Sunday, August 9

Royal statues repatriated to join the Grand Egyptian Museum

The Egyptian Cabinet of Ministers announced Thursday that two huge royal stone statues arrived back in Egypt. The statues were among the artifacts displayed in the touring exhibition "Sunken Cities: The Enchanting World of Egypt" (USA) and included 293 artifacts recovered from the sunken city of Heracleion in Abu Qir, east of Alexandria.

The two statues will now be displayed in the presentation scenario of the Grand Egyptian Museum.Dr. Mustafa Waziri, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, explained that these two statues began their foreign tour with the exhibition in 2015, visiting the French capital Paris, the British capital London, the city of Zurich, Switzerland, and four cities in the United States of America. The exhibition is currently showing at the Virginia Museum of Art.

Professor Moamen Othman, head of the museums sector, said the two statues of a king and queen from the Ptolemaic period are made of pink granite, standng each about 5 meters tall. The king is depicted standing, wearing the double crown, his left foot forward, his hands clenched beside him; the queen, which is missing its right arm, is also seen standing with her left foot forward. She wears a fine-threaded, transparent robe and the crown of Hathor, .


大エジプト博物館に参加するために送還された王立像

エジプトの閣僚会議は木曜日に2つの巨大な王立石像がエジプトに戻ってきたと発表しました。彫像は、巡回展「沈没した都市:魅惑的なエジプトの世界」(米国)に展示された遺物の1つであり、アレキサンドリアの東、アブキアの沈没した都市ヘラクレオンから回収された293遺物が含まれていました。

2つの彫像が大エジプト博物館のプレゼンテーションシナリオに表示されます。ムスタファワジリ、古代の最高評議会の事務局長は、これら2つの像が2015年に展示会から海外ツアーを開始し、フランスの首都パリ、イギリスの首都ロンドン、チューリッヒの都市、スイスの4つの都市を訪問したと説明しました。アメリカ合衆国。展覧会は現在バージニア美術館で上映されています。

博物館部門の責任者であるモアメンオスマン教授は、プトレマイオス時代の王と女王の2つの像はピンクの花崗岩でできており、それぞれの像の長さは約5メートルであると述べました。

最初の彫像は、王が二重の冠を立てて身に着け、左足を前に向け、両手を握りしめて王様を描いています。 2番目の像は、女王が左足を前にして、透明なローブとハトホルの冠をかぶって立っています。

Wednesday, July 29

Ramesses II Temple at Abydos Yields Secrets

CairoCulture caught up with Egyptologist Sameh Iskander, head of the NYU mission in Abydos, to hear about the latest news on the Ramesses Temple discovered by his team last year.

This year's excavations have led to more fascinating details about the foundation of the temple. Votive bulls found at the site strongly indicate that the temple was still in use and still considered a sacred sacrificial site long after Ramesses II's era.


Dr Sameh Iskander: "Last year's discoveries (2019) are amazing because they were totally unexpected. we were digging around the temple to find the scattered parts of the Temple and came upon a wall. The wall led to an entrance which led to a courtyard and we found this temple palace!!*

This year's (2020) excavations have led to more details being filled in about the foundation of the temple; more evidence that it was built during  Ramesses II's reign and not during his father's (the foundation deposits bearing the throne name of Ramesses II were buried under his first temple); and now, after finding votive bulls sacrificed as late as in the Ptolemaic period, this is strong indication that the temple was still sacred 1,000 years after its founding in Ramesses II's era."

"In February 2019, the NYU archaeological mission, led by Dr. Iskander, was undertaking clearance work around the base of the temple walls to recover scattered architectural elements. During this work, on the southern side of the temple, the mission came upon a previously unknown stone walk way leading from the walkway door courtyard and the temple palace was discovered,"

* Full details of the 2019 discovery are found here: https://www.nilemagazine.com.au/s/Nile-Magazine-No-20-June-July-2019-ARCE-Update-RII_Abydos_Temple_Palace-R.pdf


Photos of artifacts and location courtesy Dr Sameh Iskander