly controversial subject of pyramid building stems from his Egyptian heritage and his expertise in ceramic materials science, both of which he has applied to this highly visible research problem. He will discuss recent electron microscopical investigations strongly suggesting that ancient Egyptians had discovered a cement–based on dolomitic lime, diatomaceous silica and disaggregated limestone–that they may have used to cast in place some of the two-ton blocks used to assemble the great pyramids of the Giza plateau more than 4500 years ago. Such a discovery would have been the first monumental use of cementitious material on such a large scale and could have modern implications for low-cost, low-emissions production of building cements made from indigenous materials in our present world.
Sigma Xi, the national scientific research society, was founded in 1886 as an analogue to Phi Beta Kappa in the fields of science and engineering research. Its 100,000 members are affiliated with 500 chapters and clubs throughout the world. The MIT chapter is the organization’s largest and annually elects new members from the undergraduate and graduate student bodies and the Institute’s faculty and research staff. Each year, the chapter honors an outstanding academic researcher with MIT connections who has made important recent contributions to a scientific research field.”
Read the story in full: In Sigma Xi lecture, Barsoum to focus on pyramids
I thought I’d start a new schedule of reviewing an Egyptology website each week.
This week’s website review is on the Giza Archives Project.
The Giza Archives Project is a very useful and comprehensive online resource for anyone interested in the Giza Necropolis. Excavations that have occurred in the area are documented on the site. One such excavation undertaken by the Harvard University in conjunction with the Boston Museum of Fine Arts ran for 45 years from 1902 - 1947 and was under the direction of George A. Reisner. The archive collected from this expedition is currently housed in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and the Harvard University.
The Museum of Fine Arts has been able to preserve a lot of this material and make it available online thanks to the the support of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
A new pyramid has been discovered in Dubai - its a new Raffles Hotel.
Not to be confused with the Falcon City’s Great Pyramid, this one is a bit smaller at 100 metres high.
“Within six months of its opening, Raffles Dubai, the latest addition to Raffles Hotels & Resorts’ portfolio, has captured the attention of international globetrotters with its striking architecture and timeless design.
Accolades for the unique architecture and design of Raffles Dubai have emerged around the world.
A Time magazine feature gave Raffles Dubai its nod of approval for its “understated grandeur …heralding good taste within”, while Decoration Mondanite, one of Dubai’s leading interior design magazine, cites Raffles Dubai as “an outstanding example of architectural diversity, successfully marrying Middle Eastern and Asian architectural and design styles”.
Raffles Dubai’s striking pyramidal structure takes inspiration from the great pyramids of Egypt, whose graceful edifices have long enchanted and inspired travellers and adventurers.
This wonder of the ancient world continues to fire our imaginations and today Raffles Dubai stands almost as tall as the original pyramids, soaring 100 meters, with a glass capstone perched at the pinnacle forming the top three levels of the hotel.”
Tags: Modern Pyramids, News
The ancient Egyptian game of Aseb, also known as ‘The Twenty Squares game’ is one of the oldest known games dating back to about 3000 BC. Boards from the 17th Dynasty have been found, evidence that the game was played for thousands of years.
It is sometimes found on the underside of Senet boards and played with Senet pieces. At some point in history the two games merged and led to the development of Backgammon.
Aseb’s similarities to the Sumerian ‘Royal Game of Ur’ suggest that it may have been imported from Mesopotamia by the Hyksos.
Tags: interact
The Ministry of Cutlure and the Suprime Counicil of Archaeology has released a new list for entrance fees to all archaeological sites in Egypt. The changes to fees commences in November 2008.
View the list of new fees.
Basically, everything has gone up 5 Egyptian pounds (LE) and some new sites have opened to the public. I was surprised to see that sites in Siwa such as the Mountain of the Dead and the Temple of Oracle of Amun have been added to the list.
Keeping with the Ancient Egyptian Games theme I thought I’d post a photo of wrestling in Ancient Egypt. It is from the tomb of Baqet III, otherwise known as tomb 15.
Tags: photos
There has been a lot of buzz in the news recently about the pyramid containing blocks made from cement. First made public by Davidovits, the theory has more recently received support from material scientists such as Michael Barsoum who’s article appeared in the scientific magazine Nature vol. 444 in December 2006. Now Linn Hobbs, professor of materials science and engineering and professor of nuclear science and engineering at MIT University is testing the theory by building a pyramid with his students.
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Related Websites:
Pyramid of Man
Pyramid Texts Online
Ancient Egyptian Pyramids
Flickr: Pyramid Photos
Twitter / Bennu
