'Sensational' Egypt find offers clues in hunt for Cleopatra’s tomb

Don't you know it takes money to dig holes in the earth and do not forget the permit fees.

 

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I think, to a degree, there might be some element of promotion, but not hubris. The finding of these mummies is significant, and it certainly seems to point that the archaeologists are making major progress, if not in finding Cleopatra VII's tomb, which they might indeed find, but at the very least expanding our knowledge of Ptolemaic Egypt.

 

For one who has read a great deal about Egypt's past, I find most discoveries are overly dramatized and now more tightly controlled and scripted by the Egyptian Government than ever before.

 

I think you're right. National governments such as Egypt like to control the narrative, and, for better or worse, politics does enter the picture, but this is nothing new when it comes to archaeology and goes back in the mists of time.

To a degree I think this is so because of an attitude that the European powers in the nineteenth century had towards nations with ancient artifacts. A classic case is Elgin Parthenon Marbles, in the British Museum. Greece claims, I think with good cause, that these marbles were looted by Lord Elgin in the early 1800's, when Greece was still under Ottoman rule, and therefore should be returned as part of Greece's patrimony. To this day the issue is in stalemate.

 

The problem with tombs of famous people is exactly that. They were famous people. The more famous the deceased, the more elaborate the tomb. That means it was expensive to build, lots of staff involved and of course everyone knew that it was full with gold. Almost impossible to keep it a secret and even harder to safely guard it from looting. Finding an non-looted tomb of Cleo or Alex or any other famous emperor/ceasar is harder than winning the lottery.

 

I certainly think so. I recall reading about how Howard Carter had to keep Lord Carnarvon interested in continuing to fund his digs in Egypt. It was always one more season and the promise of spectacular discovery. Fortunately for Carter he finally hit paydirt.

 

I read an article that stated Carnarvon was willing to fund only one more season and voila, Tut's Tomb.

 

I would like to see them find this guys tomb.

 

Imhotep, right?

 

In popular culture, Carnavaron was reputed to have died from the mummy's curse...

"Encouraged by newspaper speculation, the "Curse of Tutankhamun," or, the "Mummy's Curse," entered popular culture and was fueled further speculation by author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's suggestion that Carnarvon's death in Cairo in 1923 had been caused by "elementals" created by Tutankhamun's priests to guard the royal tomb..."

 

The History Blog has weighed in on this story, for another perspective:

http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/59088

 

For years the Egyptologist Walter Emery looked for Imhoteps tomb but never did find it.He is named as the "sculptor/architect" on a statue base from Netjerikhets (Djosers) pyramid complex and is believed to be a brother of the king. He latter became a demi-god master of medicine in later Egyptian folklore. The early dynasty's and the old kingdom are my favourite era's in ancient Egypt.

 

I am actually surprised how vast and big the history of Egypt is. I was one time looking into the history and it is unbelievable complex with all the dynastic and kingdom periods. Never got the time to dive deeper in it any further, but definitely interesting.

 

Julius Caesar is closer in time to us than to the Great Pyramid. Think on that.

 

Can't decide who I had a bigger crush on: Liz Taylor or Winona Ryder.

 

I enjoy Egyptian History, but they did not have coins until the Greeks invaded.

Instead, I am capturing Royal Scarabs that feature cartouches of Pharoahs.

Thuthmosis III ca 1504-1450 BCE

Egypt SCARAB Thuthmosis III ca 1504-1450 BCE ex CNG ex Hendin

 

Nice scarabs @Alegandron - it is strange that the Egyptians never developed a circulating metallic currency until the time of Nectanebo (very late in the Pharaonic cycle) and those were used primarily to pay Greek mercenaries. Of course, Ptolemy changed all of this, and the Romans continued a robust coinage struck in Alexandria for centuries.

To me, it seems unusual that there was only one mint (Alexandria) given the length of the country - 845 km between Cairo and Aswan and Alexandria is even further away from the southernmost outpost in Roman times. Instead of Cairo, the Romans built the fortress called Babylon which is in the Old City. Al-Qahira (Cairo) was not really much of a town until the 7th century when the Arabs made it the seat of the country after defeating the Byzantines.

 

An 18th Dynasty scarab! Now, that is cool.

 

Also, this...Cleopatra's Bath at Siwa Oasis in Egypt.



Siwa is where Alexander consulted the Oracle of Ammon and learned that he was destined to rule the known world as the son of a god. View from the Temple of Ammon at Siwa...

 

Thank you. They are fun to find. I just make sure they have good provenance.