#thatlittleegyptologist

[ritterum]

thinking about how there's an entire way of life that we can't extrapolate and know vanishingly little about because we lost the ability to read their language, and fewer and fewer people saw the use in preserving papyri they couldn't read

[anthropologist-on-the-loose]

Egyptology tumblr. Help. One of my coworkers at a construction site knows I'm an archaeologist and asked if I knew of Graham Hancock. We had an... interesting discussion. He seems reasonable and open to considering different ideas, but he is *convinced* there are no records of the Giza Pyramids being built and thinks that their construction is still a mystery. I told him otherwise, and he seemed legitimately interested if I could find sources and challenged me to do so. @somecunttookmyurl @thatlittleegyptologist @rudjedet and anyone else who might be able to help, if you happen to have sources or resources about construction of the pyramids. Please share if you're able/have the time. I can probably find some stuff on my own but if anyone has sources on hand that would be amazing.

[pomodoko]

@/photomatt is the CEO of tumblr. His inbox is open.

Send in your constructive feedback, boys. 👏👏👏

For reference:

Tumblr’s latest update.

Highlights include: Staff referring to the use of chronological dashboard as outdated and lying about the amount of users using that function. They tried to backpedal when the negative reviews came in, but the damage’s been done.

Staff assuming, and doubling down on the idea that their users (and hypothetical newcomers) are incapable of figuring out how to navigate and curate the content on their dashboard, hence them pushing algorithms onto the users.

Staff assuming that users cannot form connections and promote content on their own merits.

Staff wanting to collapse reblog chains, effectively killing one of the strongholds of tumblr connection.

THE REVIEWS ARE IN (and how to send feedback):

@darkwood-sleddog and @g3sdogden‘s review

@lady-raziel‘s review

@astrosynth‘s review

@thatlittleegyptologist’s review

How to send in review, both on the main platform and on the app store.

Currently, all staff’s blogs’ ask boxes are closed. I encourage all of you to first send feedback through support and app store and cancel all of your no-ads subscriptions. If you have posts you’re blazing, cancel them (unless they’re important). Remember, save your outrage for another day. Let Tumblr know that we, the userbase, is the life blood of the site, and if we leave, the site will suffer.

[el-smacko]

@thatlittleegyptologist and @somecunttookmyurl do y’all know why the Egyptian alef had to be an unrendered special character instead of a, ’, or god forbid apparently א? It’s an alef. Even if we don’t render the hieroglyphs why do we still not transliterate it in a way that can more easily be read? If we’re going to transliterate in Roman letters and if, to an extent, Semitic languages existed on a continuum with Egyptian, why not use a or, as with Phoenician and Ugaritic, use א?

[enkidusbi]

Hi. So I just found your blog maybe 2 hours ago. Accounting for time spent running errands, I've truly only had a handful of minutes to skim your blog.

I did see that your thesis was on Mesopotamia. So I may be off base here.

Do you have any knowledge regarding the Great Sphinx? Or perhaps know a blog that is more Ancient Egypt centric? Especially around that period with Khufu, Khafre, and the old Kingdom period?

I saw a documentary last night that the Sphinx was most likely built by Khafre due to the alignment of the sun during the solstices.

I'm curious if this is speculation or if it's more widely accepted amongst Egyptologists?

Thank you for any help you can provide.

Also, congrats.

hello! i'm flattered but as a mesopotamian archaeologist, i don't know much about egyptology. but luckily i can redirect your question to @thatlittleegyptologist!

[somecunttookmyurl]

I'm playing AC Odyssey for the first time and let me tell you, when the modern FL mentioned Herodotus as their source and that he was a historian my soul left my body lmao

when @thatlittleegyptologist she tried, repeatedly, in vain to kill herodotus but he's an unkillable npc

deeply frustrating

[a-blessed-feline]

@thatlittleegyptologist Would you mind translating these hieroglyphics for me? Found them on the grave of the Finnish philosopher of religion Carl Robert Sederholm

[ktempestbradford]

Ancient Egypt and Ostrich Feathers

Have a question for the Egyptologists and knowledgeable fans of Ancient Egypt about ostrich feathers.

(btw is there an Egyptologist Tumblr community? I follow @thatlittleegyptologist but don't know of any other accounts. HMU!)

When I was in Egypt last month I went to the Grand Egyptian Museum to take the very limited tour of the atrium they offer now. It... wasn't worth the money. Anywho, our tour guide did his best to make it seem valuable by talking a LOT about each thing he showed us.

Next to the colossal statue of Ramses II that dominates the atrium there's a table showing the emblems of royal iconography. The sun disk, the nemes headdress, cow horns, and a feather. He asks us if we know what that last one is and I or someone says it's the feather of Ma'at. Correct! Do we know what bird it comes from? The ostrich, someone else says. Why did they choose ostrich feathers for Ma'at and also certain crowns?

On this trip I had gone to the Nubian museum and thus had just seen several pieces of art from pre-historical peoples that utilized ostrich eggs, including a famous one that had three pyramids etched into it along with some animals. So I said something like: The ostrich has been an important animal even before the pharaohs. They relied on it for food and made art with the eggs. The tour guide (Mark) said: That's an awfully materialistic view. No, that's not why.

Now... I know I'm not an expert even though I know a lot about ancient Egypt. But "a materialistic view"? Like somehow it's not enough that ostriches provided food and probably were used in other, important ways? Why do you think Hathor is represented as a cow and there are cow horns incorporated in crowns? Because they look cool? wtf?

Mark then goes on to tell this story. Back in the dawn of civilization in Egypt the Egyptian man didn't have much to do during the day. (eyebrow raise) So he started collecting feathers from all the birds that flew above him in the sky. (...um... wait...) He would collect and then count the barbules and do you know what he discovered? Only the ostrich had the same number of them on both sides. That's why this is the feather of balance and justice.

Friends. I have never wanted to scream SHENANIGANS or at least CITE YOUR SOURCES so much in my life. Like... what?

Leaving aside the implication that ostriches were somehow flying above ancient Egyptians or that there was some point where men didn't have a dang thing to do all day but count the little hairs on feathers, I feel like this explanation is complete hooey. I mean, it could be that all or some of an ostrich's feathers have the same amount of barbules on either side of the middle bit. You might even be able to convince me that this isn't true for any other bird that someone from the Nile valley 6,000+ years ago had access to. But I'm going to need a ton of supporting evidence that this is the sole reason why the feather of Ma'at is an ostrich feather and not for the "materialistic" reasons I cited.

Also, I'm sorry, but I'm real sure predynastic Nile valley dwellers were far more concerned about food and shelter than coming up with complex reasons for using a certain kind of feather to represent a metaphysical thing.

However, I could be wrong! So I'm asking: is there evidence for Mark's version of events? Is this, you know, written somewhere in a papyrus or on a temple wall or another place? I would honestly love to read any papers on this subject, whatever the background on it.

As to the Grand Egyptian Museum, I really hope that whoever they hire to give tours when the whole thing opens are better at this than Mark. I wasn't impressed with his tour overall and eventually gave up listening to him once I saw that there was a gelato place open for business inside.

[dapurinthos]

now i'm the one in the 'dumb star wars research' hole today, @thatlittleegyptologist, because of comlinks.

jedi order PLEASE, your comlinks don't have BUTTONS.

& dooku: jedi lost as well as brotherhood imply that they're paired like walkie-talkies instead of being an all-around communication device. the one jenza gives dooku is obviously paired with one she has, and anakin gives obi-wan on of a pair of comlinks he's been working on to better withstand the ion storms of taris.

random jedi: yes my comlink can upload a blood sample for analysis but it can only actually contact one person. that's why i have seven of them.

[gschellyart]

Tutankhamun and Ankhesenamun, with the reference being a picture on an ivory box from the king's tomb.

@thatlittleegyptologist Thanks for feedback on my tattoo! You said the style on this ivory box was more dynamic, and that inspired me.

[ikchen]

We spent our mini-moon in Paris, and, being the huge nerds that we are, we of course had to visit the Louvre. Prepare for a picspam of the objects we found most interesting!

Ostracon of a Bull attacking a man, Deir el-Medina, Ramesside period (~1295-1069 BC) I’m intrigued by the man’s headpiece, is he carrying cloth or rope, or is it a halo? https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010008504

Model of three women making beer, MK (~2033-1670 BC) This is a reference to @thatlittleegyptologist because of her viral pub quiz post ^^° https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010026102

Figurine of a cat with two kittens, Late period (~664-332 BC) BABIES KITTIES AAAHHH https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010009998

Detail of the sarcophagus of Nakhtkhonsuiru, 22nd Dynasty (~943-731 BC) GREEN PUBBY? GOOD PUBBY! https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010029126

Magical Papyrus, Deir el-Medina, 20th Dynasty (~1186-1069 BC) Look at all these fancy demons! https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010003526

Magic knife, late 12th Dynasty (~1862-1686 BC) Also called birth tusk, made from hippopotamus ivory, probably apotropaeic. More fancy demons! https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010007235

Female Figurine, Middle Kingdom (~2000-1850 BC) Also called a Bride of the Dead, I love her tattoos! https://collections.louvre.fr/ark:/53355/cl010007299

Tiiiiny amulets of Seth, 17th Dynasty (~1630-1550 BC) SO TINY! With a boopable snoot! https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010009291

Female Figurine, Gebel Zeit, 2nd Intermediate Period (~1686-1069 BC) There’s a whole bunch of these figurines in the Louvre and I’d honestly never seen those before, they’re really intriguing! They’re described as Figurines of women honouring Hathor over on Wikipedia. https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010030514

Fayence Bracelet, Amenhotep III (~1390-1352 BC) I would wear this! You can very nicely see “imn-Htp HqA wAs.t” written in the cartouche! https://collections.louvre.fr/ark:/53355/cl010007064

Bowl with painting of Taweris, 18th Dynasty (~1550-1425 BC) Ok this *might* be some other badass hippopotamus- or even cow-shaped deity, (Mehet-Weret anyone?), but isn’t she amazing? https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010037508

Ostracon with a cat and mouse, Deir el-Medina, Ramesside period (~1295-1069 BC) Remember that post by @neil-gaiman? About Pharao Pnw? Here’s another one, Pnw VI! https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010051679

Ostracon showing Meretseger, Deir el-Medina, Ramesside period (~1295-1069 BC) Meretseger (my beloved) was the local deity of Deir el-Medina, she’s usually depicted as a very wiggly snek, sometimes with a fancy headdress :3 https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010003996

Stela of Taperet, Thebes, 22th Dynasty (~745-730 BC) LAZER-RA STRIKES AGAIN! PEW PEW PEW https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010017961

Etrurian plate, Gnathian Style (~300-275 BC) FLOOF! Possibly a puppy, possibly a mythological creature, definitely pettable! https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010302663

Cypriot vase, Geometric style (~850-600 BC) Uh, so according to the Louvre this is a dog??? Did it get stung by a bee??? And other literature says it’s a lion??? Anyway, cute creature! https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010131699

[whereisthedamnlostandfound]

@thatlittleegyptologist the jizz supremacist

[rudjedet]

are there any primary sources with the names of like... criminals? from say the New Kingdom? asking for novel-planning reasons

Ohh I'm going to refer you to @thatlittleegyptologist because she will welcome any opportunity to talk about the tomb robber papyri her beloved. It's her trap card, you know.

[somecunttookmyurl]

completely agree with you about the alert but the something that is a little bit funny to me is that it straight up just did not get sent to everyone. i didn't receive it. nor did most of my family and friends. classic tory incompetence

lol. everyone in my group set to airplane mode to avoid it and stood in the shadow of nemesis inferno rollercoaster so as to not hear it from anyone else but apparently where @thatlittleegyptologist was random groups of people got it over a course of 20 minutes truly excellent job. 3pm is a concept.

[earhartsease]

I will never forgive myself for not buying this little beauty that I spotted in a local charity shop window about a decade ago (it was very overpriced but look how cute!)

@thatlittleegyptologist please could you tell me, does this actually say anything, or is it random hieroglyphs?

[ritterum]

wait I want the untold numbers of vipers, I have .05 of a bitcoin, is that enough

sure, but as dig consultant, @thatlittleegyptologist has first right of refusal. so all the vipers have to be personally inspected by her first