All togethor now: Im ho tep.... Im ho tep.... Im ho tep...
Archaeologists find rare wooden statue in Egypt
Mon Feb 19, 2007 10:36AM EST
CAIRO (Reuters) - A rare double wooden statue of an ancient Egyptian scribe and his wife has been found in their tomb south of Cairo, Egypt's chief archaeologist said on Monday.
The double statue, dating from around 2300 BC, was among a total of five wooden statues found at the tomb in Sakkara, the necropolis of the ancient Egyptian city of Memphis, said Zahi Hawass, chairman of the Supreme Council of Antiquities.
The official was Ka-Hay, who kept divine records, and his wife, Spri-Ankh. They lived late in the 5th dynasty or early in the 6th and were buried in the part of the necropolis associated with the pharaoh Teti, he said in a statement.
"It is a unique statue... In general double seated statues are made of limestone and are rarely carved in wood," he said.
The find was uncovered by an Egyptian-Australian team.
The tomb itself is a mud-brick structure of the classic platform style and contains a fine false door in wood and two tables for offerings, he added. False doors are a regular feature of the tombs of the period.
The archaeological team, now led by Naguib Kanawati of Macquarie University in Sydney, has been working at Sakkara since the early 1970s.
Three ancient Egyptian sarcophagi unearthed
Cairo, Feb. 10 (AP): Archaeologists have uncovered three wooden Pharaonic sarcophagi, dating back to the 20th century B.C., Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities said in a statement on Saturday.
``The three sarcophagi were found in a very well preserved condition inside three burial shafts,'' the statement said.
The find took place early this week at a site south of the Saqqara pyramids, about 25 kilometers (16 miles) south of Cairo.
According to the Council's chief, Zahi Hawass, the first sarcophagi dates back to Egypt's 1500 B.C.-1000 B.C. New Kingdom and is a black anthropoid. It carries paintings portraying the four sons of the falcon-headed god Horus and its inscription says it to belongs to a person called ``Waya-ly.''
Anthropoid, or person-shaped, coffins were particularly important to Ancient Egyptians, who believed them to act as a substitute body for use after death.
The second and the third sarcophagi date back to the Middle Kingdom, 4,000 years ago, and are decorated with black pieces of glass.
The Japanese archaeological mission has been working in Saqqara since early 1990s looking for Middle Kingdom tombs.
Archaeologists find rare wooden statue in Egypt
Mon Feb 19, 2007 10:36AM EST
CAIRO (Reuters) - A rare double wooden statue of an ancient Egyptian scribe and his wife has been found in their tomb south of Cairo, Egypt's chief archaeologist said on Monday.
The double statue, dating from around 2300 BC, was among a total of five wooden statues found at the tomb in Sakkara, the necropolis of the ancient Egyptian city of Memphis, said Zahi Hawass, chairman of the Supreme Council of Antiquities.
The official was Ka-Hay, who kept divine records, and his wife, Spri-Ankh. They lived late in the 5th dynasty or early in the 6th and were buried in the part of the necropolis associated with the pharaoh Teti, he said in a statement.
"It is a unique statue... In general double seated statues are made of limestone and are rarely carved in wood," he said.
The find was uncovered by an Egyptian-Australian team.
The tomb itself is a mud-brick structure of the classic platform style and contains a fine false door in wood and two tables for offerings, he added. False doors are a regular feature of the tombs of the period.
The archaeological team, now led by Naguib Kanawati of Macquarie University in Sydney, has been working at Sakkara since the early 1970s.
Three ancient Egyptian sarcophagi unearthed
Cairo, Feb. 10 (AP): Archaeologists have uncovered three wooden Pharaonic sarcophagi, dating back to the 20th century B.C., Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities said in a statement on Saturday.
``The three sarcophagi were found in a very well preserved condition inside three burial shafts,'' the statement said.
The find took place early this week at a site south of the Saqqara pyramids, about 25 kilometers (16 miles) south of Cairo.
According to the Council's chief, Zahi Hawass, the first sarcophagi dates back to Egypt's 1500 B.C.-1000 B.C. New Kingdom and is a black anthropoid. It carries paintings portraying the four sons of the falcon-headed god Horus and its inscription says it to belongs to a person called ``Waya-ly.''
Anthropoid, or person-shaped, coffins were particularly important to Ancient Egyptians, who believed them to act as a substitute body for use after death.
The second and the third sarcophagi date back to the Middle Kingdom, 4,000 years ago, and are decorated with black pieces of glass.
The Japanese archaeological mission has been working in Saqqara since early 1990s looking for Middle Kingdom tombs.