FACTUM ARTE- TUTANKHAMUN

This report is required reading for all lovers of the tombs. The current scale of numbers is destroying the tombs and whilst I would be the first to demand that scholars can still get access to the originals I feel that the majority of tourists would not miss out if they visited a reproduction. We have to preserve these tombs. There was a lecture at the November symposium about the work of Factum Arte, the technology was impressive. Several ideas were presented about how these reproductions could be set up, the hill and area behind the Carter House is a favoured spot. Making that whole area part of the West Bank experience. Anyway this report gives an update on the workFACTUM ARTE- TUTANKHAMUN: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

International colloquium held in Cairo from 19th to 21th septembre 2010 - Programme and Abstracts « CFEETK – Centre Franco-Égyptien d'Étude des Temples de Karnak – SCA / USR 3172 CNRS

International colloquium held in Cairo from 19th to 21th septembre 2010 - Programme and Abstracts « CFEETK – Centre Franco-Égyptien d'Étude des Temples de Karnak – SCA / USR 3172 CNRS: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

TT38 Djeserkaseneb on oririsnet

Dear friends,
We are happy to be able to present you the tomb TT38 of Djeserkaseneb, who occupied the functions of accountant of the grain of Amon, and steward of the Second Prophet of Amon. Although incomplete, the decoration is of quality, which was usual during this period, which covers the end of the reign of Thutmosis IV and the beginning of that of Amenhotep III. The monument underwent some deteriorations by the zealots of Akhenaten, who erased the name of Amon (and other elements appropriate to the loathed god).
www.osirisnet.net/djeserkareseneb38

Thierry BENDERITTER & Jon HIRST
www.osirisnet.net
Tombs of Egypt

Medamud temple, north of Luxor

Great trip to Medamud, it is on the Qena road north of Karnak. My driver did miss the turn but checked at the this the next checkpoint and we went back so fairly easy. Ibrahim Soliman had arranged the visit for us and the inspector was waiting for us but once he saw all our papers and booklets he left us to it. My fellow student was busy identify the old kingdom and middle kingdom layout underneath the Graeco Roman current temple whilst I was looking at decoration.

These are all the links etc I managed to find on the site
http://www.jstor.org/pss/25152711 this is a paper about Rat Tawy another manifestation of Hathor, the returning eye of Re

http://alain.guilleux.free.fr/medamoud/temple_montou_medamoud.php a site in French that is full of useful stuff

http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/medamud.htm

and here are some references
Porter and Moss Book V 137-150
Seaton-Williams Ptolemaic Temples 28-29
Werner The God Montu. This one is particularly good as he mentions what the temple was like at all time periods up until the New Kingdom, starting from the early temple (i.e. Kemp's pre formal). As well as having loads about the God Montu

There was an avenue of sphinxes that lead to a large gateway. this avenue apparently would have gone all the way to Karnak

The site is very similar to that at Tod temple and I have no idea why it is closed. I am going to ask Mansour Boraik about it because I think it could be open in exactly the same way with tickets being sold at Luxor temple.



There is a peristyle courtyard leading to the remains of the hypostyle hall with some nice capitals both open and closed flower capitals. Further on is the sanctuary then a back part which was on top of the middle kingdon area and has a temple to Montu as a bull



This was a coloum from the peristyle court and it was about 1.5 meters high and had Rekhyt birds all around it. Having heard the lecture by Ken Griffin I am now noticing these where ever I go.



This was an interesting image that the Rekhyt were worshiping, the king shown as young child complete with forelock of youth and sucking his thumb sitting on a lotus bud, reminded me of Tutankamun's head emerging from the lotus.


Here are the cartouches, can anyone identify them for me?



This image is one of Montu, there are various falcon headed gods but you can spot Montu as he has a sundisk AND double feathers.



There was a fairly informal block yard, not on mastabas but arrange in rows. This piece is a winged sun disk with protective snakes either side, you can just see a bit of colour. Sorry my camera is awful, I only have a camera phone at the moment but I was with someone with a good camera and as soon as I get his photos I will put them up.



More images from the block yard.




This image was tricky to get as the entrance gateway has been walled up with a rough modern wall, I guess to protect it.



A nice offering bearer



One of the things I liked was as we were resting under the trees a local family came out of their house next to the temple and crossed it taking a short cut to their destination. I do like to see the locals amongst the monuments, they belong to them and it shows the timelessness of Egypt which is part of the attraction for me.

Medamud

I am off to Medamud tomorrow, I have my written permission, the inspector is expecting us and I am going with a fellow student on my Manchester course. Should be an excellent day.

The Hibis Temple in Kharga Oasis | drhawass.com - Zahi Hawass

Kharga oasis is a day trip from Luxor and it would seem from this article well worth a visit now the temple is reopened. I hope to go there in SeptemberThe Hibis Temple in Kharga Oasis | drhawass.com - Zahi Hawass: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Flats in Luxor featured in A Place in the Sun - August 2010

I am so proud, my business Flats in Luxor is featured in this prestigious overseas property magazine. In fact a photo of my Goubli building is on the front cover!!!
A Place in the Sun - August 2010: "

So if you want to rent or buy property in Luxor you know where to come.

- Sent using Google Toolbar"

New tomb opens at Deir el Medina

TT290 Irynefer opens for tourists



I must be completely mad I heard that TT290 Irynefer had been newly opened for tourists and instead of going there early I went at 12:30. It was hot, very, very, very hot but it was worth it. When you buy your ticket for Deir el Medina at the ticket office there is a sign up saying Sennedjem is closed for restoration and they have opened Irynefer in its place. Although the English is a little ambiguous lol.

It is at the far end of the village and slightly up the hill. They have made a new shelter and sign for it. It is part of the normal Deir el Medina ticket and instead of Sennedjem which is being restored you get Irynefer. It doesn’t have any of that nasty plastic screening so please be careful with backpacks and brushing the walls if you visit.


The burial chamber is barrel vaulted and very nicely decorated. The round walls are on the north and south ends and the entrance is in the East wall.

Along the north wall the owner and his wife are adoring and they are wearing very Ramaside clothing, his kilt has a high back and her dress is elaborately pleated. There is a figure of Kephri as well as a god I am not familiar with who was lying along the top of a shrine or pylon, had rams horns and a feather on top of his head. According to Porter and Moss it was Sobek. It was like a sphinx pose and there was a snake in a wave above his back. There was a sen priest behind Kephri who is seatd in front of an offering table. In the second register the deceased was adoring Osiris and two guardians at the gate . There are 42 judges (I counted) and they go around from the north to the west wall. Shu and Maat are seated on left.

Also on the west wall there are also snakes and feathers alternating with baboons representing Thoth at the end. On the curve of the ceiling there are several ibis headed gods as well as a lot of familiar Gods, including the goddesses Isis and Nephytys. The deceased stands in front of falcon (Horus) with a flail. Then the deceased is being led forward by Anubis to Osiris. Above that are 5 star gods alternating red and green faces with the stars next to them.

On the south wall there is a large figure of Anubis and a mummified body lying on a lion headed couch.

The east wall is the most interesting, there is a vignette of a silhouetted human figure, apparently the shadow of the deceased a ba bird and a ba bird in flight and a black sun. Then there is Hathor (according to Porter and Moss Mehitwert-cow) lying down beside a lake, then a winged Nut with a green body and a red dress with white ribbons, although her shoulders are square onto you one breast shows which is decidedly odd looking. On the bottom register there are two vignettes one of a mummy mask on a pylon and the other of a head rest on a pylon. Complimenting Osiris on the west wall we have Ptah with the deceased and his parents. The deceased is offering a large Maat figure. Then there are two white wigged figure of a man and woman his parents Siwazyt, a priest(Head of the bark of Amun) and Tausret, his mother both wearing very Ramaside garments. the parents are shown much larger size than the deceased due to their rank. The middle register has two trees with a red sun and the deceased and his wife, Mehytkhati, adore a white calf in-between the tress. In the bottom register there is a phoenix or benu-bird in a boat with the deceased with his son on the left. The top register has the deceased drinking from a lake in front of a palm tree, similar to Pashedu but the palm tree is in front in that tomb.


I had a lot of difficulty find any information about this tomb, especially with Chicago House being closed but did find this article http://www.egiptomania.com/EEF/Blindness.pdf which speculates that spell 135 is about a solar eclipse and is in this tomb.


Osirisnet only has an intro, this image was an old cached one from Osirisnet but the current page says under construction.

Edited Ken Griffin very kindly sent me this "The tomb of Irynefer is published
Bruyère, Bernard and Charles Kuentz. La tombe de Nakht-Min et la tombe d'Ari-Nefer (= MIFAO, 54, 1), see especially Pp. 67-152." as well as directing me to Porter and Moss and I have given my description a good edit based on that info

Astronomical Ceiling discovered in South Assasif

Judging by the photos I have found on the South Assasif website http://www.southasasif.com/Map.html the astronomical ceiling has been found. It had been mentioned in old documentation about the tomb but nobody had any idea if it still existed. They must have been really excited to rediscover it. Astronomical ceilings, especially ones coloured as brightly as this one as quite unique. As you can see there is still a lot of clearing to be done and there are many fragments in all that fill. The art at that time has very distinct Nubian features which is why these kings are often referred to as the black pharaohs.

BBC News - Boost for Luxor tourism threatens local lifestyles

BBC News - Boost for Luxor tourism threatens local lifestyles: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

More Sphinx Avenue updates

Stele of Ramses VI found in avenue of sphinxes according to Mansour Boraik, he is going to take me on another update, probably after 18th so watch this space :)

Hurrah Sofra is back

Dear All,

Sofra Restaurant & Café in Luxor has finally opened after 2 months of renovation work.

After a lot of hard work, we are excited to welcome back our guests to Sofra Restaurant and Café.

See you soon.

Kind regards,

Sofra Restaurant & Café
90, Mohamed Farid Street
Luxor, Egypt
Phone: 0020 95 2 35 97 52
E-mail: info@sofra.com.eg
Website: www.sofra.com.eg

IPM/AUC - The Modern Neighbors of Tutankhamun : History, Life, and Work in the Villages of the Theban West Bank

I am so glad to see this being documented, they deserve to be recognised.IPM/AUC - The Modern Neighbors of Tutankhamun : History, Life, and Work in the Villages of the Theban West Bank: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

EasyJet to start Gatwick flight to Luxor - www.travelweekly.co.uk

What good news for Luxor's independent accommodation market (including me at Flats in Luxor www.flatsinluxor.co.uk) now a holiday to Egypt becomes much more afforable, there is plenty of cheap accommodation here, villas, flats and hotels. This will be a big help for students of Egyptology who would dearly love to spend a longer time here. Well done Easyjet EasyJet to start Gatwick flight to Luxor - www.travelweekly.co.uk: "Services will depart Gatwick twice a week, on Monday and Wednesday, with passengers bound for the Valley of the Kings and Nile cruises.

At present, only charter carriers serve Luxor. Thomson, Thomas Cook and Monarch each fly once a week from Gatwick, while charters also operate from Manchester, Birmingham and Bristol.

EasyJet’s flights will raise capacity sharply.

Its pricing, leading in at £127.81 return including tax, is likely to take business from existing carriers on the route.

- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Update from www.osirisnet.net

Dear friends,
We have the great pleasure to present to you the tomb TT60, classically assigned to the vizier Antefoqer, but which actually belongs to the lady Senet, of whom it is not known if she represents the mother or a wife of Antefoqer. He was one of the characters the best-known from the reign of Sesostris I, was represented there extensively, but has often (not always) been erased, without actually knowing why. TT60 thus retains part of its mysteries. Moreover, this is the only tomb relatively well preserved from the Middle Kingdom in Thebes.
http://www.osirisnet.net/tombes/nobles/antefoqer/e_antefoqer_01.htm

Whilst looking at TT60 from the valley, it is impossible to miss the portico of tomb TT83 of the vizier of Thutmosis III, Aametju (called Ahmosis) which is found immediately below TT60. The tomb now carries very little decor, but it seemed interesting to present it in our category "A glimpse", because it was used as a residence for several generations of Egyptologists, of which the first was the Englishman Wilkinson http://www.osirisnet.net/tombes/nobles/aametjou83/e_aametjou83.htm

Enjoy
Thierry BENDERITTER & Jon HIRST
www.osirisnet.net
Tombs of Egypt

But surely there is nothing left to find out about?

I am sure many of you wonder what on earth students find to research and look at. I have a big bunch staying at my flats at the moment working on the South Assasif project. They are all on their Masters or PhD and it has been totally fascinating seeing what interests them and what they are looking into. You would think there is nothing left to be discovered but you would be very wrong. Take Ken Griffin, as you know from my lecture notes he is obsessed with the Rekhyt Rebus, I love a enthusiast you can’t help but get interested yourself. He mentions that he is organising a trip on their day off to Esna and Edfu. Now not being a big fan of Ptolemaic temples I suggest they stop at El Kab instead as it is a much more interesting site. He corrects me, there are 25 Rekhyts at Esna. Ok I think.

Then he shows me an inscription. It spells out the word Rekhyt with a determinative of a man holding a bird. This bird looks like a goose however most software does not have all these various nuances of glyph and he wants to check if the bird is really a goose or a lapwing. If it is a lapwing then he will have to create a new hieroglyphic of a man holding a lapwing as a determinative. Suddenly Esna sounds like the place to be and I am so excited to hear back after their trip, will it be a goose or a lapwing? I will let you know.