Back soon.....

I will close the lap-top and try to ignore it over the next few days. I will return to you all soon with more news on Hatshepsut.

The very best wishes to one and all. Thank you for your support.

Stuart

Author's Note

I have been busy recently, with the knowledge that we are approaching a family orientated time in the calendar year. I have now been able to add a number of Museums and Sites to the new page (discussed in a previous post). I plan to add links, but this will not be any time soon.

The items page is a headache. I just cannot decide how to go about presenting my/ our findings. In a way, there's enough information available to create a website. That requires time and lots of it. It also means that I would be running a blog as well as a stand- alone website. With full time work and a family i enjoy the company of- i have a predicament. Just to highlight things- the British Museum alone has enough to keep me busy for approximately 6 months to a year. Approximately 150 items or so!! Then there's the Met Museum- with its own room dedicated to Hatshepsut.

That brings me the the whole concept of presentation. In order to satisfy my own agenda, but also the collective agendas of the blogs visitors, I will have plan very carefully. I aim to be unique. Whereas the heavy use of materials used from other peoples work is essential to me (links, photos and even theories), i need to be able to say that no-one else offers the same as the Hatshepsut Project. There are sites which dedicate themselves to Hatshepsut (top of the list always being Maat-Ka-Ra-Hatshepsut). This blog will compliment those sites, or at least- i hope it will.

In 6 months time i will have over 100 posts and if i am not careful, i will be swimming in information without the capacity to be able to take any of it in..

I am completely open to ideas and suggestions. Feel free to contact me at any time.

One of my eventual goals will be to try as much as possible to estimate where blocks originated from. In this i have already found that support is available. I am currently on a "test run" where i have been in contact with someone who is working "in the field". When they have time available and when i can report on this in detail, this will be a precursor for other mini Hatshepsut Project investigations. For those who may be new to the blog- i am not an Egyptologist, nor am i qualified in the areas necessary to be able to form theories which will change the way we think about Hatshepsut. Rather, i am using the resources available to me to show that with enough help- anything is possible.

If i am able to correctly assign just one block to the correct area and have my findings confirmed by someone who is "in the field" then i will have enough motivation to move from blocks to statues- and so on.

I will provide updates like this whenever possible. I would like to be as open to you all as possible, so if you have any questions, let me know. I may even use them on a new stand-alone page.

Best Wishes,
Stuart

2 New Pages added, more to come

As a way of expanding the information given on this blog, I have created 2 separate pages. These pages will be used to list the Museums and Sites and the Items Found during the course of the Hatshepsut Project.

These will take some time to update, but i have noticed a few of you have a sharp eye and have already visited these links.

Please look below the photo of Deir el Bahri on the blog, under the HOME page. Look to the right of the page and you should be able to see the 2 pages. I will make a start in the next few days (listing and sorting). The items page will be MASSIVE, so this is the one i will update last.

Let me take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy New Year. May you all live long, with health and prosperity. For those of you thinking of travelling, please be careful. For those of you thinking of drinking- leave the cars at home. And finally for those with children or who will be in the company of children- enjoy yourselves, be silly, have fun and forget rules for one day.LET THE CHILDREN RUN RIOT!!!

Forever grateful to you all,

Stuart "Santas' Naughty Elf" Tyler

Hatshepsut - Alexandria National Museum, Alexandria Egypt

Bust of Hatshepsut, Alexandria National Museum # 16 - Alexandria Egypt 2010
Originally uploaded by Moocha

Amongst the collections of the National Museum, Alexandria, we have this damaged statue of Hatshepsut. The resemblance to the Osiride Statues of Hatshepsut at Deir el Bahri, suggest to me the original location of this Hatshepsut statue to be Deir el Bahri.

Much colour still exists, as does visible damage to the Uraeus, nose and beard. I believe this item to be a permanent fixture in the museum.

Well that's two new museums and one site posted in one day. Although i currently have no idea how many museums we are away from completion, i believe we have started to "scratch the surface". As for sites - we still have a few to go.

Regards,
Stuart

Hatshepsut - Khartoum, Sudan

The ancient settlement of Buhen on the West Bank of Luxor was submerged with water during the flooding of Lake Nassar during the building of the Aswan Dam. Before the flooding, Buhen was excavated by British Egyptologist Walter Bryan Emery.

Saved from the flood waters, a temple to Horus which was built by Hatshepsut was dismantled and moved to the Sudan National Museum. Today, it resides there for all to see.

For a general overview of Buhen, see - Wikipedia

For Walter B Emery's own words read: Emery 1963. Walter B. Emery. Egypt Exploration Society. Preliminary Report on the Excavation at Buhen. 1962. Kush 11 (1963). 116-120

And for images and a floor plan, see Maat-Ka-Ra-Hatschepsut
(Go to Monuments/Other Monuments and then scroll down).

Regards,
Stuart

Hatshepsut - Karnak, Wadjet Hall

Karnak
Originally uploaded by styler78

When my wife an I visited the Karnak Temple complex, we had no idea what to take pictures of. Almost all the time we were ushered around various points, being told in great detail about the temple history. It would be later, after our visit (our Honeymoon) that i would decide to dedicate most of my Ancient Egypt study time to Hatshepsut.

Needless to say that we did not have any idea where to go, when we finally broke free of our tour guide. We were given 45 minutes to walk around the whole temple complex. Today, 45 minutes would only see me to Hatshepsuts standing obelisk, where i would remain- until the next Hatshepsut related items. Two days would be a ideal timeframe the next time i go..

So back to our 45 minutes- we did in fact head for the standing obelisk, sacred lake (Amun Precinct), and then into the furthest area we could get to, leaving enough time to reach our coach (which was now about 20 minutes away...After taking many pictures of what we now know to be the Akhmenu/ ThutmoseIII Festival Hall- we headed back towards the first pylon. On our way i pointed, my wife took pictures and these are the ones i use in my blog.

Two years on and after consulting Digital Karnak - i found the picture, above. It is of a section of the Wadjet Hall, which was erected under the orders of Hatshepsut.

This find came after i had already viewed this photo many, many times- without remembering where we were in this massive temple complex. Thanks to Digital Karnak and to my wife, Julie.

For more information on the Wadjet Hall (and to see how i was able to link the photo, visit Digital Karnak It was their photos showing the Osiride statues and column drums that had me searching my own photos. Look for the Osiride head with the remains of the crown (left) in my photo- then compare the photos on Digital Karnak.

Regards,
Stuart

Hatshepsut- In her Words

I have been reading Joyce Tyldesley's "Hatchepsut the female Pharaoh".

On page 210 is a message from Hatshepsut, which i think is very much related to the Hatshepsut Project, and anyone else with an interest in Hatshepsut. Here it is:

"Now my heart turns this way and that, as i think what the people will say. Those who shall see my monuments in years to come, and who shall speak of what i have done"

(Extract from the obelisk Inscription of King Hatshepsut, translated by S.R. Snape)

Well, Pharaoh Hatshepsut, I couldn't speak highly enough of your achievements. And i am not alone..

Regards,
Stuart

Digital Karnak

A large part of this project is to share the resources i use in order to keep this blog alive. I have quoted some sites so far, without actually introducing them fully, so i will make this a regular feature from now on. They will be in no specific order of preference, but their contributions can be seen in the posts i have made so far.

This time is the turn of Digital Karnak. I've spent countless hours on this site. When i describe a photograph taken at Karnak, you can be sure that this was done in some part by checking and re-checking their archives.

The Digital Karnak Project was designed and built at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) under the direction of Dr. Diane Favro (director of the ETC) and Dr. Willeke Wendrich (editor-in-chief of the UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology).

(Quote from their site)

This site will take you through the history of Karnak Temple. Use their archives to locate a Pharaoh of your choice and see their work for yourselves. I linked to their Hatshepsut section, but that is a mere fraction of the site content.

My personal thanks to the staff at UCLA (and specifically Willeke Wendrich) for their kind permission to link to their site.

Regards,
Stuart

Photo - Thutmose III, Luxor Museum

Thutmose III Luxor Museum
Originally uploaded by hope128

Since researching Hatshepsut, i have often stumbled across the same image. An image in fact which has become one of my personal favorites. Not Hatshepsut this time, but her step-son, nephew and successor, Thutmose III.
To me, this particular statue stands out as a masterpiece. This is a Pharaoh looking proud, content and in the prime of their life. The shadows, made so due to the light-system within the Luxor Museum, add to the overall beauty of this wonderful statue.
Also clear, although not unexpected is the likeness to Hatshepsut in the face.

I do hope to see this statue for myself one day. Fingers crossed...

Regards,

Stuart

Author's note

Well, i am back for now, although my internet connection is still intermittent (joy!).

After 6 months, The Hatshepsut Project is still here and i wish to thank you all for the emails, comments, corrections, photos.

To share what i am currently doing towards the project:

* I am currently in the process of tagging all posts, so that if there are any particular items that interest you(Deir el Bahri, KV20, etc), then you will be able to see all related posts without the hassle of searching.

* Flickr has been a very helpful source of information for this project. I am currently looking at other photo- sharing sites so increase the possibilities of finding new artifacts, museums and sites that i can report about.

* I have started to contact museums via email, to better understand their inventories and hope to have more to report on that in the near future.

* Deir el Bahri will always be a popular choice for me when blogging. I will be listing one or two other sites which i have not mentioned before. First though, i will look for reliable links and photos.

* Karnak Temple is another of my popular choices. After 2 years of looking at my own photos of Karnak (taken by my wife on our honeymoon, I've spotted some non- obelisk photos related to Hatshepsut. That was a lovely surprise. I will share these with you shortly.

* I am still going through various excavation reports (all Deir el Bahri). I am looking solely for mentions of inscriptions, statues, foundation deposits and like items.

One of my goals when starting this project was to try to locate ALL items relating to Hatshepsut. Where possible i will continue my current way of reporting, which is to provide links to museums, etc. Once i have found my last museum and last site, i will then post separate posts for each and every one of the items i am able to locate.

I am going to be busy.........................

Regards,

Stuart Tyler

Hatshepsut's Rock Cut Tomb

I recently linked to Jane Akshar's blog (Luxor News), regarding photos of KV20. The photos were taken and owned by Richard Sellicks.

I am pleased to report that Richard has also kindly posted photos of Hatshepsut's rock cut tomb
on Jane's blog. Now this is not KV20. Before becoming Pharaoh, Hatshepsut began making a "fitting" tomb for herself. When Hatshepsut became Pharaoh, the rock- cut tomb was no longer suitable. The Valley of the Kings, KV20 was the replacement.

Hatshepsut's rock cut tomb does not contain Hieroglyphs or what some call treasure (gold, jewelery, etc). For those working in Egypt- information is treasure. The main source of information within this tomb comes from a Sarcophagus (now in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo), discovered by Howard Carter.

The inscriptions, titles given and the apparent abandonment allows us to see a small part of the life of Hatshepsut. A transition period, from Kings Daughter to Pharaoh. For further reading, please see:

Maat-Ka-Ra-Hatshepsut - Tomb description, diagram, photos, inscriptions (Go to Site Map, Cliff Tomb)
Egyptopia.com- Sarcophagus

Regards,

Stuart

Photo - Doorway Comparison

Please see my last post, to understand the title of this one.

Here is the same area, with restoration work clearly visible. And this is a very small part of a large temple. The love, care and effort shown by those of history and those today is truly admirable. it's a shame the Internet wasn't introduced 100 years earlier. Can you just imagine the footage we would have today?

Regards,

Stuart

Deir el Bahri, Upper Platform, Central Court from within Pylon and Coptic Tower

Deir el Bahri, Upper Platform, Central Court from within Pylon and Coptic Tower
Originally uploaded by The Egypt Exploration Society

If you were ever wondering what Deir el Bahri looked like before most of the restoration work was carried out - here is a glimpse.

Hardly recognisable with the beautifully restored temple we see today, the restoration work was no less than a huge jigsaw, with many parts missing.

The clearance work carried out to get to the stage we see in the photo would have taken months of clearing sand and fallen rock (from the cliff side behind the temple)

The photo is undated, but was taken by the Egypt Exploration Fund (now called Egypt Exploration Society), who were carrying out the excavation and restoration of the temple.

The doorway we see in this photo reminds me a bit of Stonehenge, here in England. I will post another picture of the same doorway later to show what wee see today.

Regards,

Stuart

Photo - Hatshepsut's Birth Name

Karnak Temple 50
Originally uploaded by ruthhallam

Carved beautifully out of red/pink granite and located within the Temple complex of Karnak in Luxor, we have the birth name of Hatshepsut.

The cartouche reads "Foremost of Noble Women, United with Amun".

Regards,
Stuart

KV20 Photos - Jane Akshar, Luxor News

Jane Akshar has posted a great item on her blog, Luxor News. Here we see some great photographs of the interior of KV20. For those who may be new to this particular tomb, it is the tomb which housed both Hatshepsut's mummy and that of her father, Thutmose I.

If you would like to know more, see Maat-Ka-Ra-Hatshepsut,

Regards,
Stuart

Senenmut - The Kimbell Art Museum

The Kimbell Art Museum, Texas, USA.

This is a chance for me to be able to show a Statue of Senenmut, Chief Steward of Queen Hatshepsut.

Two things stand out for me when looking at this statue:

1) - The material used - Gray green schist - is one of my favourite of the stone materials used in Ancient Egypt. I will post a photo of Thutmose III i have (at a later date) which could be my favourite Ancient Egyptian statue. This too is made of schist.

2) - The Rebus -

"A rebus is a message spelled out in pictures that represent sounds rather than the things they are pictures of: for example, the picture of an eye, a bee and a leaf in English might be used to make the English sentence "I Believe," or "eye-bee-leaf." The sentence itself has nothing to do with eyes, bees or leaves".

from: Tour Egypt

The Rebus in this case is the throne name of Hatshepsut, Maat Ka Ra. The upturned arms (Ka) at the foot of the snake (Maat)and the sun (Ra) between the horns atop of the head of the snake.

Regards,
Stuart

Hatshepsut - Royal Ontario Museum (Toronto, Canada)

Royal Ontario Museum (Toronto, Canada)
Originally uploaded by md.faisalzaman

Something a bit different. This is a cast of the Deir el Bahri Punt Expedition, which can be found at the Royal Ontario Museum (Toronto, Canada).

As Egyptology progresses, we hear of the many attempts to recreate tombs so that studies can be made outside of Egypt and also to protect the tombs themselves. Casts which were made of tombs (and temple)decoration before the recognition of conservation may in some occasions have damaged the wall decorations they were intending to cast.

Today things are different, as we have seen in the Valley of the Kings (restoration work, the closing of tombs, etc). It would be nice to think that there will be whole temples reconstructed in museums around the world, so that those who may never see the monuments for themselves can still experience every hieroglyph, pillar, pylon, etc.

Who knows?

Regards,
Stuart

Photo Hatshepsut Osiride Statue Face

Hatshepsut
Originally uploaded by gstei

Maat-Ka-Ra Hatshepsut. All credit to the stone-masons. Elegance, beauty and a regal look even after thousands of years.

This post features what will be the first of many Flickr photos. Credits due to those who took the photos and chose to share them with us.

Regards,

Stuart

Photo - Deir el Bahri

This photo was taken by one of the Hatshepsut Project followers, Nebojsa Milosevic. My thanks again for the photo supply.

In the background we have Hatsheput's temple and if i am not mistaken - in the foreground we have the opening to the tomb of Senenmut (the area roped off). Please correct me if this is wrong- i will look this up.


Regards,
Stuart

If you have any photos from Deir el Bahri or any others related to Hatshepsut i would be happy to hear from you.

Hatshepsut(?) - The Cleveland Museum of Art

The Cleveland Museum of Art - Cleveland, Ohio.

Amongst their collections we have this item:

Hatshepsut(?)

Do we have a problem here? Maybe. You will see that the description of the fragment says "Said to be from Thebes, Deir el Bahari". I will inevitably come across many items that have no exact origin and i can see this being an issue. Although here, we have a fragment which could easily have come from Deir el Bahri- we do not know for sure that this fragment shows Hatshepsut. Again in the description, we have a less-than-definite "Hatshepsut or Thutmose III".

What makes it harder to determine who this fragment is for sure is that Hatshepsut showed herself as a male (upon becoming Pharaoh), had herself depicted as such and therefore we cannot say that as the skin pigment shows brown skin- it must be male. That would be too easy.

Despite the above this fragment is a great example of the New Kingdom Art before the Amarna Period, when art changed somewhat. I will go as far as to say that the person depicted does appear (to my eye) to be from the Thutmoside Period of the early New Kingdom. With that said, this is my interpretation only, not fact.

Update: This fragment is of Thutmose III and does indeed originate from Deir el Bahri.

Thank you to Andrzej Cwiek (from the Deir el Bahri Polish Team) for supplying the information by email. Also to IUFAA for the advice (see comments).

" This fragment (Cleveland 1920.1995), representing the head of a king wearing an atef crown, comes indeed from the temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari. It has been published in L. M. Berman (ed.), The Cleveland Museum of Art. Catalogue of Egyptian Art, New York 1999, p. 215, fig. 159 as 'Hatshepsut or Tuthmosis III'. Now we have been able to identify its exact position within the original decoration of the temple"

The above quotation is a small part of the email. Further publications of Porter and Moss will provide substantial information on this fragment and MANY more which are from Deir el Bahri, but housed in museums and sites the world over It will also show their (original) locations within the walls of Deir el Bahri.

Regards,
Stuart

The Hatshepsut Trilogy

Just when things have been a bit quiet, one of the blogs' followers, David Caldecoat, has just informed me of a trilogy of Hatshepsut fiction books by the author Patricia L. O'Neil.

* The first book, Her Majesty the King was released in January 2010.
* The Second Installment, The Horus Throne is out this month.
* The third and final installment is The Eye of Re,and will be released in October 2011 (plenty of time to read the first two).

Patricia has a website, which will tell you all you need to know: Hatshepsut Trilogy

David, i thank you for this information. I will of course be buying them all, but i will wait until Christmas this year as i am really looking forward to reading other books i have already purchased.

If any of you get there first- please feel free to let us all know what you think. If you wish to write a review- get in touch.

If anyone else out there wishes to contribute to the blog, i will always be happy to hear from you. It can be tough keeping up with the pace of Hatshepsut.

Regards,
Stuart

Hatshepsut - The Walters Art Museum

The Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland, USA.

This museum is another offering from the United States. Their online collection has 4 Hatshepsut related items on display, which you will see by following the above link.

The items are:

* Foundation Stone
* Scarab - Hatshepsut
* Scarab - Neferure (her first appearance on this blog)
* Wall Fragment

Regards,
Stuart

Recommended Magazine

Since August 2009 i have been subscribing to the Ancient Egypt Magazine. It covers all periods and is packed full of great articles and updates, which just adds to my own fascination of Ancient Egypt. Subscribers have a magazine delivered once every 2 months, and the cost is low for the information included. As far as i am aware this magazine in only available by subscription. I will say little, but let you view for yourself: Ancient Egypt Magazine Stuart

Photo - Deir el Bahri

This photo was taken in 2008 and i believe it comes from the upper level of the Hatshepsut Mortuary Temple (where the entrance to the Amun Sanctuary is located).

Showing an Egyptian God (possibly Hapi/ Hapy- the god of Inundation). Although i cannot provide the translation of the Hieroglyphs i will intend to find out and add them to this post. I can at least suggest that the highest level of glyphs appears to me as "beloved of Ra" in the masculine form. This may suggest that the name of Thutmose I or III may have appeared in the now missing section. It may even be the name of Hatshepsut, as she is known to have taken on many "male" aspects during her rule of Egypt.

I will correct myself later where necessary. Maybe you can help?

Stuart

The Unfinished Obelisk at Aswan

Updated 11/04/2014

Aswan - an area of Upper (Southern) Egypt which was quarried for centuries to provide the beautiful granite for monuments, statues and much more.

The unfinished obelisk is occasionally attributed to Hatshepsut. There are no inscriptions, so this may be a wild card.



 

                                     

• The top photo shows part of the obelisk in-situ and abandoned. 
• The centre photo shows an area where blocks have been removed in ancient times(giving clues as to how it was done).
• The bottom photo shows one of the channels of the sides of the obelisk.

All photo copyright Janelle Wade.

Wiki has a page on the unfinished obelisk for further details.

Regards,
Stuart

Hatshepsut - Suggested Website

I have provided a link to the following site before, when providing links to the 18th Dynasty (June post).

Since then, i have seen how much more the site offers. The site owner, Anneke Bart, has put a lot of time and effort into providing some quality information on Hatshepsut(amongst)others. Anneke, thanks for the information and the previous permission given to me, to link to your work.

Anneke's ancient Egypt site

Stuart

Hatshepsut - Future Excavations

As my project focuses a lot of attention on the museum objects of Hatshepsut, I have been considering future findings and where they might be housed.

Egyptology progresses at a pace and if you are serious about your studies, then it becomes aparent that keeping up to date is essential.

When most people start studying the Egypt- based excavations, the almost immediate question may well be "do the finds get split amongst the excavators?" The answer to the question has changed from the time of, say, Howard Carter. Back then it was common for a division of finds, so that Egypt and other countries (generally those who are part of the excavations themselves) share the "spoils".

Today, all finds stay in Egypt. We have already seen England, Holland, France and Germany- among other countries who look after the "relics" of Hatshepsut. The work of conserving and housing these objects is there to see. This comes at a price - often through grants. There are many countries with the skills, enthusiasm and commitment to continue the work, but what happens in decades time? That is unclear although it will clearly be difficult for any museum to increase their collections legally (the avoidance of the black- market).

The future appears to be that all future Hatshepsut finds will stay in Egypt, to be housed in various museums- including at Luxor and Cairo. Whilst this stops items leaving Egypt - i wonder i it may have an impact on the Egyptologists of the future.

Whilst the internet gives you extremely valuable information on the subject of Egyptology i have found that nothing beats actually seeing ancient artifacts in various museums up close and personal. We will still have these items, but we may rely on inventive thinking by those who run the Egypt- based rooms to rotate items and possibly even a rotation of artifacts between museums. Even this sounds quite exciting (a rotation), but it may mean that storerooms in Egyptian Museums burst full of artifacts (maybe even too much for them to handle).

We will see of course what transpires. I am not negative on the subject of keeping items in Egypt at all, but not everyone will get to see them. I think that most people will fall back on the internet. One problem with the internet- who do you trust? Well, we can still rely on forums and blogs - these will grow and grow. It will be up to the individual to decide who they trust. Will there ever be a complete database of all ancient Egyptian artifacts the world over- probably. Will this include all items not considered fit for display- it may be doubtful unless way, way into the future. After all Egypt allows us to discover more information about her glorious past every year. This will not end in our lives as the sand is stripped back and more finds are registered.


Stuart

Hatshepsut - Brooklyn Museum

I have just recently found out that the Brooklyn Museum in the U.S.A houses a number of items of interest to this Hatshepsut Project.

Amongst their collection of antiquities can be found the following:

Hatshepsut
Senenmut
Thutmose III
Queen Ahmose

Here is a link to their website, where you can see photos of these items and descriptions which you may find useful.

http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/search/?q=hatshepsut&x=0&y=0

Hatshepsut - author's note

As i have been progressing through this blog, I have learned a great deal about Hatshepsut and of the details left behind by her. I have, of course, only just began the journey, but i have a few things to share at this early stage.

Hatshepsut was (to me) a great Pharaoh. Not only did she commission her beautiful mortuary temple, obelisks, way shrines, etc but she did so much more.

From what i know so far- the early 18th Dynasty had its fair share of instability. With Egypt united once again much was to be done to ensure that the whole of Egypt was fed, watered, defended and content.

Hatshepsut's father, Thutmose I succeeded Amenhotep I to the throne of Egypt and the Thutmoside dynasty had begun. Thutmose II was the next in line, married Hatshepsut and then died. Thutmose III was very young at this stage and began his reign with his Step- Mother, Hatshepsut (a co- regency).

At some stage Hatshepsut became Pharaoh. She died and Thutmose III was crowned pharaoh.

Ok- that was a very short story (and feel free to correct any mistakes), but the actual reign of Hatshepsut as Pharaoh has caused reason for much debate in today's world of Egyptology. Did Hatshepsut push Thutmose III out of the way so that she could become pharaoh, or was it to ensure stability and order in Egypt- someone had to reign until Thutmose III was old enough and capable enough of running Egypt successfully?

Its things like this which lead to people like us taking an interest, formulating ideas, opinions, cross- referencing with archaeological findings, etc, etc. This, to me, is great. Communities are created and knowledge is shared. One of the biggest bonuses in studying Ancient Egypt are the people you meet. Without like- minded individuals, it can be one long, lonely road.

Who else would i have to share my museum and holiday snaps to?

Thanks for your interest,

Stuart

I would like to thank Dr Karl Leser of the inspirational Maat-Ka-Ra Hatshepsut website for spotting an error in my original post (since corrected). Your help is greatly received and i thank you for your valued input.

Photo - Cleopatra's Needle, London

The Obelisk of Thutmose III, often called "Cleopatra's Needle" although this was quarried and erected much before the time of the legendary Cleopatra IV.

Originally from Alexandria (this obelisk had fallen in antiquity and was one of a pair) this beautiful piece of history was commissioned by Thutmose III, the successor to Hatshepsut. It proudly stands on the Thames Embankment, London.

I will post different views of this obelisk and the signs that accompany it, at a later date.

Stuart

Photo - British Museum Obelisk

The only obelisk of which i am aware which was commissioned by Hatshepsut but not intended for Karnak temple. This brings me up to 5 obelisks and i feel this may be the last of the Hatshepsut obelisks.

Found in 3 separate pieces it is now looked after by the British Museum. It shows signs of the removal of Hatshepsut's name as was the case with many of her monuments during the reign of her successor, Thutmose III ("The Egyptian Napoleon").

This obelisk was found at Qasr Ibrim in Nubia re-used in a later building project as 3 separate blocks.

Regards,
Stuart

British Museum visit

I am back after some time away and some computer problems. It seems as though i have been away for a very long time. This will be the first time i have had to confirm that on 12th August i managed to visit the British Museum, London. This was my first visit and it was an amazing experience.

Before going i had a plan of which rooms i would visit- and in which order. By each room number i added where i might locate Hatshepsut related artifacts. I will add that i was unable to see many of the expected items. This was not due to anything other that the museum only showing approx 4% of its Egyptian artifacts at any one time.

The experience was one which i am keen to have again. The colossal bust of Ramesses II, Amenhotep III, Senusret III, the sphinx beard, Rosetta stone and so much more.

It was a family trip (my birthday treat!)to London- a day visit and i was sad to hear that the Petrie Museum is closed due to renovations. We actually had planned to do both but the Petrie Museum will most probably be a day trip in itself. Instead of the Petrie Museum we visited the Thames Embankment to take pictures of a very impressive Thutmoside monument, which i will mention at a later date.

Stuart

The Punt trading expedition

The walls of Hatshepsuts mortuary temple show scenes of a trading expedition to the land of Punt. The scenes show the items brought back, the houses of the Puntians (?) and the ships which took Hatshepsuts people to Punt and back again.

I recently saw a documentary called "Building a Pharaoh's ship". Attempts are made to recreate one of the ships depicted on the temple walls.

The PBS site shown below gives details of the documentary as well as a lot more information which some of you may find useful. You do not have to watch the film, but i recommend browsing the other parts of the site:

http://video.pbs.org/video/1379655910/

Stuart

Senenmut and Neferure

I am going through a lot of material at the moment, trying to add to this blog. The Hatshepsut related stuff is limited to time. Time is a factor that keeps on popping up like a little gremlin in my head reminding me that i have a family to take care of.

I am going to broaden my horizons, so to speak. I will start to include sites and items concerning Senenmut (Senemut if you prefer)and Neferure. Although these wonderful people of the past will always have a back seat to Hatshepsut, they are a very large part of the Hatshepsut story and this Hatshepsut project. All information on these will be introductory and i will refer you to further reading, or websites which will aid in more informed learning for those who may be interested.

I will not yet move on to Thutmose I,II, III, Ahmose and other major family members of Hatshepsut. These will follow later as i have to pace myself. As i am learning- as- i go i do not want to end up too far over my head.

At this stage i wish there were two of me. That would certainly solve some of the time issues... Please bare with me as i go. There will be times when this blog goes slightly quiet. I promise you that i will be in the background either reading books, excavation reports, watching documentaries and everything else that has helped me get to month 3 of this blog...

Stuart

Hatshepsut Project Update

The blog is now in its third month as i write this. I wanted to really just take a deep breath. Also to see what kind of progress the blog is making.

Firstly i would like to thank you all for taking part in the Project. It has been encouraging for me to have followers, as I inevitably work a bit harder knowing that other could benefit from this blog.

With regard museums:

I have one or two up my sleeve, but i am running out of options. The search will continue however.

With regard sites:

There are still sites which i am aware of (in Egypt) which house Hatshepsut's footprints. I will share these once i have checked on the materials i have.

With regards my own research:

* I have recently purchased a number of books and have many bookmarks, which i have been saving for a rainy day. Again, these will follow once i am confident on the content.

* A possible visit to the British Museum will open a few doors (photos especially) and i will of course write all about it.

* I have many hours of Deir el Bahri excavation material to pour through. This will take some time to take in before i will get a chance to consider a write- up.

So that's where i will leave it. Please feel free to contribute in any way. Photos, articles, pictures - all will be greatly received and i will always mention where i received the materials from.

Ok, so back to the new books (Hatshepsut related of course!, lol )

Thank you all,

Stuart

British Museum- Time for a visit

Wouldn't it be great if i could visit all of the worlds museums and sites, which house the items relating to Hatshepsut?

Well, that was a question that had previously occupied my mind. The reality is that i will only visit a fraction. Still, i have an extremely supportive family. They have their limits of course.

I have a possible chance of visiting the British Museum within the next 2 weeks. If this happens, then i will have one more museum/ site ticked off the list. If it doesn't then it is another museum/ site for the other list i have.

Should the visit happen, then i will circle like a hawk over an Egyptian battlefield in the hunt for the "second" lady in my life (after my wife of course), Hatshepsut.

I cannot imagine how excited i would be to spot even one Hatshepsut item. Maybe similar to a small child bumping into Santa on Christmas day may come close- but not that close. Pictures will be taken of each and every item i can find (i have not yet seen the potential restrictions, but i will check before i go (if i go)).

Hatshepsut aside, we have the famous bust of Ramesses II from the Ramesseum (Belzoni), The Rozetta Stone, Papyrus of Ani (Budge)and so much more.

Oh and the Hatshepsut obelisk (sorry, couldn't keep her out for long- this blog is for her, after all!). The obelisk is mentioned in a previous post.

I will keep you all up to date:

* Karnak Temple - TICK
* Deir el Bahri - TICK
* Luxor Temple - TICK
* Highclere (Carnarvon) Castle - TICK
* British Museum- TICK

....wow, nowhere near, but it has been great so far...........

Regards,
Stuart

Hatshepsut - The Louvre

The link below tells of a number of blocks said to be associated with the temple of Satet at Elephantine, where Hatshepsut is known to have "made her mark".

I've not seen much of Hatshepsut (or her reign) so far at the Louvre - so this could be the only report on the Louvre for a while.

The Louvre

The information provided- through the link- should give as much detail as is required.

Regards,
Stuart

Hatshepsut - Luxor Museum

When i go to Luxor again (hopeful thinking), one of my first stops will be the Luxor Museum.

My wife and i didn't have enough time and money when we went in 2008, which was a real shame. Next time we will definitely take an evening visit.

Amongst their former collections, (blocks from) Hatshepsut's Red Chapel had been on display, until being moved (further details have been provided below).

Just a taster:

http://www.suziemanley.com/may/l_museum.htm

(pictures 6 & 19)

Thanks to the site owner Suzie Manley.

Stuart


*************************************************************************************
I have edited this post to show (correctly) that the blocks USED to be a part of the Luxor Museum. As pointed out by Dr Karl Leser, the Red Chapel of Hatshepsut has been re-built and is situated today in the Karnak Temple Open Air Museum. For more information on the reconstructed Red Chapel, then please visit Dr Lesers site:

http://www.maat-ka-ra.de/english/start_e.htm

Go to: Sitemap, Monuments, Red Chapel

*************************************************************************************

Hatshepsut fake? Part 2

Recently i provided a link to Heritage Key. The story was of a possible forgery within the Berlin Museum's collections- the head of Hatshepsut (see previous story).

Following the post, I have been made aware by Dr Karl Leser that there is more to the tale than first thought.

The link below is what actually happened- as far as any testing on the head is concerned:

Fake or No Fake?

Not much of a story can really be seen here. Certainly, no comments stating that the head is a proven forgery- far from it. Should the general story be of interest to you, please follow the above link.

My thanks to Dr Leser for the update. Your help is extremely valuable to me and always welcomed.

Regards,
Stuart

Hatshepsut - Berlin Agyptisches Museum/Altes Museum

If you read my last post, then it will come as no surprise that the next museum to list is the Altes Museum in Berlin. The Altes (Old) Museum houses a number of Hatshepsut artifacts.

Here is just one example:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:EgyptMuseumBerlin2007031.JPG

Thanks to Marcus Cyron for this picture (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Marcus_Cyron)

As i go through different museums, i will only give a taste of whats in each one- rather than the whole thing. That comes after i have located everything there is to find. I hope you guys are very patient !!

Regards,
Stuart

Hatshepsut fake?

This is a story from Rebecca T @ Heritage Key about the sniff of a forgery in Berlin.

Heritage Key Story

This was reported back in 2009 by Rebecca. I wonder how many obstacles such as this i will encounter on the search for all things Hatshepsut?

Either way, i will report on it here.

Regards,
Stuart

Egyptian Dreams discussion forum

http://forum.egyptiandreams.co.uk/index.php

When i first started to study Egypt as a hobby i soon realised that you can only learn "so much" studying on your own. It can be frustrating when you do not have the opinions of others to share.

I began to look for a discussion forum, specifically looking at Ancient Egypt. This is when i found Egyptian Dreams.

I soon got used to asking questions, putting forward theories and even helping out others to expand their knowledge. Without hesitation i recommend this discussion forum to all of you.

My only requests will be that anyone visiting the forum and then eventually joining up (free of charge)must please read the rules before starting up and at no time participate in any spamming.

I have been given permission to link to Egyptian Dreams and there are a number of the forum members who i speak to away from the forum, so please use the site as it is intended.

You will find the forum very friendly and extremely helpful to all users.

I will link to discussions which will aid the Hatshepsut Project, so you will see the quality of the Egyptian Dreams forum for yourself.

Stuart

Hatshepsut Shabtis (?)

From Maat-Ka-Ra Hatschepsut

Thanks to Dr. Leser for the work here. Please note that these are "possibly related" to Hatshepsut.

Shabti 1: Rijksmuseum, Den Haag (The Hague), Netherlands
Shabti 2: Bordeaux Museum, France

Please follow my link to Dr Lesers own work, which describes the shabtis very well and also includes translations of the shabtis.

Regards,
Stuart

Plaque - Tomb of Thutmose III

Sadly in 2010 we are unable to take photos within the Valley of the Kings. However, in 2008 photos were fine.

I purchased a ticket which allowed me to visit 3 tombs, the second of which was the tomb of Thutmose III.

Before climbing to the heavens (or a ladder for those who can handle the heat) you will notice this plaque. This tomb has some very unique artistic styles. The heat inside was enough to cut my visit short, but i would recommend a visit if the chance arises.

I am however, useless at French.

I will resume usual posting shortly. I have been "under the weather" recently, so i have been laying low...

Stuart

The Mummy of Hatshepsut

Found in KV60, mentioned in detail on Dr Zahi Hawass' own blog, Zahi Hawass. This mummy has been identified as that of Hatshepsut.

I will let Dr Hawass explain:

Regards,
Stuart

KV20

KV20 (Kings Valley tomb numbered 20).

This is the tomb intendeded for Hatshepsut (as Pharaoh).

If we visit the Valley of the Kings today we will be unable to visit this tomb. Closed off to visitors due to the perils encountered even by the best prepared Egyptologist - this tomb is unfinished, empty.

Howard Carter was the man who had the task of clearing this tomb. I have the report of his excavation, which took a mere 20 days.

To quote Carter:

"The operations, inclusive of the transport of the necessary materials to the spot, the fixing of the scaffolding, and the clearing of the tomb from end to end, took twenty days, the work continuing both day and night with relays of workmen for the night shifts."

Not 1 but 2 sarcophagi were found in the tomb itself. Both empty, both originally inscribed for Hatshepsut. Other items were also found in KV20 and at this point i hand you over to WIKI:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KV20

HUGE credit goes to Rozette Peeters. I met Rozette through an AE forum and most of the excavation reviews i have are supplied by her. These have been supplied free of charge. Her efforts are vital to this blog. Without her help and the help of other willing parties i could not continue with this blog. Rozette, Thank You.

Life, Prosperity and Health to you,

Stuart

Hatshepsut - Cairo Museum

It had to come up sooner or later. The best museum in the world- if you happen to have an interest in all things Ancient Egypt.

In their collections, they of course have items from the reign of Hatshepsut.

One such item is a head of an Osiride statue of Hatshepsut, seen here:

http://www.egyptarchive.co.uk/html/cairo_museum_28.html

Note the false beard, mentioned earlier.

This would have come from the excavations at Deir el Bahri in the late 1800s- early 1900s as a "share of the spoils".

Stuart

Photo - Osiride Statues of Hatshepsut

This photo was taken by one of the Hatshepsut Project followers, Nebojsa Milosevic in 2004. It shows the remaining Osiride statues on the 3rd Terrace of the now familiar Deir el Bahri.

Hatshepsut did not masquerade as a man, but often had herself depicted with the false beard, Nemes headdress and other symbolic items to show her role.

These statues bear all the familiar traits of Osiris, except for one thing. The face is that of Hatshepsut. Although more than likely stylised, they are elegant to view and I have always felt that she has a certain look of serenity, which adds a certain beauty.

Here the statues are viewed from the top of the second stairway/ ramp, looking right. Please see the photo at the top of this page of the temple to get a better idea of where these statues fit into the temple architecture.

Thanks to you Nebojsa.

Let me add that Nebojsa has also started a blog on the other famous female Pharaoh, Cleopatra. :

http://searchforcleopatra.blogspot.com/

Regards,
Stuart

My First False Dawn

Having read an article (one to which i do not have to hand) suggesting that the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery may have two Shabti figures, blue glazed which feature the Prenomen "Maat- Ka- Re/Ra" i decided to follow it up.

Fortunately for me, Bristol Museum is my local museum, so the journey was short ( and now very familiar after many previous visits). I "bumped into" a very helpful man (his name alludes me though- sorry) and we chatted about the Egypt Collection on display and about this blog. In particular, the shabtis.

If you do not know the museum - the main shabti display is the first thing you see, if you enter the collection at the correct door (ie not through the Assyrian Gallery ). The display us usually lit by fibre optic lights, which were currently not working as they should and consists of a number of shabtis of different colour, material, age and quality. The back wall of the display is mirrored and the eye- viewer is small but wide, so you have to get really close.

Long story short, i was unable to categorically recognise the said hieroglyphic prenomen Maat- Ka- Re/Ra.

Around the corner in a different display altogether was the second shabti. Easier to see, but only just...Hard to work out glyphs again and a crook- neck saw me on my knees, nose-to-glass but could not resolve anything.

Back the man and the badly lit shabti collection and the suggestion of the use of his torch, BINGO. A very nice gesture.

I should add that standing only inches away from me is my beautiful wife, Julie, who has been there all along.

The search by torchlight of this now very familiar set of shabtis and a long conversation with the museum - a decision was made. One of the people responsible for Bristol Museum's Egypt Gallery is Sue Giles. She had helped me via phone a long time ago when i had some questions and our museum friend (the man with no name) went to speak to Sue.

The conclusion to the conversation was the little niggle i had in the back of my head all along.. The existance of ANOTHER Maat-Ka-Re/Ra. This lady happend to be from the 21st dynasty (Hatshepsut being from the 18th Dynasty. Pharaoh Psusennes II had a daughter called Maatkare and there was also a high priestess with the same name, who may be the same person- i am not sure. The shabtis appear NOT to be Hatshepsut's

So ends the tale, but thanks to Sue, Julie and unknown man A who was very helpful and friendly,

Stuart

Photo - The Entrance to the Hathor Chapel

I wanted to break up the blog with another photo, again from Hatshepsuts mortuary temple.

This photo is the entrance to the Chapel of Hathor- second tier/ terrace- south side.

With thanks to Dr Karl Leser of Maat-Ka-Ra-Hatschepsut for correcting my original tag for this photo. Originally i stated that it was the "Amun Sanctuary" entrance- incorrectly.

That will teach me for posting too fast. I do encourage feedback like this as i do not wish to mislead anyone. Thanks Dr. Leser.

I will now hand you over to Dr. Leser's excellent website for an in- depth look at the Chapel of Hathor:

http://www.maat-ka-ra.de/english/bauwerke/djeser/dj_chapel_hathor_beschreibung.htm

Stuart

Hatshepsut - Ashmolean Museum

Located in Oxford, UK the Ashmolean Museum houses several pieces from Deir el Bahri, including a limestone block and faience fragments.

I cannot provide specific links, due the the museum having an unlimited online catalogue. That said, they provide a very goo PDF style link of the "Sackler Gallery". Once downloaded, you can then read and search all you like.

I like the look of his museum personally and will plan a visit when time allows for it.

Here is the link to the Sackler Gallery within the Ashmolean Museum:

http://www.ashmolean.org/departments/antiquities/about/AEgypt/?s=deir

Go to "Virtual Visit to the Sackler Gallery"

Stuart

The Karnak Cache

On the subject of cache's (the Deir el Bahri mummy cache being the first mentioned).

At the beginning of the 1900s' in the temple complex at Karnak- 7th pylon- a large number of statues were found covering the Old, Middle and Late kingdoms. Not only pharaohs statues, but priests, viziers, scribes and others are all depicted.

In relation to Hatshepsut i have been able to locate 1 statue, one block from the Red Chapel (they all count!) and a vase. The following link should take you directly to these statues:

http://www.ifao.egnet.net/bases/cachette/

Also represented in the cache are Senenmut/ Neferure (block statue), Thutmose I,II and III. Please use the search bar the link will take you to, to search for any one of the above people. The name Thutmose is spelled Tuthmosis, should you wish to search for Thutmose I,II or III. This name is often spelled in many different ways. I go with Thutmose, but its a tomato/ tomAto thing, no- one is necessarily right.

Stuart

The Deir el Bahri Cache

In 1874 events in Egypt led to the discovery (of the century?) of a cache of Royal Mummies at the site of Deir el Bahri. This site, which actually consists of 3 separate mortuary temples, hugged by a horse-shoe shaped cliff of Limestone (i believe, due to its location right next to the Valley of Kings, which is Limestone throughout).

The cache itself? Well it included Thutmose I, II and III. The father, husband and step- son of Hatshepsut.

For further reading, please visit:

Tour Egypt: www.touregypt.net/featurestories/cache.htm

Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deir_el-Bahri


Hatshepsut was elsewhere.................but that's for another time...

Stuart

Book Suggestion

I have recently acquired Joyce Tyldesley's HATCHEPSUT - The Female Pharaoh (Penguin Books).

I will admit i am reading this book currently (and not in chapter order either, because that would be too easy!)and have yet to complete the book. However i have seen (read?)enough to recommend this book to anyone interested in Hatshepsut (the spelling differences between Joyce and myself are personal choices and neither are incorrect).

This book is readily available at Amazon:

www.amazon.com

Also i felt guilty for using the phrase "the female pharaoh" in previous posts, without crediting Joyce on an excellent book. Discussion forums will also recommend Joyce's work to you, as do i.

Stuart

Blog Update- June 2010

Although this blog was solely intended to log my progress in finding all Hatshepsut- related artifacts i have chosen to relax things where i feel it necessary to discuss (and share)other Hatshepsut- related topics.

I am finding more and more articles, photos, books, dig diaries,etc. Also i am being sent some very good quality material from others wishing to help me. Please do the same if you have something which you think i may be able to use.

I have decided to include some of the above in my future posts. This is to vary the content of this site and to give a slightly wider range of resource material than i have been able to offer until now. All of these will have themes which can be linked to Hatshepsut directly.

Family and important people

* Senenmut
* Neferure
* Thutmose I,II,III
* Ahmose

Excavations:
* Winlock
* Naville
* Carter
* Polish Excavations

I will see how things look towards December/ January to see if the above actually takes the viewer away from the original subject matter. If I think that this blog looks too crowded, i may start another. For now i wish to avoid starting any other projects until this one has had a good length of time to settle down.

Please feel free to leave any comments or contact me if you have anything to add,

Thank you,

Stuart

Hatshepsut - The Petrie Museum

Sir William Flinders Petrie - does he really need an introduction? Well, i think so:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flinders_Petrie

His museum, in London is one of the places we are able to view artifacts from the reign of Hatshepsut. I feel an expensive day trip to London heading my way...

Petrie Museum Online

A interesting assortment of items, mostly fragments. I am sure these will prove useful.

Regards,
Stuart

Hatshepsut - The Vatican

The Vatican Museums have a little piece of Hatshepsut history. They have a lovely commemorative stela featuring the Female Pharaoh and Thutmose III.

The Gregorian Egyptian Museum


This is, so far the first stela i have seen featuring Hatshepsut. I do not know what the Hieroglyphic script says, but it is interesting to see Hatshepsut in front of Thutmose III, in the more senior position, so i think it is fair to assume that the stela was commissioned by Hatshepsut.

Regards,
Stuart

Hatshepsut - The British Museum

I consider myself lucky living in England and having so many different places to visit and see genuine ancient Egyptian Artifacts. One of those places is the British Museum, London.

When searching their website for Hatshepsut i was not disappointed in the slightest. I will not spoil things (much), although i will draw your attention to the Obelisk and the history of its "discovery".

This obelisk is not from Karnak. I think i have covered them, for now at least.

It's stories like this which making tracking Egyptian artifacts a bit of a nightmare to say the least. they do not stand still- that's for sure. It takes none of the fun away though i might add..

Here's the link to the British Museum's Hatshepsut- related items.

Regards,
Stuart

Old Photos - Deir el Bahri

I am becoming a bit of a stickler for old photos-especially old photos which i am able to link to the Hatshepsut project. Although i am unable to give you much information at present of exactly when these were taken, it will become apparent that these must be somewhere between the late 1800s- very early 1900s.

We can be fairly accurate here, owing to the first picture, showing Deir el Bahri before major restoration work and showing little of the features which we see today.

I will talk at a later date about the excavation history of this wonderful site in (modern day) Luxor. I have a few gaps in my information at the moment, so i will wait until i have a complete record.

Thanks to Dr Karl Leser for drawing my attention to these. Dr Leser owns Maat-Ka-Ra- Hatschepsut (website), which you can find a link for at the top of my homepage.

Here's the link:

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aeria.phil.uni-erlangen.de%2Fphoto_html%2Ftopographie%2Faegypten%2F

Thanks Dr. Leser,

Stuart

Fallen Obelisk of Hatshepsut at Karnak?

Credit goes to Kate Phiz(ackerley) for this post on News from the Valley of the Kings

Kate has found some great photos on Flickr showing a number of "Old Stereo Photos of Egypt" dating back to 19th Century. One of them is shown below:

Flickr Stereo Photos

Thanks to SonomaPicMan for uploading this photo on Flickr.

Looking solely at the photo on the left we see the standing obelisk of Thutmose I, Hatshepsut's earthly father (Amun being her divine father) and on the right we see Hatshepsut's own standing obelisk, which i mentioned in my last post.

Both would have had a "twin obelisk" as obelisks were usually (but not always) erected in pairs.

Between the 2 standing obelisks appears to be the fallen obelisk of Hatshepsut. Only the tip is left (see my previous post) and it seems to have fallen in the correct area (or thereabouts) to be the original (or rather final) resting place of the twin obelisk of Hatshepsut in this area.

It does make me wonder what happened to the rest of the obelisk. Could the pieces have been used for later construction (in the form of rubble, blocks cut from the obelisk, etc)? They must be somewhere.

There would have been 2 sets of twin obelisks erected by Hatshepsut in Karnak. Sadly only one remains in tact and in situ. All four bases can be accounted for. As for the 2 "missing" Hatshepsut obelisks i fear we will never know what happened to them. I hope to find out more.

I suggest that Digital Karnak will be the best place to visit for more information here:

Digital Karnak Obelisks

Thanks to SonomaPicMan for uploading this photo on Flickr.

Stuart

Hatshepsut's Obelisk at Karnak

The only standing obelisk of Hatshepsut still left in- situ in Karnak Temple complex, Egypt.

The Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut (Djeser Djeseru at Deir el Bahri) still has scenes showing the quarrying of 2 obelisks from a quarry in Aswan.

The Red Chapel of Hatshepsut (also situated in Karnak- now in the open- air museum) also shows the scenes of Hatshepsut erecting 2 (different) obelisks.

At Karnak today this is the only standing obelisk of Hatshepsut, but not the only one there. At the site of the scared lake, in the Amun Precinct we can see what is generally referred to as the "Fallen Obelisk of Hatshepsut". Only the tip of this obelisk remains and you get to see the Hieroglyphic inscriptions up close. I can tell you they are wonderful. The below photo from my only visit (so far) will give a taster.

Amun, being ever present as Hatshepsut's (divine) father and of course as the main deity worshiped at Karnak Temple.





For more in depth information on both the Obelisks of Hatshepsut, Karnak and the Red Chapel, I recommend a visit to:

Obelisks and Hatshepsut in Karnak -Maat-Ka-Ra-Hatschepsut

Red Chapel -Osirisnet.net

Regards,
Stuart

Hatshepsut - The Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum

This museum, in San Jose includes in their collection a nice cylinder bead of Hatshepsut.

Here it is on the museum's Facebook news page.

Regards,
Stuart

Maat-Ka-Ra Hatschepsut

I have been to the site Maat-Ka-Ra Hatschepsut that many times, i have to share the link:

http://www.maat-ka-ra.de/english/start_e.htm (Dr Karl Leser's website)

Very informative and includes a huge amount of in-depth information which will be a form of guide or bible for this blog and my Hatshepsut studies.

All thanks to Dr Karl Leser

Stuart

Hatshepsut - Boston Museum of Fine Arts

http://www.mfa.org/collections/search_art.asp?coll_keywords=hatshepsut

Also includes the sarcophagus of Thutmose I originally intended for Hatshepsut (one of 3 sarcophagi attributed to Hatshepsut).

A very fine collection,

Regards,
Stuart

Hathor Temple Pillar Photo

I mention in my profile that the first inscription that i had looked into "decoding" was from Deir el Bahri.

Here it is.

"Beloved of Hathor, Chief of Thebes (Luxor), Bestowed with eternal life".

With help from the site- Glyphdoctors.

I might add that i got to "Beloved of Hathor......Thebes..Bestowed with eternal life" Not too bad for a newbie.

Always room for improvement....:)

Stuart

Hatshepsut on Flickr

I am relatively new to Flickr, but am finding it more and more useful when researching the monuments and museum exhibits of Hatshepsut. Below is a link to the site. There is a huge catalogue of Hatshepsut photos and including some of very early excavations at Deir el Bahri, taken in the 1800's and early 1900's. Watch out for these.

To date i have seen 23,727 results on Flickr for Hatshepsut, so is a very useful tool for anyone who has a lot of time on their hands.

The best thing about this site is that if you choose any other search apart from Hatshepsut, you should find almost a library of pictures.

At this point i thank all the contributors on Flickr for the excellent pictures.

Regards,
Stuart

Deir el Bahri - Hathor Temple

One of the many interesting aspects of Hatshepsut's Mortuary Temple is the Hathor Temple. This temple is dedicated to Hathor and is my favorite part of the whole Temple. Its walls are very well decorated and the Hathor columns stand out to all who visit. Sadly i could not gain access to the far reaches of the temple.






The website that i have found most useful for information on the Hathor Temple is:

http://www.maat-ka-ra.de/english/bauwerke/djeser/dj_chapel_hathor_beschreibung.htm

This site is excellent for all things Hatshepsut, take a look for yourselves.

Hatshepsut - Metropolitan Museum of Art

Located in New York, USA.

Here is their online collection of Hatshepsut- related objects.

Metropolitan Museum of Art Hatshepsut

They have a large number of items to view. 395 to date,

Regards,
Stuart

Hatshepsuts Mortuary Temple - Photo

I will add more as i go, but this is the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut on the West Bank of Luxor. It has been heavily reconstructed and work continues at the site. Even from this distance, this temple is beautiful. I can only wonder how it looked with trees lined outside, a sphinx avenue and complete with many statues.

Good links for this site include:

http://www.maat-ka-ra.de/english/start_e.htm (Maat-Ka-Ra-Hatshepsut, by Dr Karl Leser)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deir_el-Bahri (wiki)

http://www.touregypt.net/bahari.htm (TourEgypt)

Regards,
Stuart

Why Hatshepsut? Why is she so special?

The decision to look at Hatshepsut was very easy for me to make.

I was married in 2008 to Julie and we decided to go to Egypt on a cruise- to start off our married life in style. We decided on a 7 day cruise, to cut a long story short- it was fantastic.

Our excursions included, among others, trips to:

• Deir El Bahri
• Valley of the Kings
• Karnak

I had already been interested in Egypt for around 2 years by then, so i knew a bit (not much, but a bit). I took a pad-and-pen everywhere we went and my wife was in control of the camera. I wrote and pointed excitedly at many things and Julie clicked away until it was time to leave.

When we got home i decided to study all our photos so that i would one day know all the inscriptions, locations, gods, etc,etc on these photos. I could then use this information in some way to share my knowledge. The photo project is ongoing......

After 18 months or so, the Deir el Bahri photos and the broken obelisk photos are the ones that stand out the most. My first ever inscription translation was "beloved of Hathor, Chief of Thebes" on a stone pillar in the Hathor Temple at Deir el Bahari. I must add that i was generously helped by someone on GLYPHDOCTORS. Edmund Meltzer is his name and i hope he doesn't mind me acknowledging his help here.

When we discussed our honeymoon- my wife and I named Deir el Bahri as one of the most memorable of the sites we visited. I have since tried to find out as much as i can about Hatshepsut - The Female Pharaoh.

I now have too much to keep to myself, so i have to share it and I hope this blog (my first, so no miracles to be expected here) will help others in their pursuit of knowledge about this great Pharaoh.

Regards,
Stuart