Maltese claims extraordinary discovery in Sahara desert

Independent Online ^ | Saturday, December 29, 2007 | unattributed

[SunkenCiv]

Mark Borda and Mahmoud Marai, from Malta and Egypt respectively, were surveying a field of boulders on the flanks of a hill deep in the Libyan desert some 700 kilometres west of the Nile Valley when engravings on a large rock consisting of hieroglyphic writing, Pharaonic cartouche, an image of the king and other Pharaonic iconography came into view. Mr Borda would not reveal the precise location in order to protect the site... "The consensus among Egyptologists is that the Egyptians did not penetrate this desert any further than the area around Djedefre's Water Mountain. This is a sandstone hill about 80 kilometres south west of the Dakhla Oasis that contains hieroglyphic inscriptions. Its discovery in 2003 by the German explorer Carlo Bergmann caused a sensation as it extended the activities of the Pharaonic administrations an unprecedented 80 kilometres further out into the unknown and waterless Western Desert. The find we just made is some 650 kilometres further on!! Egyptologists will be dumbstruck by this news." ...Maltese Egyptologist Aloisia De Trafford from the Institute of Archaeology (University College London)... facilitated a preliminary decipherment of the text via Joe Clayton, an ancient languages specialist who lectures on hieroglyphic writing at Birkbeck College at the same university... "It turns out that the script we found states the name of the region where it was carved, which is none other than the fabled land of Yam, one of the most famous and mysterious nations that the Egyptians had traded with in Old Kingdom times; a source of precious tropical woods and ivory. Its location has been debated by Egyptologists for over 150 years but it was never imagined it could be 700 kilometres west of the Nile in the middle of the Sahara desert."

[Revolting cat!]

National costume

[SunkenCiv]

The Sahara took a while to dry out. Years ago, National Geographic visited the geographic center (figures) of the desert, way west of this Yam thing, and took (and published) a photo of *an olive tree* that was still living there, and probably thousands of years old. :’)

[SIDENET]

which is none other than the fabled land of Yam

Lost to the sands of time?

[SunkenCiv]

I can’t say that it’s a half-baked idea...

[Tanniker Smith]

Falcon, perhaps?

Well, that didn't take long.

I wanted to add "Help me, Rick!!", but that's that other Bogart movie.

TS



(x, why?)

[The Spirit Of Allegiance]

Ditto that, my FRiend!

[Tanniker Smith]

which is none other than the fabled land of Yam, one of the most famous and mysterious nations that the Egyptians had traded with in Old Kingdom times;

And once a year they celebrate Yad Yam, which I guess would be the last day of the fifth month, instead of the first.

[The Spirit Of Allegiance]

“that other Bogart movie”

You’re referring to the Shakey’s Falcon?

[mikrofon]

Did the Egyptians drive SUV chariots?

No, they walked ... like Egyptians [did]

[TASMANIANRED]

In related news. Archaeologist discover the legendary home of Popeye...

The Sailor's cryptic remarks are finally understood. "I Yam what I Yam and that’s all that I Yam"...

[TASMANIANRED]

That’s no yam, it’s a sweet tater.

[TASMANIANRED]

The Egyptian Ministry of Funny Walks skipped the opportunity to remark on the find.

[SunkenCiv]

:’)

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1945804/posts?page=15#15

[SunkenCiv]

Happy New Year Dustbunny, doc1019, Enterprise, Inyo-Mono, ken21, mikrofon, Publius6961, Rb ver. 2.0, Revolting cat!, SIDENET, southland, TASMANIANRED;Tanniker Smith, The Spirit Of Allegiance, and wildbill. I hope 2008 is great for all of you and yours.

[Enterprise]

Thank you. Happy New Year and God bless you and your family and friends.

[Hegemony Cricket]

Heh - those have me so twisted up, I’ll have to see my Cairo-practor...

[Cicero]

Thanks for the post. Very interesting.

[maine-iac7]

Stories like this need PHOTOS

[TASMANIANRED]

I saw that after I posted. You beat me to it.

[potlatch]

I    YAM   HENRY    THE    8TH   I    YAM