Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Belgians find tomb of ancient Egypt courtier [ 1st Intermediate Period ]
Yahoo! ^ | Sunday, May 20, 2007 | Reuters

Posted on 05/21/2007 9:35:10 PM PDT by SunkenCiv

Belgian archaeologists have discovered the intact tomb of an Egyptian courtier who lived about 4,000 years ago, Egypt's culture ministry said on Sunday.

The team from Leuven Catholic University accidentally found the tomb, one of the best preserved of its time, while excavating a later burial site at the Deir al-Barsha necropolis near the Nile Valley town of Minya, south of Cairo.

The tomb belonged to Henu, an estate manager and high-ranking official during the first intermediate period, which lasted from 2181 to 2050 BC and was a time of political chaos in ancient Egypt.

The archaeologists found Henu's mummy wrapped in linen in a large wooden coffin and a sarcophagus decorated with hieroglyphic texts addressed to the gods Anubis and Osiris.

The tomb contained well-preserved painted wooden statuettes of workers making bricks, women making beer and pounding cereal, and a model of a boat with rowers, a ministry statement said.

"The statuettes (are of) the best quality of their time. They are characterized by realistic touches and unusual details such as the dirty hands and feet of the brick makers," the statement said, quoting Belgian team leader Harco Willems.

Minya is 225 km (140 miles) south of Cairo.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: History; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: godsgravesglyphs

1 posted on 05/21/2007 9:35:11 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Pharmboy; blam; FairOpinion; StayAt HomeMother; Ernest_at_the_Beach; 1ofmanyfree; 24Karet; ...
Thanks Pharmboy for the link.

To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list. Thanks.
Please FREEPMAIL me if you want on or off the
"Gods, Graves, Glyphs" PING list or GGG weekly digest
-- Archaeology/Anthropology/Ancient Cultures/Artifacts/Antiquities, etc.
Gods, Graves, Glyphs (alpha order)

2 posted on 05/21/2007 9:35:57 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (Time heals all wounds, particularly when they're not yours. Profile updated May 18, 2007.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

WOW, much more here, LOTS of pictures:

http://www.arts.kuleuven.be/egyptology/Henu.htm


3 posted on 05/21/2007 9:42:23 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (Time heals all wounds, particularly when they're not yours. Profile updated May 18, 2007.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Berosus

I think you’ll want to see this.


4 posted on 05/21/2007 10:24:07 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (Time heals all wounds, particularly when they're not yours. Profile updated May 18, 2007.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SunkenCiv

Behind the large statue of Henu there was a large boat model with two groups of rowers and a lotiform bow and stern. There are five rowers on each side, three standing men at the bow, and a helmsman at the stern.

5 posted on 05/21/2007 11:39:40 PM PDT by Fred Nerks (Fair Dinkum!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: SunkenCiv

I sure do, considering how hard it is to find artifacts from the First Intermediate Period. Also it’s close to my favorite time in Egyptian history, the Middle Kingdom. The last time I read a news story like this, it turned out to be an April Fool’s Day joke.


6 posted on 05/22/2007 2:46:44 AM PDT by Berosus ("There is no beauty like Jerusalem, no wealth like Rome, no depravity like Arabia."--the Talmud)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: SunkenCiv
The tomb contained well-preserved painted wooden statuettes of workers making bricks, women making beer...

Oh, how I long for the good old days!

7 posted on 05/22/2007 2:50:04 AM PDT by Cowboy Bob (Withhold Taxes - Starve a Liberal)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SunkenCiv
Was Geraldo inside?
8 posted on 05/22/2007 3:07:37 AM PDT by BigCinBigD (You "abort" bad missile launches and carrier landings. Not babies.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SunkenCiv

Clay figures showing activities of daily life dating
back to 2,100 B.C. have been found by a Belgian
excavation team working in the Barsha Monastery, 124
miles south of Cairo, as seen in this picture made
available by the Egyptian Supreme Council of
Antiquities May 20, 2007. (SCA/Handout/Reuters)

Women making beer...a whole new respect for Egyptians is in order, I believe.

9 posted on 05/22/2007 6:03:41 AM PDT by Pharmboy ([She turned me into a] Newt! in '08)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Berosus

These are spectacularly well-preserverd considering their era.


10 posted on 05/22/2007 7:03:24 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (Time heals all wounds, particularly when they're not yours. Profile updated May 18, 2007.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: Cowboy Bob
Oh, how I long for the good old days!

Heh. Get in to homebrewing and encourage the wife to join you.
11 posted on 05/22/2007 11:03:35 AM PDT by BJClinton (WWBJCD?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson