In a recent use of modern technology, new results for the famed Boy King reveal interesting results.
Scientists have identified Akhenaten, the "heretic" king who introduced monotheism to ancient Egypt, as Tutankhamun's father.
Akhenaten first married Nefertiti, who was renowned for her great beauty, but had no sons so he then married his sister in an effort to have a son.
This new investigation was led by Egyptologist Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities. Hawass said it would take several months to reveal more details about the identity of the Tutankhamun's mother. His parents had been siblings and he had only paternal grandparents. His family lineage begins with his great grandparents, Thuya and Yuya. They had a daughter who has now been identified as Queen Tiye, King Tut's grandmother and the wife of Amenhotep III.
King Tutankhamun, it appears, was a frail boy who suffered from a cleft palate and club foot. He died of complications from a broken leg exacerbated by malaria. CT scans of his feet showed he had a slight deformity and a severe bone condition called Kohler Disease. "We have a club foot on one side and a flat foot on another side," Dr. Pusch said, who assisted in the investigation. "And the club foot is the foot that shows indication of bone necrosis." Bone necrosis occurs when biological tissue dies inside a body. King Tut would have been living with this painful condition for years, which would explain the 130 walking sticks found in his tomb.
In 2005, researchers studying CT scans of King Tut announced they had found a fresh fracture in his left leg and no evidence suggesting he had been hit in the head, as was once believed, but foul play wasn't ruled out as a cause of death - until now.
Scientists are also looking for the mummy of queen Nefertiti but they have identified Ankhsenamun as Tutankhamun's wife. Two fetuses found in Tutankhamun's tomb, which was full of treasure, were identified as his offspring.
Egypt's president said on Sunday his security forces would quash Islamist groups threatening stability in Egypt and the region, highlighting worries about al Qaeda building up strength in places such as Yemen.
President Hosni Mubarak also defended building a barrier on the Gaza border, saying it would stop militants crossing. See the post we did here. The move has drawn criticism from inside Egypt and other Arabs who say Cairo is colluding with Israel to blockade the Palestinians.
To read more about this click here to go to the Washington Post article by Marwa Awad.
Egypt has begun constructing a huge metal wall along its border with the Gaza Strip as it attempts to cut smuggling tunnels. When it is finished the wall will be 6-7 miles long and will extend 54 feet below the surface.
In researching a little more on this subject I found out some interesting facts, pictures and background.
These tunnels are not like the ancient ones that were used to hide royal treasure from tomb robbers in the Valley of the Kings. These are for smuggling goods and weapons due to border closings, embargos - and defense or offense (however you look at it).
Calves at one tunnel cost $600 each: $350 for the animal and $250 for the passage. Such smuggling is lucrative for smugglers and Hamas, which began collecting a $2,500 yearly license fee from tunnel owners.
They also say Hamas has begun to collect high taxes on cigarettes – a box of 500 cigarette packs that can be bought in Egypt for $700 sells for $2,000 in Gaza – in order to take control of that trade themselves. Smugglers demand $300 per rifle, which can be sold for up to $2,000 in Gaza. For every bullet, they get $1, a quarter of the Gaza market price. People can also use the tunnels to escape vendettas or police attention for $6,000.
The Egyptians are being helped by American army engineers, who have designed the wall. Shrouded in secrecy, with no comment or confirmation from the Egyptian government, the wall should take 18 months to complete.
For weeks local farmers have noticed more activity at the border where trees were being cut down, but very few of them were aware that a barrier was being built. That is because the barrier, made of super-strength steel, has been hidden deep underground. It was manufactured in the good old USA and it fits together similarly like a jigsaw puzzle. It has been tested to ensure it is bomb proof, cannot be cut or melted - in short it is impenetrable.
My best bud Kenny lives up in San Francisco. We met while going to Mesa Community College down here in San Diego and it was an auspicious meeting to say the least. If I remember correctly, I saw him for the third time out of four classes, we had the same schedule, and after going there by myself and never really connecting with anyone, I thought I should get to know him. We were in a yoga class, and in the Downward Facing Dog position I heard him next to me say, "Is it in yet?" I swear I still laugh to this day, even now as I type this. I realized he had my sense of humor, we were both in a design program, I later found out that he was in recovery and gay as well. That was it, we were buddies for life.
We continued on and met our third partner in crime named Karen, who I recently reconnected with on Facebook, which was amazing as she married and changed her name. I never thought we would get in contact again as she moved with her husband back to Israel thereafter. Anyways, back to the story at hand...
So, as I was a year ahead of Kenny in classes, I left and went on to SDSU and he followed a year later. We had so much fun going to classes, carpooling, Starbucks breaks and classes with "Mistress" who cracked the whip in our Flash class. We talked recovery, life, finance, world events, etc. He is my best friend outside of my relationship with Dave. Here we are each graduating, couldn't have made it without him.
As I am an Egyptology nut, love that I grew up in San Francisco as well as web design, I told Kenny about the Tut Exhibit coming to the De Young and a Flash conference that Adobe was putting on for free up there and he should check it out. The price was right and he was there. I said I would go if I could and he said why not? He checked airline rates and within a few hours and talking with Dave I had a flight booked and was going to visit Kenny, see my city and go to a free Adobe Flash conference. Unemployment does have it's advantages sometimes!
As for the Egyptian exhibit, Dave and I need to plan another trip up there as it goes well into 2010. See May 8th posting for details if interested.
Anyways, more will be revealed upon my return. I am going up on May 26-30th. We are going to do a photo shoot as well with some props I used as a model for one of Kenny's photography classes. A laugh for sure, just updated and in various parts of The City with props I'm sure that will be hilarious. Here are two of the pictures he took of me made up as a character we'll call Alvin.
Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs opens at the de Young on June 27, 2009 and runs through March 28, 2010. For more information on the exhibition, visit www.deyoungmuseum.org/tut.
Here is a link to the latest edition of the de Young Podcast of the "behind the scenes" upcoming exhibition Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs. AEI senior vice president and exhibition designer Mark Lach answers questions about his role in the exhibition, his favorite objects from the tomb of King Tut, and more.
Ever since my mom took me to the first time the Tut exhibit came to San Francisco I was hooked on Egypt. I later took a class at Mesa College on Egyptology and met the most interesting professor, Arlene Wolinski, who encouraged me to keep in touch, as she sometimes went on trips to Egypt. Well, she kept my number and called one day. We were so excited and the trip (s) are ones I will never forget. It is really something else to have a world renowned Egyptologist give you a personal tour of the entire country and hear the history, not tourist stories from vendors to make a buck, or shall I say baksheesh.
Dave and I have had the opportunity to visit my favorite destination twice now, in 2004 and again in 2008. And what adventures and fun we have had. I recommend to anyone to go visit this amazing, historical and very friendly country. As many of the people there said, "We love Americans, we don't George Bush." Well we have a new sheriff in Washington DC and I think the world is looking at us a lot differently these days. Thank God for that! Enjoy the pictures (sorry there are so many, but I couldn't help myself).
The peace treaty was signed by Anwar Sadat and Menachem Begin on March 26, 1979. Islamists were enraged by Sadat's Sinai treaty with Israel, particularly the radical Egyptian Islamic Jihad.
Unfortunately not long thereafter was Anwar Sadat's assassination on October 6, 1981. He was gunned down at the annual victory parade in Cairo and it was a shock to the democratic world. His successor was then Vice President Hosni Mubarek.
On a recent trip I was able to tour the area and snapped these images of the memorial that was later built in his honor. Peace is the answer and his forward thinking is not forgotten.
(The following has been reported from a JTA.org staff writer)
Egypt's president reiterated his commitment to peace with Israel on the 30th anniversary of the Egypt-Israel peace deal. Speaking by telephone with Israeli President Shimon Peres, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said he has no intention of changing his policies with regard to peace with Israel, and that "whoever seeks war has never felt what war really is."
This new investigation was led by Egyptologist Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities. Hawass said it would take several months to reveal more details about the identity of the Tutankhamun's mother. His parents had been siblings and he had only paternal grandparents. His family lineage begins with his great grandparents, Thuya and Yuya. They had a daughter who has now been identified as Queen Tiye, King Tut's grandmother and the wife of Amenhotep III.
King Tutankhamun, it appears, was a frail boy who suffered from a cleft palate and club foot. He died of complications from a broken leg exacerbated by malaria. CT scans of his feet showed he had a slight deformity and a severe bone condition called Kohler Disease. "We have a club foot on one side and a flat foot on another side," Dr. Pusch said, who assisted in the investigation. "And the club foot is the foot that shows indication of bone necrosis." Bone necrosis occurs when biological tissue dies inside a body. King Tut would have been living with this painful condition for years, which would explain the 130 walking sticks found in his tomb.
