For our May meeting (Sunday 12th May, IN PERSON) we explore the fascinating world of Deir el Medina with Suzanne Bojtos.
Deir el Medina was a village in western Thebes that housed the community of workmen who built and decorated the royal tombs in the Valley of Kings. This is our most important source of evidence for towns and villages in Egypt. (1/2)
As I am looking back at the #DreamsOfAmarna project, planning the eventual book, I am thinking about what changed between when I started and when I got to the end (I think, the end!). One of the things that changed the most was that I didn't use nearly as much goldwork as I expected.
We all think of #AncientEgypt as being a place of gold and glamour, full of wonders of metalworking, epitomised for most of us by the famous death mask of #Tutankhamun. Somehow, that isn't where the #embroidery and #watercolour led me.... Projects, it seems, have a mind of their own....
Archaeologists uncover upper section of colossal statue of Ramses II in Egypt
A collaborative effort between Egyptian and American archaeologists has resulted in the remarkable discovery of the upper section of a colossal statue of Ramses II, also known as Ramesses the Great, in the Minya Governorate of Egypt...
There are still ~70 copies of a very limited (200 total) deluxe slipcase edition Complete Encyclopedia of Egyptian Deities left. Once gone, that's it. Gorgeous - slipcase, gilded pages, bookmark, an art book and a reference. Available only at tamaraiuda.com/shop. #ceed#egyptiangods#ancientegypt
New study unveils potential of wasabi in preserving ancient papyrus
A discovery in the preservation of ancient artifacts has emerged from the Grand Egyptian Museum, where researchers have found an innovative method utilizing wasabi to safeguard delicate papyrus documents from fungal damage...
Hello Mastodon! We are a local archaeology and history society based in Ashford, Kent, UK and we'd love to follow anyone who shares our interests.
Our current season of talks comes to an end at 7.30pm on Monday 15 April, when the Society's Chairman Keith Dorman will talk about 'Defining the Hyksos - The Most Detested Enemy of Ancient Egypt'. Our next season of talks will begin this September #egypt#archaeology#history#ancientegypt#ashford#kent#talk#speaker#introductions
Bronze portrait of a Greek goddess ~ c. 300-270 BCE
This wonderfully detailed portrait suggests an idealised form of a goddess, often thought to be Artemis or Aphrodite, as both were connected with wavy and loosely bound hair.
Even so, the identity of the portrait is not secure, and other candidates include Arsinoë II, who was queen of Egypt in the 270s, but of the Ptolemy line which may explain the Greek style.
A statue of an ichneumon (Egyptian mongoose) ~ c. 664–343 BCE
The god Atum-Re who could takes the form of an ichneumon to protect the sun god from the Apophis snake. Here the ichneumon rests its head on an obelisk, bearing the name of Atum.
Afterglow of Empire Egypt from the Fall of the New Kingdom to the Saite Renaissance
During the half-millennium from the eleventh through the sixth centuries BC, the power and the glory of the imperial pharaohs of the New Kingdom crumbled in the face of internal crises and external pressures, ultimately reversed by invaders from Nubia and consolidated by natives of the Nile Delta following a series of Assyrian invasions.
by Joshua J. Mark (one of the sources for my "Women in the Ancient World" presentation)
19 October 2016
"Hatshepsut (r. 1479-1458 BCE) was the first female ruler of ancient Egypt to reign as a male with the full authority of #pharaoh. Her name means 'Foremost of Noble Women' or 'She is First Among Noble Women'. She began her reign as regent to her stepson Thutmose III (r. 1458-1425 BCE) who would succeed her.
"Initially, she ruled as a woman as depicted in statuary but, at around the seventh year of her reign, she chose to be depicted as a #MalePharaoh in statuary and reliefs though still referring to herself as female in her inscriptions. She was the fifth pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty during the period known as the New Kingdom (c. 1570 to c. 1069 BCE) and regarded as one of the most #prosperous and the era of the Egyptian Empire.
"Although she is sometimes cited as the first female ruler of Egypt, or the only one, there were women who reigned before her such as #Merneith (r. c. 3000 BCE) in the Early Dynastic Period (probably as regent) and #Sobeknefru (r. c. 1807-1802 BCE) in the Middle Kingdom and #Twosret (r. 1191-1190 BCE) after her toward the end of the 19th Dynasty. Hatshepsut, though not the first or last, is undoubtedly the best-known female ruler of ancient Egypt after #Cleopatra VII (r. c. 69-30 BCE) and one of the most successful monarchs in Egyptian history."
[Thread] So, the following is from a presentation I gave at a Women and Gender Studies class I took in 2017 (as a Classics Major). I thought it was important to post here -- especially in this day and age where women's reproductive rights are being threatened. In some ways, we've taken a step backward as time has gone on...
In ancient Egypt, it is believed that “most marriages were arranged, with an eye to social and financial advantages” (Watterson, 15).
Most Egyptian men had one wife, although men of higher status could take on other wives or concubines “with the agreement of the spouse” (Watterson, 16).
Marriage was considered a legal contract, drawn up by the “prospective husband and the bride’s father” (Watterson, 15), but often the bride was the “contracting partner (Watterson, 16) and represented her own interests.
Women were allowed to initiate divorce and “often came out of the marriage with more security than many modern women” (Watterson, 16).
If a man initiated the divorce, he “had to return her dowry, give her the marriage gift […] and pay her compensation” (Watterson, 16). If the woman initiated the divorce, she “was given back her dowry and usually a share of any property” (Watterson, 16) acquired after the marriage.
Both “parties were free to remarry” (Watterson, 16) after the divorce.
In ancient Egypt, “Birth control and abortions were available to married and unmarried women” (Mark, 8).
The #EbersPapyrus from #1500BCE, describes a “prescription to make a woman cease to become pregnant” (Mark, 8). The oldest known medical papyrus, the #KahunPapyrus (#1800BCE), “deals with diseases of women” (Watterson, 20).
“All children, whether boys or girls, were welcome at birth by ancient Egyptians” (Watterson, 17).
“In ancient Egypt, formal education was not usually given to girls” (Watterson, 17). However, there is evidence that girls were formally educated, since women were “scribes and also priests, usually of a cult of a feminine deity” (Mark, 4).
Women could work outside the home, and were “employed as weavers, bakers, brewers” (Mark, 6), and many other professions, including “estate owners” (Mark, 6). They could also be concubines, who were “accomplished in music, conversation, sewing, fashion, culture, religion, and the arts” (Mark, 6).
Hatsheput (1479-1457 BCE), claimed the throne because she was the daughter of the late king “Thutmose I by his Great Royal Wife” (Watterson, 101), and not “a concubine” (Watterson, 101). Hatsheput’s reign was known for “great achievements” (Watterson, 101) both “#architectural and commercial” (Watterson, 101). Her most successful commercial venture was “an expedition by sea to Punt, probably located in the east Sudan bordering on northern Eritrea/Ethiopia” (Watterson, 101).
Nebet (“Lady”), a Priestess of #Thoth (#Tehuti) was the “first recorded female #vizier in Ancient Egyptian history” during the late Old Kingdom of Egypt in the #SixthDynasty (#2300BC).
The vizier was appointed by the Pharaoh, and the vizier’s “paramount duty was to supervise the running of the country, such as a prime minister, at times even small details of it such as sampling the city's water supply.”
“All other lesser supervisors and officials, such as tax collectors and scribes, would report to the vizier.“
🌟 Celebrating the Birthdays of the Gods 🌟
In ancient Egypt, the final five days of the year were celebrated as the Birthdays of five of their major deities: Osiris, Horus, Seth, Isis and Nephthys.
This limestone funerary stele has a lot to offer with remnants of colour as well as two very good doggos. We’re giving this piece an 11/10 for the dogs alone!
🕰️ C2nd–C4th CE
📍Terenouthis, Egypt
🏛 Kelsey Museum of Archaeology