The Newsletter of the Friends of the Egypt Centre, Swansea
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Price 50p INSCRIPTIONS The Newsletter of the Friends of the Egypt Centre, Swansea Whatever else you do this Issue 28 Christmas… December 2008 In this issue: Re-discovery of the Re-discovery of the South Asasif Necropolis 1 South Asasif Necropolis Fakes Case in the Egypt Centre 2 by Carolyn Graves-Brown ELENA PISCHIKOVA is the Director of the South Introducing Ashleigh 2 Asasif Conservation Project and a Research by Ashleigh Taylor Scholar at the American University in Cairo. On Editorial 3 7 January 2009, she will visit Swansea to speak Introducing Kenneth Griffin 3 on three decorated Late Period tombs that were by Kenneth Griffin recently rediscovered by her team on the West A visit to Highclere Castle 4 Bank at Thebes. by Sheila Nowell Life After Death on the Nile: A Described by travellers of the 19th century as Journey of the Rekhyt to Aswan 5 among the most beautiful of Theban tombs, by L. S. J. Howells these tombs were gradually falling into a state X-raying the Animal Mummies at of destruction. Even in their ruined condition the Egypt Centre: Part One 7 by Kenneth Griffin they have proved capable of offering incredible Objects in the Egypt Centre: surprises. An entire intact wall with an Pottery cones 8 exquisitely carved offering scene in the tomb of by Carolyn Graves-Brown Karakhamun, and the beautifully painted ceiling of the tomb of Irtieru are among them. This promises to be a fascinating talk from a very distinguished speaker. Please do your best to attend and let’s give Dr Pischikova a decent audience! Wednesday 7 January 7 p.m. Faraday A Lecture Theatre … don’t miss this talk! © The Egypt Centre, Swansea 2008 — 1 — www.swan.ac.uk/egypt/friends Fakes Case in the Introducing Ashleigh Hello! My name is Ashleigh, Egypt Centre and I’m the new volunteer If you go into the Egypt Centre you will see we manager for the Egypt have a lot of new items on display. We have Centre. I know how much decided to put together a selection of some of the Stuart did for everyone, fakes and copies. Fakes and copies tell us what and I hope I will live up to people thought ancient Egyptian artefacts looked like in the past. They can also tell us about earlier his high standards for the collectors. The idea that only genuine ancient Egypt Centre and continue antiquities should form part of a collection was to develop the volunteering not always followed in the past. So, if collectors programme. I have had a did not have genuine pieces they would often baptism of fire in my first have copies made. Here is a bit more information few weeks here, and I am on one piece you can see on display. enjoying it immensely. Everyone here is so friendly, I already feel like I am a part of the team, for which I am very grateful. If you have any queries, or would like to talk to me about anything, I am always here in the Egypt Centre, Tuesday to Saturday. A few things you might like to know about me: I studied archaeology at Durham for my undergraduate degree and then did my postgraduate Masters in Egyptology. I have worked in museums for two years as front of house and have volunteered for about the same time in the local county museum. My previous job was as a project manager working with communities and volunteers to tackle drugs and alcohol abuse in my local county. My personal interests in Egyptology are This artefact (W215) is made from pottery and Spell 125 of the Book of the Dead, shows the prenomen of Ramesses II. It was particularly the demon Ammit. I am purchased at auction by Wellcome in 1932. also interested in the goddess Taweret, Such objects are often mistaken for the bases of Seth, the funerary cones, however they are an early form proof of the of copy. Most, unlike ours, bear the cartouche of imagination, Ramesses III. So, ours is a rare type of fake. and Cyril Aldred (1957) recognised these as forgeries individuality based on funerary cones. He quotes an 1884 within Ancient letter from Charles Edwin Wilbour which says ‘I Egypt, which visited the woman Giudeeyeh, who showed me was the topic the (modern) stamp from which she moulds and of my Masters bakes the round brick stamps of Rameses III, The goddess thesis. that are always offered to you in his temple at Taweret Medinet Haboo. She lives north of Yussuf and I I am really encouraged her industry; it saves monuments looking forward to working here, and from destruction.’ based on my experience so far I think that it will be exciting and References Aldred, C. 1957. ‘The Funerary Cones’ of Ramesses fulfilling for many years to come. The god Seth III’. Journal of Egyptian Archaeology 43, 113. by Ashleigh Taylor by Carolyn Graves-Brown © The Egypt Centre, Swansea 2008 — 2 — www.swan.ac.uk/egypt/friends Editorial Introducing Kenneth Griffin This issue has been put together in Originally from Belfast, my fascination with ancient Egypt started at a very a great hurry, so we hope you’ll young age, with regular visits to the Ulster Museum and the mummy of understand if it’s not quite up to Takabuti housed within. While Egyptian history was obviously not a part of our usual standard! the national curriculum, I was fortunate to take classes in Classical The attendance at some of our Civilisation and Ancient History. In 2000 I moved to Swansea where I recent talks has been a bit finally had the opportunity to study Egyptology, completing my BA, and disappointing, perhaps because the later my MA, in Ancient weather has been so awful and it’s Egyptian Culture. In 2006 I hard to drag yourself out on a cold started my Ph.D examining the dark night! We hope as many as role of the rekhyt within the possible will make the effort to religious sphere. Studying in come on 7th January to our Swansea also brought me in forthcoming talk by Dr Elena close contact with the Egypt Pischikova, which promises to be Centre, the largest collection of very interesting indeed. Egyptian antiquities in Wales, The Editor welcomes our newly where I have worked since appointed officers. Ken Griffin will, 2000. I have also been a I’m sure, be a knowledgeable and member of the Friends of the dynamic Chair and a worthy Egypt Centre since September successor to Claire who served us 2000 and have served and so well; and it is great to have membership secretary, Ashleigh Taylor as our Volunteer programme organiser and now Manager to fill the considerable gap Chair. Since 2003 I have been left by Stuart’s departure. the co-ordinating tutor of The Editor and his wife would also Egyptology with DACE (Adult like to thank the Committee for the Education), developing and most generous gift presented to us teaching a wide range of topics at the September AGM. It was very including history, religion, art much appreciated and most and architecture, literature and enjoyable!! Ken Griffin examining a Shabti figure language modules. I first visited Many thanks to those who have in the Egypt Centre Egypt in 1997, during which contributed to this issue. People time my eagerness to follow the sometimes ask “When is the next Egyptological path was strengthened. To date, I have travelled to Egypt on Inscriptions coming out?” Well, the over 20 occasions, including nine as a tour leader, visiting sites from answer is, the next issue will be Alexandria in the north to Abu Simbel in the South. prepared as soon we’ve got enough material! So please send your Publications: contributions for the next issue to Articles: the Egypt Centre, marked for the ‘Images of the Rekhyt From Ancient Egypt’, in Ancient Egypt 7:2 (2006), attention of Mike Mac Donagh. 45-50. As always we welcome any type of ‘A Reinterpretation of the Use and Function of the Rekhyt Rebus in New contribution, whether chatty or Kingdom Temples’, in Current Research in Egyptology 2006. Edited by M. scholarly, but we can only publish Cannata. Oxford, Oxbow Books, 2007, 66-84. original or copyright-free material, ‘An Ax iqr n Ra Stela from the Collection of the Egypt Centre, Swansea’, in not items published elsewhere and subject to copyright. Egyptian Stories: A British Egyptological Tribute to Alan B. Lloyd. Edited by T. Schneider and K. Szpakowska. Alter Orient und Altes Testament 347. It remains to wish all our readers a Münster: Ugarit-Verlag, 2007, 137-148. very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We look forward to Edited: seeing everyone again in 2009! With the collaboration of Meg Gundlach. ‘Current Research in Egyptology Mike Mac Donagh 2007’. Oxbow Books, Oxford, 2008. by Kenneth Griffin See Ken’s fascinating article on X-raying the animal mummies in the Egypt Centre, on page …. - Ed © The Egypt Centre, Swansea 2008 — 3 — www.swan.ac.uk/egypt/friends interesting, most of the pieces had come from the A visit to Highclere Castle excavations Carnarvon had organised with Carter between 1907 and 1913. Unfortunately we were not — ancestral home of the Earls of Carnarvon allowed to take pictures. The centrepiece was a Since the sun had decided it was not going to make an sycamore coffin of an Egyptian Noblewoman “Irtyru” (c appearance in August in order that we could laze on the 1300bce) covered with paintings depicting scenes from beach, we decided to have a long weekend in “The Book of the Dead”.