archaeological dilemma

Unbroken Seal on the Third Shrine, January 1924
Harry Burton (English, 1879–1940)
The Egyptian Expedition of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Gelatin silver print; 9 x 6 in. (22.9 x 15.2 cm)
(TAA 622)

At the beginning of January 1924, the gold shrines surrounding the sarcophagus of Tutankhamun were opened, one after another. The double doors of the first shrine were closed only with sliding bolts of ebony, but the second and third shrines had been secured with elaborately tied ropes that bore clay seals stamped with impressions of the necropolis seal—a crouching jackal over nine bound captives.

Burton's photograph of this uncut seal perfectly conveys the conflicting feelings of archaeological discovery. On the one hand, excitement, even impatience to see what is behind the sealed doors. On the other hand, hesitation and regret at having to cut a rope that someone so carefully tied and sealed more than thirty-three centuries ago.

Simple rope and a clump of clay impressed with seals promised that the treasures within this shrine had remained inviolate since the pharaoh's burial. Once the seal was broken to allow the archaeologists access, only Burton's photograph could evoke its original talismanic power and eloquently testify to the archaeologist's eternal dilemma: as the excavation and tomb clearing reveal things hitherto unseen, it also forever removes them from their undisturbed state.

via

HFS.

An ancient statue made as an offering to Osiris, the Egyptian god of death, that is currently housed at the Manchester Museum in England has suddenly started spinning inside its closed display case — and no one seems to know why.

A time-lapse video released by the museum shows the 4000-year-old relic of Neb-Senu slowly turning around inside its case without any apparent assistance from the outside world.

Found in a mummy's tomb some 80 years ago, the statue has been kept encased at the museum ever since.

Its current caretaker, Campbell Price, was the first one to notice the strange phenomenon, and says he first realized something was off when he found the statue askew, reset it, and then found it askew again the following day.

"In Ancient Egypt they believed that if the mummy is destroyed then the statuette can act as an alternative vessel for the spirit," Price, and Egyptologist by trade, told the Manchester Evening News. "Maybe that is what is causing the movement." (via)

hot air balloon snuff film

there were 19 people in this hot air balloon when it popped. as is the norm in egypt, their souls have been sucked into the pyramids and they are now paying homage to the phaorohs for eternity. two people survived by jumping out. how is that even a thing.

how creepy is hosni mubarak right now.

he enjoyed his court date today from the comfort of a caged hospital bed.

COBRAWATCH 2K11

you have probably already heard that this weekend, an egyptian cobra escaped from its cage at the bronx zoo. it is still missing. they think he's probably just hiding under his house somewhere and will come out when he's hungry (for people), but in the meantime, check out this probably-real twitter.

some egyptian cobra factz:
it is the same snake cleopatra is rumored to have used to commit suicide.
it can kill an elephant in 3 hours, and a person in 15 minutes.
it could take weeks to find!

ssssssssSSSSSsssSsSSsSsSSSSSSSSSSSSSssssssSssSsssSSSssssssss!!

shit is going down in libya

and bahrain and egypt. ya herd. qaddafi is so weird. and a terrorist.

someone call the fashion police.

did you ever stop to think...

...how did egypt actually turn the entire internet off?

Because the Internet’s legendary robustness and ability to route around blockages are part of its basic design, even the world’s most renowned network and telecommunications engineers have been perplexed that the Mubarak government succeeded in pulling the maneuver off.

But now, as Egyptian engineers begin to assess fragmentary evidence and their own knowledge of the Egyptian Internet’s construction, they are beginning to understand what, in effect, hit them. Interviews with many of those engineers, as well as an examination of data collected around the world during the blackout, indicate that the government exploited a devastating combination of vulnerabilities in the national infrastructure. (via)

reminds me of.

look at egypt!

Protesters pray in Cairo's Tahrir Square today as the "Day of Departure" for Hosni Mubarak gets underway. (via)

too soon, kenneth cole.

(via)

egypt makes me nervous and excited

from @davidbeatdavid

anderson cooper went to egypt and got punched in the head

dont worry anderson cooper, its nothing personal. theyve just got some raw feelings over there right now. video. now go tell oprah what had happened.

look at egypt!

CAIRO — Hundreds of thousands of Egyptians poured into Tahrir Square on Tuesday in scenes of jubilation and protest that cut across Egypt’s entrenched lines of piety, class and ideology, marking the largest demonstration yet against the 30-year rule of President Hosni Mubarak and energizing a country that feels on the cusp of change. (via)