When you are in Luxor for a longer period, say for study or an archaeological excavation, it may be useful to know where to find special products and services to keep you going during your work. For your convenience, I have compiled a list of favourite places: Bookshops There are three principal bookshops in Luxor,…
A note on the King Tut documentary
Tutankhamun: The Truth Uncovered aired last Sunday on BBC and has already sparked controversy. In the documentary, Tut is shown bare-boned, CT-scanned and computer modeled to an unflattering degree. Previous theories concerning his death (a blow to the head, a fall from a riding chariot) are discarded and instead, the king is presented as a…
Agatha Christie in Egypt and the Near East
Agatha Christie is world-renowned for her crime writing. Her countless mystery stories are packed with locked rooms, cracked mirrors and unreliable clocks. Trains, boats and islands provide the closed systems in which one of the characters is inevitably the murderer. Card games, hunting parties and casual vacations provide the perfect backdrop for an intricate series…
More 3D projects in Egyptology
I have been absent for a while, working on my thesis, but I return with an update on some 3D projects in Egyptology. See also my previous post. The Petrie Museum, who has made stunning 3D images of some of their artefacts in the 3DPetrie project, let us participate in photo masking shabtis from their…
J.H. Insinger: A Dutchman in Egypt
In the 19th century, if you were well-to-do and suffering from lung disease such as tuberculosis, your best option was to reside in the agreeable dry climate of Egypt. Lady Lucie Duff Gordon (the 19th century authoress, not to be confused with the 20th century fashion designer and Titanic survivor) was among those who traded…
3D projects in Egyptology
I have always loved 3D reconstructions of ancient monuments, and still wish to acquire the skill to produce them. In archaeology, 3D models can provide a lively image to accompany the ground plans of ancient architecture, recreating sites and landscapes much as the ‘artist’s impressions’ of old. As such, they can be a great means…