Hatshepsut's Mummy

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Hatshepsut's Mummy find of the century? For best results we recommend you maximise this browser window STOP PRESS: Wednesday 27th June 2007 - mummy of Hatshepsut discovered? Egyptologists say they have identified the 3,000-year-old mummy of Hatshepsut, Egypt's most powerful female ruler. Following a year long investigation by Dr Zahi Hawass, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, the official announcement of the discovery was made at a packed news conference in Cairo. It is being billed as the biggest archaeological find in Egypt since the 1922 discovery of Tutankhamen's tomb. Archaeologists hope the mummy, which has lain unrecognised for decades, will yield clues about the mystery of her death and subsequent disappearance. Archaeologists think they've located the mummy of Egypt's most famous queen, Hatshepsut. DNA testing should confirm whether this profile belongs to the female pharaoh, but the experts are sure it's her body. The study was funded by the US television channel Discovery which is to broadcast a documentary on the subject in July. The film follows a team of top forensic experts and archaeologists led by Dr Hawass, as they use the full range of forensic technology to identify Hatshepsut. The investigative journey of Dr. Hawass and his team led them through the massive crypts beneath Egypt and into the depths of the Cairo Museum. Using knowledge of royal Egyptian mummification and clues from two known tombs linked to Hatshepsut, the team narrowed their search for Hatshepsut to just four mummies from thousands of unidentified corpses. Computed tomography (CT) scans allowed the scientists to link distinct physical traits of the Hatshepsut mummy to that of her ancestors. The search was further narrowed to two possibilities — both from the tomb of Hatshepsut's nanny — but the final clue lay within a canopic box inscribed with the female Pharaoh's name. A scan of the box found a tooth that, when measured, perfectly matched a missing upper molar in one of the two mummies. Difficult process Some archaeologists have expressed scepticism about the possibility of using DNA technology to identify the queen. Hatshepsut's temple is one of Egypt's most visited monuments. "It's a very difficult process to obtain DNA from a mummy," US molecular biologist Scott Woodward was quoted as saying by AP news agency. "To make a claim as to a relationship, you need other individuals from which you have obtained DNA, to make a comparison between the DNA sequences." DNA is the molecule that contains genetic information in all organisms and can be used to establish family relationships. DNA testing on the 3,000-year-old mummy and mummies from Hatshepsut's family will be the next step to reach conclusive evidence. Dr Hawass has set up a DNA lab near the museum with an international team of scientists to verify the identification. Egyptian molecular geneticist Yehia Zakaria Gad told reporters that preliminary mitochondrial DNA showed “encouraging” results to prove a relationship between the mummy and her ancestor, Ahmose Nefertari. Obliterated In modern times, Hatshepsut's temple was the location of the 1997 Luxor massacre when Islamic militants gunned down 58 foreign tourists, as well as three Egyptian policemen and a tour guide. Hatshepsut was an important 18th Dynasty ruler in the 15th Century BC, having usurped her stepson, Thutmosis III. She was known for dressing like a man and wearing a false beard, and was more powerful than either of her more famous female successors, Nefertiti and Cleopatra. Hatshepsut's funerary temple is one of the most visited monuments around the pharaonic necropolis of the Valley of the Kings in Upper Egypt. But after her death, her name was obliterated from the records in what is believed to have been her stepson's revenge. Hatshepsut in repose? Advanced forensic technologies were used to determine whether or not this mysterious mummy belonged to the elusive Hatshepsut. The mummy was found in Tomb KV60, said to be one of the more perplexing tombs in the Valley of the Kings because it contained two unidentified mummies, both of them women. The tomb was first discovered by Howard Carter in 1903, but it had been ransacked in antiquity and he resealed it. It was re-opened in 1906 and one mummy was removed and identified as Sit-ra, royal nurse of Hatshepsut. The mummy now said to be of Hatshepsut herself was left behind and did not see the light again until it was rediscovered in 1989 by Egyptologist Donald Ryan, an archaeologist at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington. Ryan was struck by the pose and quality of mummification of the second mummy. "It was striking, it was what many believe to be a royal female pose: left arm bent across the chest with the left hand clenched, right arm straight alongside the body. I've always felt that this was a royal mummy, and possibly Hatshepsut, but there was no evidence in the tomb to prove who this mummy might be," he told Discovery News. Ryan also found the smashed remains of a once gold-gilded coffin face-piece that had a notch for a false beard, "suggesting a male or royal association, which would be curious in the tomb of two women, especially if they were both nurses." Courtesy of the BBC News and Discovery News CLOSE THIS WINDOW Come from a search engine and stuck in a window? Click here to return to the main Ancient Egypt home page © 2001-2009 EGYPTOLOGY ONLINE.com · ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Recommended publications
  • CYBERSCRIBE-193 September 2011 Copy
    CYBERSCRIBE-193 Menhedj, Volume Two, Number 3 (September 2011) The CyberScribe would like to begin this column with a look backwards to a very important man to all of us who love ancient Egypt. I refer, of course, to Zahi Hawass. Admired, loved, hated, reviled, accused of terrible things…he is all of these things. But, he took the office as head of the Supreme Council on Antiquities (SCA) from a seldom seen, a somewhat ineffectual, and largely politically helpless agency to a dynamic power that protected and developed Egypt for us lucky visitors. Many people believed him to be a power and glory hungry person, and that may have been true in part, but modern day Egypt is far the better for his term in office. He has funneled huge sums into upgrading the sites, opening new areas and new museums, and has succeeded in generating a great deal of foreign currency for an impoverished Egypt. He is gone from the scene for now, perhaps forever as a power, but we must salute him…and offer a vote of thanks for a job that was for the most part, very well done! The Internet is filled with vicious attack websites, and laughter from those who enjoyed his fall, but that is probably the wrong tack. Yes, he has been accused of a number of criminal activities, but none of the accusations has resulted in conviction or censure. Thank you, Zahi Hawass! A site called ‘The National’ (http://tiny.cc/kuhn4) presented a nice overview, and it is presented below (with some abbreviation): ‘It is finally over for Zahi Hawass, Egypt's famous, flamboyant and controversial archaeologist.
    [Show full text]
  • Ancestry and Pathology in King Tutankhamun's Family
    Ancestry and Pathology in King Tutankhamun's Family Zahi Hawass; Yehia Z. Gad; Somaia Ismail; et al. JAMA. 2010;303(7):638-647 (doi:10.1001/jama.2010.121) Online article and related content current as of October 14, 2010. http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/303/7/638 Supplementary material eSupplement http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/303/7/638/DC1 Correction Contact me if this article is corrected. Citations This article has been cited 7 times. Contact me when this article is cited. Topic collections Neurology; Neurogenetics; Movement Disorders; Rheumatology; Musculoskeletal Syndromes (Chronic Fatigue, Gulf War); Malaria; Genetics; Genetic Disorders; Humanities; History of Medicine; Infectious Diseases Contact me when new articles are published in these topic areas. Related Articles published in King Tutankhamun, Modern Medical Science, and the Expanding Boundaries of the same issue Historical Inquiry Howard Markel. JAMA. 2010;303(7):667. Related Letters King Tutankhamun’s Family and Demise Eline D. Lorenzen et al. JAMA. 2010;303(24):2471. Brenda J. Baker. JAMA. 2010;303(24):2471. James G. Gamble. JAMA. 2010;303(24):2472. Irwin M. Braverman et al. JAMA. 2010;303(24):2472. Christian Timmann et al. JAMA. 2010;303(24):2473. Subscribe Email Alerts http://jama.com/subscribe http://jamaarchives.com/alerts Permissions Reprints/E-prints [email protected] [email protected] http://pubs.ama-assn.org/misc/permissions.dtl Downloaded from www.jama.com by guest on October 14, 2010 ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTION Ancestry and Pathology in King Tutankhamun’s Family Zahi Hawass, PhD Context The New Kingdom in ancient Egypt, comprising the 18th, 19th, and 20th Yehia Z.
    [Show full text]
  • Expanding the Toolkit for Metabolic Engineering
    Expanding the Toolkit for Metabolic Engineering Yao Zong (Andy) Ng Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY 2016 © 2016 Yao Zong (Andy) Ng All rights reserved ABSTRACT Expanding the Toolkit for Metabolic Engineering Yao Zong (Andy) Ng The essence of metabolic engineering is the modification of microbes for the overproduction of useful compounds. These cellular factories are increasingly recognized as an environmentally-friendly and cost-effective way to convert inexpensive and renewable feedstocks into products, compared to traditional chemical synthesis from petrochemicals. The products span the spectrum of specialty, fine or bulk chemicals, with uses such as pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, flavors and fragrances, agrochemicals, biofuels and building blocks for other compounds. However, the process of metabolic engineering can be long and expensive, primarily due to technological hurdles, our incomplete understanding of biology, as well as redundancies and limitations built into the natural program of living cells. Combinatorial or directed evolution approaches can enable us to make progress even without a full understanding of the cell, and can also lead to the discovery of new knowledge. This thesis is focused on addressing the technological bottlenecks in the directed evolution cycle, specifically de novo DNA assembly to generate strain libraries and small molecule product screens and selections. In Chapter 1, we begin by examining the origins of the field of metabolic engineering. We review the classic “design–build–test–analyze” (DBTA) metabolic engineering cycle and the different strategies that have been employed to engineer cell metabolism, namely constructive and inverse metabolic engineering.
    [Show full text]
  • ABSTRACT Carl Nicholas Reeves STUDIES in the ARCHAEOLOGY
    ABSTRACT Carl Nicholas Reeves STUDIES IN THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE VALLEY OF THE KINGS, with particular reference to tomb robbery and the caching of the royal mummies This study considers the physical evidence for tomb robbery on the Theban west bank, and its resultant effects, during the New Kingdom and Third Intermediate Period. Each tomb and deposit known from the Valley of the Kings is examined in detail, with the aims of establishing the archaeological context of each find and, wherever possible, isolating and comparing the evidence for post-interment activity. The archaeological and documentary evidence pertaining to the royal caches from Deir el-Bahri, the tomb of Amenophis II and elsewhere is drawn together, and from an analysis of this material it is possible to suggest the routes by which the mummies arrived at their final destinations. Large-scale tomb robbery is shown to have been a relatively uncommon phenomenon, confined to periods of political and economic instability. The caching of the royal mummies may be seen as a direct consequence of the tomb robberies of the late New Kingdom and the subsequent abandonment of the necropolis by Ramesses XI. Associated with the evacuation of the Valley tombs may be discerned an official dismantling of the burials and a re-absorption into the economy of the precious commodities there interred. STUDIES IN THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE VALLEY OF THE KINGS, with particular reference to tomb robbery and the caching of the royal mummies (Volumes I—II) Volume I: Text by Carl Nicholas Reeves Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Oriental Studies University of Durham 1984 The copyright of this thesis rests with the author.
    [Show full text]
  • Dentists, Dentistry and Dental Diseases in Ancient Egypt
    DENTISTS, DENTISTRY AND DENTAL DISEASES IN ANCIENT EGYPT by CASPARUS JOHANNES GREEFF Submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS in the subject ANCIENT AND NEAR EASTERN STUDIES at the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA SUPERVISOR: PROFESSOR P S VERMAAK JULY 2013 DEDICATION I wish to dedicate this work to special people who have been instrumental in making my life what it is today and who are no longer with me. In loving memory then to: My mother (1920- 1962) who instilled love in me; My father (1910-1999) who instilled the love of books in me which ultimately also became my life; My only sister Marié (1939-2010) who showed me what a life of pure altruism is; My only son Willem (1976-2003) whose untimely death underlined the transience of life. I miss them all and I so wish them to have shared some special moments of my life with me, but alas, too late. To the living: I dedicate this dissertation to my three daughters (Tanya, Brittani & Romi) whose respect and unrelenting love I humbly relish. To three grandchildren (JP, Demi & Alexa-Jade) who are God’s gift to the elder: it will be the coolest thing ever if I could inspire them to ever explore the deep well of unconscious cerebration (Henry James 1843 - 1916). Lastly, I take pleasure to also dedicate this work to my previous promoters; Professors W S Boshoff and M le Roux, who squarely put me on the endless road of acquiring knowledge – the more you know, the more you know how little you know.
    [Show full text]
  • Paula Alexandra Da Silva Veiga Introdution
    HEALTH AND MEDICINE IN ANCIENT EGYPT : MAGIC AND SCIENCE 3.1. Origin of the word and analysis formula; «mummy powder» as medicine………………………..52 3.2. Ancient Egyptian words related to mummification…………………………………………55 3.3. Process of mummification summarily HEALTH AND MEDICINE IN ANCIENT EGYPT : MAGIC AND described……………………………………………….56 SCIENCE 3.4. Example cases of analyzed Egyptian mummies …………………............................................61 Paula Alexandra da Silva Veiga 2.Chapter: Heka – «the art of the magical written word»…………………………………………..72 Introdution…………………………………………......10 2.1. The performance: priests, exorcists, doctors- 1.State of the art…..…………………………………...12 magicians………………………………………………79 2.The investigation of pathology patterns through 2.2. Written magic……………………………100 mummified human remains and art depictions from 2.3. Amulets…………………………………..106 ancient Egypt…………………………………………..19 2.4. Human substances used as ingredients…115 3.Specific existing bibliography – some important examples……………..………………………………...24 3.Chapter: Pathologies’ types………………………..118 1. Chapter: Sources of Information; Medical and Magical 3.1. Parasitical..………………………………118 Papyri…………………………………………………..31 3.1.1. Plagues/Infestations…..……….……....121 3.2. Dermatological.………………………….124 1.1. Kahun UC 32057…………………………..33 3.3. Diabetes…………………………………126 1.2. Edwin Smith ………………..........................34 3.4. Tuberculosis 1.3. Ebers ……………………………………….35 3.5. Leprosy 1.4. Hearst ………………………………………37 ……………………………………128 1.5. London Papyrus BM 10059……..................38 3.6. Achondroplasia (Dwarfism) ……………130 1.6. Berlin 13602; Berlin 3027; Berlin 3.7 Vascular diseases... ……………………...131 3038……………………………………………………38 3.8. Oftalmological ………………………….132 1.7. Chester Beatty ……………………………...39 3.9. Trauma ………………………………….133 1.8. Carlsberg VIII……………..........................40 3.10. Oncological ……………………………136 1.9. Brooklyn 47218-2, 47218.138, 47218.48 e 3.11. Dentists, teeth and dentistry ………......139 47218.85……………………………………………….40 3.12.
    [Show full text]
  • The Last of the Experimental Royal Tombs in the Valley of the Kings: KV42 and KV34 Sjef Willockx
    The last of the experimental royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings: KV42 and KV34 by Sjef Willockx The last of the experimental royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings: KV42 and KV34 © Sjef Willockx, 2011 . Table of Contents List of Figures ................................................................................................................ 3 List of Tables ................................................................................................................. 4 Bibliography .................................................................................................................. 5 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 7 1. The earliest development of the necropolis in the Valley of the Kings ...................... 11 2. KV42 ....................................................................................................................... 16 2.1. Carter ............................................................................................................ 16 2.2. Weigall .......................................................................................................... 20 2.3. Carter again: the foundation deposits of Hatshepsut-Meryetre ...................... 20 2.4. Hayes ............................................................................................................ 23 2.4.1. The tomb .................................................................................................... 23
    [Show full text]
  • KERRVILLE, TEXAS Om Ed V O Ont Is Set Mage) Igital TBD)
    CITY OF KERRVILLE INITIAL DESIGN & PLAN CIVIC WAYFINDING PROGRAM DESIGN INTENT SIGN LOCATION PLAN DRAFTED & THE CITY OF SUBMITTED BY: KERRVILLE, TEXAS 1 3’ VEH.01 Peterson K E R 6’ 2 K E R Vehicular Directional (Lamp Image) Plaza 7 Public 1. Aluminum sign face fabricated from .080 aluminum sheeting painted to 3’ V I L Parking V I L 4’ 9 match City approved colors. Digital Downtown 3 graphics applied to sign face. 8 E 6’ City Hall E 2. Directional arrow cut out of .080 Courthouse aluminum and mounted to sign face 1 using hi-mod adhesive. vinyl and applied to sign face. Font is set to Clearview Highway 2-W. 4. 3.5” Square concrete post painted to match weathered cedar post. 7’ 5. TXDOT approved breakaway base with drilled foundation. 6 6. Decorative metal strapping painted or powdercoated to match City approved colors. 7. Digitally printed graphic applied as background image. 4 8. Aluminum sleeve fabricated to house the sign post. 5 9. Fasteners (color and type TBD). 1 VEH.01 - Front Elevation 2 VEH.01 - Back Elevation Scale: 1” = 1’ Scale: 1” = 1’ 2 VEH.01 2 V ehicular Directional (Lamp Image) 1 1. Aluminum sign face fabricated from .080 aluminum sheeting painted to 4’ match City approved colors. Digital 8 graphics applied to sign face. 1 2. Directional arrow cut out of .080 9 aluminum and mounted to sign face using hi-mod adhesive. 8 3’ 5 vinyl and applied to sign face. Font is set to Clearview Highway 2-W. 4. 3.5” Square concrete post painted to match weathered cedar post.
    [Show full text]
  • Connect Series Accessories
    Connect Series Accessories power.cummins.com ©2018 Cummins Inc. | NAAC-6260E-EN (01/18) CONNECT SERIES ACCESSORIES Table of Contents ALTERNATOR HEATERS ................................................................................................................................. 1 ANNUNCIATORS .............................................................................................................................................. 2 AUXILIARY ........................................................................................................................................................ 3 AUXILIARY CONFIGURABLE SIGNAL INPUTS / RELAY OUTPUTS ....................................................................... 3 AUXILIARY OUTPUTS RELAYS ................................................................................................................................ 3 BATTERIES ....................................................................................................................................................... 4 BATTERY ACCESSORIES ............................................................................................................................... 4 BATTERY HEATER KITS .......................................................................................................................................... 4 BATTERY TRAY KITS ............................................................................................................................................... 4 BATTERY CHARGERS ....................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • From Daughter to Father: the Recarved Egyptian Sarcophagus Of
    JOURNAL of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston VOL. 5, 1993 Fig. I. Sarcophagus of Queen Hatshepsut, recarved for King ThutmoseI (sarcophagus “C”), Quartzite, L. 2.25 m x W. 82 cm x total H. 99 cm. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Gift of Theodore M. Davis, 04.278. 24 PETERDER MANUELIAN and CHRISTIANE. LOEBEN From Daughter to Father The Recarved Egyptian Sarcophagus of Queen Hatshepsut and KingThutmose I SOMEOBJECTS are exquisite works of art, masterpieces that earn their own place in the realm of art history. Others are of critical historical import, but may be nothing much to look at. Still more objects may enlighten us on the religious and philosophical development of a par- ticular culture. Rarely, however, are all of these features found in a single piece. When this is the case, the object in question is a treasure indeed. It is no exaggeration to assign the Museum’s royal sarcophagus from the Egyptian Dynasty 18 (1570-1293B.C.) to this elite category (fig. 1). The Boston sarcophagus is one of only three royal stone sarcophagi currently on display outside Egypt,’ and is one of very few from the eighteenth Dynasty to show multiple alterations and phases of decora- tion. It was originally prepared for Queen Hatshepsut (1503/1498-1483 B.C.), then recut for her father, King ThutmoseI (1524-1518 B.C.), in what turned out to be a shuffling of royal burials and reburials. The sarcophagus is an artistic masterpiece from a royal atelier, a prototype for the funeral beliefs and traditions of a millennium, and a pivotal historical piece of the complicated puzzle of early New Kingdom politi- cal history.
    [Show full text]
  • Tutankhamun : and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs
    robin-bobin robin-bobin Tutankhamun Egypt’s Most Famous Pharaoh BILL PRICE POCKET ESSENTIALS robin-bobin This edition published in 2007 by Pocket Essentials P.O. Box 394, Harpenden, Herts, AL5 1XJ www.pocketessentials.com © Bill Price 2007 Editor: Nick Rennison Index & Proofs: Richard Howard The right of Bill Price to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accor- dance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photo- copying, recording or otherwise) without the written permission of the publishers. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to crim- inal prosecution and civil claims for damages. A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN 978 1 84243 240 2 24681097531 Typeset by Avocet Typeset, Chilton, Aylesbury, Bucks Printed and bound in Great Britain by J.H. Haynes Ltd, Sparkford, Somerset robin-bobin Contents A Note on Dates 7 Introduction 9 1: Egypt and the Pharaohs 13 The Gift of the Nile; The Dynasties of Egypt; From Farmers to Pharaohs;The Rise of the New Kingdom;The Golden Age 2: The Life of Tutankhamun 33 The Unknown Pharaoh; What’s in a Name?; The Question of Parentage; Marriage and Children;The Boy King; Everyday Objects 3: The Restoration of Amun 55 Religion in Egypt;The Amarna Heresy;The Beginning of the End; Diplomatic Relations;The Restoration
    [Show full text]
  • Press Clippings Aggregate for Dr. Angelique Corthals As Consultant (Unrelated to Published Scienti;Ic Articles) 2009-February 20
    Millsaps College Department of Sociology and Anthropology World Dispatch We’re building a bigger, better alumni community. E-mail your updates to Spring [email protected]. Include your name, graduation year and everything what 2009 you’ve been up to and you’ll be included in the next edition of the newsletter. Become a part of the alumni network (www.millsapssoan.ning.com) and connect directly In this issue: with your former classmates. Chocolate Moreton Lecture Moreton series brings Series in the Sci- mummies to life at Millsaps expert sweet- ences updates Early February held the last In her lecture, Corthals ex- ens history installment of Millsaps College’s plained how the discovery of Recent Millsaps Moreton Lecture Series in the Egyptian mummies has helped Sciences, Dr. Angélique Cor- forensic anthropologists, archae- grad wins Ful- thals of State University of New ologists, and Egyptologists dis- bright, spends York at Stony Brook presented cover previously unknown influ- time in Albania her lecture entitled, “Forensic ences such as disease, landscape, Anthropology: Gone, But Not and climate change on ancient Departed.” She focused on her Egyptian culture. Contributed photo Millsaps profes- involvement in an ongoing proj- Dr. Angélique Corthals is a fo- Dr. W. Jeffrey Hurst ect in which she excavated and rensic anthropologist, using his- The next installment sor to present at investigated Hatshepsut and torical, medical, anthropological, in the acclaimed More- SfAA conference other royal mummies in Egypt. forensic and genetic approaches ton Lecture Series at Mill- The project was featured both to reveal information about an- saps College, scheduled on the Discovery Channel and in cient biological remains.
    [Show full text]