Ancient doorway to afterlife discovered in Egypt

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megman
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Ancient doorway to afterlife discovered in Egypt

Post by megman » 03-30-2010 11:06 AM

CAIRO (AFP) – A large red granite false door from the tomb of an ancient queen's powerful vizier has been discovered in Luxor, Egypt's culture minister said on Monday.

The carved stone door -- which ancient Egyptians believed was the threshold to the afterlife -- was unearthed near the Karnak Temple in Luxor and belongs to the tomb of User, a powerful advisor to the 18th dynasty Queen Hatshepsut, Faruk Hosni said in a statement.

The door, 1.75 metres (5.7 feet) high and 50 cm (19 inches) thick, is engraved with religious texts and various titles used by User, including mayor of the city, vizier and prince, antiquities chief Zahi Hawass was quoted as saying.

"The newly discovered door was reused during the Roman period. It was removed from the tomb of User and used in the wall of a Roman structure," said Mansur Boraik, who headed the excavation mission.

Hatshepsut, who ruled Egypt between 1479 BC and 1458 BC, was the longest reigning female pharaoh.

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Post by Linnea » 04-02-2010 12:43 AM

It's beautiful, and very cryptic in design.

The mysteries of Egypt fascinate.

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The stone spheres of Costa Rica

Post by Linnea » 04-02-2010 12:52 AM

Here's an article about ancient stone spheres in Costa Rica. Ever heard about them?

Link to slide show on the BBC with comments:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8593717.stm

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megman
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Post by megman » 04-03-2010 10:30 PM

Sorry, I'm slow these days.

I actually got to see one of those stones. They had it on display in San Jose.:cool:

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Post by SETIsLady » 04-03-2010 10:43 PM

I saw a documentary on those stones and they are weird, just plain weird. :eek:

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Post by SETIsLady » 04-03-2010 10:44 PM

megman, what was the exhibit like ?

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megman
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Post by megman » 04-03-2010 10:56 PM

The museum itself (Costa Rica's National Museum) is right in San Jose and its an old fort. I can't remember the exact count but there was 5 or 6 on display there. They just had them stuck out in like a courtyard.

Really quite intriguing to see up close, trying to get a mental picture of some poor bastard slaving away with a chisel and hammer.

They have no idea how they came about or who made them, but I submit it had to be a Latin American version of the Chinese water torture.:D

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