In big Egyptological news, Dr. Nick Reeves has claimed that:
I can now show that, under the cartouches of Ay, are cartouches of Tutankhamun himself, proving that that scene originally showed Tutankhamun burying his predecessor, Nefertiti. You would not have had that decoration in the tomb of Tutankhamun….Close inspection of Ay’s cartouches reveals clear, underlying traces of an earlier name—that of Tutankhamun. In its original version, this scene had shown Tutankhamun performing the funerary ritual for the tomb’s original owner, his immediate predecessor … Nefertiti.
N. Reeves graciously provided us with this graphic to illustrate the nomen change. The reed leaf is particularly noticeable in the Factum Arte image.
Note the darker reed-leaf shaped sign under the ntr-flag sign
In the past, Reeves has argued that the tomb was originally constructed for Nefertiti and that the original tomb was larger with a corridor that was widened and a blind wall that was repainted when Tutankhamun died. Scans have been performed to check for cavities behind said wall—but these have remained frustratingly inconclusive. Some argued the radar showed cavities, others said they showed rock.
If Reeves can indeed prove an earlier cartouche writing, it would provide further support for his theory. We’ve looked at the Factum Arte high-res images and we are on board— the name of Tutankamun is quite possibly there. We await Reeve’s new and updated Complete Tutankhamun and his official publication on these new findings.
Studying the hand prints from prehistoric cave paintings in Spain, researchers found that many of their sizes best correlate to children. About 25% could not be connected to adults or teenagers, but came from 3-10 year olds. How does this then change how these paintings are to be understood? What role did these children play in the artistic creation and shamanistic practice in their community? Children tend to be ephemeral in the archaeological record, so its great to see this kind of research being done.
How do we study mental health issues in the past? What might be a way of self-soothing (like crocheting or baking) would look like simple craft production to archaeologists in the future. Even ritual acts like burial can be viewed as practices that are meant to ease anxieties and depression. And then there are those activities, like singing, dancing, eating, gossiping, that leave so little evidence in the archaeological record. Arguably, ritual itself came about to give humans a sense of control over one’s environment and provide an explanation of how the world works. A good think piece!
Researchers using fossilized pollen particles have discovered an ancient tributary of the Nile that would have come right up to the Giza Plateua and allowed for a dock for Khufu’s pyramid construction. Boats would have been been able to sail with their stone quarry load right up to the pyramid under construction, making off-loading and lifting the stones into place that much easier. We know from the Diary of Merer how stones were quarried and shipped to the site, and now we have the waterway that they would have sailed upon. Cool stuff that highlights how much we still do not know about how the great pyramids were built (and no that still doesn’t mean aliens built them)!
Researchers out of the University of Cincinnati analyzed the DNA of the so-called Griffin Warrior (and 726 other individuals from his community) to determine where they grew up. The analysis supports the theory that the Mycenaean culture was homegrown and not a product of migratory peoples. The research proves that the Griffin Warrior was neither an invader nor an outsider—he grew up in the area. No Stranger-King-Hypothesis here (for those of you who love your Stahlins & Graeber)! To read more out the discovery of the Griffin Warrior, see here.
The question here is if the warrior’s DNA had come back as “foreign,” what would that mean? Such aDNA studies continue to be used to find individuals’ “ethnicities,” but we know it’s so much more complicated and dangerous. Genetic studies are too often used to promulgate modern agendas, like claiming a particular population was a late-comer and thus has no right to live there. In short, archaeologists must be very careful here, lest they produce scholarships that promotes continued occupation, denigration, forced emigration, or even genocide.
Imagine a festival where the President gets berated and humiliated? Hard to picture, right? I mean, the Egyptians never went in for this kind of ritual. But this is exactly what happened at the Akitu Festival in ancient Mesopotamia. On the 5th day of the festival, the king went to the temple of Marduk and was “ritually humiliated,” which included the high priest removing all markings of his kingship (scepter, clothing, crown), slapping him across the cheek, pulling the king by the ear and making him kneel before the god’s statue.
Was this a way for the priesthood to keep some power and control over kingship? Or was it rather a re-investiture ceremony to affirm the gods support of the current king? Some modern leaders could do with exactly such a “status reversal” ritual, we think…
All I did (and still do) is scrape some time together to work on the coffins book. And email. For the UCLA NELC department. Putting out fires. And the coffins book. That damn coffins book. It’s the beast that keeps on biting. That’s all I can say. But we’re getting there…slowly… painful bit by painful bit. Right, Amber and Kylie???? But look what Jordan got to do. We are jealous…
Amber:
September was marked by the parental back-to-school hustle, but it was mostly consumed with helping Kara bring THE COFFINS BOOK into the final(!) stages of editing… Well, aside from a brief reprieve from coffins for a weekend wine-tasting and gambling adventure. Even Virgos gotta slack sometimes!
Jordan:
I got to visit so many amazing sites and museums in Athens and the Peloponnese. Here are a few images of my favorites:
