Ancient Egypt

[Anubis]

Am I the only one here who is obsessed with Ancient Egypt?

[Talierin]

Egyptian stuff scares the heck out of me, but it's interesting!




And how can you hate So Cali?!? I LOVE it there! ocean... *drool*

[The_Swordmaster]

I like ancient Egyptian history alot but i don't think I'm obsessed with it.

[Idril]

I'm quite fascinated by Egyptian history as well, but not obsessed - granted, if I had a chance to visit Egypt and the pyramids etc - I think I could easily lose myself in the subject.

[Lossengondiel]

I've always loved Ancient Egypt. I read practically every book about it in my school library and then some...

[omnipotent_elf]

i love ancient egypt...but all i get to do is ancient rome *curses*

[Aerin]

I've been interested, and studying, ancient Egypt since I was little. I can't really think of a part of the culture, religion, or everday life (or our best guess at it ;)) that doesn't spark my interest.

Anubis, what fascinates you so much about Egypt?

This could turn into a fabulous thread. :D

[Niniel]

Although I'm a history student, ancient Egypt has never really fascinated me that much. It's of course a very important and interesting culture, but somehow I prefer ancient Rome as a subject of study.

[FoolOfATook]

Egyptian history and mythology are fascinating, but I prefer Norse mythology myself.

[Lantalasse]

i find the ancient Egyptian civilisation fascinating and incredibly intriguing. however, as i know far more about it, know how to read and write the languages and am interested in it more, i prefer to study anything to do with the ancient Greek civilisation, or ancient Rome. there are many interesting findings everyday, and knowledge is expanding even more. but if people have interesting things to say about Egypt or Rome i'm all for it!

[Estrella]

Ok, i'm obessed with alot of things, it's just a question of rather or not it's the normal level of obession, or beyond that. I happen to be obessed with mytholgies, which led me to the study of the egyption gods. I'm also obessed with Cats, which led me to bast and Akhmet first. You should read the egyption creation myth, it's quite interesting. I'm i afraid i'm a bit rusty on my norse mythology, Took, but i love to study the Aztec mythologies. And i find greek and Roman ( damn Disney for mixing them up, the damage is irrepairable!), to be cliche. People seem to not know that other's exist. I'm not saying that bout anyone posting on here, keep in mind.

[Aerin]

*ahem* Back on topic... ;)

Has anyone else noticed the inconsistencies about ancient Egyptian myths and religion in Hollywood movies? Take, for example, The Mummy and The Mummy Returns: the gods, and even the jars that held the deceased's organs, were messed up.

Of course, the changes Sommers (the director) made were for cinematic drama and pure fun. However, it does raise the question of how much, or how little, we know about not only the day-to-day life of people living in ancient Egypt, but also the myhology and beliefs of those people.

One of the courses I am taking on ancient religions brought it into perspective, for me. The professor said that when archaeologists discover something that they cannot identify, they usually say it "had some important religious significance", and that by doing so, there is probably a large margin of artifacts found that have no bearing in the religion, but were prescribed as such by modern scientists who do not have a clue what purpose it served! As an example, if, say, 500 or 1000 years from now, archaeologists were to find the "golden arches" that are McDonald's trademark, and no written evidence was found that they were an advertisement for a chain of fast-food restaurants, those archaeologists would most likely say that they had some religious significance. :rolleyes: Great. Isn't that how Americans want to be remembered? As worshippers of a giant, yellow, letter 'm's? :rolleyes: ;)

[Estrella]

Lol... Hail the clown! the clown knows all about heart attacks! ok, anyway, Aerin, i'm not surprised at hollywood. Hollywood is there to screw up perfectly good stories. People can't handle the raw versions. On your note though. I find the controversy about the great prymaid and the sphynix very interesting. despite the fact it's called a tomb, yet the only writing found is at the very top, and the fact that the sphynix's head is so small for it's body, and the marks of great floods and pouring rain.
But we knowing pretty much nothing about ancient history. People have found pieces of esquite pottery from the time when we were still supposed to be picking lice off of each others' backs. and There's the question of Quezacuital ( i know i spelled that wrong) and the aztecs, and how he was so different looking from them.

P.S. in the future, they'll say that the Golden arches clan was constantly roaring agiant the nike clan in thier modle t's via E-mail.
And Linus was the world leader. He He :D

[Aerin]

The Golden Arches Clan versus the Nike Clan... *falls over laughing* That's great! :D I say we market a video game with that premise. :cool:

The Sphinx... my cat likes to pose like the sphinx... in fact, he's doing so right now, hehe. *ahem* Anyways, the Sphinx is quite an interesting statue. The head, as you mentioned, is far too small, in proportion to the rest of the body. There is a theory that the head on the Sphinx now is not the one it was originally sculpted with.

The theory is viable, because after Hetshepshut (sp?) died, her son had her royal cartouche chiselled off of everything he could. There are still the "erase marks" on the walls in tombs and ruins in Egypt.

It's possible that the Sphinx's original head was in the shape of a Pharoah who, after he or she died, was disgraced, and had all traces of their name and power disposed of. In the case of the Sphinx, you couldn't exactly take White-Out to the head, so they carved a new, smaller head. At least that's what the theory says.

As for Quezacoatl, I was under the impression that it was a mythological giant bird. (If I'm not mistaken, they have found ancient fossil remains of a giant bird that could have been what the myth was based upon.) I haven't studied much about the Aztecs (hehe, now every time I hear that word, I think about the trailer for Pirates of the Caribbean... "You don't know what that is, do you? That's Aztec gold. The pagan gods put a curse on the gold...." :D), so if you can provide any links on the subject, they'd be much appreciated!

[Estrella]

Quezaquotal was a man who had pale skin, and a beard ( which the atzecs didn't have), and generally Anglo features. He was supposed to have come on a boat, and sorta brought a more civilized manner to the Aztecs. He discouraged human sacrafice, but accepted butterflys and one other animal that i can't remember. This was about a few hundred years before the coming of the spanards. And when the Spanards came, it was considered a sign that Quezaquotal was soon to arrive, which was why it was rather easier for the spanards to take over. I love to study the Aztecs, if you can't tell. Maybe you were thinkingof the Roc.
On the Sphinx another theory is that maybe a more primative group of people, who worshiped a sort of Cat god a couple thousand years before the Egyptions. And they carved it as a giant cat, Then the Egyptions didn't understand what the heck this giant cat thing was, so they carved a pharos head out of the cat head. This would also explain the marks of heavy flooding on the sides of the sphinx, as it would coenside with the melting of the polar icecaps, and the great flood.
My kitty just poses as the sphinx too, i think they know of thier great history, and wish to reclaim it... hehe

[Ravenna]

Another Egyptian fanatic here.

The Sphinx was originally created to bear the face of the Pharoah Khafre, and was part of the temple comples attached to his pyramid, the lion's body being a symbol of royal power. This is the generally accepted view anyway. The head does look a little odd in pictures, but when you actually stand by the thing, it seems right.

As for Hollywood, while I liked the Mummy films, I was a bit irritated about what they did to Imhotep's reputation. An incredible man, deviser of the first true, pyramid, healer and general all around wise man, eventually he came to be worshipped as a demi-god; and they turn him into some psycopathic monster!

I recently fulfilled a lifetime ambition to visit Egypt, and Aerin, while driving through Luxor our guide showed us the latest temple to be erected there...Temple of the Golden Arches, dedicated to the great God Ronald Macdonald
:rolleyes: :) . So who knows what future archaeologists will think!

[Melian]

I'm a student of Archaeology and I'm quite obsessed with Ancient Egypt. I'm an Egypt freak. I write in hieroglyphs etc...

As for the Sphinx, the commonly accepted theory of pharaoh Khafre's likeness has been often rejacted recently. One view claims that the Pyramids and the Sphinx are actually older than it is assumed--geological tests may prove this. Anyway, some conclude that the Sphinx had been a stone lion and later the decaying lion head was carved to look like a human face. If you look at the disproportion of the whole figure, it's worth noting that the current human head is smaller than it should be. Why? Egyptians were famous for their symmetrical art?!

About Hollywood...oh my, any time I see the Indiana Jones or the Mummy films, I start laughing...And Imhotep really deserved much better.

By the way, do you think Zahi Hawas is doing well his job or is he hiding most of what should be known about the Pyramids?

[Ravenna]

Re the Sphinx- Whilst not disupting the possibility of the head originally being differently carved, I have a photo taken of Tutankhamun carved as a sphinx, which is in Karnak Temple which shows, to my eye at least, the shoulders and forepaws rather out of proportion to the rest ofthe body. This doesn't prove anything, I know, except that the Giza sphinx is not the only one affected.
As far as the age theory goes, are you talking about West and Schoch?

Again, regarding Zahi Hawass, is your question related to the rumours which abounded after the closing of the Great Pyramid for restoration a few years ago, or something else entirely?

Btw: if you'd like to see the abovementioned photo Melian, pm me with your e-mail address and I'll forward it on to you, I'd be interested to see if you agree or if it's just my eyesight.;)

[Melian]

Thank you, I gladly will!

Concerning Zahi Hawass, I've been hearing more and more often certain comments about him. Various authors and archaeologists consider that he is hiding evidence, that he is always opposing any new theory etc. I just wanted to ask what is your opinion: Is he simply a good professionalist or is he really trying his best not to upset his own theories by rejecting all others?
For example, his position about the discovery of what might be Nefertiti's mummy?!

[Ravenna]

Glad you liked the photo Melian.

Regarding Zahi Hawass, I think he's doing a pretty good job. Yes he does seem to oppose some of the new theories, but at least he is willing to give us reasons for doing so. The Nefertiti mummy controversy for one. He is not alone in doubting the authenticity of the find, and some of the arguments put forward against it actually being the real thing are fairly convincing. I feel he will not back up a theory unless it can be proven to a fairly high degree.

I don't see him hiding evidence either, some of the rumours to that effect are fairly ludicrous to say the least. Unless someone comes up with something better than a tunnel from his bathroom into the Great Pyramid so he can dig in secret, then I will continue to believe that he is a dedicated professional who has only the best intentions towards his country and it's history.

[Melian]

Genarally, I share your opinion about Zahi Hawass---I've been reading his articles in the National Geographic magazine, I've been watching carefully his broadcasts on the Discovery channel and it seems to me that he does his job fron his heart.

My reason to ask this question was something a friend of mine said. She's obsessed with Ancient Egypt and she likes those "off the beaten track" theories. For example, she tends to reject the statement that humans bult the Pyramids. She also believes that "The Book of the Dead" reveals that Toth really existed , that his supernatural power is a forgotten legacy now, but truly was...Things like that provoked me to probe for your views.