LOCATION OF PHARAOH USERKARE'S LONG-LOST TOMB POSSIBLY DISCOVERED

A professor of archaeoastronomy has tentatively discovered the location of 6^th Dynasty pharaoh Userkare’s long-lost tomb near Saqqara. Giulio Magli, of Milan’s Polytechnic University, will publish his research in the next issue of Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry. By connecting lines between the tombs of the rulers of Egypt’s 6^th Dynasty, Professor Magli has identified a location in South Saqqara where Userkare’s tomb may be located. "We are talking of meridian and diagonal alignments, with pyramids raised at their intersections. The only missing piece in this sort of grid is the pyramid of Userkare," he said. "Diagonal axes -- generally oriented northeast by southwest -- governed Giza, Abusir and the Saqqara central field. But we have a different pattern with some 6th dynasty kings: their funerary monuments in South Saqqara appear to have been  planned according to meridian, north-south axes.”

Pharaoh Userkare is known only from Egypt’s king lists. He was the second ruler of the 6^th Dynasty, between Teti and Pepi I. "When Pepi I took control a few years later, Userkare disappeared from history. Finding his tomb might help understand those obscure years. The walls in his burial might also contain intact copies of the Pyramid Texts," said Magli.

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OCTAVIAN WAS NAMED AS EGYPTIAN PHARAOH AT PHILAE

 

A newly translated Roman victory stele from the Temple of Isis at Philae shows Octavian’s name inscribed in a cartouche – proof that the Roman ruler was also viewed as an Egyptian pharaoh.

It is generally believed that Octavian was never crowned as pharaoh, although Egypt became part of his domain. The stele was erected in April 29 BC. Octavian became “Augustus” two years later, in 27 BC. The stele, which notes the end of Ptolemaic and Ethiopian rule in Egypt, was erected by the priests at the Temple of Isis and was commissioned by Octavian’s appointed prefect in Egypt, Gaius Cornelius Gallus.

The new translation was recently published in The Trilingual Stela of C. Cornelius Gallus from Philae. Professor Martina Minas-Nerpal, of Swansea University in Wales, was a part of the team who worked on the translation. “The name of Octavian is written in a cartouche - he’s treated as any other Egyptian king,” she said. “They had to have an acting pharaoh – the only acting pharaoh (possible) under Octavian was Octavian,” she said. “The priests needed to see him as a pharaoh otherwise their understanding of the world would have collapsed… He (Octavian) needed to have a calm province and the key element to keeping the province calm were the priests – they were key to the population.”

The Ptolemaic kings of Egypt used a similar strategy in order to relate to the traditional Egyptian kingship theology, especially strong in southern Egypt, where Philae is located.

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BOOK ON MAYAN LITERATURE DRAWS SCHOLARLY AND LITERARY PRAISE

Dennis Tedlock's 2000 Years of Mayan Literature has drawn wide acclaim since its recent publication in January. The book explores the growth and evolution of literature in the Mayan world from stone carvings to paper documents. It has been praised for its "highly readable" presentation and its sound scholarly research. Tedlock is a recognized authority on Mayan writing and culture.

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