Wednesday 11 February 2009

Zahi Hawass Strikes Again

Ever the media savvy publicity machine, if you have not yet come across Dr Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Antiquities, you are in for a treat.

Regardless of the results shown by careful excavation you will note from his TV appearances and publications Dr Hawass only ever discoveers lost queens, pyramids, and the most beautiful etc, etc, etc,.

Two recent news reports on the BBC therefore should come as no surprise and live up to media expectations of archaeology, rather than importance to scientific progress.

These latest finds are 'the most beautiful mummy ever' (boy does she have some ugly competition to beat) http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_4510000/newsid_4512200/4512227.stm

and the most amazing collection of over fifty mummies in one tomb (or a mass grave as it would be known anywhere else in the world)

news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/world/newsid_3662000/3662581.stm

You have to hand it to Dr Hawass, he certainly knows how to grease the wheels of publicity for Egypt, even if his finds lack a certain factual truth in their initial analysis.

It's just a shame these mummies won't be available on the market any time soon.

If you do want a genuine mummy (case at least) then you can do worse than bid for Yves St Laurent's mummy case, not to forget a bronze of the Egyptian lion god Mahes, being sold by Christie's in Paris at the end of February.

Canopus

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