THE EGYPTIAN SOCIETY OF SOUTH AFRICA
Shemu Articles
SHEMU
Shemu is the Society’s quarterly newsletter, issued in January, April, July and October. Shemu is an Egyptian word meaning ‘harvest’.
The rise of the Nile flood in July marked the New Year for ancient Egyptians and this, the first season from July to October, was called akhet (inundation), go be followed by peret (time of emergence) from November to February as the Nile waters subside. The final season from March to June was shemu, a word that came to mean ‘harvest’.
The TESSA newsletter is sent to members, relevant organisations and institutions in South Africa, the USA, UK and Egypt. Please e-mail the Secretary on capevent1@gmail.com.
The recently discovered fortress of Zarw and the north-eastern frontier
TED LOUKES THE RECENT DISCOVERY of the remains of a Ptolemaic fortress, as well as one from the Roman period, at the site of Tell Abu Saifi, east of the Suez Canal, highlights the importance of the eastern frontier defences. It is understood that this fortress...
The Persian pharaohs: Egypt under the 27th Dynasty
Professor Henry Colburn shares his thoughts on the 27th Dynasty pharaohs Writing in the early Ptolemaic period, the Egyptian priest and historian Manetho described the beginning of the 27th Dynasty thus: ‘Cambyses in the fifth year of his kingship over the Persians...
Ancient Egyptian obelisks – in Rome
TESSA member Jane Mulder takes a deeper look into the ancient Egyptian artefacts that have found their way to Rome ROME, A CITY of many appellations, the most traditional of which is “The Eternal City”, a sobriquet coined in the 1st century BCE by the Roman poet...
Exploring music in ancient Egypt
Heidi Köpp-Junk shares an overview of what she believes music in ancient Egypt sounded like, based on her research. WHAT DID MUSIC sound like in pharaonic Egypt? The present article offers an overview of this topic, based on archaeological, pictorial, and textual...
Talatat – Akhenaten’s Stone Diaries
By Anand Balaji The death of Pharaoh Amenhotep III of the illustrious Eighteenth Dynasty in ancient Egypt enabled his second son Amenhotep IV (r. 1353-1336 BCE) to inherit an empire of opulence. Ably assisted by Nefertiti, his Great Royal Wife, the young pharaoh...
The Mummy’s Curse – the Tale of the ‘Unlucky Mummy’
By Jane Mulder Myths abound about the curse to be visited on those who disturb Ancient Egyptian burials, the most famous “victim” being Lord Carnarvon who died not long after he and Carter opened Tutankhamun’s tomb. But there is an even older account of a mummy’s...
Was Khent-Kawes History’s First Woman King
By Jane Mulder When there is a dearth of concrete evidence theories will be formulated, and until further information comes to light such hypotheses often become part of the accepted record. To a certain extent this applies to the genealogy of Ancient Egypt’s 4th and...
Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown…Hatshepsut, Thotmes III and Senenmut
By Keith Grenville Hatshepsut, the most famous female pharaoh, reigned for 21 years from approximately1479 BCE until 1458 BCE, 26 years before Tutankhamun and probably more than 200 years before the supposed time of Moses. Hatshepsut’s magnificent terraced...