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Blog: Sharon Ledwith: I came. I saw. I wrote. (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Fantasy, Author interview, Young Adult Author, Egyptian, King Tut, Cheryl Carpinello, Middle Grade Author, Sons of the Sphinx, Add a tag
Blog: OUPblog (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Africa, World, Egyptology, VSI, egyptian, Very Short Introductions, DNA, ancestors, cairo, *Featured, Classics & Archaeology, Egyptologist, antiquities, Ancient Egyptian Art and Architecture: A Very Short Introduction, Egyptian mummies, Tutankhamu, Add a tag
Poor old king Tut has made the news again – for all the wrong reasons, again.
In a documentary that aired on the BBC two weeks ago, scientists based at the EURAC-Institute for Mummies and the Iceman unveiled a frankly hideous reconstruction of Tutankhamun’s mummy, complete with buck teeth, a sway back, Kardashian-style hips, and a club foot. They based it on CT-scans of the mummy from 2005 and their own research, claiming to have identified a host of genetic disorders and physical deformities suffered by the boy-king, who died around age 19 some 3,300 years ago.
The English-language newspaper Ahram Online has aired the views of three Egyptian Egyptologists who are just as shocked by the reconstruction as many television viewers were. There are old and understandable sensitivities here: Western scientists have been poking around Egyptian mummies for more than 200 years, while the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922 coincided with the birth of an independent Egyptian nation after decades of European colonialism. The ensuing tussle between excavator Howard Carter and the government authorities, over where the tomb finds would end up (Cairo won, and rightly so), highlighted deep-seated tensions about who ‘owned’ ancient Egypt, literally and figuratively. It’s safe to say that the last century has seen king Tut more involved in politics than he ever was in his own lifetime.
Most Egyptologists can readily debunk the ‘evidence’ presented by the EURAC team – if we weren’t so weary of debunking television documentaries already. (why do the ancient Romans get academic royalty like Mary Beard, while the ancient Egyptians get the guy from The Gadget Show?). What’s fascinating is how persistent – and how misguided – lurid interest in the dead bodies of ancient Egyptians is, not to mention the wild assumptions made about the skilled and stunning art this culture produced. The glorious gold mask, gilded shrines and coffins, weighty stone sarcophagus, and hundreds of other objects buried with Tutankhamun were never meant to show us a mere human, but to manifest the razzle-dazzle of a god-king.
Around the time of Tutankhamun’s reign, artists depicted the royal family and the gods with almond eyes, luscious lips, and soft, plump bodies. These were never meant to be true-to-life images, as if the pharaoh and his court were posting #nomakeupselfie snaps on Twitter. Each generation of artists developed a style that was distinctive to a specific ruler, but which also linked him to a line of ancestors, emphasizing the continuity and authority of the royal house. The works of art that surrounded Tutankhamun in life, and in death, were also deeply concerned with a king’s unique responsibilities to his people and to the gods.
All the walking sticks buried in the tomb – more than 130 of them, one of which Carter compared to Charlie Chaplin’s ubiquitous prop – emphasize the king’s status at the pinnacle of society (nothing to do with a limp). The chariots were luxury items (quite macho ones, at that), and Tutankhamun’s wardrobe was the haute couture of its day, with delicate embroidery and spangly sequins. Much of the tomb was taken up with deeply sacred objects, too: guardian statues at the doorways, magic figures bricked into the walls, and two dozen bolted shrines protecting wrapped statues of the king and various gods. Not to mention the shrines, sarcophagus, and coffins that held the royal mummy – a sacred object in itself, long before science got a hold of it.
As for the diseases and deformities Tutankhamun is said to have suffered? Allegations of inbreeding don’t add up: scholars have exhaustively combed through the existing historical sources that relate to Tutankhamun (lots and lots of rather dry inscriptions, I’m afraid), and as yet there is no way to identify his biological parents with any certainty. Don’t assume that DNA is an easy answer, either. Not only do we not know the identity of almost any of the ‘royal’ mummies that regularly do the rounds on TV programmes, but also the identification of DNA from ancient mummies is contested – it simply doesn’t survive in the quantity or quality that DNA amplification techniques require. Instead, many of the ‘abnormal’ features of Tutankhamun’s mummy, like the supposed club foot and damage to the chest and skull, resulted from the mummification process, as research on other mummies has surmised. Embalming a body to the standard required for an Egyptian king was a difficult and messy task, left to specialist priests. What mattered just as much, if not more, was the intricate linen wrapping, the ritual coating of resin, and the layering of amulets, shrouds, coffins, and shrines that Carter and his team had to work through in order to get to the fragile human remains beneath.
The famous mummy mask and spectacular coffins we can see in the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Cairo today, or in copious images online, should stop us in our tracks with their splendour and skill. That’s what they were meant to do, for those few people who saw them and for the thousands more whose lives and livelihoods depended on the king. But they should also remind us of how they got there: the invidious colonial system under which archaeology flourished in Egypt, for a start, and the thick resin that had to be hammered off so that the lids could be opened and the royal mummy laid bare. Did king Tut have buck teeth, waddle like a duck, drag race his chariot? Have a look at that mask: do you think we’ve missed the point? Like so many modern engagements with the ancient past, this latest twist in the Tutankhamun tale says more about our times than his.
The post Looking for Tutankhamun appeared first on OUPblog.
Blog: Sugar Frosted Goodness (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: illustration, postcard, egyptian, designerm, Maggie E Summers, Add a tag
Blog: OUPblog (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: translate, rosetta stone, hieroglyphic, decipherment, *Featured, Lexicography & Language, higher education, this day in world history, hieroglyphics, Jean François Champollion, champollion, 1822, language, World, stone, egyptian, Greek, This Day in History, british museum, rosetta, Add a tag
This Day in World History - On September 27, 1822, Jean François Champollion announced a long-awaited discovery: he could decipher the Rosetta Stone. The stone, a document written in 196 BCE during the reign of Ptolemy V, had been discovered in Rashid (Rosetta in French), Egypt in 1799 by French troops involved in a military campaign against the British. Deciphering hieroglyphics had frustrated scholars for centuries. Arab scholars, beginning in the ninth century, CE, made unsuccessful attempts, as did Europeans in the fifteenth.
Blog: OUPblog (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Angelina Jolie, race, incest, egyptian, Greek, Egypt, Cleopatra, herakles, Duane Roller, macedonia, macedonian, dynasty, ptolemies, Archaeology, History, africa, World History, *Featured, racial, Add a tag
By Duane W. Roller
Racial profiling and manipulation have been around for a very long time. It has become an issue in contemporary politics, and over 2500 years ago the Greek historian Herodotos wrote that ethnicity was regularly turned to political ends. Cleopatra VII, the last queen of Egypt and a woman of great ability, is often a victim of racial profiling, as today people can be more interested in her racial background than her many accomplishments. Such concerns have recently come to the forefront with the announcement that in at least one of the several Cleopatra movies currently planned, a white (instead of black) actress would play the role of the queen. It is hard to imagine that race would be more important than acting ability, but clearly others disagree.
It has been suggested – although generally not by credible scholarly sources – that Cleopatra was racially black African. To be blunt, there is absolutely no evidence for this, yet it is one of those issues that seems to take on a life of its own despite all indication to the contrary. What follows lays out the evidence for Cleopatra’s racial ancestry, but one must not forget that this is of little importance in assessing the legacy of the queen in world history.
Let us consider exactly the evidence for Cleopatra’s racial background. It’s a little complicated, so do follow closely! She was born in early 69 BC as the descendant of a line of Egyptian kings in a dynasty that went back 250 years. Her ancestor Ptolemy I, a companion of Alexander the Great, founded the dynasty in the late fourth century BC. Ptolemy was Macedonian Greek in origin (he grew up at the royal court of Alexander’s father in Macedonia, the northern part of the Greek peninsula), and established himself as king of Egypt in the convulsive years after Alexander’s death. The descent passed through six successor Ptolemies until it reached Cleopatra’s father. So Cleopatra was no more than eight generations away from being pure Macedonian Greek.
But what about the mothers? Women are always difficult to find, even in royal dynasties, and it is here that questions of her racial background have been raised. For the first six generations the wives of the ruling Ptolemies also came from the same Macedonian background as their husbands. So until the time of Cleopatra’s great-grandfather, the ethnic makeup of the dynasty was still pure Macedonian Greek. In fact two of her ancestors married their sisters, thus reinforcing the Macedonian ethnicity.
It is with Cleopatra’s grandfather that uncertainties develop. Although he had two wives of traditional Macedonian background, he seems to have had at least one concubine of uncertain origin, who may have been Cleopatra’s grandmother. But this is by no means clear, and some sources indicate she was her husband’s sister, and thus pure Macedonian.
Assuming, however, that Cleopatra’s grandmother was not from the traditional Macedonian Greek stem, the question arises as to just what she was. Sources suggest that if she was not Macedonian, she was probably Egyptian. So by the time of Cleopatra’s grandparents, there may have been an Egyptian element in the racial stem.
Cleopatra’s father also had several wives. One was his sister, but again there is evidence that some of his five children had another mother. Yet the geographer Strabo (one of the few contemporary sources for the life of Cleopatra) wrote that all the wives of her father were women of significant status, which rules out any slaves or concubines, and makes it possible that Cleopatra’s mother was of the traditional Macedonian Greek stock. But this may not have been the case, so
Blog: Just One More Book Children's Book Podcast (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: review, Podcast, Ages 4-8, Compassion, Creativity, Respect, Picture book, Girl, Friendship, Resilience, Appreciation, childrens book, Fun, Life Skills, Diversity/Multi-culturalism, Cartoony, Visual, Confidence, Patience, Thinking/Attitude, Understanding/Tolerance, Bullying/Abuse, Mary Whitcomb, Odd Velvet, Tara Calahan King, Mary Whitcomb, Odd Velvet, Tara Calahan King, Bullying/Abuse, Add a tag
Author: Mary Whitcomb
Illustrator: Tara Calahan King (on JOMB)
Published: 1998 Chronicle Books (on JOMB)
ISBN: 0811820041 Chapters.ca Amazon.com
Wide-eyed grins and peppy, skewed perspectives bring to life an upbeat school yard story that provides a reassuring example of independent thought, acceptance and unwavering self-worth.
You can find more great children’s books about independent thinkers here.
Tags:childrens book, Mary Whitcomb, Odd Velvet, Podcast, review, Tara Calahan Kingchildrens book, Mary Whitcomb, Odd Velvet, Podcast, review, Tara Calahan KingBlog: Just One More Book Children's Book Podcast (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: conflict resolution, Derek Munson, Enemy Pie, Tara Calahan King, review, Podcast, Community, Ages 4-8, Courage, Creativity, Forgiveness, Picture book, Friendship, Envy/Competition, childrens book, Fun, Boy, War and peace, Life Skills, Cartoony, Humour, Questionable words, Harmony, Understanding/Tolerance, Add a tag
Author: Derek Munson
Illustrator: Tara Calahan King
Published: Chronicle Books (on JOMB)
ISBN: 081182778X Chapters.ca Amazon.com
What takes more courage than agreeing to spend an entire day with your number one enemy? Not much. This peppy parable proposes a plucky new approach to sticky social situations.
Other books mentioned:
Tags:childrens book, conflict resolution, Derek Munson, Enemy Pie, friendship, harmony, Podcast, review, Tara Calahan Kingchildrens book, conflict resolution, Derek Munson, Enemy Pie, friendship, harmony, Podcast, review, Tara Calahan King
After hearing this podcast I immediately ordered this children’s book. I love the message and values that it conveys, in addition to your take on the text and its illustrations. The idea of loving oneself regardless is an important message at any age. Validating yourself rather than waiting for others to validate your actions is a life long lesson with great importance. Celebrating independent thinkers is a rare topic for children’s books. This one does it with such grace and truly disrupts any notion of normality.
I listened to this podcast in a very timely manner. I was recently asked to analyze the story of Cinderella in one of my graduate classes. The thing that struck me the most was the idea that Cinderella relied on other people to bring her happiness. I think that this sends a very negative message to kids, especially young girls. It is refreshing to find a book about a girl who is an independent thinker and who can enjoy being herself for who she is. I love that Odd Velvet does not need other people to accept her in order to find happiness in her life. I have never read this book, but I certainly plan on seeking it out. Thank you for introducing this book to me!
I think this book looks critically at the social dimension in schools that can be hurtful to a student if they realize they are not treated the same as the other students. A lot of students can relate to Velvet, weather it is being just a little different or very different from other students. This book is helpful in classrooms where students are not too accepting of other students who live life in their own way. I think students who beat to their own drum will be affirmed by this book, and those students who are the social ring leaders maybe a little more appreciative of people and their differences.