Talking Pyramids

There is an interesting article over at Zahi Hawass’ website on the opening the Tomb of Sa-Iset, a Middle Kingdom tomb inscribed with Old Kingdom Pyramid Texts. Zahi praises the artwork of John Ransom Phillips in his contemporary version of the Book of the Dead. And more friction and fracas over the Antiquities bill as it is approved without the amendments that were proposed by Ahmed Ezz, the organizational secretary of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP). The NDP representative Omar Haridi apparently tried to assault Hawass as was leaving the chamber.

The Mummy Chamber Installation Explores Ancient Egyptian Afterlife Rituals and Beliefs Opens at Brooklyn Museum May 5.

From the promotional PDF:

An installation of more than 170 objects selected from the Brooklyn Museum’s world-famous holdings of ancient Egyptian material explores the complex rituals related to the practice of mummification and the Egyptian belief that the body must be preserved in order to ensure eternal life. The Mummy Chamber will open at the Brooklyn Museum on May 5 and will remain on long-term view.

Included in the installation will be a portion of the nearly 26-foot-long papyrus Book of the Dead of Sobekmose, acquired in 1937 and never before on public view, which has undergone more than two years of conservation. Other segments of this extraordinary document, which contains spells to aid the dead in the afterlife, will be added to the gallery installation as they are conserved. Throughout the more than 3,000-year-old papyrus, which contains text on both sides as well as illustrations, Sobekmose’s name recurs frequently, accompanied by the title “Gold-worker of Amun.”

Readers might remember June last year when Talking Pyramids reported live on the Brooklyn Museum’s trip to the North Shore University Hospital to be CT scanned.

Well, tomorrow the Brooklyn Museum will once again be returning to the lab to re-wrap the “Anonymous Man” (shown above getting his CT scan) to get him ready for display for the Mummy Chamber exhibition. The event will again be broadcasted live on Twitter and Flickr direct from the lab. Conservators will be answering questions via Twitter as time allows and photos uploaded to Flickr in real time as the event unfolds.  It will be a fun, behind-the-scenes look.

Just like last year, Talking Pyramids will be covering the event live so be sure to tune in at 9:30 EST.

Here are some of the other items appearing in the news today:

• Artifact of the Day: The Book of The Dead of Nebseny, 18th Dynasty, about 1450 BC, British Museum: http://bit.ly/cgiA51 #
• PHOTO: Book of the dead of Kenna (RMO Leiden, Thebe 1325bc 18d): http://bit.ly/dAHF54 #
• PHOTO: Book of the dead of Neferini, 400-100 B.C: http://bit.ly/b5CdQp #
• Artists creates his own vision of the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead, which receives praise from Zahi Hawass: http://bit.ly/bzvv7v #
• A video of last year's trip to Egypt by the Institute Valencian Egypt Egyptology is to be shown on 12 Feb at 7:00 PM: http://bit.ly/cNBuwD #
• Antiquities bill is approved, NDP representative Omar Haridi tries to assault Hawass as was leaving the chamber: http://bit.ly/bDEtRl #
• Amazing recipe for Egyptian bread pudding- umm ali (from eloquentpeasant): http://bit.ly/aNHCfL (I suggest adding some shreded coconut also) #
• More SSEA events in Toronto have been added: http://www.thessea.org/events.php #
• SSEA Lecture in Calgary this weekend on Coins of the Ptolemies. For more info: http://www.calgaryssea.ca/ #
• Second-hand EEF/EES memoirs (& more) available for sale on eBay: http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/ees1882/ All proceeds to the EES library! #
• The Mummy Chamber Installation Explores Ancient Egyptian Afterlife Rituals and Beliefs opens at Brooklyn Museum May 5: http://bit.ly/bmrpEe #
• Brooklyn Museum will once again be Live Tweeting the Mummy Wrapping and Conservator Q&A tomorrow, Tuesday 9:30 EST: http://bit.ly/azrutg #
• Second Egyptological Weekend at the Association of Friend of Egyptology in Cantabria: http://bit.ly/9ygkzt #
• FILM: Cleopatra's Palace: In Search of a Legend, March 14, 2pm – 3pm, Oriental Institute: http://bit.ly/a9pYvn #
• FILM: Cleopatra: Destiny's Queen, March 7, 2pm-3pm Oriental Institute: http://bit.ly/cdPiFw #
• Lecture reveals history behind ancient Egyptian pottery: http://bit.ly/b1dVz5 #
• Download the latest British Egyptological Society Directory: http://bit.ly/baEIwy #
• The “Online Cultural Heritage Research Environment” is an Internet database system for cultural heritage information: http://bit.ly/brYCtw #
• The West Semitic Research Project uses advanced photographic & imaging techniques to document objects and texts: http://bit.ly/cLPyFT #
• New Twist in Dead Sea Scrolls Case: http://bit.ly/dx2bg7 #
• Full time position for a Lecturer in Egyptian Archaeology/Egyptology at the University College London: http://bit.ly/bRGLoX #
• Egyptology at 250 beats per minute – interview with Karl Sanders of Heavy Metal band, Nile: http://bit.ly/dc2dMk #
• Egyptology in Manchester runs from 10.00 am on Thursday 24th June to 12.00 noon on Sunday 27th June: http://bit.ly/9H7tYT #
• The Oriental Institute's Virtual Museum: http://bit.ly/dj95l1 #
• View more papyri, books, articles and other Egyptology resources at the Pyramid Texts Online Library: http://bit.ly/c8AR5K #
• Duke Papyrus Archive: Look through ancient texts and drawings at Duke University's digital collection: http://bit.ly/9PkFjG #
• Zahi Hawass on the opening the Tomb of Sa-Iset, a Middle Kingdom tomb inscribed with Old Kingdom Pyramid Texts: http://bit.ly/aoP7Bn #

The photo of the ‘Anonymous Man’ by Shelly Bernstein is used here with permission. Some rights reserved.

A Contemporary Book of the Dead by John Ransom Phillips can be purchased from the Talking Pyramids Book Store.

Related posts:

1. Ancient Egypt News for Tuesday 15-12-09 Rosetta Stone by KitLKat Following on from yesterday’s sad news...
2. Ancient Egypt News for Tuesday 26-01-10 Standing Statuette of a King in a Blue Crown (Probably...
3. Ancient Egypt News for Tuesday 09-02-10 Statue of Cleopatra VII Artefact of the Day: Mummy of...
4. Ancient Egypt News for Tuesday 22-12-09 Zahi Hawass is in the news again today with the...
5. Ancient Egypt News for Tuesday 19-01-10 A scene from the tomb of Nebamun Artifact of the...