Blog
22nd
June 2009- Sanitising the Past
No matter how much we learn about past civilisations we still
hold this sanitized view of life ‘back then.’ We have this romanticised idea
that ancient Egypt was a very clean, shiny place, where everyone wore
spotless
white clothes and were glowing in radiant health.
Even though we know they died at 30-35 years old, the majority of
Egyptians suffered from dental problems that could fell an ox, and they shaved
their heads as a barrier against head-lice, we seem unable to tear ourselves
away from the views presented in films, and
TV
documentary reconstructions - that of white limestone-lined streets and
glowing people.
What we certainly are unable to do is associate the white tiled
streets of
Amarna in the 18th dynasty with the filthy London streets of the
seventeenth century. This however is exactly what we now have to do, as evidence
from the city of Amarna has shown the workmen lived in such filth, with fleas
(animal and human), bedbugs and head-lice common place within the living
quarters.
Evidence also suggests the bubonic plague, which was rife in
Europe in the fourteenth and the seventeenth century may have been present in
this city in c. 1300 BCE. Even with this knowledge however, will we be able to
override the mental images we have of Egypt’s sanitised past or simply file it
away with the head-lice and abscesses as too gross to consider?
29th June 2009 - Get your coat, Love! You’ve pulled”
We are often regaled
with the phrase “nothing is new” in regard to many things, and I am beginning to
believe this may be the case. It appears that even the favourite cheesy chat-up
lines could have been lifted from Egyptian New Kingdom Egyptian Love Poetry and
tweaked to fit into the modern setting. Is “Get your coat, Love! You’ve pulled”
much different to “Don your wig! Let us spend a happy hour”, or the alluring
come-on “let me slip into something more comfortable” a million miles away from
“Let me braid my hair. I will be ready in a moment”? I think not.
Is the phrase “flattery
will get you anywhere” a summary of the text from a Graeco- Roman papyrus found
at Oxyrhyncus “saying that the plain woman is the equal of a goddess, the ugly
woman is charming, the elderly one is like a young girl”? Possibly.
I think what these similarities tell us, is that the people of ancient
Egypt were really no different from us; with the same emotions, needs and
clearly insecurities. The setting may have changed, but e the sentiments have
remained the same. The only question that really needs to be asked is, were
these chat-up lines any more effective then than they are now?
9th August 2009 - Highclere Visit
I have just returned from taking a student group to see the Highclere Egyptian
Exhibition, which was enjoyed by all. The exhibition is laid out in such a way
that it is possible to get an essence of who Carnarvon was, other than simply
the man who paid for the Tutankhamun excavations and the replica section enabled
people to view some of the objects without having to endure the crowds of the O2
(when the real ones were there) or the expense of Egypt itself. I did overhear
one couple (not one of my students I am glad to say) express their
disappointment that the mummy was not the genuine one. One wonders why the mummy
of Tutankhamun would be at Highclere; Carnarvon died before his face was
revealed to the world. But I digress. After the tour, and a stop for donuts and
tea in the coffee shop, some of the group decided to go around the house and
others decided to come with me to Beacon Hill to see the grave of Carnarvon.
Luckily it was a lovely day for climbing what appears to be on the way up,
the steepest hill in the world, and everyone managed it, even my retired in-laws
(although we thought it was a bit touch and go and one point). The views from
the top were amazing, and whilst waiting for the group to catch us up we were
idly watching a kestrel hover before tormenting some small rodent. We all
approached the grave together. What a disappointment!
I have been many times to this spot and even I was horrified at what awaited.
The grave itself is subtle, a stone marker within a locked fence, with an
unobtrusive small plaque explaining who is buried here. However it was almost
impossible to see the grave marker at all, due to the two feet of weeds growing
around it, the plaque is scratched and worn with age, and the gray railings give
it the impression of high voltage gates, protecting the public from the
Electricity Board’s mother board.
There was a general feeling of disappointment as well as pity for the 5th Earl of Carnarvon. We had just driven round the beautiful manicured grounds at Highclere, and wondered why one of the gardeners was not sent up here with a strimmer to tidy up the grave. Without the 5th Earl and his Tutankhamun connections, the name of Carnarvon would not be well-known (even locally in the Newbury area), and Highclere would be simply another stately home opened to the public to raise funds for the upkeep. One would think an effort could be made to honour this man whose name is the ‘bread and butter’ of the current Carnarvons. We don’t expect the railings to be black and gold with a sphinx avenue (although that would be nice), but the grass to be cut, and the plaque commemorating the life and death of Lord Canarvon replaced with something a little more fitting and readable, wouldn’t be difficult and would do better justice to one of the men behind one of the greatest archaeological finds in the world.
18th February 2010 -Tutmania hits the Media again
I should be pleased that finally ZH has allowed the mummy of Tutankhamun to be
tested for DNA, after the numerous years of stating adamantly that the mummies
in Egypt would not be tested until the methodology was better. I guess the
Discovery channel were able to convince him otherwise. However, my initial
reaction was “Bugger! Now my Tutankhamun biography needs a new edition”.
Personal trauma aside it is certainly interesting reading and has already
sparked great discussion amongst the Egyptologists around the world. The press
release on ZH’s website stated this would be launched to the world on 17th
February, although the results were leaked early. Big claims were made that the
“family secrets” of Tutankhamun would be revealed. Indeed big claims when there
is so much uncertainty about the identity of the mummies from this period, with
Yuya, Tuya, Amenhotep III and Tutankhamun being the only mummies positively
identified, and the Elder Lady being generally accepted as Tiye. So what was all
the fuss about? What were the findings?
The results can be summarised thus;
• Genetic fingerprinting has identified KV55 mummy and KV35YL (younger lady) as
his parents and siblings.
• The mummy from KV21A was possibly the mother of the foetuses in his tomb.
• Tutankhamun suffered from Köhler disease II resulting in foot deformities, and
the existence of Plasmodium falciparum which causes malaria tropica.
All interesting stuff, but there are a number of leaps of faith in the
scientific article; for example concluding that the KV55 mummy is Akhenaten even
though that has been debated and dismissed for decades, and it was only a couple
of years ago that DNA studies of the Younger Lady identified her to be a man! It
seems ZH now claims "Now I'm sure that it cannot be Nefertiti, and therefore the
mother of King Tut is one of the daughters of Amenhotep III and Tiye—and there
are five,". One wonders what the theory will be next year.
Thankfully they have finally added that the artwork of the Amarna period does
not lend itself to representations of reality; Tutankhamun does not have
breasts, he has a normally developed penis and there are no signs of Marfan’s
(again something most Egyptologists didn’t believe anyway). Are we any closer to
discovering what killed Tutankhamun? Not really.
Although he carried the Malaria parasite, there is no evidence he contracted
malaria and died from it. He could have done, but we don’t know if he did. As
they state themselves “Since there is nothing in the historical or
archaeological record that speaks against the widespread presence of this
carrier (malaria) in Pharaonic times, there is no evidence that can be used to
argue against the diagnosis of malaria” which is hardly a strong argument for
something. They state themselves that Yuya and Thuya carried the parasite but
may not have suffered a fatal form of the disease whereas because Tutankhamun
had other disorders he was “frail” and would have a weakened immunity, so when
he fell and hurt his leg he suffered an infection and died of malaria. Hmmmm.
Supported by leaves, seeds and fruits in his tomb! It sounds a little like
perhaps they had a theory and used the evidence to support it rather than using
the evidence to create a theory. I’m not wholly convinced but will reserve
judgment until more evidence comes to light.
20th February 2010 - How to become an Egyptologist
One thing I am frequently asked by budding Egyptologists is how to become a professional. I have to say it is one of the most difficult, frustrating and rewarding careers to enter, and one that is not for the faint-hearted. Before embarking on a career in Egyptology you need to be sure this is something you really want to do. It’s not an easy career and you will work harder than you ever would at a standard 9-5 job. I know, I have done both. Now you need to try to decide on what your ideal job would be, as this will guide what path you pursue.
When I started studying back in 1995, a masters degree was enough to guarantee an academic teaching job in a university; but sadly this is no longer the case. In order to be taken seriously in your chosen field you need a Masters Degree in Egyptology/Egyptian Archaeology, and to stand a chance of a job in a university you need a PhD. Even with a PhD in hand there is no guarantee of a teaching job and I have known PhD’s working in administrative jobs, albeit in Egyptology organisations. This is a big commitment, a minimum of 7 years study, and you may still be unemployed at the end of it. If you want to work in Museums, you need a Museum Studies degree as part of your qualifications and as much experience in a museum as possible, but bear in mind the majority of museum jobs are now voluntary; if you have the time and money to volunteer, do so. It may help. You also need to learn German preferably, or/and French and be proficient in hieroglyphics.
If you get the opportunity, excavate in Egypt, although this is becoming more and more difficult with more students wanting to do this, and often the only option is to pay to attend an excavation which can cost £1000’s. Some universities have concessions and it is a good idea to try and get a place, but this is not always possible, as the same people are employed year after year. With a PhD and excavation connections you stand more chance of being considered for paid work.
For the majority, Egyptology is freelance, starting with speaking at societies, teaching evening classes and getting published in reputable journals and magazines, whilst working full-time elsewhere. If you are able to find your “niche”, something that not many people do you stand more chance of success, and after numerous years of working hard, and getting known you may become ‘famous’ enough that people approach you for work, rather than the other way around.
So if I haven’t put you off, and you are prepared for the next 10 years hard work……..good luck!
!
15th October 2010 - The Pre-Raphaelites and Italy at the Ashmolean, Oxford
Although I am an Egyptologist, Egyptophile and Egyptomaniac I like to dip my toe occasionally into the wider historical pool. My love of Pre-Raphaelite paintings led me to this exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. I was very excited, having loved the images of curly, auburn haired ladies and brooding, romantic looking chaps since my teens and was looking forward to an afternoon of being whisked away into a fantasy world of knights in shining armour. Although one could never fault the talent of any of the Pre-Raphaelite artists I was a little down-heartened with the exhibition. Picture after picture of landscapes. The publicity is covered with portraiture but this is limited within the actual exhibition. After a while I was a little bored of images of St Mark's in Venice, albeit by different artists, so was slightly lifted with the third room (there are only 3.5 rooms in the exhibition). Along the back wall are the Rossetti paintings of Jane Morris, archetypal of the period (at least for me). There were only six or seven of them, but they were enough to lift my spirits a little, and remind me that there is nothing wrong with auburn, curly haired women. Hurrah!! The exhibition was lovely, don't get me wrong, but it was not what I was expecting or hoping it would be. However I was introduced to the beautiful landscapes of John Ruskin and Edward Burne-Jones, and it encouraged me to get my pastels out and have a go (although the Newbury clocktower doesn't have the same appeal as St. Marks. Maybe that's why everyone drew it). I recommend going but be warned there are more spires than smiles.
March 5th 2011 – 4000 years apart but still the same old rituals
It may surprise many of you to know that in my youth and early twenties I was a “metal chick”, for want of a better word, and spent my time listening to angry heavy metal music and wearing black as often as possible. I have always loved the music even though I now have added colours to my wardrobe, and was not surprised to find myself at a heavy metal gig in a small venue in Crotone in Italy. Whilst the band itself were good they are not the topic of this blog.
I made a startling discovery whilst watching the crowd. I was surrounded by men and a few women with long flowing locks, performing a ritual dance, steeped in eroticism straight from an ancient Egyptian banquet. One of the key features of heavy metal music is that the musicians and fans all head-bang, a movement of nodding the head vigorously so that the hair moves about creating a dynamic mane around you bowed head.
Now think of the dancers from ancient Egyptian banquets, with their long full wigs, sometimes weighted at the bottom so when they moved their heads, their hair moved in a captivating way. Hair in ancient Egypt was an erotic symbol and to catch someone in the process of doing their hair was the equivalent of catching someone naked today. So a semi-naked girl dancing at a banquet flicking her weighted hair around her head in a vigorous manner would have enthralled the audience. The more she could make her hair move or the longer or fuller her hair was, the sexier she was considered.
This is also the case at a heavy metal gig. The men in particular seemed very concerned about their hair, and not only is head-banging seen as an appreciation of the music but also a way of showing off their hair; and it was surprising that after a bout of “banging” the men would lift their heads and rearrange their hair before starting again. It is quite clear that these men were flaunting their sexuality through their hair in the same way as an ancient Egyptian banquet dancer. As one would not see the dancer’s face but still find her attractive seems to be the par of the course for heavy metal head-bangers. Their faces are hidden but it is the hair that is important and women are attracted by the length and condition of the hair, as well as the way it moves when the man is head-banging. The better the hair the more “metal” he is.
I had never really thought about this ritual before, as I was always part of it, and with hindsight I remember thinking at the time that as my hair is curly it didn’t move right, and always looked frizzy and huge by the end of a head-banging night out. Surely this pre-occupation with hair for both men and women in ancient Egypt and the modern (metal) world shows that as people we have similar motivations and thought processes, and whilst heavy metal and ancient Egypt have no known links the human element makes hair an important part of the mating ritual (at least for this small sub-group of society). I recommend that you go to a metal gig yourself and have a look. You will be surprised at the observation. I myself will have to do further research on this phenomenon, which means many more visits to gigs and clubs to observe the audience, which I guess it the price I have to pay for research.