During those two decades, Hatshepsut began to wear the traditional Pharaonic false beard and other accoutrements of office, and men's clothing with body armor to conceal her breasts and other female attributes, as she can be seen in statues created at Deir el-Bahari, her mortuary temple. She also changed her name, giving it a masculine rather than a feminine ending, and became "His Majesty, Hatshepsu." In other words, she ruled as a man, a male pharaoh, not simply as a regent. As a result, she is now considered to be one of the most illustrious women from ancient Egypt, along with Nefertiti and Cleopatra. Hatshepsut apparently never remarried after Thutmose II died, but may have taken her architect and chief steward, Senenmut, as a lover; an image of him was carved, perhaps secretly, on Hatshepsut's funerary temple at Deir el-Bahari, whose construction he oversaw.
1177B.C. The Year Civilization Collapsed, Eric H. Cline
Have a question for the Egyptologists and knowledgeable fans of Ancient Egypt about ostrich feathers.
(btw is there an Egyptologist Tumblr community? I follow @thatlittleegyptologist but don't know of any other accounts. HMU!)
When I was in Egypt last month I went to the Grand Egyptian Museum to take the very limited tour of the atrium they offer now. It... wasn't worth the money. Anywho, our tour guide did his best to make it seem valuable by talking a LOT about each thing he showed us.
Next to the colossal statue of Ramses II that dominates the atrium there's a table showing the emblems of royal iconography. The sun disk, the nemes headdress, cow horns, and a feather. He asks us if we know what that last one is and I or someone says it's the feather of Ma'at. Correct! Do we know what bird it comes from? The ostrich, someone else says. Why did they choose ostrich feathers for Ma'at and also certain crowns?
On this trip I had gone to the Nubian museum and thus had just seen several pieces of art from pre-historical peoples that utilized ostrich eggs, including a famous one that had three pyramids etched into it along with some animals. So I said something like: The ostrich has been an important animal even before the pharaohs. They relied on it for food and made art with the eggs. The tour guide (Mark) said: That's an awfully materialistic view. No, that's not why.
Now... I know I'm not an expert even though I know a lot about ancient Egypt. But "a materialistic view"? Like somehow it's not enough that ostriches provided food and probably were used in other, important ways? Why do you think Hathor is represented as a cow and there are cow horns incorporated in crowns? Because they look cool? wtf?
Mark then goes on to tell this story. Back in the dawn of civilization in Egypt the Egyptian man didn't have much to do during the day. (eyebrow raise) So he started collecting feathers from all the birds that flew above him in the sky. (...um... wait...) He would collect and then count the barbules and do you know what he discovered? Only the ostrich had the same number of them on both sides. That's why this is the feather of balance and justice.
Friends. I have never wanted to scream SHENANIGANS or at least CITE YOUR SOURCES so much in my life. Like... what?
Leaving aside the implication that ostriches were somehow flying above ancient Egyptians or that there was some point where men didn't have a dang thing to do all day but count the little hairs on feathers, I feel like this explanation is complete hooey. I mean, it could be that all or some of an ostrich's feathers have the same amount of barbules on either side of the middle bit. You might even be able to convince me that this isn't true for any other bird that someone from the Nile valley 6,000+ years ago had access to. But I'm going to need a ton of supporting evidence that this is the sole reason why the feather of Ma'at is an ostrich feather and not for the "materialistic" reasons I cited.
Also, I'm sorry, but I'm real sure predynastic Nile valley dwellers were far more concerned about food and shelter than coming up with complex reasons for using a certain kind of feather to represent a metaphysical thing.
However, I could be wrong! So I'm asking: is there evidence for Mark's version of events? Is this, you know, written somewhere in a papyrus or on a temple wall or another place? I would honestly love to read any papers on this subject, whatever the background on it.
As to the Grand Egyptian Museum, I really hope that whoever they hire to give tours when the whole thing opens are better at this than Mark. I wasn't impressed with his tour overall and eventually gave up listening to him once I saw that there was a gelato place open for business inside.
In 1922, the world was shaken by British archaeologist Howard Carter's groundbreaking discovery of King Tutankhamun's tomb. Just imagine: Carter and a native egyptian, completely mesmerized, stand before the breathtaking golden coffin of a young pharaoh, a sight that left humanity in awe due to its immense opulence and extraordinary preservation.
For over 3,000 years, this tomb had remained hidden, safeguarding a treasure trove that opened the doors to Kemet’s burial practices and the lavish lives of its royalty. Carter’s meticulous work didn’t merely scratch the surface; it unveiled the mysteries surrounding one of Kemet’s most legendary figures and revolutionized our understanding of the civilization’s remarkable grandeur.
Dr. Ramadan Hussein from Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen (Germany). He has undertaken excavations in the Saqqara necropolis, featured in the doumentary Kingdom of the Mummies (2020).
The new archaeological season has begun, showing promise in Luxor, the capital of world tourism. There are currently five archaeological missions, including three Egyptian missions, one Spanish, and one American conducting excavations there. Several new mission and projects have been approved for the new season. Luxor is known for its rich tombs and pharaonic temples, … Continued
By Al-Masry Al-Youm
"The new archaeological season has begun, showing promise in Luxor, the capital of world tourism. There are currently five archaeological missions, including three Egyptian missions, one Spanish, and one American conducting excavations there. Several new mission and projects have been approved for the new season."
"Luxor is known for its rich tombs and pharaonic temples, which all seem like they will see a strong tourist season."
"Last season witnessed many discoveries and restorations of Pharaonic tombs, palaces, and statues of Pharaonic kings in several areas."
Limestone sarcophagus of Prince Thutmose's cat. 18th Dynasty, New Kingdom, reign of King «Amenhotep III», from Mit Rahina. H.: 64 cm. The son of King « #Amenhotep III», Thutmose, was the high priest of Ptah of Memphis during his father's reign. This sarcophagus was used to bury his pet cat in the cemetery of Memphis. The stone box is a smaller version of the type used to bury people, and it is decorated with the funerary deities, such as Isis, Nephthys, and the four sons of Horus, who regularly are invoked to protect the mummies of all people. The cat itself is referred to as an Osiris, an indication that it would be able to reach the netherworld and be judged in the Hall of the Truth there. Pets were not infrequently represented on both royal and private monuments;dogs and cats were the most commonly depicted. both species were shown accompanying their masters on hunting expedition, and also sitting calmly beneath their masters' chairs in tomb offering scenes. Like their owners, pets might expect to partake of food offerings through their loyalty, and prince Thutmose's cat. Ta-Mit (literally "female cat"). must have been greatly valued by her owner. Egyptian Museum, Cairo. JE 30172 / CG 5003 Photo : Sandro Vannini. Source :Tutankhamun The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs. #egyptologists #مصر #تاريخ #مصر_الفرعونية #المتحف_المصري #egypt #egyptian #history #like4like #followforfollow #egyptiantattoo #cat #tomboy #likes
