Free Republic

...Sapinuwa, also known as Šapinuwa in Hittite, was a significant Bronze Age city of the Hittite Empire, located in modern Ortaköy, Çorum province, Türkiye, approximately 70 kilometers east of the Hittite capital, Hattusa. This ancient city served as one of the major religious and administrative centers of the Hittites, functioning as a military base and occasionally housing several Hittite kings.The identification of Ortaköy as the site of ancient Sapinuwa began when a local farmer discovered two clay cuneiform tablets in his field and reported the find to the Çorum Museum. This discovery prompted a survey in 1989, leading to further...

...The sophistication of the body’s mummification process and the materials used – including its exceptionally fine linen dressing and high-quality resin – was not thought to have been achieved until 1,000 years later. Professor Salima Ikram, head of Egyptology at the American University in Cairo and a leading expert on the history of mummification, told the Observer: “If this is indeed an Old Kingdom mummy, all books about mummification and the history of the Old Kingdom will need to be revised.” She added: “This would completely turn our understanding of the evolution of mummification on its head. The materials used,...