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24.01.2022 This stunning image of the pyramid field of North Saqqara is by Šárka Bejdová, photographer for the Czech Institute of Egyptology. The pyramids of three pharaohs and one queen can be seen stretching across the Saqqara landscape - and across more than 300 years of pyramid building. In the background is the world's first stone pyramid: the Step Pyramid of Djoser (3rd Dynasty, ca. 2650 B.C.). ... Directly in front of that is the Pyramid of Userkaf, built 160 years later (5th Dynasty, ca. 2490 B.C.). The low mound in the middle of the picture is the pyramid built for the 6th Dynasty's King Teti, around 150 years later, (ca. 2340 B.C.). In the foreground are the ruins of the pyramid belonging to Teti's wife, Queen Iput I. Iput must have been a prominent woman in the lives of three Old Kingdom pharaohs. She was the daughter of one pharaoh (the 5th Dynasty's King Unas), the principal queen of Teti, and the mother of Teti's son, King Pepi I.
22.01.2022 Another free article from NILE Magazine! The Amarna head-cone discovery. What ARE those head cones we see perched on top of elaborate wigs in banquet scenes from Egyptian tombs? Some think they are made of perfumed wax or fat, designed to slowly melt and infuse the wig with aromatic wonders. Others believe that the cones are more symbolic of the guest being purified and smelling fabulous. The discovery at Amarna of the first physical cones may help solve the puzzle. (From Nil...e #25, MayJune 2020). Enjoy! https://www.nilemagazine.com.au/free-samples-articles Photo courtesy of Ramón Verdaguer & Christiane MaquetSoloegipto.
22.01.2022 Imagine being the first person to lay eyes on this tomb since it was sealed and buried some 2,500 years ago. This is one of the intact tombs discovered in Saqqara this month by Egyptian archaeologists. You can even see a little pile of ash on the floor by the left-hand wall, which is likely the remains of a burning offering left there by the family of the last person to be interred here. The tombs were reused over many generations, which is quite normal. The newest coffins ar...e the ones piled at the front. This group is dated to Egypt's 26th Dynasty (664-525 B.C.) So far 59 coffins have been pulled out of the three unplundered shaft tombs discovered by the Egyptians, with the expectation that there are many more to come. I hope they have plenty of room at the Grand Egyptian Museum!
21.01.2022 I love museum collections. I think they bring together the very best of human ingenuity, passion and faith, and it's great to see that one of the world's best, the British Museum, is again open. Naturally, the Egyptian Sculpture Gallery is a must-see. It's been a must-see for 170 years. To manage numbers for social distancing, visitors now need to book a timed slot in advance, and masks are required, unless you are exempt.... This atmospheric photo, with sunlight pouring into the British Museum's Egyptian Sculpture Gallery, was taken 100 years ago by C.F. Hogkins.
20.01.2022 Another collector's edition is heading your way. NILE #27 is out now with a wonderful painting of Ramesses II's Queen Nefertari by Howard Carter (yes, that Howard Carter) on the cover. Before he was famous, Howard Carter helped wealthy American couple Laura and Kingsmill Marrs put together a fabulous collection of Egyptian antiquities, later donated to the Worcester Art Museum in Massachusetts. Some of their finest jewellery and artefacts are showcased in this issue. Prepare ...to be wowed! Also in this issue: The Biggest Discovery of 2020 Hundreds of Late Period coffins are unearthed at Saqqara, the necropolis of ancient Memphis. Harps Ancient Egypt has always rung to the sound of music, and harps have been there as long as the Great Pyramid of Giza. Sais The Delta home of the creator goddess Neith. The Kadesh Obsession Did you know that Ramesses II wasn't the only pharaoh obsessed with conquering Kadesh? The Amarna Letters The revealing private correspondence between the pharaoh and his foreign counterparts. Plus, the events and exhibitions that are open again, and beautiful vintage photography! Read more about the issue here: www.nilemagazine.com.au Download a free sample: bit.ly/Nile_Free_Samples Subscribe to get doorstep delivery: bit.ly/Nile_Print Or get a digital version: bit.ly/Nile_Digital And, as alwaysenjoy your NILE time!
19.01.2022 Oh, that we could all age as gracefully. This is Tawosret, who appears in the tomb of her son, Irynefer (TT 290) at Deir el-Medina, the royal tomb-builders' village near the Valley of the Kings at Luxor. Tawosret's white wig tells us that she reached a ripe old age, which was something to be proud of in an era when reaching your 40s was impressive.... Aside from her hair, however, Tawosret appears eternally youthful, having predeceased her son and been revived as an 'akh' spirit, able to cross the threshold between the worlds of the living and dead. Irynefer, by the way, served under two kings: Seti I and Ramesses II, in the early 19th Dynasty. Photo: Jeffrey Ross Burzacott
19.01.2022 From the current issue of NILE Magazine. This may be the most true-to-life portrait of Akhenaten we have. The maverick, Aten-obsessed pharaoh is usually portrayed in an unusual, elongated and androgynous style. In this statue, however, the king is shown closer to the traditional design that had lasted thousands of years before him.... This sculpture was once part of a statue pair. Curled around Akhenaten's back is the arm of a woman - presumably Nefertiti. Wouldn't it be wonderful if THAT portrait was unearthed one day! This yellow limestone statue is now in the Musée du Louvre (N 831, AF 109). Photo courtesy Ilinca Bartos.
19.01.2022 The latest internet sensation for people who love ancient Egypt is this photo of Akhenaten's cat. Pharaoh Akhenaten lifted a relatively peripheral god - Aten - to the role of principal creator. Aten's life-giving sunlight now required daily worship, and this kitty is certainly doing its bit! This terrific photo is by Masayoshi Yamamoto (@nekoiroiro on Twitter). Love your work Masayoshi!
18.01.2022 This ebony statuette may be a rare image of Crown Prince Thutmose - Akhenaten's older brother. If Thutmose hadn't died young, then the entire Amarna Period may not have happened. The cover story of the current issue of NILE Magazine is a fabulous piece by the Nile Scribes (no relation) on five ancient Egyptian words you didn't know you knew. One of those words is 'ebony'. The low-slung kilt and almond-shaped eyes of this ebony statuette are tell-tale signs that it dates to th...e 18th-Dynasty reign of Amenhotep III (ca. 1370 B.C.). Judging by the shaved head, this man likely held priestly titles, while the rim of royal cobalt blue glass surrounding the proper right eye suggests that this figure was likely a close male relative of the king. Before he died, Prince Thutmose served as the High Priest of Ptah in Memphis. Image courtesy the Cleveland Museum of Art, Acc. No. 1983.98
18.01.2022 We've finally done it! After many requests, all back issues of NILE Magazine can now be purchased as hi-res PDFs - including the issues that have sold out in print. We hope this extra reading material will help you stay safe and sane during this crazy year! Of course, you can still grab back issues of the fabulous print version of NILE (our favourite), or even the app version to enjoy on your smart device.... Readers tell us that one of the reasons they love NILE Magazine is the spectacular images. So we took the opportunity to "remaster" some of the back issues, with even higher-resolution images that we have been able to source since the original issues were published. To complete your collection, head here: https://www.nilemagazine.com.au/back-issues-home
18.01.2022 Something has always intrigued me about this photo. It shows the famous bust of Nefertiti being presented to German Egyptologist Hermann Ranke, shortly after its discovery on December 6, 1912. Ranke was overseeing the excavations at Amarna at the time of the discovery. Nefertiti's bust is famously missing its left eye, and, despite an intensive search of the sculptor's workshop in which the bust was found, never turned up. Examination of the eye socket revealed no trace of th...e eye ever having been there, which had led to suggestions that the bust was still a work in progress when it was abandoned, or that it was used as a teaching aid and deliberately left unfinished. What intrigues me, however, is the whiteness of where the left eye should be, compared with the dusty surface of the rest of the sculpture. After 3,000 years in the Amarna sand and rubble, it's hard to imagine that any exposed plastered surface could still be so dazzlingly white. It almost looks like something HAD just fallen out of that spot. Perhaps the quartz eye did, in fact, fall out when the bust was being excavated, and pocketed by a workman, before being spirited away on the antiquities market. If that was the case, then someone, somewhere, may very well own the missing left of Queen Nefertiti. Credit: Universitätsarchiv Freiburg/ Estate of Prince Johann Georg
17.01.2022 If someone wanted to memorialize me like this, I'd be OK with it. This is Antinous, immortalised as Osiris by the Roman Emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century A.D. Antinous was part of Hadrian's imperial entourage, and they appear to have enjoyed a particularly close relationship. The two spent several years romping around the Roman Empire until 130 A.D. when young Antinous - just 20 years old - drowned in the Nile.... A heartbroken Hadrian had Antinous memorialized by founding a city in his name - Antinoupolis in Middle Egypt - close to the bend of the river where he died. Osiris-Antinous lives on today in the Art Institute of Chicago.
16.01.2022 A fresh discovery of 100 beautifully-preserved coffins at Saqqara. Congratulations to the all-Egyptian team for their efforts this year, totalling nearly 200 Late and Ptolemaic Period coffins in all. But I must confess that what I love most is the stunning setting they chose for the press conference! Behind the funerary figures, chests and mummy masks, and a sample of the more fabulous-looking coffins, is the restored entrance and enclosure wall to the sacred precinct of Djoser's Step Pyramid. It's more than 4,600 years old. Magnificent.
14.01.2022 Nothing says Christmas like Egyptian hieroglyph cookie cutters! (Just 10 weeks to go folks.) https://bakerlogy.com//set-of-8-egyptian-hieroglyphs-cooki
14.01.2022 Hats off to whoever is running the Garstang Museum of Archaeology social media. This is wonderful.
14.01.2022 Forever young. Funerary masks present the deceased in a perfect, eternal state. This particular one has a serene quality that is simply mesmerising. This mask belonged to a high official at the end of the 18th Dynasty, around 3,300 years ago. As a symbol of rebirth, a lotus bloom hangs over the front of his wig. This indicates that this man has been elevated as a pure, divine spirit.... The two rows of golden beads tell us that he was rewarded by his king for distinguished service. Having the necklaces included on his mask meant that he could hope to enjoy the pharaoh's favour forever. This beautiful cartonnage mask is today in the Art & History Museum in Brussels (Acc. No. E.6884).
12.01.2022 "One wonders that people come back from Egypt and live lives as they did before." - Florence Nightingale, 1849 1849 was also the year that French photographer Maxime Du Camp took the first photo of the Great Sphinx at Giza. Today is World Photography Day, and with the Great Sphinx in mind, I thought you might enjoy one of my favourites photographs - by renowned Egyptian cinematographer & photographer, Ramses Marzouk.... This spectacular shot from between the paws of the Great Sphinx was taken in 1970.
11.01.2022 How good is this! Over 4,000 years ago, the women of this walled Asiatic fortress stood up to the enemy soldiers who had breached the walls. Check out the top register where a soldier holding a bow is being stabbed by a woman, and another man is surrendering by breaking his bow. Well, that's what Flinders Petrie thought when he discovered the scene in 1897. This relief is from the Sixth Dynasty tomb of Inti at Deshasheh in Middle Egypt. A second look by modern scholars, however, reveals that we are actually looking at the Asiatic women treating their wounded after their ranks were decimated by Egyptian troops. The man being stabbed, for example, is actually having the arrow removed that is piercing his chest. Mind you, part of me still prefers the original "kick-ass women" interpretation!
11.01.2022 I know THAT feeling!
10.01.2022 What could possibly go wrong...?
10.01.2022 Happy Halloween! I made it a mission to share with you the spookiest Egyptianesque photo I could find, and this is it: a mummy/ghost-like figure in front of the Great Sphinx. Yep, pretty creepy. This is actually American dancer Loïe Fuller who became famous throughout Europe in the late 19th/early 20th centuries for her dramatic stage performances that involved vast swathes of billowing fabric. I'm not sure what statement Fuller is making here, but if she is trying to give pe...ople the shivers, it's working! This photo was taken in 1914, around ten years before the Sphinx was freed of the sand that had engulfed it for almost two millennia. Enjoy your night of black cats and crazed mummies!
09.01.2022 Now THIS is how I expect a god of Egypt to look. Meet Anubis, god of embalming and protector of the cemeteries. Just as Anubis mummified the murdered Osiris and prepared him to rise as ruler of the netherworld, Egypt's well-off could expect Anubis to be there for their own embalming.... This diorite statue (ÆIN 33) is in the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen. It was discovered in Luxor Temple and is dated to the reign of the 18th Dynasty's Amenhotep III.
09.01.2022 Another collector's edition is heading your way! NILE #27 is out now with a wonderful painting of Ramesses II's Queen Nefertari by Howard Carter (yes, that Howard Carter) on the cover. Before he was famous, Howard Carter helped wealthy American couple Laura and Kingsmill Marrs put together a fabulous collection of Egyptian antiquities, later donated to the Worcester Art Museum in Massachusetts. Some of their finest jewellery and artefacts are showcased in this issue. Prepare ...to be wowed! Also in this issue: The Biggest Discovery of 2020 Hundreds of Late Period coffins are unearthed at Saqqara, the necropolis of ancient Memphis. Harps Ancient Egypt has always rung to the sound of music, and harps have been there as long as the Great Pyramid of Giza. Sais The Delta home of the creator goddess Neith. The Kadesh Obsession Did you know that Ramesses II wasn't the only pharaoh obsessed with conquering Kadesh? The Amarna Letters The revealing private correspondence between the pharaoh and his foreign counterparts. Plus, the events and exhibitions that are open again, and beautiful vintage photography! Read more about the issue here: www.nilemagazine.com.au Download a free sample: bit.ly/Nile_Free_Samples Subscribe to get doorstep delivery: bit.ly/Nile_Print Or get a digital version: bit.ly/Nile_Digital And, as alwaysenjoy your NILE time!
08.01.2022 Mummy portraits from Egypt's Roman era - when Egypt was part of the Roman Empire - can be strikingly beautiful. This example, now in the Liebieghaus Skulpturensammlung in Frankfurt, Germany, shows a young woman whose curled hair is adorned with a wreath of leaves, and thick eyelashes framing her large eyes. In the current issue of NILE Magazine, Sofia Aziz points out that these portraits could be so detailed that modern researchers can identify the various afflictions of whic...h their subjects suffered. MUMMY PORTRAIT OF A GIRL Roman Egypt, ca. 120150 a.d. Encaustic on sycamore wood. Height 35.5 cm Photo by and Liebieghaus Skulpturensammlung, Frankfurt, Germany.
06.01.2022 Now THAT is worth getting up early for. The rejuvenated morning sun rising over the Nile and reaching into the heart of Hatshepsut's cult temple at Deir el-Bahari. Thanks Mohamed A Fahmy!
06.01.2022 Nectanebo II meets a new admirer. This sphinx (SCA 282) is thought to represent Necanebo II of Egypt's 30th Dynasty (ca. 350 B.C.), who ruled during a brief flowering of independence between waves of occupation by the Persians. After Nectanebo II, there would never be another native Egyptian pharaoh. This photo is from "Treasures of Ancient Egypt: Sunken Cities", a touring exhibition now at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in ... Richmond. The exhibition showcases underwater artefacts retrieved from the ancient Delta cities of Thonis-Heracleion and Canopus, which sank beneath the waves over 1,200 years ago. See more
06.01.2022 The Burial of Nefertiti? Be prepared to be convinced - or at least have your assumptions challenged. Nicholas Reeves' famous theory: What we know as the Tomb of Tutankhamun (KV 62) is simply the outer section of a much larger, sealed-off tomb belonging to Nefertiti, who was buried as a fully-fledged pharaoh. When young Tutankhamun died prematurely, Nefertiti's tomb was opened and adapted for the teenage pharaoh. Beyond the Burial Chamber's decorated north wall is a corridor l...eading to the female pharaoh's burial. The brilliant videos created by Peter Gremse that explain Reeves' theory are worth binge-watching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXpiZUno0kc&feature=youtu.be There are five videos in all, which explain in amazing detail: - the position of the hidden doorways - the radar data that supports the theory - how portraits on the North Wall match Nefertiti's famous bust - how the tomb was adapted for Tutankhamun's burial - how it looked for Nefertiti's original burial - how Howard Carter 'touched-up' the decoration Enjoy the videos, and post in the comments what you think! Jeff Burzacott, Editor
04.01.2022 OK, so maybe there was just a little stirring. In this scene from a Ramesside "Satirical Papyrus", a seated lady mouse, draped in a gown made from the sheerest linen, enjoys a drink while she soaks up the pampering from two cats. Oh to be an ancient Egyptian mouse! Wishing you and your loved ones (furry or otherwise) a wonderful Christmas!... This 19th Dynasty papyrus is in Cairo's Egyptian Museum (JE 31199).
03.01.2022 Nile #26 is out now, exclusively for our fabulous subscribers, with a striking image of what may be Akhenaten's older brother on the cover. The statue is carved from ebonyone of a number of ancient Egyptian words that we use today. Want to know the others? You know what to do. Also in this issue:... The Jewelled Mummy The Djehuty Project in Luxor uncovers the mummy of a teenage girl, decked out in fabulous jewellery. The Fayum Mummy Portraits Known as the Rembrandts of ancient Egypt, can these portraits reveal neurological diseases? ARCE Update The mystery surrounding a newly-discovered skeleton at Abydos will have you looking at royal images in a whole new light. The Power of Images The ancient Egyptians raised and toppled statues too. We explore why. Encounters with Mummies Fascinating, historical first-time encounters with Egyptian mummies. Plus, the events and exhibitions that are opening again, and some sensational vintage photography! Read more about the issue here: www.nilemagazine.com.au Download a free sample: bit.ly/Nile_Free_Samples Subscribe to get doorstep delivery: bit.ly/Nile_Print Or get a digital version: bit.ly/Nile_Digital Enjoy your Nile time!
01.01.2022 The beautiful Nefertari, principal wife of Ramesses II, holds two blue nu-pots before a table of offerings (out of picture) - a watercolour by Howard Carter. In 1908, Howard Carter was earning some extra cash by selling artworks to wealthy visitors to Egypt. He painted this gure of Queen Nefertari on commission for Massachusetts "it couple" Kingsmill and Laura Marrs. Nefertari’s fabulously-decorated tomb (QV 66) had been discovered just four years earlier. The figure of Nefe...rtari (the cover of the current issue of NILE Magazine) comes from a scene on the descending corridor leading to the queen’s sarcophagus chamber. Carter's painting was donated to the Worcester Art Museum in Massachusetts, which is planning a 2022 exhibition to showcase its fabulous Egyptian collection, and to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the discovery of Tutankhamun’s Tomb. Photo Worcester Art Museum, Mrs. Kingsmill Marrs Collection, Acc. No. 1925.144.
01.01.2022 The crowds were down at Karnak Temple for the winter solstice sunrise because of you-know-what, which would have made it even more magical. Check out this brilliant set of photos from Mustafa Karim, as the sun pours through the Temple of Amun and creation begins anew. Definitely bucket-list material.
