Are rivers really people?
No man treads in the same river twice, wrote Heraclitus in the fifth century BC. No doubt that clever old bird was on to something, but nowadays it seems that we need to be careful about treading in rivers at all. It was reported last week that the River Loddon in Hampshire has been granted legal personhood by a local council, inspired by a document known as the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Rivers.
The UDRR, created in 2017, was created by an organisation called the Earth Law Centre, and makes some pretty sweeping claims on behalf of our fluvial comrades, including the 'right to flow', the 'right to feed and be fed by sustainable aquifers', and 'the right to regeneration and restoration'. Drawing on precedents from New Zealand, India and Colombia, it suggests that rivers should be treated as distinct entities in law with their own interests and prerogatives.
Some readers will already be rolling their eyes and I confess that was my instinctive response.
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Spectator
27-05-2025
- Spectator
Are rivers really people?
No man treads in the same river twice, wrote Heraclitus in the fifth century BC. No doubt that clever old bird was on to something, but nowadays it seems that we need to be careful about treading in rivers at all. It was reported last week that the River Loddon in Hampshire has been granted legal personhood by a local council, inspired by a document known as the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Rivers. The UDRR, created in 2017, was created by an organisation called the Earth Law Centre, and makes some pretty sweeping claims on behalf of our fluvial comrades, including the 'right to flow', the 'right to feed and be fed by sustainable aquifers', and 'the right to regeneration and restoration'. Drawing on precedents from New Zealand, India and Colombia, it suggests that rivers should be treated as distinct entities in law with their own interests and prerogatives. Some readers will already be rolling their eyes and I confess that was my instinctive response.
Powys County Times
26-05-2025
- Powys County Times
Egyptian archaeologists discover three tombs in Luxor
Egypt unveiled three new tombs of prominent statesmen in the Dra Abu al-Naga necropolis in Luxor, officials said on Monday. Egyptian archaeologists have discovered tombs dating back to the New Kingdom period (1550–1070 BC) and identified the names and titles of their owners through inscriptions found within, according to the tourism and antiquities ministry. Mohamed Ismail Khaled, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said further study of other tombs' inscriptions is needed to gain a deeper understanding of the tombs' owners. The ministry released pictures of items found in the tombs, including artifacts and statues. The discovery comes in the lead-up to the highly anticipated full opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum, which is expected this summer, though a final official date is yet to be confirmed. The museum will showcase more than 100,000 artifacts from Egypt's rich ancient heritage. One of the tombs in Luxor belonged to Amum-em-Ipet, from the Ramesside period, who worked in the estate of Amun. His tomb was mostly destroyed and what remained were depictions of the funeral furniture carriers and a banquet. Amun-Im-Ipet's tomb begins with a small courtyard leading to an entrance and then a square hall ending with a niche, whose western wall was destroyed. The other tombs date back to the 18th Dynasty and include one belonging to a man named Baki, who was a supervisor of the grain silo. Another tomb contains the burial of an individual named 'S,' who held multiple roles – he was a supervisor at the Temple of Amun in the oasis, a writer and the mayor of the northern oases. Baki's tomb has a courtyard leading to the main entrance of the tomb as well as a long corridor-like courtyard. It also has a transverse hall leading to another longitudinal hall that leads up to an unfinished chamber that contains a burial well. Meanwhile, the other tomb that belongs to 'S' has a small courtyard with a well, the tomb's main entrance, and a transverse hall that leads to an incomplete longitudinal hall. Minister of tourism and antiquities Sherif Fathi described the discovery as a significant scientific and archaeological achievement, noting that it is one of the areas poised to greatly boost cultural tourism and attract more visitors with an interest in Egypt's rich heritage. In January, Egypt made several discoveries near the city of Luxor, including ancient rock-cut tombs and burial shafts dating back 3,600 years. They were unearthed at the causeway of Queen Hatshepsut's funerary temple at Deir al-Bahri on the Nile's West Bank. Late last year, Egyptian and American archaeologists excavated an ancient tomb with 11 sealed burials near Luxor. The tomb, which dates to the Middle Kingdom, was found in the South Asasif necropolis, next to the Temple of Hatshepsut.
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Archaeologists discover mysterious door inside 4,000-year-old Egyptian tomb
Hiyah Zaidi Published May 14, 2025 3:08pm Updated May 14, 2025 3:08pm Link is copied Comments Archaeologists working in Egypt came across a large, pink granite door inside the tomb of a prince. It stands at more than 14 feet tall but when the researchers went to investigate, they found it was a fake door, leading nowhere. In this prince's tomb within the Saqqara necropolis (south of Cairo, Egypt), the researchers came across other items of significant interest too. So, what did they find? (Picture: Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities) The 4,000-year-old tomb belonged to Prince Waser-If-Re, also spelt as Prince Userefre, who was the son of King Userkaf, the founder of Egypt's Fifth Dynasty, who ruled around 2465 to 2458 BC. The joint mission, between the Supreme Council of Antiquities and the Zahi Hawass Foundation for Archaeological and Heritage, revealed that this is the first time a false door of this size has been found made of pink granite. They also found 13 high-backed chairs, each of which featured statues carved out of pink granite too (Picture: Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities) The door was around four meters high and 1.15 meters wide. It was directly connected to the prince's tomb, and featured hieroglyphs carved into it. They listed the prince's names and titles, including 'Hereditary Prince, Governor of the Buto and Nekhbet Regions, Royal Scribe, Minister, Judge, and Chanting Priest'. The Metropolitan Museum of Art revealed that in ancient Egypt false doors were common as they were considered to be a symbolic gateway between the living and the underworld, and that souls could freely enter and exit the tomb (Picture: Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities) Dr Zahi Hawass, a famed Egyptian archaeologist, also pointed out that the mission found a statue of King Djoser, his wife, and his 10 daughters inside the tomb. The researchers say that these statues were located inside a room next to King Djoser's step pyramid and were moved to the tomb of Prince Userefre during the Late Period (Picture: Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities) Pink and red granite was reserved for royalty, since it was quarried and transported from Aswan. The researchers not only found the pink granite door and statues, but they also found a red granite offering table measuring 92.5 cm in diameter. It featured carved texts describing ritual sacrifice. The tomb also had a massive black granite statue which was 1.17 meters tall of a standing man with hieroglyphic inscriptions on his chest with the name and titles of its owner. The owner of this statue appears to date back to the 26th Dynasty, indicating that the tomb may have been reused during the Late Period (Picture: Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities) Another entrance to the tomb, also adorned with pink granite, featured a cartouche of King Neferirkare. The researchers also came across the pink granite statues, which are considered the first of their kind in the Saqqara area. In total, there were 13 of them, and some heads were positioned higher than the others, which the researchers suggested represented the wives of the prince. However, two statues were without a head. Another black granite statue was found lying face down, at around 1.35 meters tall (Picture: Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities) Archaeologists will now remain on site to learn more about the prince and his granite filled tomb. They will also further investigate to see why the statues of King Djoser, his wife and his 10 daughters were moved (Picture: Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities)
