Secret of the Last Pharaoh’s Death.

Sounds like an mystery novel? But it’s not.

New analysis suggests that the Egyptian Pharaoh, Ramses III was murdered by having his throat slit by his wife and son. Gruesome, eh?

New CT scans have revealed a deep and wide cut that was hidden by the bandages covering the throat of the mummified king, which could not be removed previously in the interests of preservation.

Albert Zink, a paleopathologist at the Institute for Mummies and the Iceman in Italy, which led the investigations, said that “Finally with this study we have solved an important mystery in the history of Ancient Egypt“.

The study, which took place in Cairo, discovered an amulet that had been inserted into the king’s wound which Zink said embalmers placed there in the hope it would heal the cut in the “afterlife”.

Ramses III reigned from around 1186 to 1155 BC and historians have long debated the cause of his death.

In the Egyptian Museum in Turin, one of the world’s leading resources for Ancient Egyptian artifacts and relics, there are papyrus documents that describe a conspiracy by Tiye, one of his wives, to kill the pharaoh so her son Pentawere could take the throne.

During these latest investigations it appears that a previously unidentified mummy also in the burial chamber of Ramses III could possibly be the body of Pentawere. The investigations show he could have been hanged or that he was forced to kill himself as a punishment for the conspiracy.

On your Nile cruise you will be able to visit the tomb of Ramses III in the Valley Of The Kings. His mummy is now on display in Cairo’s Egyptian Museum.

March 19, 2013March 19, 2013

“Ancient Egypt: Life and Death In The Valley Of The Kings” – BBC2 22 March 2013

Ancient Egypt: Life and Death in the Valley Of The Kings

If you are thinking of taking a Nile cruise or have already done so then I’m sure you’ll love this new 2 part series starting on BBC2 at 9.00pm on Friday the 22nd of March fascinating.

Presented by the University of York’s Department of Archaeology Research Fellow Dr. Jo Fletcher, described in last weekend’s Observer as a “likeable, if controversial, Egyptologist“, the series promises a look at how ordinary people existed 3,500 years ago in Ancient Egypt.

In this first programme she focuses on the lives of Kha, an architect and his wife Meryt, who lived in the tomb-builder’s town of Deir el-Medina, but she also gains insights into the lives, and deaths, of Egyptian royalty by gaining access to the rarely seen final resting place of Amenhotep III in the Valley Of The Kings.

The Observer state that the programmes are genuinely atmospheric and magical.

I have visited the Valley Of The Kings on many occasions and I have often stood and wondered what the lives of the ordinary citizens and workers must have been like rather than just those of the Pharaohs and priests that we are told about. This series sounds like it will answer those questions and Dr. Fletcher looks like she’ll turn out to be a really interesting presenter.

You can read more about the Valley Of The Kings in an earlier post of ours.

December 17, 2012

The Egyptian Museum

Our great guide, Emad, purchased our tickets for entry to the Museum and at the same time picked up earphones and what I imagine were receivers that we were to wear around our necks so that when we entered the Museum he could ensure that the only commentary we heard was his.

Normally the museum is completely full of visitors and guides and so I it must be very difficult to hear or concentrate on the commentary from you own guide. Today it was still busy but not as busy perhaps as before the Revolution. However we were amazed at how many visitors there were considering it’s considered “quieter than normal;”

As I mentioned before there were visitors from all over the world. From the USA to Australia and lots of countries in between. I suppose the fact the Egypt has such a wonderful heritage means that no matter what sort of upheaval it experiences there will always be travelers who want to see and experience what this marvelous country has to offer.

(I would imagine many of them had chosen a Nile Cruise and Cairo option when they were booking their travel arrangements).

The other reason to ensure that you have earphones and a receiver is be sure that you dont’ get lost and that is you do get caught up and delayed by another group that you can still find your guide.

Continue reading “The Egyptian Museum”

December 12, 2012December 12, 2012

Visiting Cairo – Day 2

After a quick, but tasty, breakfast at the Movenpick Pyramids Hotel, it was off straight away to visit the Pyramids and The Sphinx. We have done this before but how can you not be excited about revisiting one of the remaining Wonders of the World?

As it was a Saturday there were lots of Egyptian school children. You forget when you are a visitor to Egypt that many of their citizens will not have visited the Pyramids for various reasons but school children particularly look forward to their first visit to one of their country’s most important heritage sites. As they were on school-trips it was obvious that their teachers had told them all about the trip and what to expect. Including the fact that they would see lots of visitors from overseas.

Well, there are still fewer overseas visitors than would have been there prior to the Revolution, so we found ourselves quite the focus of the schoolchildren’s excitement and found that we were being photographed for school projects as much as they were photographing the Pyramids!

Here’s the proof:

The Pyramids Nov 2012. School children photographing us!

The Great Pyramid. School children photograph us.

Last time we visited Barbara actually entered the Great Pyramid and followed the corridor down to the burial chamber but, having done it before, she decided against it on this occasion. However we both climbed up to the entrance to the Great Pyramid so we could photograph each other. Continue reading “Visiting Cairo – Day 2”

December 6, 2012March 8, 2013

Visiting Aswan – Day 2

After our evening stroll and “people-watching” at the pavement cafe and a really good night’s sleep our second day in Aswan began with an excellent breakfast at the Movenpick Aswan Hotel. Once I’ve a had a good cup of real coffee I’m setup for the day. Which is just as well as we had a busy day planned.

Firstly we were lucky enough to be invited to visit the recently re-opened and world-famous “Old Cataract Hotel“. We had visited the hotel prior to its’ complete refurbishment that took over two years to complete and we were looking forward to seeing what had been done to improve this marvelous hotel that blends old-world Victorian grandeur with Egyptian charm. Continue reading “Visiting Aswan – Day 2”