Chasing Chariots. Proceedings of the First International Chariot Conference (Cairo 2012) is now available at: http://www.sidestone.com. Free browsing in the e-library of the publisher.

André

Dear visitor,

Salima has been interviewed about our Chariot leather Project in the Egyptian Museum Cairo:

http://www.aucegypt.edu/newsatauc/Pages/story.aspx?eid=1085#

http://www.livescience.com/27464-ancient-egypt-shoes-discovered.html

See also:

http://news.discovery.com/history/archaeology/ancient-shoes-turn-up-in-egypt-temple-130227.htm

My new book on the Ottoman leather footwear from Qasr Ibrim is now available at http://www.sidestone.com/books/leatherwork-from-qasr-ibrim-egypt. You can read it for free in the e-library at http://www.sidestone.com/library/leatherwork-from-qasr-ibrim.

Much is known about Ancient Egypt, in particular in matters concerning religion and everything dealing with life after death, like mummies. Much less is known about daily life, and in particular about the lives of ‘ordinary’ Egyptians. How did these people live? How did they make a living? What type of clothing did they wear?

The exhibition Footwear in Ancient Egypt focuses on a small, but important aspect of daily life: sandals and shoes. Apart from offering protection, footwear was important also in terms of status and symbolism as the determining factors of who could wear what. In addition, footwear may also provide much information about people’s health.

The exhibition presents footwear through the ages. Attention is paid to the technology and organization of production of footwear, as well as to its symbolic value. The exhibition deals with sandals and shoes from all layers of society: from soldier to king, and from peasant to priest. Apart from information panels, the exhibition features reconstructions, among which one of the shoes of the Pharaoh Tutankhamun, as well as original sandals.

(Translation by Rudolf de Jong)

Photography by Adri ‘t Hooft Photographic Services

Part of the EMCP team: Lisa Sabbahy, Ole Herslund, Salima Ikram, André Veldmeijer & Lucy Skinner.

Selection of images of the First International Chariot Conference, jointly organised by Dr. Salima Ikram of the American University in Cairo and Dr André J. Veldmeijer of the Netherlands-Flemish Institute in Cairo, took place on Friday 30 November and 1 & 2 December. The conference was held at the NVIC, with specialists from all over the world attending. This exciting conference covered a wide variety of topics (see the abstracts at http://www.palarch.nl/category/egypt/), although the focus remained on ancient Egyptian chariots. Twenty-two papers were given, including the key-note lecture by Prof. Dr. Joost Crouwel who, back in 1973, studied Tutankhamun’s chariots together with the late Mary Littauer. The objective of the conference was to assess the current knowledge on chariots and pinpoint the lacunae for further study. Thus, research can be directed more precisely to acquire missing knowledge. In this we were successful as the conference served as inspiration for new research, new ideas and as meeting point for scientists. The success of the conference can, perhaps, best be valued by the call for a follow-up conference in due course.

The organisors, André J. Veldmeijer (left) and Salima Ikram (right) with key-note speaker Prof. Crouwel.

Dr. Ian Shaw ‘Ballistic Missiles and Electric Cars: The Differing Aims and Trajectories of Egyptian and Syro-Hittite Chariots’

Dr. Mohamed Raafat Abbas ‘The Diplomatic Role of the Charioteers
in the Ramesside Period’

Dr. Edwin C. Brock: ‘A Possible Chariot Canopy for Tutankhamun’

Dr. Hermann Genz: ‘The Introduction of the Light, Horse-Drawn Chariot and the Role of Archery in the Near East. At the Transition from the Middle to the Late Bronze Ages: Is there a Connection?’

Dr. Ole Herslund: ‘Chariots in the Daily Life of New Kingdom Egypt’

The day after the Conference, the three were spotted in the Military Museum, studying one of the chariots of Tutankhamun.