Sunday 24 September 2017

POW - Pop up Walks in Luxor,...

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Come join us on the first Pow! Walk of winter 2017
We're going Bananas with a walk on the wild side!!
Meeting
On the East Bank in front of the mummification museum at 7:50am
And
On the West Bank in front of the Nile Valley Hotel at 8am
We look forward to seeing you all there!



Tuesday 12 September 2017

KV8 Merenptah Snippet

Lyla Pinch Brock is finishing up Ted Brocks work in the Valley of the Kings, we very privileged that she is staying at Flats in Luxor

When Ted sadly died he was still in the middle on things in the tomb. As his wife Lyla is a well known archeologist in her own right she is the perfect person to complete his work

Saturday 9 September 2017

Exclusive photos from the new Kampp 390 tomb by Lyla Pinch Brock





Official Press Release on new tomb Kampp 390

Today at Draa Abul Naga necropolis on Luxor west bank, Minister of Antiquities, Dr. Khaled El-Enany announces the discovery of a New Kingdom tomb that belongs to god Amun’s Goldsmith, Amenemhat (Kampp 390) and a burial shaft housing the mummy of a lady and her two children.

Luxor Governor, Mohamed Badr attended the announcement ceremony as well as Members of Parliament and a group of foreign ambassadors to Egypt, heads of foreign archaeological institutes in Cairo and top officials from the Ministry of Antiquities.

The discovery was carried out by an Egyptian archaeological mission led by Dr. Mostafa Waziri, Director General of Luxor who said that the newly discovered tomb includes of an entrance located in the courtyard of another Middle Kingdom tomb number Kampp150. The entrance leads to a squared chamber where a niche is found at its end. Inside it a partly damaged duo sandstone statue depicting the tomb’s owner and his is found. The statue shows Amenemhat sitting on a high back chair beside his wife who wears a long dress and a wig. Between their legs stands, in a smaller scale, a little figure of one of their sons.

Dr. Waziri pointed that the tomb has two burial shafts. The first one is located to the right of the chamber and probably had been dug to bury the mummy of the diseased and his wife. It is of seven meters deep where a collection of mummies, sarcophagi and funerary masks carved in wood along with a collection of statuettes of the tomb's owner and his wife.
The second shaft was uncovered to the left where a collection of 21st and 22nd dynasties sarcophagi was discovered but regretfully was subjected to deterioration during the Late Period.

In the courtyard, the mission stumbled upon a group of burial shafts which probably date to the Middle Kingdom. In one of them, the mission unearthed a family burial of a woman and her two children. It includes of two wooden coffins and a collection of head rests. The mummies of the children were found inside one the coffins while the second has the mother's mummy.

Sherine Ahmed Shawqi, Egyptologists who is specialized in bones said that early studies on these mummies show that the woman died at the age of 50-year-old and during her life she was suffering from several diseases. She suffered of cavities that led to an abscesses in her jaws; a bacterial disease in her bones.

"This woman probably cried extensively as the size of her carbuncular are abnormally enlarged," Shawqi said adding that inside the coffin the head-rest of the deceased woman was found as well as a group of pottery vessels.

The second coffin, she continued, has the mummies of her two children and early studies on them show that they belong to two adult males of age ranging between 20 to 30 year-old. Both mummies are in a very good mummification condition as the mummification liquids could be shown on their bones.

One of the male mummies shows that he was suffering from cavities during his life while the second mummy shows that it was probably put later in the same coffin because it was randomly installed and the bones were bare.

Archaeologist Mohamed Baabash said that during excavations, the mission stumbled upon several funerary objects, which some belongs to the tomb’s owner. Among the discovered artifacts are limestone remains of an offering table; 4 wooden sarcophagi partly damaged and decorated with hieroglyphic texts and scenes of different ancient Egyptian deities, and a sandstone duo statue of a trader in king Tuthmose III’s temple named “Mah,”.

A collection of 150 ushabti figurines carved in faience, wood, burned clay, limestone and mud brick was also unearthed.

The mission has also unearthed a collection of 50 funerary cones, 40 of which are evidence of the presence of other tombs belonging to four officials. The exact location of the later has not been yet found.

These officials are Maati; Bengy, Rourou and vizier Ptahmes.

The other stamps belong to Neb-Amun, the grains’ harvester and the supervisor of god Amun grain storehouses, whose tomb probably TT145 and Nebsenu, the High Priest of god Amun whose tomb probably Kampp 143.

Amun-re goldsmith tomb uncovered in Draa Abul Naga necropolis on Luxor's west bank - Ancient Egypt - Heritage - Ahram Online

New Tomb in Luxor Kampp 390


Our exclusive special reporter Lyla Pinch Brock reports from
the new tomb

Egypt

                                          
Antiquities Minister announces, 2017
to be, "The Year of Discoveries"

The opening of tomb Kampp 390 took place this morning in Dra abu el
Naga at 10:00. An introduction in Arabic, English and French was given by
Minister of Antiquities Dr. Mohamed Khalil. The Minister called 2017,
"The Year of Excavations, the Year of Discoveries," and hinted that
this was only the beginning, and that more tombs might be found in the area.

Further details about the present discovery were provided by Dr.
Mostafa Waziri, head of Luxor Antiquities, and director of the mission. Dr.
Waziri congratulated the team of Egyptian workmen, led by Reis Ali Farouk, who
discovered the tomb five months ago. "They continued working in the
blazing heat and over the holiday to bring the find to light," he said.

The 18th Dynasty tomb is located at almost the highest level of
the Theban Necropolis which contains seven cemeteries, the burial places for
the nobility who served the King.

For the occasion of the packed opening, a number of cases
containing local finds were displayed; these included cartonnage mummy-cases, a
substantial amount of almost-intact pottery vessels, a wooden coffin with a
mummy, and funerary cones, and many shabtis constructed from different
materials.

The tomb was known and numbered by Dr. Frederika Kamp in her
survey of Theban Tombs late in the past century, but it was apparently not
excavated. The tomb owner is one Amenemhat, a goldsmith; a son and wife (Lady
of the House) are mentioned in the inscriptions as well as man called Mehi, who
could be a relative. Their tombs are not known, but antiquities officials are
optimistic that they might be discovered nearby.

The tomb's layout is unusual, as a boating scene (men unloading
very large pottery storage jars), normally located on the interior walls, is,
in this case, painted on the east reveal of the doorway. However, the door jamb
is in place, so in its final stage of construction this was definitely meant to
be the entrance to the tomb. The artwork is obviously that of a master painter,
indicating that the tomb owner must have been a favorite of the Pharaoh.

Also found in the tomb were a stele and a pair statue.

The tomb is on two levels, with an offering-chapel on the first
level and the burial chamber much lower down. It is not yet open for tourists.

 -0-

I was very lucky to get this report, Lyla had offered to
take me with her but due to my stupid inability to stand this was not an option
she then volunteered to give me a report from the scene. So nice of her.

The Dra Abu Naga area is a fascinating one, it is the
location of the tomb of Roy one of my favourite nobles tombs, very small but
exquisite. It is in a direct line and has wonderful views of Karnak temple and
was popular with people that worked at the temple. It was also overlooking the
route of the Beautiful Feast of the Valley. So quite a prestigious location.

There are some photos on facebook


(3) Em Hotep BBS