Egyptology

CENIC Recognizes CSU San Bernardino's High Performance Computing Program for Improving CSU Access to National Research Platform Resources

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, February 29, 2024

The High Performance Computing Program (HPCP) at CSU San Bernardino has been selected to receive the CENIC 2024 Innovations in Networking Award for Research Applications in recognition of its work supporting faculty who wish to avail themselves of all the National Research Platform (NRP) has to offer.

Key Points: 
  • The High Performance Computing Program (HPCP) at CSU San Bernardino has been selected to receive the CENIC 2024 Innovations in Networking Award for Research Applications in recognition of its work supporting faculty who wish to avail themselves of all the National Research Platform (NRP) has to offer.
  • “I am delighted to extend my heartfelt congratulations to the High Performance Computing Program,” said Louis Fox, CENIC’s Chief Executive Officer.
  • Sudhakar stated, “The High Performance Computing Program at CSUSB supported by the National Research Platform and CENIC has opened up tremendous opportunities for faculty-led innovation and research at our University.
  • The High Performance Computing Program Faculty Showcase for 2023 may be viewed on YouTube .

Five witchcraft myths debunked by an expert

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, October 26, 2023

Between the 15th and 18th centuries, an estimated 50,000 people, mostly women, were executed for witchcraft across Europe.

Key Points: 
  • Between the 15th and 18th centuries, an estimated 50,000 people, mostly women, were executed for witchcraft across Europe.
  • They were accused of devil-worship, heresy and harming their neighbours by using witchcraft.

1. Witchcraft is a medieval idea

  • The Christian church was sceptical about the reality of witchcraft until the 15th century.
  • Before that there were very few witchcraft trials, because acts of witchcraft were believed to be an illusion caused by the Devil with the permission of God.

2. Witchcraft trials occurred everywhere

  • Most witchcraft trials happened in central, western, or northern Europe.
  • In places like Iceland and Wales, there were very few witchcraft trials at all.
  • It seems that local beliefs about magic and witchcraft, alongside the attitudes of clergymen and judges, may be the reasons for this.

3. The Inquisition tried and executed most witches

  • They have become notorious for their rigour in rooting out opposition to Catholic orthodoxy.
  • Across the whole of the Iberian and Italian peninsulas, the inquisitions executed fewer suspects than were hanged in England.

4. Only women were tried for witchcraft

  • It’s true that 80% of those tried and executed for witchcraft were women.
  • In England, women on the margins of society were more vulnerable to accusations of witchcraft when things went wrong for their neighbours, such as inexplicable deaths or harm.
  • The suspects’ networks were founded on their sex; women named women and the few male suspects named men.

5. Witches were really the followers of a pagan fertility cult

  • This new religion was founded by Gerald Gardner who revived what he believed to be ancient pagan witchcraft in the 1930s.
  • Most witches were ordinary Christian women who found themselves accused of witchcraft by their neighbours, or denounced by other suspects under torture.


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Jonathan Durrant does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

How hidden details in ancient Egyptian tomb paintings are revealed by chemical imaging

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, July 27, 2023

The walls of ancient Egyptian tombs can teach us much about the lives of the pharaohs and their entourages.

Key Points: 
  • The walls of ancient Egyptian tombs can teach us much about the lives of the pharaohs and their entourages.
  • Tomb paintings showed the deceased and their immediate family members involved in religious activities, the burial itself, or feasting at banquets and hunting in the Nile marshes.
  • The paints and pigments used by the ancient Egyptians were made from minerals and as such, have specific chemical markers.
  • By using portable X-ray fluorescence, scientists can use these chemical markers in the pigments to create a map of damaged areas.

Physics and Egyptology

    • The fields of archaeology and Egyptology have a long history of using tools and techniques developed by other disciplines.
    • Developed in the early 20th century by physicist Henry Moseley, XRF and pXRF measure secondary X-rays given off by a material when bombarded with primary X-rays.

Reconstructing ancient art

    • The process is not useful only for reconstructing damaged sections, it also has the potential to illuminate elements of artistic technique.
    • Scientific analysis is increasingly being incorporated into most facets of Egyptological research from material analysis of pigments, ceramics, metals and wood, to spectroscopic analysis of ancient Egyptian papyrus.
    • These techniques not only allow minimally or non-invasive investigations which help to preserve artefacts and prevent further damage, they also illuminate crucial details about the technological and artistic achievements of the ancient Egyptians.

Queen Cleopatra: experts save this poorly scripted Netflix docuseries

Retrieved on: 
Friday, May 5, 2023

The show itself is a much more complex piece of work.

Key Points: 
  • The show itself is a much more complex piece of work.
  • There are two ways to watch Queen Cleopatra.
  • The first – and easiest – is by paying more attention to the dramatisation of Cleopatra’s life and times than to the academic talking heads.
  • The documentary features a bastion of experts drawn from the disciplines of classics, comparative literature, ancient history, archaeology, Egyptology and Nubian studies.

A monarch of many faces

    • In reality, the commentators are keen to differentiate between what we know about Cleopatra and what we do not.
    • Her father, Ptolemy XII, was illegitimate and so his mother may well have been an Egyptian courtesan.
    • We have no securely identified portraits of her other than those found on her coins, all of which vary considerably.
    • In fact, Greek philosopher Plutarch was keen to say that it was her charisma that made her so appealing.

Airbrushing Cleopatra’s reputation

    • The first episode is by far the strongest, both in the breadth and depth of historical material covered and the overall production values.
    • The sets and supporting cast start to disappear, the pacing becomes subject to padding and the narrative takes a turn to the speculative.
    • The documentary also does a fair bit of airbrushing to the queen’s reputation.
    • It seeks to present Cleopatra and her actions in the best possible light while villainising others to manufacture conflict.

Egypt. Three Millennia on the Nile

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, April 19, 2023

MONTRÉAL, April 19, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Opening tomorrow and running until October 15, 2023, Pointe-à-Callière, Montréal’s Archaeology and History Complex, presents Egypt. Three Millennia on the Nile. Covering 3,000 years of history on the shores of the Nile, from the civilization’s very beginning to the Roman conquest, the exhibition features 320 authentic objects—in a North American exclusive—from the collection of the Museo Egizio in Turin (Italy), one of the largest collections in the world. Visitors will learn that Egyptian civilization has not yet revealed all its mysteries… and still has many surprises in store!

Key Points: 
  • Three Millennia on the Nile.
  • Three Millennia on the Nile paints an up-to-date portrait of ancient Egypt, putting a human face on this age-old society.
  • Three Millennia on the Nile, Pointe-à-Callière is holding a series of three lectures focused on various aspects and subjects addressed in the exhibition and accompanying publication.
  • Three Millennia on the Nile is an exhibition produced by Pointe-à-Callière, Montréal’s Archaeology and History Complex, in collaboration with the Museo Egizio in Turin, Italy.

APRU Appoints Professor Thomas Schneider as New Chief Executive

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, February 2, 2023

The Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) announced today that it had appointed Professor Thomas Schneider as its new Chief Executive, effective January 1, 2023.

Key Points: 
  • The Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) announced today that it had appointed Professor Thomas Schneider as its new Chief Executive, effective January 1, 2023.
  • View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230202005513/en/
    In announcing the appointment, APRU Chair and Chancellor of UCLA Professor Gene D. Block said, “Professor Schneider will bring considerable skills, knowledge, and experience to his new role, and I am confident that he has the ability to lead APRU into its next phase.
  • A native of Germany, Professor Schneider studied at the University of Zurich, the University of Basel, and the École Pratique des Hautes Études in Paris.
  • Professor Schneider was selected after an extensive global search by the APRU Search Committee led by Professor Rocky Tuan, Vice-Chair of APRU and Vice-Chancellor and President of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, and search partner Perrett Laver.

"BEYOND KING TUT: THE IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE" MAKES WORLD DEBUT IN BOSTON

Retrieved on: 
Friday, July 8, 2022

BOSTON, July 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Beyond King Tut: The Immersive Experience, developed in partnership with the National Geographic Society, opens today at SoWa Power Station for a limited run. Bringing the magic and mystery of Ancient Egypt to Boston from the exclusive archives of the National Geographic Society, the anticipated exhibition invites visitors into the golden king's world like never before.

Key Points: 
  • As guests enter Beyond King Tut: The Immersive Experience, they will meet Ancient Egyptian gods like Ra and Anubis before descending into King Tut's burial chamber and joining his quest for immortality.
  • Beyond King Tuthas aligned with The American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE), whose mission is to study and safeguard Egypt's cultural heritage.
  • "For 100 years, the world has been fascinated by the story of the Boy King.
  • Beyond King Tut: The Immersive Experience, in partnership with the National Geographic Society, is produced by Paquin Entertainment Group and Immersive Experiences, including the creative team behind the King Tut artifact exhibitions that attracted millions of visitors around the world.

NEWEST OCEAN SHIP IN VIKING'S AWARD-WINNING FLEET NAMED BY THE COUNTESS OF CARNARVON OF HIGHCLERE CASTLE

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, May 18, 2022

LOS ANGELES, May 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Viking® (www.viking.com) today named its newest identical ocean ship, the Viking Mars®, during a private ceremony in Valletta, Malta. As part of the event, the ship's ceremonial godmother Lady Fiona Carnarvon, the Countess of Carnarvon, offered a blessing of good fortune and safe sailing for the ship—a naval tradition that dates back thousands of years. This week the new ship will begin her maiden season sailing itineraries in the Mediterranean, Scandinavia and Northern Europe, before repositioning at the end of the year for voyages around Australia and New Zealand.

Key Points: 
  • "It is always a proud day when we welcome a new sister ship to our fleet.
  • We are very grateful that Lady Carnarvon has honored us by serving as godmother of our newest ocean ship."
  • Lady Carnarvon offered her blessing for the ship via video from Highclere Castle, and a bottle of Norwegian aquavit was smashed on the ship's hull.
  • Lady Carnarvon has also welcomed viewers to Highclere Castle on Viking's award-winning enrichment channel, Viking.TV ( www.viking.tv ).

VIKING TAKES DELIVERY OF NEWEST OCEAN SHIP

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, May 12, 2022

LOS ANGELES , May 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Viking® (www.viking.com) today announced it has taken delivery of the company's newest ocean ship, the Viking Mars®. The delivery ceremony took place this morning when the ship was presented at Fincantieri's shipyard in Ancona, Italy. The Viking Mars will now make her way to Valletta, Malta, where she will be officially named on May 17, 2022—Norwegian Constitution Day—by her ceremonial godmother, Lady Fiona Carnarvon, the Countess of Carnarvon. The ship will then sail itineraries in the Mediterranean, Scandinavia and Northern Europe before repositioning at the end of the year for voyages around Australia and New Zealand.

Key Points: 
  • LOS ANGELES, May 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --Viking ( www.viking.com ) today announced it has taken delivery of the company's newest ocean ship, the Viking Mars .
  • "As we celebrate our 25th anniversary and a year of important milestones for Viking, today we are very proud to welcome the newest ocean ship to our award-winning fleet," said Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking.
  • By the end of the year, Viking will have also welcomed a second identical expedition ship, another identical ocean ship, and new purpose-built vessels for the Nile, Mekong and Mississippi rivers.
  • The Viking Mars is the newest ship in Viking's award-winning ocean fleet of identical sister ships.

Apollo Galleries' March 27 Ancient, Chinese and Islamic Art Auction Features Magnificent Cultural Artifacts From World-Famous Collections

Retrieved on: 
Monday, March 21, 2022

LONDON, March 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Apollo Galleries and Auctions, Britain's premier source for expertly appraised cultural art and antiquities, takes pleasure in announcing highlights of their March 27, 2022 sale. The 488-lot Ancient, Chinese and Islamic Art Auction is divided into four sections with deeply provenanced artifacts spanning the Classical European era and important civilizations of the Near East, Egypt, India and China.

Key Points: 
  • The 488-lot Ancient, Chinese and Islamic Art Auction is divided into four sections with deeply provenanced artifacts spanning the Classical European era and important civilizations of the Near East, Egypt, India and China.
  • "In early February, we brought together most of our team of consultants to personally examine the entire auction selection."
  • The March 27 sale includes Apollo Galleries' first-ever dedicated section of Islamic art.
  • Asian art begins with funerary mingqi of the Tang and Han dynasties and concludes with Gandharan (the oldest Buddhist art) sculptures.