The renewal of the Egyptian archaeology, 2023
Two hundred years after Champollion decoded the first hieroglyphs and one hundred years after the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun, Egypt is reclaiming its past and placing its heritage in the hands of a whole new generation of local archaeologists, using the best technological tools.
Egypt’s patrimony is a world-renowned source of wonder that enchants visitors from all over the world. Each new discovery reveals the wealth and beauty of ancient Egyptian civilisation. However, this heritage has long been in the hands of foreign teams: the great majority of archaeological excavations were, until the last decade, conducted by archaeologists from other continents. Today, the country’s archaeology sector is making a transition to local management, which, although accelerated by the pandemic, attests above all to a desire of the young Egyptians to reappropriate their history.
Over the past ten years, the Ministry of Antiquities has established new schools with a strong emphasis on field training, allowing a whole new generation of archaeologists – over 500 – to access practical training in the art of research, excavation and restoration. Thanks to these initiatives, there are now over 40 missions led by young Egyptian experts.
Egyptian archaeological workers tend to the excavation site of the Temple of Ramses II. Inside the temple, a team of archaeologists recently discovered more than 2,000 mummies of rams (in the background), as well as other animal mummies such as dogs and gazelles, all belonging to the Ptolemaic period (300 BC – 30 BC).
Dr. Mostafa Waziry (Egyptologist, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities of Egypt) holding a wooden sarcophagus with coloured paintings (dating from the last period of Ancient Egypt, 600 BC). It was used to keep the guts of the deceased. All these finds belonged to ordinary people. None of them were of royal lineage.
In addition to the new teachings, this research has also been facilitated by a significant modernisation of the techniques and technological tools of the sector.
Dr. Yehia Z and his team are in tomb KV 35, that of Amenhetep II. They are trying to find the identity of a baby mummy using DNA sampling.
From 3D measurements to artificial intelligence, CT scans and DNA analysis, science and technology are tools widely used by the new generation of Egyptian scientists and archaeologists.
A CT scan was used to identify the mummy found in Amenhotep II’s tomb as Queen Tiye, mother of Akhenaten and grandmother of Tutankhamun, who became the royal wife of Amenhotep III.
This new turn in archaeology is reflected in the collections and backstage areas of the new Great Egyptian Museum. This colossal building, ” worthy of a pharaoh “, gathers 100,000 objects in 12 exhibition halls, two of which are dedicated to objects from the tomb of the famous King Tutankhamen, all on a surface of 45,000 square meters.
A gigantic project directed by Major General Atef Moftah and which will have cost a total of more than one billion dollars. A symbol of the Egyptian government’s immense ambitions to revive a sense of pride and unity among the Egyptian people, the GEM is a monumental showcase for the discoveries of the new generation of local archaeologists.
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