Al-Ahram Weekly 4 - 10 March 1999 Issue No. 419
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875

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An excavational adventure: Zahi Hawass and the crew at the entrance to the "lost" pyramid of Khamar-Ar-Nebti, the wife of King Menkaure; the tomb of Kay, where a well-preserved mummy, enshrouded in linen, was unwrapped live on camera (photos: Sherif Sonbol)

'An archaeological super bowl'

By Nevine El-Aref

The sun had not yet crested over the horizon yesterday, but the Fox TV crew were already assembled, toting all the paraphernalia necessary to capture momentous new discoveries in the shadow of the last surviving Wonder of the Ancient World: Khufu's Great Pyramid at Giza. In attendance were journalists, photographers and curious spectators.

On the stroke of 3.00am (8.00pm Eastern Standard Time), a hushed silence descended, broken only by the countdown of the TV crew: 3 - 2 - 1 - action... And, as the cameras rolled, the colossal monuments of Giza, designed to awe the Ancient Egyptians over 4,000 years ago, amazed viewers around the world.

This was a milestone in the history of the Giza Plateau. "We are showing Egypt in a really new, inventive, Fox-like way," said executive producer Peter Isacksen, boasting that this two-hour special broadcast showing live excavations at Giza is the "super-bowl of archaeology".

Zahi Hawass, director of excavations at Giza, said that "the show is a good opportunity to promote Egypt in a really different way. It will take American audiences into the heart of an excavation adventure on three major sites that are off limits to the public. Remarkably, excavations at Giza have been going on for nearly two centuries, but that the plateau is far from exhausted. Every season reveals new evidence that casts new light on the Pyramids and the pyramid-builders."

The first focal point was the Western Cemetery, where two tombs decorated with coloured bas-reliefs showed scenes of the domestic life of the tomb-owner, his wife, his sons and his daughters, as well as his offerings to the deities. One of the tombs contained a well-preserved mummy wrapped in linen. "It is probably the remains of a high priest called Kay," said Hawass. "It is really fantastic to open this mummy live in front of the cameras, but it will be sent to the X-ray laboratory to be checked and examined."

Kay's tomb is small but has beautiful coloured bas-reliefs on its walls. One shows a love scene, with Kay embracing his wife. Hawass said that a unique hieroglyphic text in the tomb preserves the words of the tomb-owner "I am Kay. Egyptian workers and artisans are the builders of my tomb. I paid them beer and bread, instead of money, and they swore that they are satisfied."

A huge statue of Kay has also been found in the tomb, as well as some pottery vessels.

Inside the burial chamber of the second tomb, belonging to Kay's family, the skeletons of his wife and one of his daughters were found.

"The opening of tombs such as these before the cameras is important," said Hawass, "because they will show people around the world that the Pyramids were built by Egyptians and not, as claimed by someone on the Internet, by people from Atlantis. Here are the pyramid-builders' tombs to prove it."

Questions were raised regarding a burial shaft 25 metres deep, located between the Sphinx and the second pyramid of King Khafre. This shaft contains the remains of limestone columns and an empty granite sarcophagus surrounded by water. The cameras focused on the Sphinx, the lofty pyramid of Khafre, and finally on the shaft.

"It is well-known to Egyptologists because the Greek traveller-historian Herodotus wrote about it in his book on Egypt, describing it as 'a passage for the god Osiris to protect the Giza cemetery'," said Gaballa Ali Gaballa, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities.

The sun was already well above the horizon when the Fox team turned to the small pyramid nestled against the southern flank of the third pyramid, that of King Menkaure. It was constructed for the king's "great royal wife" Khamar-Ar-Nebti and, although first discovered in 1872, it was closed in 1902 and subsequently "lost" -- that is to say, it became totally obscured by wind-blown sand.

"It is an unusual pyramid, and one that raises issues rather than settles them," said Hawass. He explained that the pyramid has two successive entrances, the first blocked by a huge piece of limestone, leaving only 30cm for entrance; beyond a narrow corridor 22m long, another entrance was found, also blocked, but this time with granite. "On removing the granite block leading to the queen's burial chamber, we found stone fragments, an unfinished sarcophagus, pottery vessels and bones," said Hawass. He added that the objects were clearly New Kingdom (1567-1080 BC) and not Old Kingdom (2686-2181 BC), when the queen was buried. "I believe that Menkaure's wife died before her pyramid was finished, and that she was buried elsewhere. Later it was usurped and used by New Kingdom officials," Hawass ventured.

From Giza, the Fox team moved south to Saqqara to see the charming tomb of Nefer, with marvellous painted reliefs and the oldest known intact mummy, which is over 4,300-years-old. "The director of the chorus and inspector of the court" in the Old Kingdom was first discovered in 1944 by Ahmed Moussa. The mummy lay at the foot of a shaft on the eastern wall and, although mummification had not been perfected at that time, the body was found in nearly perfect condition, and was so carefully wrapped that even the contours of fingernails and a callous on the foot were preserved in linen. A thin layer of light green plaster had been modelled over the whole body, with details of the eyebrows and moustache set in relief, and the nipples painted onto the chest. "The tomb will remain closed to visitors," Hawass said.

Fox is not the only network using Ancient Egyptian monuments to lure viewers this season. On 7 March, the Learning Channel will offer The Curse of Tutankhamun, while ABC news will present Cleopatra, starring Timothy Dalton, Billy Lane and Leonor Varela.

On 14 March, the Discovery Channel will air a similar show on Graeco-Roman monuments in Alexandria, specifically the off-shore excavations of a French archaeological team, headed by Franck Goddio, who discovered the remains of the royal island of Antirhodes, with its ruined temples and palaces, including the Timonium constructed by Anthony for Cleopatra. Omar Sharif will narrate.

Related articles: Bilateral momentum Dealing with the deadline

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