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Zahi Hawass Strikes Again


by Stephen Becker 11 Feb 2009 3:47 PM

It looks like Zahi Hawass will have something new to talk about when he lectures at the Dallas Museum of Art on March 24. The Egyptian government’s top archaeologist discovered a “well-preserved” mummy when he opened a sealed limestone sarcophagus on Wednesday in Saqqara, 12 miles south of Cairo. “It is a typical mummy of […]

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It looks like Zahi Hawass will have something new to talk about when he lectures at the Dallas Museum of Art on March 24.

The Egyptian government’s top archaeologist discovered a “well-preserved” mummy when he opened a sealed limestone sarcophagus on Wednesday in Saqqara, 12 miles south of Cairo.

“It is a typical mummy of the 26th dynasty … This mummy should contain amulets, golden amulets, to help the deceased go to the afterlife,” Hawass told reporters at the scene.

Dr. Hawass was instrumental in piecing together the Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs exhibit currently on display at the DMA. He’ll discuss all that he learned from examining the boy king when he speaks as part of Arts & Letters Live.

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  • Grace

    That’s a really interesting point and I respect it, but I disagree. I believe that after death a body is just a body – the spirit (or soul or essence or whatever you prefer) that makes the being a unique person is no longer connected to the physical matter and cannot be disturbed by our actions. Learning about a people’s culture helps us to tell its stories, making its inhabitants relatable to us and keeping their memory alive. If these explorations provide us with information that we can use to grow that body of knowledge and come to a better understanding of our past, I feel they are worth it.

  • Neal Watts

    Stephen,

    If you watch some of the shows on the History Channel, TLC, Channel 13, etc. you’ll see that the mummies are generally treated with great respect as are the remains of Neanderthals and even those of Lucy. My point is where do you draw the line?

    Hope you go and ask your question. Zahi has been instrumental in discovering hundreds of mummies and, in his position, is responsible for the care of thousands. He should be a very interesting speaker.

    I’d suggest that Karey consider cremation, but then descendants would be frustrated at not finding a grave in their genealogical research. There are archaeology digs at sites that are only 25 to 50 years old.

    BTW: Jamie lives in Philadelphia.