Queen Khentakawess III's tomb found in Egypt

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-30674339
5 January 2015 Last updated at 10:01 GMT

Queen Khentakawess III's tomb found in Egypt

Overall view of the tomb of Queen Khentkaus III from the northeast The tomb dates to the Fifth Dynasty of the Pharaohs - about 4,500 years ago

Archaeologists in Egypt have unearthed the tomb of a previously unknown queen, Egyptian officials say.

The tomb was found in Abu-Sir, south-west of Cairo, and is thought to belong to the wife or mother of Pharaoh Neferefre who ruled 4,500 years ago.

Egyptian Antiquities Minister Mamdouh el-Damaty said that her name, Khentakawess, had been found inscribed on a wall in the necropolis.

Mr Damaty added that this would make her Khentakawess III.

The tomb was discovered in Pharaoh Neferefre's funeral complex.

Vessels found at the tomb of Khentakawess III About 30 vessels were found at the tomb

Chapel of the tomb of Khentakawess III The name of the queen was found inscribed on a wall

Miroslav Barta, head of the Czech Institute of Egyptology mission which made the discovery, said that the location of the queen's tomb made them believe that she was the wife of the pharaoh.

The Czech archaeologists also found about 30 utensils made of limestone and copper.

Mr Damaty explained that the discovery would "help us shed light on certain unknown aspects of the Fifth Dynasty, which along with the Fourth Dynasty, witnessed the construction of the first pyramids."

Abu-Sir was used as an Old Kingdom cemetery for the ancient Egyptian capital of Memphis.

Thanks, LL, I will look forward to reading more about this discovery. Those vessels look rather pretty.

Fabulous. Thank you LL.

Yes, they do Bonny. Love alabaster and they still make objects out of it for sale over there.

bb1 wrote:Thanks, LL, I will look forward to reading more about this discovery. Those vessels look rather pretty.

This is a very useful link re all things Ancient Egypt. I use it a lot. LL http://www.ancientegyptonline.co.uk/index.html

My thanks for that link also LL.

Fascinating. Thanks, LL. Much more interesting than Obama.

Sabot, what paint brand to buy is more interesting than him.

lily wrote:Sabot, what paint brand to buy is more interesting than him.  

I am not sure that I am all that keen on violating tombs, Lily. But the construction details are amazing for such a long time ago. Apart from the poor souls who built them physically, it must have been such an elegant time.

Actually, the builders of the pyramids often weren't 'poor souls', Sabot. Far from being slaves, most of them were skilled, free tradesmen, and had a pretty comfortable life, with much free beer and bread.

First ever recorded withdrawal of labour:

https://libcom.org/history/records-of-the-strike-in-egypt-under-ramses-iii

A contemporary document recounting the first ever recorded labour strike, which occured in Deir el Medina, Ancient Egypt during the reign of Ramses III when workers did not receive their rations.

The sit-down strikes occurred in the 12th century BC, on the 21st day of the second month in the 29th year of the reign of the pharaoh Ramses III, while Ramses was fighting a series of wars and engaging in an extensive building campaign.

The strikers were hereditary craftsmen who worked on the tombs of the pharaohs, the vast complexes that to this day draw visitors from all over the world to the Valley of the Kings.

This papyrus was written by the scribe Amennakhte at Deir el Medina. It describes the workers' struggle, and the corruption which had spread throughout the administration.

Thank you, Bonny. I have probably been watching too many films about whips and brute force labour. Although I suspect that there might have been some of that.

I as actually trying to make a point about the elegance of the ruling classes. They won't have been freezing half to death, and nor will the workers and slaves.

I am equally fascinated by the beginning of Free Masonry and what it actually meant. Stone, you see. My house is stone built, although not first class or dressed stone. But the eye for the stones and how they were fitted together is quite wonderful.

Was so happy to read that, Bonny.

Have had the unhappy experience of seeing slaves building structures etc and watching how desperately sad they were.

Ah, masons! This is the programme for you then, Sabot:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04sv5nc

Everything you ever wanted to know about how they pulled off such wonderful engineering and masonry. And how spiral staircases were built.

I suspect that, in general, ancient Egypt was one of the better times and places to be at the bottom of the heap, Lily. They did have slaves taken in battle who ended up doing the heavy work, but by and large, life wasn't too awful.

There seems to have been little gratuitous cruelty, as there was with the later Romans, their gods and goddesses were pretty cool, there was no human sacrifice or anything horrible like that, their annual beer festivals and orgies - well, what can you say?

As long as the Nile kept things fertile, life even at the bottom was better than a lot of what was to come.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/08/0805_020805_giza.html

The bones in the area suggest that workers enjoyed quite a lot of prime beef. Previous excavations have discovered that they also ate bread and fish, and drank beer.

Analysis of human remains has suggested that workers apparently had access to medical treatment. Evidence has been found of healed broken bones, amputated limbs, and even brain surgeries.

See how those stones are fitted together. I wish I had known about dry stone walling when I as a bit younger. I would have gone for that.

Actually, I have built a couple of quite small dry stone walls since I have been here. The whole thing is a joy to my eye.

Thanks, LL, that's fascinating. Amazing what a role beer played in ancient Egypt....

Fabulous videos in that BBC link, Bonny.

LL, love Hawass so much so that is a good link. Miss Egypt and will have to go again when it is safe once more.

lily wrote:Fabulous videos in that BBC link, Bonny.

LL,  love Hawass so much so that is a good link.  Miss Egypt and will have to go again when it is safe once more.

He is a real character, isn't he? His website is being reopened this year. I have one of his books personally signed to me. He gave a lecture in London a couple of years before I left the UK. LL

Lucky you, LL. It must have been wonderful.

His website is being reopened this year.

That's good, LL. I gather he was heartbroken when his beloved Egypt was in such chaos, and looked to be going the same way as Libya and Iraq, with its ancient buildings and treasures under threat from the lunatics.

I know there was an attempt to indict him for corruption after he banned a certain UK Egyptologist, Joann Fletcher, from Egypt over her claims she had found Cleopatra's tomb. Can't remember the exact details, but I know he was accused of selling artifacts to German collecters, of which there was no proof. LL

I came across that a while back, LL, there didn't seem to be anything to it. It seemed to have more to do with his association with Mubarak than anything he'd done - political, in other words. I get the impression he doesn't actually care WHO runs Egypt, as long as someone does, who respects the country's history and keeps the crazies under control.

Did you know that they found seeds of something or other in an Egyptian Tomb that actually grew. I wish I could remember which plant. But perhaps one of you will.

Sabot wrote:Did you know that they found seeds of something or other in an Egyptian Tomb that actually grew.  I wish I could remember which plant.  But perhaps one of you will.

This is from Wikipedia, seems it was a scam.

There is a persistent myth that seeds from Egyptian tombs with ages of over 3,000 years were viable. The myth was reportedly started by scam artists selling "miracle seed" designed to capitalize on European Egyptomania of the 1800s. In 1897, the claims were tested by the British Museum's director of Egyptian antiquities, E. A. Wallis Budge. Budge provided genuine 3,000-year-old tomb-seeds to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew to plant under controlled conditions. The test resulted in none germinating. In 1922 a pea found in Tutankhamen's tomb supposedly germinated and was soon introduced as a new variety, but historians and horticultural experts believe that the origin was a fraud and that the pea was actually bought from a vendor at a Cairo market.

Lamplighter wrote:

Sabot wrote:Did you know that they found seeds of something or other in an Egyptian Tomb that actually grew.  I wish I could remember which plant.  But perhaps one of you will.

This is from Wikipedia, seems it was a scam.

There is a persistent myth that seeds from Egyptian tombs with ages of over 3,000 years were viable.   The myth was reportedly started by scam artists selling "miracle seed" designed to capitalize on European Egyptomania of the 1800s. In 1897, the claims were tested by the British Museum's director of Egyptian antiquities, E. A. Wallis Budge. Budge provided genuine 3,000-year-old tomb-seeds to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew to plant under controlled conditions. The test resulted in none germinating. In 1922 a pea found in Tutankhamen's tomb supposedly germinated and was soon introduced as a new variety, but historians and horticultural experts believe that the origin was a fraud and that the pea was actually bought from a vendor at a Cairo market.

This was recent, LL. It might have been a Magnolia with one more flower petal that what is normal now.