egyptomania

egyptomania

Outermost Coffin
Photo by Harry Burton, spring 1926, (English, 1879–1940).

 The most haunting image of Burton's entire Tutankhamun portfolio is this detail of the king's outer coffin. Burton's unusual cropping, which isolates the golden vulture and cobra goddesses of Upper and Lower Egypt and the astonishingly lifelike eyes of the pharaoh, creates a dynamic tension that pulls one's focus back and forth between Tutankhamun's divine and mortal personas.
Made of cornflowers clasped in olive leaves that were wrapped around a core of papyrus pith, the wreath—a last gift to the young pharaoh—was extremely fragile after more than 3,000 years and fell to pieces when removed.

egyptomania

egyptomania

Egyptian Glazed Terracotta Cat Statue on Stand. Ptolemaic, circa 304-30 B.C.

egyptopmania

Israel in Egypt. 1867. (Detail:  the statue of Sekhmet being transported).
by Sir Edward Poynter.

egyptomania

The ancient Egyptian Temple of Dendur inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

egyptomania

Cranes lift the face of Ramses II from the Abu Simbel Temples in Egypt, May 1966.
Photograph by Georg Gerster, National Geographic.

egyptomania

Temple of Isis on the Island of Philae Egypt, by  David Roberts,1838.

egyptomania

Faience wall tiles from the funerary apartment of King Djoser in the step pyramid at Saqqara. Made in Egypt, c.2690-2670 BC

egyptomania

Antinous depicted as the Egyptian god Osiris, originally discovered in 1738-9 in Hadrian’s Villa.

egyptomania

egyptomania

Sphinx of Amenhotep III, possibly a Model of a Temple (ca. 1390-1352 BC)

egyptomania

 

Akhenaton

egyptomania

Detail of Tutankhamen’s Outermost Coffin, photographed by Harry Burton 1926.

egyptomania

Lost Egyptian City Found Underwater After 1200 Years

1,200 years ago the ancient Egyptian city of Heracleion disappeared beneath the Mediterranean. Founded around 8th century BC, well before the foundation of Alexandria in 331 BC, it is believed Heracleion served as the obligatory port of entry to Egypt for all ships coming from the Greek world.

Prior to its discovery in 2000 by archaeologist Franck Goddio and the IEASM (European Institute for Underwater Archaeology), no trace of Thonis-Heracleion had been found (the city was known to the Greeks as Thonis). Its name was almost razed from the memory of mankind, only preserved in ancient classic texts and rare inscriptions found on land by archaeologists.

The Discovery

With his unique survey-based approach utilising sophisticated technical equipment, Franck Goddio and his team from the IEASM were able to locate, map and excavate parts of the city of Thonis-Heracleion, which lies 6.5 kilometres off today’s coastline about 150 feet underwater. The city is located within an overall research area of 11 by 15 kilometres in the western part of Aboukir Bay. [Source]
Findings to date include:
- The remains of more than 64 ships buried in the thick clay and sand that covers the sea bed
- Gold coins and weights made from bronze and stone
- Giant 16-ft statues along with hundreds of smaller statues of minor gods
- Slabs of stone inscribed in both ancient Greek and ancient Egyptian
- Dozens of small limestone sarcophagi believed to have once contained mummified animals
- Over 700 ancient anchors for ships

 

 What Caused the Submergence?

Research suggests that the site was affected by geological and cataclysmic phenomena. The slow movement of subsidence of the soil affected this part of the south-eastern basin of the Mediterranean. The rise in sea level also contributed significantly to the submergence of the land. The IEASM made geological observations that brought these phenomena to light by discovering seismic effects in the underlying geology.

Analysis of the site also suggests liquefaction of the soil. These localized phenomena can be triggered by the action of great pressure on soil with a high clay and water content. The pressure from large buildings, combined with an overload of weight due to an unusually high flood or a tidal wave, can dramatically compress the soil and force the expulsion of water contained within the structure of the clay. The clay quickly loses volume, which creates sudden subsidence. An earthquake can also cause such a phenomenon. These factors, whether occurring together or independently, may have caused significant destruction and explain the submergence of Thonis-Heracleion.

Photograph by Franck Goddio / Hilti Foundation / Christoph Gerigk

Model of a garden

 Made in Egypt, c.1981-1975 BC

egyptomania

Tomb of Merneptah of the Valley of Kings, 1203 BC

egyptomania

egyptomania

Tomb of Ramses VI, Egypt.