Tag Archives: Aswan

Ten quarries of Ancient Egypt: 10 – Firework!

It’s New Year’s Eve. Happy New Year to you all! What could be better than to end this little series on Ancient Egyptian quarries with firework! It was Reginald Engelbach that first suggested the use of fire for stone quarrying … Continue reading

Posted in Ancient Egypt, Archaeology, Old quarries | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Palaeolithic rock art in Wadi Abu Subeira, Egypt: Landscape, archaeology, threats and conservation

Since the publication of the threats to the Palaeolithic rock art in Wadi Abu Subeira three weeks ago, there has been much response through e-mail and social media, and the case has been covered by many online magazines and blogs. People in Egypt and elsewhere are concerned, and I wish to thank you all for your interest and for bringing the case along to friends and colleagues, as well as to administrators and politicians. There now seems to be a need for an “unbiased”, comprehensive overview of what is actually known about the landscape, the archaeology, the rock art, the threats, current conservation efforts and options for the future. The overview below is based on published literature, and information that otherwise belongs to the public sphere. It is written in close cooperation with Adel Kelany, and we have benefitted from input by Dirk Huyge. Continue reading

Posted in Ancient Egypt, Archaeology, Heritage destruction, Rock art | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Wadi Abu Subeira, Egypt: Palaeolithic rock art on the verge of destruction

In 2007 one of the most important recent archaeological discoveries in Egypt were made in Wadi (Chor) Abu Subeira near Aswan: A team led by Adel Kelany of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) found a stunning assemblage of petroglyphs dating to the Late Palaeolithic era (c. 15-20.000 years ago). But now this truly unique testimony of mankind’s early art is on the verge of destruction due to modern mining. Continue reading

Posted in Ancient Egypt, Archaeology, Heritage destruction, Rock art | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Online papers on rock art at Gharb Aswan (West Aswan)

Over the last few years Gharb Aswan, at the west bank of the Nile just opposite Aswan city, has emerged as an important rock art location. This is due to new surveys by the QuarryScapes project and the Aswan-Kom Ombo … Continue reading

Posted in Ancient Egypt, Archaeology, Rock art | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

The Late Palaeolithic rock art in Wadi Abu Subeira (Egypt)

A few years ago Egypt’s third Late Palaeolithic rock art site was discovered by SCA in Wadi Abu Subeira, 12 km north of Aswan on the east bank of the Nile. Since then SCA has continued survey and found several … Continue reading

Posted in Ancient Egypt, Archaeology, Rock art | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Cleopatra’s Needle: Tracing obelisk weathering with old photos

Historic photos are essential for research on monument weathering. With free internet access to archives, such photos are now easier to find than previously. Below, I will show the case of Cleopatra’s Needle, a famous Ancient Egyptian obelisk transferred to … Continue reading

Posted in Ancient Egypt, Archaeology, Monument conservation, Weathering history | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Ancient quarries and other archaeology at Gharb Aswan, Egypt

The region around the old border- and trading town of Aswan in Upper Egypt features one of the world’s most prominent ancient quarry landscapes. It covers an area of some 100 square kilometres on both banks of the Nile from … Continue reading

Posted in Ancient Egypt, Archaeology, Old quarries, Rock art | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

New publications 2009-2010

Though published some months ago, I would like to briefly present four of my most recent publications. Two derives from the EU QuarryScapes project, two from a conference last year in Trondheim about new research at Nidaros Cathedral.

Posted in Ancient Egypt, Monument conservation, New publications, Norway, Old quarries, Weathering history | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment