Petrie Museum Unofficial Page

Petrie Museum Unofficial Page (WEBSITE: http://friendsofpetrie.org)
This page celebrates the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, UCL, and the work of the Friends of the Petrie Museum (PMF) to organise lectures and events, and raise funds for conservation of objects.

Operating as usual

Funny Friday, good weekend all.
24/09/2021

Funny Friday, good weekend all.

Funny Friday, good weekend all.

"Egyptian archaeologists unearth collection of religious ritual tools at Temple of Pharaohs north of CairoThe discovery ...
23/09/2021

"Egyptian archaeologists unearth collection of religious ritual tools at Temple of Pharaohs north of Cairo
The discovery is important because it includes the tools that were actually used in performing the daily religious rituals for goddess Hathor "https://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/9/40/423305/Heritage/Ancient-Egypt/Egyptian-archaeologists-unearth-collection-of-reli.aspx?fbclid=IwAR1U1QhkqJi_zW2R5O699lQav2g6tkLHTlBatZoGqZigqZCAURQGTb8Tdwc

"Egyptian archaeologists unearth collection of religious ritual tools at Temple of Pharaohs north of Cairo
The discovery is important because it includes the tools that were actually used in performing the daily religious rituals for goddess Hathor "https://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/9/40/423305/Heritage/Ancient-Egypt/Egyptian-archaeologists-unearth-collection-of-reli.aspx?fbclid=IwAR1U1QhkqJi_zW2R5O699lQav2g6tkLHTlBatZoGqZigqZCAURQGTb8Tdwc

You can download the paper.... Pigments from paint palettes and a grindstone excavated from the pharaonic town of Amara ...
23/09/2021
Multi-Scale Characterization of Unusual Green and Blue Pigments from the Pharaonic Town of Amara West, Nubia

You can download the paper....

Pigments from paint palettes and a grindstone excavated from the pharaonic town of Amara West (c. 1300–1050 BCE), which lies between the Second and Third Cataracts of the Nile, were examined using polarized light microscopy, attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Most of the pigments were consistent with the typical ancient Egyptian palette, but the greens and some blues were unusual. Two types of green pigment were identified, chlorite (varieties clinochlore and penninite) and copper chloride hydroxide (atacamite type). The former constitutes a type of green earth which has only rarely been identified in pharaonic Egyptian contexts and may be more widespread than is currently reported. The majority of the blue pigment samples were Egyptian blue, but some were found to be a blue earth, the main component of which being sodic amphibole riebeckite. The use of this mineral as a pigment has not previously been reported in any Nile Valley context. These results prompt questions around local and potentially indigenous practices within an ancient colonial context, and highlight avenues for future research

Thank you Jaromír Krejčí

Pigments from paint palettes and a grindstone excavated from the pharaonic town of Amara West (c. 1300–1050 BCE), which lies between the Second and Third Cataracts of the Nile, were examined using polarized light microscopy, attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-...

Recent discoveries at Buto. Each to their own area of interest but I am fascinated by the openwork ivory plaques which l...
20/09/2021

Recent discoveries at Buto. Each to their own area of interest but I am fascinated by the openwork ivory plaques which look like ritual furniture insets (you can see peg fitting at the bottom) in the style of Phoenician Egyptianising ivories found throughout the Levant and Western Asia in the early Iron Age. There must be more than those shown in the article (image below) as these are definitely male offering bearers, one with the eponymous 'lamb to the slaughter'. There are lots more photos in the article.


"The working archaeological mission at the ancient city of Buto, Kafr El-Sheikh, unearthed several tools that were used during religious rituals nearby the city’s ancient temple. The Secretary-General of Supreme Council of Antiquates Dr Mostafa Waziri nnounced the news of the latest discoveries, adding, that this
discovery is one of the most significant ones as it contained objects related to Hathor worshipping rituals, and they were buried under a complex of stones.
In the same context, Dr Ayman Ashmawy, the Head of the Egyptian Antiquities Sector, added that the discovery also included unearthing a part of a limestone pillar depicted Hathor, alongside several incense burners made from faience, one of them depicted the head of Horus, small statues, small birthing chair, a golden eye of Horus, and a big carrier of sacrifices. Moreover, the mission discovered a number of scenes that carved on ivory depicted the daily life of ancient Egypt such as ladies carrying sacrifices, and animal and plant life on Delta, in addition to a part of palette that reflected a king during worship time and it carried several hieroglyphic texts. Several hieroglyphic texts were found scripted on stones, and some of them mentioned the name of king Apries, Psamtik I, and Ahmose I. Finally, Hossam Ghoniem, the supervisor of the mission, said that a large limestone building was revealed; it consisted of a well for holy water that used in religious rituals, in addition, part of the Ptolemaic bath with its various attachments such as a heater for water, and water tub."

Recent discoveries at Buto. Each to their own area of interest but I am fascinated by the openwork ivory plaques which look like ritual furniture insets (you can see peg fitting at the bottom) in the style of Phoenician Egyptianising ivories found throughout the Levant and Western Asia in the early Iron Age. There must be more than those shown in the article (image below) as these are definitely male offering bearers, one with the eponymous 'lamb to the slaughter'. There are lots more photos in the article.


"The working archaeological mission at the ancient city of Buto, Kafr El-Sheikh, unearthed several tools that were used during religious rituals nearby the city’s ancient temple. The Secretary-General of Supreme Council of Antiquates Dr Mostafa Waziri nnounced the news of the latest discoveries, adding, that this
discovery is one of the most significant ones as it contained objects related to Hathor worshipping rituals, and they were buried under a complex of stones.
In the same context, Dr Ayman Ashmawy, the Head of the Egyptian Antiquities Sector, added that the discovery also included unearthing a part of a limestone pillar depicted Hathor, alongside several incense burners made from faience, one of them depicted the head of Horus, small statues, small birthing chair, a golden eye of Horus, and a big carrier of sacrifices. Moreover, the mission discovered a number of scenes that carved on ivory depicted the daily life of ancient Egypt such as ladies carrying sacrifices, and animal and plant life on Delta, in addition to a part of palette that reflected a king during worship time and it carried several hieroglyphic texts. Several hieroglyphic texts were found scripted on stones, and some of them mentioned the name of king Apries, Psamtik I, and Ahmose I. Finally, Hossam Ghoniem, the supervisor of the mission, said that a large limestone building was revealed; it consisted of a well for holy water that used in religious rituals, in addition, part of the Ptolemaic bath with its various attachments such as a heater for water, and water tub."

A thing wot he wrote, courtesy of Tom Hardwick as part of his collaboration with the Egypt Centre on the dispersal of th...
20/09/2021

A thing wot he wrote, courtesy of Tom Hardwick as part of his collaboration with the Egypt Centre on the dispersal of the collection of Hilton Price, see details on our earlier post.
#soiwroteathing
https://hiltonprice.abasetcollections.com/Home/AboutHiltonPrice?fbclid=IwAR3Ge_dzaYgFrNprXfaArGGiAjmZgZrpyDBGIH3uPV8aeOtGtgH2JB3Ctt0

A thing wot he wrote, courtesy of Tom Hardwick as part of his collaboration with the Egypt Centre on the dispersal of the collection of Hilton Price, see details on our earlier post.
#soiwroteathing
https://hiltonprice.abasetcollections.com/Home/AboutHiltonPrice?fbclid=IwAR3Ge_dzaYgFrNprXfaArGGiAjmZgZrpyDBGIH3uPV8aeOtGtgH2JB3Ctt0

The hypocephalus amuletThe term ‘hypocephalus’, in Egyptian Xrj tp according to the title of the BD spell 162, refers to...
18/09/2021

The hypocephalus amulet
The term ‘hypocephalus’, in Egyptian Xrj tp according to the title of the BD spell 162, refers to a piece of Late Period and Ptolemaic funerary equipment. It is specifically, an amuletic disc, made of cartonnage, bronze, textile, and more rarely, papyrus, or even wood, emulating a solar disc. The diameters of these objects vary from 8.0 to 23.0 cm, and they are generally flat. At the moment, 158 examples offer a chance to make comparisons. In the rare cases where hypocephali are concave, they are believed to have functioned to protect the head as a kind of pillow or funerary cap. The custom of using hypocephali is evident in the Upper Egyptian sites of Thebes, Abydos, and Akhmim, at Hermupolis in Middle Egypt, and farther north, at the cemeteries associated with Memphis. It is clear that the use of the hypocephalus never became widespread. Hypocephali remained exclusive pieces of funerary equipment reserved for the clergy and for the members of their families who occupied also priestly positions in the pallacide of the temples. In Thebes, families of the priests and priestesses of Amon used the object, in Akhmim, the clergy of Min did so, and in Memphis the clergy of Ptah.
Spell 162 prescribed that the amulet be placed beneath the head of the deceased to protect them in the darkness of the underworld. Once the dead person received the light and energy emitted by the hypocephalus, he could ‘appear again like one who is on earth’. The light and energy are generated by the invocations and magical formulae addressed to the creator god. This general idea is conveyed in spells 163–165 too, where Amon appears in several multifaceted forms. The god is described as a tremendous and universal creature. He makes his way through the sky under the protection of his uraeus, which produces fiery flames to shield him against his enemies. The texts identify the fiery guardianship of the uraeus (See Figure 3) with the protection produced by the wedjat-eye (See Figure 4). Moreover, in view of the representations of Amon in the centre panel of the discs, hypocephali are properly equivalent in the Egyptian belief system with the pupil of the wedjat-eye itself. Amon’s hidden, but at the same time tremendous forms and powers, are ultimately responsible for the life-giving, protective energy which the sun-disc radiates over the head of the deceased. Protection of the head plays a key role in the Ancient Egyptian funerary belief from prehistoric times. References in the Old Kingdom Pyramid Texts (PT) and Middle Kingdom Coffin Texts (CT) make it clear that priests identified the head with Re himself. From that time onward, the revitalisation of the head remained particularly important, although from epoch to epoch practices varied. The hypocephalus amulet that appeared in the 4th century BC was one of the latest methods devised in accordance with this pattern of belief.
Petrie Museum, London UC16407 is one of the examples from the museum discussed in Mekis catalogue.

Bibliography
Tamás Mekis, The Hypocephalus: an Ancient Egyptian Funerary Amulet, 2020

(VM)

Friday funny.... ;) Thanks to Kathryn Piquette for this one. And to Teas and Seas for such creativity.
17/09/2021

Friday funny.... ;) Thanks to Kathryn Piquette for this one. And to Teas and Seas for such creativity.

Friday funny.... ;) Thanks to Kathryn Piquette for this one. And to Teas and Seas for such creativity.

Loving this modern Egyptomania from Fania and the Netherlands Institute. Read below for the context!
16/09/2021

Loving this modern Egyptomania from Fania and the Netherlands Institute. Read below for the context!

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* Fania’s Farao Mania: Strange Ancient Egyptian Gods 3/3: Seth! *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

The nature of the god Seth throughout Egyptian history is a dynamic and complex one. Often Seth is put in the ‘villain’ category due to his connection with the desert, chaos, violence, and his role in the famous Osiris Myth (where he kills his brother, Osiris). However, Seth is not only bad: he was the patron deity of several kings and some kings were even named after him. Seth’s look may raise an eyebrow or two: is it a composite of an aardvark, a donkey, and a jackal? There is simply no universally accepted answer as to what this Seth animal is. Because of all the above, Seth is by far one of the most featured gods in popular literature, film and television, video games, and even music.

Photos top to bottom, left to right: Seth is kicking bum in Smite: Battleground of the Gods; the Seth animal hieroglyph in the cartouche of king Seti II; a depiction of Seth in Abu Simbel, crowning king Ramses II; in Mission Impossible: the Sands of Seth, a museum curator wants to revive the ancient Egyptian past with the help of Seth (and the curator wants to be Pharaoh himself!); Seth is the final boss in Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation; the portrayal of Seth in the movie Gods of Egypt by Gerald Butler; Seth as one of the Elder Gods in the Marvel Universe.

Jane Akshar, larger than life character who introduced many people to life on the West Bank at Luxor, party giver, gin d...
11/09/2021

Jane Akshar, larger than life character who introduced many people to life on the West Bank at Luxor, party giver, gin drinker, prime fixer, life and soul of the party, has died of a heart attack.

She will be known by so many visitors to Luxor where she had lived for many years. A few years ago she came back to the UK for the sake of her health and really celebrated her improving health and quality of life, enjoying being near her family.

While in Luxor Jane was the driving force which created handicapped accessibility to many of the monuments. She wrote several books on Egyptology geared toward the layman, including one specifically for mobility-impaired tourists.

She is survived by a long-term boyfriend, a daughter, two much-loved grandchildren and a host of friends.

RIP Jane

Jane Akshar, larger than life character who introduced many people to life on the West Bank at Luxor, party giver, gin drinker, prime fixer, life and soul of the party, has died of a heart attack.

She will be known by so many visitors to Luxor where she had lived for many years. A few years ago she came back to the UK for the sake of her health and really celebrated her improving health and quality of life, enjoying being near her family.

While in Luxor Jane was the driving force which created handicapped accessibility to many of the monuments. She wrote several books on Egyptology geared toward the layman, including one specifically for mobility-impaired tourists.

She is survived by a long-term boyfriend, a daughter, two much-loved grandchildren and a host of friends.

RIP Jane

What a period piece! Another serendipitous discovery while searching for something else. This image from The Graphic, 18...
11/09/2021

What a period piece! Another serendipitous discovery while searching for something else. This image from The Graphic, 18/3/1905 records the visit of the duke of Connaught and his family to Giza and Saqqara.
It comes from a website, The Court Jeweller, which records the love story of Princess Margaret of Connaught and Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden. Cairo in the winter of 1905 was full of the European elite wintering in Egypt. Gustaf seems to have had a real interest in ancient Egypt and he and the Connaughts visited many of the sites in Cairo and Luxor.
The reason the story is in the Court Jeweller is they record many of the jewels given to the princess on her wedding including a splendid tiara from the Khedive of Egypt, and an Egyptianising scarab necklace. I'm more interested in any objects they collected (or the senior Connaughts) so if anyone has any information about that, do please let me know!
The full article is here: https://www.thecourtjeweller.com/2021/02/love-on-nile-egyptian-wedding-jewels-of.html

What a period piece! Another serendipitous discovery while searching for something else. This image from The Graphic, 18/3/1905 records the visit of the duke of Connaught and his family to Giza and Saqqara.
It comes from a website, The Court Jeweller, which records the love story of Princess Margaret of Connaught and Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden. Cairo in the winter of 1905 was full of the European elite wintering in Egypt. Gustaf seems to have had a real interest in ancient Egypt and he and the Connaughts visited many of the sites in Cairo and Luxor.
The reason the story is in the Court Jeweller is they record many of the jewels given to the princess on her wedding including a splendid tiara from the Khedive of Egypt, and an Egyptianising scarab necklace. I'm more interested in any objects they collected (or the senior Connaughts) so if anyone has any information about that, do please let me know!
The full article is here: https://www.thecourtjeweller.com/2021/02/love-on-nile-egyptian-wedding-jewels-of.html

Address

University College London, Malet Place
London
WC1E 6BT

Nearest Tube Stations: Russell Square, Goodge St, Warren St, Euston, Euston Square Buses: 10, 24, 29,59, 68, 73, 168

General information

Just five minutes from the British Museum! Leave by the Montague Place exit, travel up Malet Street, across Torrington Place by the Waterstones book shop and into Malet Place. A bright red banner hangs above the entrance

Opening Hours

Tuesday 1pm - 5pm
Wednesday 1pm - 5pm
Thursday 1pm - 5pm
Friday 1pm - 5pm
Saturday 1pm - 5pm

Telephone

+442076792369

Website

Products

A museum of over 87,000 ancient Egyptian and Sudanese objects excavated by Flinders Petrie, his students and colleagues, in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Petrie Museum Unofficial Page posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Museum

Send a message to Petrie Museum Unofficial Page:

Shortcuts

Category

Other Museums in London

Show All

Comments

Is anyone aware of a PDF download of "Commodity Prices from the Ramessid Period" by Jozef Janssen ISBN: 978-90-04-04211-7, Publication Date: 01 Jun 1975 (out of print)?
I've just enjoyed a brilliant Zoom with Joanne Backhouse where she produced some fantastic information - hence I've looked up this:
I have been wanting to create a collage like this for ages. Something that would combine iconic items that captured something of the glory of Egyptian art. It's a very personal selection and I will probably do another soon, but I am pleased with how this one turned out. All the visuals have been taken from 19th century lithographs, the fruit of so many artists who accompanied the expeditions of Champollion, Prisse d'Avennes, Karl Richard Lepsius, Giovanni Belzoni and Ippolito Rosellini. You can see more reproductions like this on my page 'Prints of Egypt' or at printsofegypt.etsy.com
Here are three outstanding views of the Great Hypostyle Hall at Karnak by two artists who were both painting in Egypt during the same period: David Roberts R.A. and Ernst Weidenbach. Weidenbach, born in Merseburg in 1818, took part in the Prussian expedition to Egypt from 1842 to 1845 under Karl Richard Lepsius who had previously tutored him in the drawing of hieroglyphs. Weidenbach’s work is captioned ‘Theben’ at the top. Roberts, born in 1796 in Edinburgh, travelled to Egypt in 1838. He created a vast number of watercolours and drawings, returning to Britain in 1842 where, in collaboration with the lithographer Louis Haghe, he produced beautifully illustrated plates for a variety of books. The date of his two paintings shown here is 1838. It is interesting to see how much colour was still in evidence then and how much rubble and sand had accumulated at the base of the columns. I find it hard to decide whose pictures I like most, but both demonstrate the important work done by the 19th Century artists who visited Egypt and ‘fixed’ monuments as they then stood for all posterity. These and many other 19th C. pictures of Egypt can be found on my page 'Prints of Egypt'
Here are three outstanding views of the Great Hypostyle Hall at Karnak by two artists who were both painting in Egypt during the same period: David Roberts R.A. and Ernst Weidenbach. Weidenbach, born in Merseburg in 1818, took part in the Prussian expedition to Egypt from 1842 to 1845 under Karl Richard Lepsius who had previously tutored him in the drawing of hieroglyphs. Weidenbach’s work is captioned ‘Theben’ at the top. Roberts, born in 1796 in Edinburgh, travelled to Egypt in 1838. He created a vast number of watercolours and drawings, returning to Britain in 1842 where, in collaboration with the lithographer Louis Haghe, he produced beautifully illustrated plates for a variety of books. The date of his two paintings shown here is 1838. It is interesting to see how much colour was still in evidence then and how much rubble and sand had accumulated at the base of the columns. I find it hard to decide whose pictures I like most, but both demonstrate the important work done by the 19th Century artists who visited Egypt and ‘fixed’ monuments as they then stood for all posterity. You can find more works like this on my page 'Prints of Egypt' or at printsofegypt.etsy.com
https://www.facebook.com/LaCarcovaUNA/videos/564952057547540/?app=fbl
hello dear colleagues! please tell me about this buckle, we had a dispute, I believe that the buckle of the era of migration and a friend says that this is a new kingdom ) please share the information
Hi there, can anyone help? I am trying to get a copy of 'Lahun' written by Stephen Quirke, it appears to be out of print. Just wondered if there was an 'on-line' copy? The University of Leicester Library does not have a copy and I'm researching Lahun for an essay. Many thanks. Mary
Can any of my friends help? I've completely lost my webmail now = no link for today. can someone pm it to me please ?
Egyptology world - have you seen this ? Brilliant paper design - and it's FREE!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Egyptholail/permalink/4423714320978812/
https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/did-you-know-history/king-tuts-sweet-tooth