Thoth Review and World Report
Em Hotep, my fellow Egyptians! Here's hoping everyone is enjoying their summer/winter depending on where you are :-) This edition is jammed packed with news from AW and the real world at large. I hope you will find it interesting. In this edition I spotlighted one of our Scribes because they deserve a spotlight every now and then, and then my group spotlight is on KMT because they are diligently planning Opet. Also I included a Featured Article on Egyptian Occupations for any newbies to Egypt who might learn from them. And there is tons of Archaeology news so, some I will give a brief run down before the link, and other's I will just supply a title and link.
I am excited about this edition of the Acta because it has kept me jumping and having fun, I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I have researching it! Happy Reading, And Blessings!
Moving Day is here!
As you know people have been working tirelessly to get our hoods ready for occupation, and now some of their dedication and hard work is paying off. It was recently announced that three Hoods are open and waiting for you to move in and help build your new community. The three available hoods are Prospering Sceptre Nome, City of Iunu (Heliopolis,) Prince of the South Nome, City of Per-Bastet ie, Bubastis); and The White Wall Nome, City of Mennefer (Memphis). If you are interested in joining one of these hoods just contact one of the scribes or post at the Hood Thread. Thanks to all of you who worked on preparing the hoods for us, and to the rest of Egypt, see you in the hoods!
KMT And Limericks
Recently Germainia hosted the 1000 Years Faire, and the talented people at KMT had their own thread in the limerick challenge, the Fraulen named Frigga; it was a successful thread and it is my understanding that a great time was had by all. So congrats to AER and her rhyming crew and for those of you who didn’t pick up your plaques, you can get yours Here. Also if you would like to see what you missed you can check the Faires Main Board.
Opet
And speaking of KMT, they are busy planning their annual Opet festival, which I am told is set for early to mid September, hopefully in our next edition I will have a report about the celebrations. I know Nilaja and Mirjam are working hard on the festivities and in the spirit of Opet, below you will find and article Mirjam Nebet wrote on Opet.
This festival was celebrated in the second month of Akhet, the season of the flooding of the river and linked to the symbolic fertility of the rising of the Nile. This was when people did not have a great workload, it was long past harvesting time and it was not yet time to plow and sow. From eleven days celebration in the times of Thutmose III, it grew to cover most of one month during the reign of Ramesses III. However, it is not documented before the 18th Dynasty.
For more information read the description of Opet in the Global news page one. Also, a link to a page with a transliteration and translation of some of the Opet Scene.
Archaeology News
There is plenty going on in the archaeology world, here is just a few of the things of interests that have been coming to light in the news.
Breaking News
On July 12, 2006 Egyptian Archaeologists announced that they have discovered Greek inscriptions on a stone believed to be a part of an altar of an ancient temple. It appears to date back to the reign of the Roman Emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Read the full story Here.
Egyptian Antiquities In Danger?
In April 2006 the Egyptian Grand Mufti issued a fatwa banning sculptures in homes, his decision was based on a passage in the hadith that states, “Sculptors would be tormented most on Judgment Day.” That passage alone convinced the religious leader that sculptures were sinful and prohibited in muslim homes. This fatwa has raised serious concerns that this might encourage and entice people to begin destroying the countless Pharonic statues and other treasures of antiquity found throughout Egypt. According to Gamal al-Ghitani, editor of the literary magazine Akhbar al-Adab, : "We don't rule out that someone will enter the Karnak temple in Luxor or any other pharaonic temple and blow it up on the basis of the fatwa." So for now, the world must watch and wait with baited breath while we think of the ill fated Buddha’s that stood so long in Afghanistan, only to be destroyed at the hands of extremists. Full Story.
And So It Begins
Statue attack fuels fears of an Islamist Egypt Full Story
No Mummy In The Tomb
The first tomb to be found in the Valley of Kings since Howard Carter’s discovery of King Tut in 1922 has not yielded the hope for mummy, but tomb KV-63 has provided some interesting and unexpected items. Full Story, another source can be found Here.
Did You Know?
After they moved the mummy of King Tutankhamun they were mortified to discover that he was missing a certain, shall we say, appendage? But Zahi Hawass assures us the seperation was temporary, said appendage was found lying in the sand near his tomb and the appendage was reunited with the (I'm sure relieved) King Tut!.
Until Next Time Egypt! :-)
