Egypt
A Female Pharaoh
18/07/15 20:10 Filed in: History
History has told us of Hatshepsut of Egypt. She became a Queen of Egypt by marrying her half-brother. But she also became a King of Egypt and Pharaoh to rule Egypt for her stepson who became Thutmose III. Hapshepsut was the bearded female Pharaoh of Egypt and more can be read here.
Hatshepsut was the eldest of two daughters born to Egyptian King Thutmose I and Queen Ahmose Nefertari. Her younger sister died in infancy, meaning twelve year old Hatshepsut was Thutmose I’s only surviving child from his marriage to the queen. However Thutmose I, like other Egyptian pharaohs, maintained secondary wives also known as harem wives. Any sons born from those relationships could rise to the position of pharaoh should the king and queen be unable to produce a male heir.
Hatshepsut was the eldest of two daughters born to Egyptian King Thutmose I and Queen Ahmose Nefertari. Her younger sister died in infancy, meaning twelve year old Hatshepsut was Thutmose I’s only surviving child from his marriage to the queen. However Thutmose I, like other Egyptian pharaohs, maintained secondary wives also known as harem wives. Any sons born from those relationships could rise to the position of pharaoh should the king and queen be unable to produce a male heir.
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Cats and Egyptian History
20/03/14 20:56 Filed in: History | Animal Kingdom
Were cats domesticated in Egypt much earlier than we previously knew? New bones of kittens excavated in Egypt say so. Read about it here.
“The skeletons of six cats, including four kittens, found in an Egyptian cemetery may push back the date of cat domestication in Egypt by nearly 2,000 years.
The bones come from a cemetery for the wealthy in Hierakonpolis, which served as the capital of Upper Egypt in the era before the pharaohs. The cemetery was the resting place not just for human bones, but also for animals, which perhaps were buried as part of religious rituals or sacrifices. Archaeologists searching the burial grounds have found everything from baboons to leopards to hippopotamuses.
The new find includes two adult cats and four kittens from at least two litters. The size of the bones and timing of the litters hints that humans may have kept the cats. The bones date back to between 3600 B.C. and 3800 B.C., which would be 2,000 years before the earliest known evidence of cat domestication in Egypt, archaeologists report in the May issue of the Journal of Archaeological Science.”
“The skeletons of six cats, including four kittens, found in an Egyptian cemetery may push back the date of cat domestication in Egypt by nearly 2,000 years.
The bones come from a cemetery for the wealthy in Hierakonpolis, which served as the capital of Upper Egypt in the era before the pharaohs. The cemetery was the resting place not just for human bones, but also for animals, which perhaps were buried as part of religious rituals or sacrifices. Archaeologists searching the burial grounds have found everything from baboons to leopards to hippopotamuses.
The new find includes two adult cats and four kittens from at least two litters. The size of the bones and timing of the litters hints that humans may have kept the cats. The bones date back to between 3600 B.C. and 3800 B.C., which would be 2,000 years before the earliest known evidence of cat domestication in Egypt, archaeologists report in the May issue of the Journal of Archaeological Science.”
Rosetta Stone
03/08/13 21:30 Filed in: History
One of the ways Bob and I have determined is someone is somewhat knowledgable about history or even interested in learning is to ask what they think about the Rosetta Stone. No, I am not talking about the language learning product for sale on TV. We mean the real Rosetta Stone found by Napolean’s soldiers while on expedition in Egypt. The Rosetta Stone was a piece of stone issued around 196 BC on behalf of Ptolemy V that had translations from hieroglyphics to Demotic script to Ancient Greek. Without the stone, we would not have been able to translate hieroglyphics into a more modern language for understanding. It was a fabulous find in archeology and is located in the British Museum in London. One of the highlights of our time there was visiting the museum and seeing the Rosetta Stone. Here is Bob standing next to the Rosetta Stone.
Sad Day
12/09/12 19:21 Filed in: Politics
Today was a very sad, yet frustrating day. Our ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens, was murdered last night by rogue Islamists in Benghazi. Three other individuals were also slain. Much of this started with a video released by Zawahiri, now the number one person in Al Qaeda. With phrasing about the need for a response with Libya, the events started off with an attack on our embassy in Cairo. I believe this was a feint, a distraction, for the more significant attack in Benghazi. Zawahiri’s brother was an organizer of the attack in Cairo. This sort of behavior is the M.O. of Al Qaeda and radical Islamists. I am angry at our current administration for a number of reasons. The first is more of why with it being 9-11 and that is a day for focused threats, more care was not taken to protect our people and assets in such areas. I believe there was warning with this video. Who missed it? I said last night when it just was Cairo, everyone was treating it too casually and the media was totally not focused on reporting the problem. I am angry that the concerns are not taken more seriously and now our President is off campaigning while there is rioting in Cairo. What is wrong with us that we don’t speak up and say, “Enough, take care of business”. Meanwhile, a good man has given his life in service to our country. I salute him and his comrades who also lost their lives.
