Talking Pyramids: Ancient Egyptian Pyramids

Biomedical Egyptology is a topic I am fascinated with and there are a couple of links today that are in that vein: Medical Egyptology – The British Medical Journal, Vol. 1, No. 2465 (Mar. 28, 1908), pp. 769-770 (2 pages), at JSTOR. You will need to have JSTOR access. The following news story related to biomedical Egyptology was brought to my attention by archaeologist Page Strong. ‘Archaeochemistry’ is another term used to describe this developing field. The story seeks to determine if ingredients in ancient remedies were effective.

One Egyptian clay jar, estimated to be more than 5,000 years old, yielded flaky residue that suggests a veritable apothecary of possible ingredients: coriander, senna, germander, balm and savory, among others. Samples scraped from the inside of a newer jar, just 1,500 years old, yielded compounds that likely came from rosemary.

The research, done in collaboration with a chemist from the U.S. Treasury Department, is more than a quest for history. Senior author Patrick McGovern, an “archaeochemist” at Penn’s Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, wants to know if the ancient herbalists came up with anything that really works.

Researchers at Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center are similarly intrigued, and already are studying herbs identified in some of McGovern’s previous experiments. A derivative of the wormwood plant, found in a 3,200-year-old fermented beverage from China, has shown some promise against tumor cells in preliminary lab studies.

“I think people should be open-minded” about ancient remedies, said Wafik S. El-Deiry, a Penn professor of medicine, genetics, and pharmacology, “because there may be hidden treasures.”

Lots of photos again today: Sandro Vannini has taken some fine photos of the tomb of Seti at the Valley of the Kings. The Oriental Institue has posted a batch of photos from their ‘Splendors of the Nile’ trip: some of the Ptolemaic Temple at Deir el Medineh and also of the tomb of Ankhtifi, at Mo’alla. A Ptolemaic magical papyrus and some great photos from kairoinfo4u of Abusir, which you can see below:

• PHOTO: Ptolemaic magical papyrus, a 4th cen. B.C. Egyptian scroll written in hieretic: http://bit.ly/6wjRwm #
• PHOTOS: Slideshow of the pyramids and ruins at Abusir, from kairoinfo4u: http://bit.ly/6wDVQG #
• KV55 – a poem about tomb KV55 in the Valley of the Kings, by Anthony Holmes: http://bit.ly/65XR9a #
• Oriental Institute visits Mo'alla and the tomb of Ankhtifi, a local governor during the First Intermediate Period: http://bit.ly/6PimQJ #
• PHOTOS: From the Oriental Institute's Splendors of the Nile trip – Ptolemaic Temple at Deir el Medineh: http://bit.ly/71TRTZ #
• Not Egyptian but still pyramidal – Dade Pyramids – St. Augustine, Florida. Pyramids memorialise those who died: http://bit.ly/8my1Gl #
• PDF:UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology – Predynastic Art: http://bit.ly/7nP5rE #
• Medical Egyptology – The British Medical Journal, Vol. 1, No. 2465 (Mar. 28, 1908), pp. 769-770 (2 pages). At JSTOR: http://bit.ly/6elltT #
• Egyptology Seminar for Adults and Children in Athens. The first seminar will take place this Sat, 12 Dec 2009 10:30 am: http://bit.ly/7g6J9E #
• Undergraduate Courses in Egyptology and Ancient Near Eastern Studies at Oxford: http://bit.ly/8yzhnO #
• Sandro Vannini's Photography – Tomb of Seti I (KV17): The Crypt's Side Chamber: http://bit.ly/8zs1Ej #
• Scientists identify herbs in ancient Egyptian medicines (from @ChocolateArchy): http://is.gd/5fyMl #archaeology #egyptology #

Photo set Have you ever been to….Abusir? by kairoinfo4u Some rights reserved

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