Egyptian Dreams

A M Street · Scribe Joined: 25 Nov 2011 Posts: 174 Location: UK

A heads up for those of you who can receive the BBC.

On Sunday 26th October at 21:00 BST BBC 1 will be showing a documentary on the life and death of Tutanhkamun.

The trailer: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/schedules/bbcone/20141026
looks a little overblown but in the nature of such things is not too overdone.

Definitely one to catch if you can.B

Medjay Archer · Scribe Joined: 07 Apr 2014 Posts: 151

Interesting. Albeit, I wished media covered more about the other pharaohs. Sometimes, there are enough material to make a documentary.
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Kmt is not a racial term nor a reference to the black silt deposited on the Nile valley, but an expression of "standing on place wherein food is plenty, allowing to stop moving like the neighbouring nomads". -Asar Imhotep

A M Street · Scribe Joined: 25 Nov 2011 Posts: 174 Location: UK

Looks lioke the BBC is really going to town on things Egypological.

I just spotted this article.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-29734975

Most interesting and shows that even well-known statues and objects still have something to tell us.

On a personal note I recall with some satisfaction being able to shoot down a somewhat pompous tour guide on the subject of the obelisk.

Whilst visiting Philae we were looking at the second pylon and the guide told us about the obelisks that had originally formed part of the court. He asked what he thought was a rhetorical question "If anyone can tell me where the obelisk is now I will buy that person a diamond ring from the jeweller's shop on the tour boat."

Hah! As a a former archaeologist I had done my homework and when I replied that the obelisk was now at Kingston Lacy in Dorset the silence was deafening.

I never did get my ring. Sad

A M Street · Scribe Joined: 25 Nov 2011 Posts: 174 Location: UK

A correction. The programme is due to be shown at 21:00 GMT.

The clocks go back tonight and I had forgotten that.

Sorry.

Chepses · Citizen Joined: 15 Oct 2014 Posts: 33

The findings this team present are a little controversial to me. I mean, the previous study proved the king's cause of death, now it's a completely different theory. It puzzles me but I guess that for now we should accept it. Personally, I rely more on the previous study than this one, but that's just me Smile

Lutz · Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2014 9:32 am Post subject:

"What Killed Tutankhamun?"

Ankhetmaatre · Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2014 6:26 pm Post subject:

YouTube link to the show: http://youtu.be/FXk-NbSWDs8

I remember some years ago reading in an article by Gillian Vogelsang-Eastwood that she believed Tutankhamen would have had very large hips for his size based on her study of his loincloths. Her articles and books are very hard to find these days, which is a shame because her unique study of his clothing could reveal a lot of important details about Tutankhamen's physicality as well cultural tendancies in general.

OT but I was able to find a link to her book Paraonic Egyptian Clothing , which is out of print now: http://www.mediafire.com/view/3y63ca16shaquoq/PharaonicEgyptianClothing_GillianVogelsang-Eastwood001.pdf
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Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured
~Samuel Langhorne Clemens

Lutz · Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2014 10:35 pm Post subject:

Super, thanks for this link Ankhetmaatre (I can only recommend to everyone to download this PDF, a basic work).

Some of her works can be still ordered via this page : "Textile Research Centre Leiden".

I ordered there some years ago "Tutankhamun - Textiles and Clothing" for 10,- € + shipping.

Greetings, Lutz.

P.S.: Before I forget it again, I wanted to ask you some time if you might have access to "Hathi Trust Digital Library"? I think most of the U.S. universitys have...
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Ägyptologie - Forum (German)

Ankhetmaatre · Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2014 11:44 pm Post subject:

I haven't seen that yet, Lutz. Very interesting, thanks!
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Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured
~Samuel Langhorne Clemens

Lutz · Posted: Sat Nov 01, 2014 12:19 am Post subject:

Do you think you have access to the "Hathi Trust Digital Library"? If, want you marry me? Smile

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Ägyptologie - Forum (German)

Ankhetmaatre · Posted: Sat Nov 01, 2014 2:06 am Post subject:

I haven't looked I to it but i should be able to so let me see what i can do. I'll get back to you.

(marriage is optional but I may need the soul of your firstborn. 😱)
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Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured
~Samuel Langhorne Clemens

neseret · Posted: Sat Nov 01, 2014 2:15 pm Post subject:

karnsculpture · Scribe Joined: 27 May 2010 Posts: 251

I'm into fitness and see other guys at my gym and pool in South London all the time, all shapes and sizes, and often see men with a shape similar to Tut or Akhenaten.

These guys are simply unfit and somewhat obese, and due to their body type the fat is concentrated on the hips, belly and chest, with the arms and lower legs plus neck relatively slim. These guys are often, but not always, from Southern Europe, the Middle East or Northern Africa (including two Egyptians I know of for sure, as we've spoken about the country). Both of the Egyptian guys have children and don't appear to have any medical abnormalities - they are just shaped like that. Due to modern clothing styles, their shape is less noticeable when they are dressed.

I would speculate that Tut and Akhenaten's depictions are merely a representation of their body type, albeit in an exaggerated way in some of the art, particularly from early in the latter's reign. They were kings, and if they weren't particularly athletic, this was probably their choice.

Paul

Lutz · Posted: Sat Nov 01, 2014 6:17 pm Post subject:

Ankhetmaatre · Posted: Sat Nov 01, 2014 6:37 pm Post subject:

Lutz, are you looking for titles for reference or whole books/articles?

Neseret, I've wondered for a long time now what percent of the total number of loincloths (149) Vogelsang-Eastwood was able to study. I wonder if any of these objects could have fallen into the "heirloom" category, such as the writing pallet of Meritaten or the shawl of Ankhenaten. Since there were a number of wine jars of Nebmaatre-Amenhotep might it be possible that some of the loincloths could have been his, or even Ankhenaten's. Idea

I suppose I'll just have to order that book.

Also, very pleased to be of service about that title. I've always wondered why her books never got into wider circulation. It's almost as if publishers think people don't care about ancient textiles!

karnsculpture, I see a lot of people with similar pear shaped physique as well. A lot of them are resonably fit too. I've known a couple of very good hikers who where pretty hefty, but surprisingly agile. Of course, that shape flies in the face of all Tutankhamen's images but egyptian art wasn't meant to be literal. Even the Amarna art was highly stylized.

Once again, somewhat off topic but I recently watched a very good bbc doc about the evolution of the human form in art which had an interesting part about egyptian art and the human form. http://youtu.be/2eGRoSjp3Ik
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Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured
~Samuel Langhorne Clemens