THE EGYPTIAN SOCIETY OF SOUTH AFRICA
Shemu Articles
SHEMU
Shemu is the Society’s quarterly newsletter, issued in January, April, July and October. Shemu is an Egyptian word meaning ‘harvest’.
The rise of the Nile flood in July marked the New Year for ancient Egyptians and this, the first season from July to October, was called akhet (inundation), go be followed by peret (time of emergence) from November to February as the Nile waters subside. The final season from March to June was shemu, a word that came to mean ‘harvest’.
The TESSA newsletter is sent to members, relevant organisations and institutions in South Africa, the USA, UK and Egypt. Please e-mail the Secretary on capevent1@gmail.com.
Talatat – Akhenaten’s Stone Diaries
By Anand Balaji The death of Pharaoh Amenhotep III of the illustrious Eighteenth Dynasty in ancient Egypt enabled his second son Amenhotep IV (r. 1353-1336 BCE) to inherit an empire of opulence. Ably assisted by Nefertiti, his Great Royal Wife, the young pharaoh...
The Mummy’s Curse – the Tale of the ‘Unlucky Mummy’
By Jane Mulder Myths abound about the curse to be visited on those who disturb Ancient Egyptian burials, the most famous “victim” being Lord Carnarvon who died not long after he and Carter opened Tutankhamun’s tomb. But there is an even older account of a mummy’s...
Was Khent-Kawes History’s First Woman King
By Jane Mulder When there is a dearth of concrete evidence theories will be formulated, and until further information comes to light such hypotheses often become part of the accepted record. To a certain extent this applies to the genealogy of Ancient Egypt’s 4th and...
Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown…Hatshepsut, Thotmes III and Senenmut
By Keith Grenville Hatshepsut, the most famous female pharaoh, reigned for 21 years from approximately1479 BCE until 1458 BCE, 26 years before Tutankhamun and probably more than 200 years before the supposed time of Moses. Hatshepsut’s magnificent terraced...
Astronomical Alignments in the temples of Egypt
By David Furlong In my early visits to Egypt, which started in 1991, I often used to stand on the central axis of different temples and wonder at the alignment intention of their founders. In those early days there was no simple way of determining accurately temple...
Wadi Abu Subeira, Egypt: Palaeolithic rock art on the verge of destruction
By Dr Per Stormyr In 2006 one of the most important recent archaeological discoveries in Egypt were made in Wadi Abu Subeira near Aswan. A team led by Adel Kelany of the MSA [Ministry of State for Antiquities] found a stunning assemblage of petroglyphs dating to...
Revisiting the Amarna Royals: Part 2
Dr. Stephen Buckley Following the first part of this article by Jo giving the background to our work on the royal mummies of the Amarna Period, it is now possible to discuss our recent mummification project, the science involved and the wider implications for mummy...
Revisiting the Amarna Royals: Part 1
Dr. Joann Fletcher Exactly a year ago in September 2010, Dr. Stephen Buckley and I were invited to Cape Town as guests of the Egyptian Society of South Africa. During our stay we gave lectures about ‘the Search for Nefertiti’ and ‘Recent DNA studies of Tutankhamen and...