Latest news with #ancientEgypt
France 24
6 days ago
- Business
- France 24
Egypt sets opening of $1 bn Pyramids museum for Nov 1
Authorities hope that the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), which boasts the treasures of Tutankhamun among its collection of more than 100,000 ancient Egyptian artefacts, will attract visitors from around the world. Official say that at 50 hectares (124 acres), the museum will be the largest in the world dedicated to a single civilisation. Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly told a cabinet meeting that President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi had approved the new opening date. He said the opening would "an exceptional event" that would showcase Egypt's cultural heritage and attract visitors from around the world. It had been set for July 3 but was postponed when Israel attacked Iranian nuclear facilities on June 13 sparking a 12-day war that closed airspace across much of the Middle East. The project has faced a series of setbacks, including political unrest and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Authorities anticipate that the museum will draw five million visitors per year in a major boost to the tourism industry, which is a key foreign exchange earner for Egypt. © 2025 AFP
Daily Mail
28-07-2025
- Science
- Daily Mail
'First words of Moses' inscribed in 3,800-year-old Egyptian mines could prove the Bible true
A controversial new interpretation of markings etched on the walls of an ancient Egyptian mine could prove the Book of Exodus to be true. Researcher Michael Bar-Ron claimed that a 3,800-year-old Proto-Sinaitic inscription, found at Serabit el-Khadim in Egypt 's Sinai Peninsula, may read 'zot m'Moshe,' Hebrew for 'This is from Moses.' The inscription, etched into a rock face near the so-called Sinai 357 in Mine L, is part of a collection of over two dozen Proto-Sinaitic texts first discovered in the early 1900s. These writings, among the earliest known alphabetic scripts, were likely created by Semitic-speaking workers in the late 12th Dynasty, around 1800BC. Bar-Ron, who spent eight years analyzing high-resolution images and 3D scans, suggested the phrase could indicate authorship or dedication linked to a figure named Moses. According to the Bible, Moses led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, and is famously known for receiving the Ten Commandments from God on Mount Sinai. But no evidence of his existence has ever been found. Other nearby inscriptions reference 'El,' a deity associated with early Israelite worship, and show signs of the Egyptian goddess Hathor's name being defaced, hinting at cultural and religious tensions. Mainstream experts remain cautious, noting that while Proto-Sinaitic is the earliest known alphabet, its characters are notoriously difficult to decipher. Dr Thomas Schneider, Egyptologist and professor at the University of British Columbia, said the claims are completely unproven and misleading,' warning that 'arbitrary' identifications of letters can distort ancient history.' However, Bar-Ron's academic advisor, Dr Pieter van der Veen, confirmed the reading, stating, 'You're absolutely correct, I read this as well, it is not imagined!' Bar-Ron's study, which has not been published in a peer-reviewed journal, re-examined 22 complex inscriptions from the ancient turquoise mines, dating to the reign of Pharaoh Amenemhat III. Some scholars have proposed that Amenemhat III, known for his extensive building projects, could have been the pharaoh mentioned in the Book of Exodus. The language used in the carvings appears to be an early form of Northwest Semitic, closely related to biblical Hebrew, with traces of Aramaic. Using high-resolution images and 3D casts studied at Harvard's Semitic Museum, Bar-Ron grouped the inscriptions into five overlapping categories, or 'clades,' including dedications to the goddess Baʿalat, invocations of the Hebrew God El and hybrid inscriptions that show signs of later defacement and modification. Some carvings honoring Baʿalat appeared to have been scratched over by El-worshippers, possibly reflecting a religious power struggle among the Semitic-speaking laborers. The inscriptions also contained references to slavery, overseers, and a dramatic rejection of the Baʿalat cult, which scholars suggest may have led to a violent purge and the workers' eventual departure from the site. A burned Ba'alat temple, built by Amenemhat III, and references to the 'Gate of the Accursed One, likely Pharaoh's gate, hint at resistance against Egyptian authority. Nearby, the Stele of Reniseneb and a seal of an Asiatic Egyptian high official indicate a significant Semitic presence, possibly linked to figures like the biblical Joseph, a high-ranking official in Pharaoh's court, as described in the Book of Genesis. Joseph, sold into slavery and later rising to power through his dream interpretations, facilitated his family's settlement in Egypt. 'We find worshipful inscriptions lauding the idol Ba'alat, with clearly an El or God-serving scribe coming in later and canceling out certain letters, in an effort to turn the message into a God-serving one,' Bar-Ron told Patterns of Evidence. 'This is ground zero for this conflict. A second possible 'Moshe,' or Moses, reference in nearby carvings adds intrigue, though its exact context remains unclear. 'I took a very critical view towards finding the name 'Moses' or anything that could sound sensationalist,' Bar-Ron told Patterns of Evidence. 'In fact, the only way to do serious work is to try to find elements that seem 'Biblical,' but to struggle to find alternative solutions that are at least as likely.'
Yahoo
28-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Rare 4,000-year-old Egyptian handprint found
A 4,000-year-old handprint has been found on an ancient Egyptian tomb offering by curators preparing for an exhibition. The discovery was made by University of Cambridge researchers on a "soul house", a type of clay model in the shape of a building, typically found in burials. Curator Helen Strudwick said the complete handprint, which dates to 2055 to 1650BC, was "a rare and exciting" find. The ceramic will go on display as part of the university's Made in Ancient Egypt exhibition at the Fitzwilliam Museum opening on 3 October. Ms Strudwick, senior egyptologist at the Fitzwilliam Museum, said: "We've spotted traces of fingerprints left in wet varnish or on a coffin in the decoration, but it is rare and exciting to find a complete handprint underneath this soul house. "This was left by the maker who touched it before the clay dried. "I have never seen such a complete handprint on an Egyptian object before." The exhibition concentrates on the people who made the ancient Egyptian crafts. While ceramics were widely used and vast amounts of pottery survive, there are relatively few details known about the potters themselves, in comparison to other ancient Egyptian craftsmen. The ready availability and generally low value of pottery may have affected their status, according to the museum, which cited a text known as the Teaching of Khet, comparing potters to pigs who wallow in mud. Soul houses may have acted as offering trays or provided a place for the soul of the deceased to live within the tomb. They had an open front space where items of food were laid out, in this example loaves of bread, a lettuce and an ox's head. Analysis of the item suggested the potter who made it first created a framework of wooden sticks and then coated it with clay to make a building with two storeys supported by pillars. During firing the wooden framework burnt away, leaving empty spaces in their place. The handprint found underneath was probably made when someone, perhaps the potter, moved the house out of the workshop to dry before firing in a kiln, according to the researchers. The stories of Egyptian rulers, like Tutankhamun, have received a great deal of attention but the makers of the artefacts themselves are often overlooked. Made in Ancient Egypt aims to show who these people were, how they thought of themselves and what other Egyptians thought of them. Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. More on this story Ancient Egyptian history may be rewritten by DNA bone test Researchers help uncover ancient Egyptian city Scientists may have solved mystery behind Egypt's pyramids Related internet links Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge Solve the daily Crossword
CBS News
28-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Rare 4,000-year-old Egyptian handprint discovered on a "soul house"
Researchers have discovered a 4,000-year-old handprint on an ancient Egyptian tomb offering, which will appear at a museum exhibit in the United Kingdom this October, reported CBS News partner BBC News. The handprint likely dates to 2055 to 1650 B.C.E., Helen Strudwick, a curator working on the exhibition, told the news outlet. Strudwick called the discovery "rare and exciting," BBC News reported. Researchers at Cambridge University found it pressed into one side of a "soul house," which is a clay model resembling a building that can be traced to burials in ancient Egypt, according to the British Museum. Strudwick, a senior Egyptologist at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, England, said the unusually detailed handprint was left by whoever constructed the ceramic piece, before the clay dried. "We've spotted traces of fingerprints left in wet varnish or on a coffin in the decoration, but it is rare and exciting to find a complete handprint underneath this soul house," she told BBC News, adding: "I have never seen such a complete handprint on an Egyptian object before." The "soul house" will be displayed at the Fitzwilliam Museum starting October 3, as part of its upcoming exhibit titled "Made in Ancient Egypt." It will spotlight relics of ancient Egyptian civilization, focusing on different forms of art, the people who made them, and the techniques they used to do so, according to the museum. "Revealing the untold stories of the Egyptian makers, technology and techniques behind these extraordinary objects, our exciting new exhibition is the first to explore ancient Egypt through the lives of its craftspeople," reads a description of the exhibit on the museum's website, which notes that the display will feature jewelry, ceramics, sculptural pieces and some "spectacular objects never before seen" in the U.K. CBS News has reached out to the Fitzwilliam Museum for more details.
BBC News
28-07-2025
- Science
- BBC News
Cambridge researchers find 4,000-year-old Egyptian handprint
A 4,000-year-old handprint has been found on an ancient Egyptian tomb offering by curators preparing for an discovery was made by University of Cambridge researchers on a "soul house", a type of clay model in the shape of a building, typically found in Helen Strudwick said the complete handprint, which dates to 2055 to 1650BC, was "a rare and exciting" find. The ceramic will go on display as part of the university's Made in Ancient Egypt exhibition at the Fitzwilliam Museum opening on 3 October. Ms Strudwick, senior egyptologist at the Fitzwilliam Museum, said: "We've spotted traces of fingerprints left in wet varnish or on a coffin in the decoration, but it is rare and exciting to find a complete handprint underneath this soul house."This was left by the maker who touched it before the clay dried."I have never seen such a complete handprint on an Egyptian object before." The exhibition concentrates on the people who made the ancient Egyptian ceramics were widely used and vast amounts of pottery survive, there are relatively few details known about the potters themselves, in comparison to other ancient Egyptian ready availability and generally low value of pottery may have affected their status, according to the museum, which cited a text known as the Teaching of Khet, comparing potters to pigs who wallow in mud. Soul houses may have acted as offering trays or provided a place for the soul of the deceased to live within the had an open front space where items of food were laid out, in this example loaves of bread, a lettuce and an ox's of the item suggested the potter who made it first created a framework of wooden sticks and then coated it with clay to make a building with two storeys supported by firing the wooden framework burnt away, leaving empty spaces in their handprint found underneath was probably made when someone, perhaps the potter, moved the house out of the workshop to dry before firing in a kiln, according to the stories of Egyptian rulers, like Tutankhamun, have received a great deal of attention but the makers of the artefacts themselves are often in Ancient Egypt aims to show who these people were, how they thought of themselves and what other Egyptians thought of them. Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
