2008 Woodie Awards
Ancient Egypt at UD
Dr. Hoffmeier presents the recent finds in Tell el-Borg
Mary Schuhriemen
Issue date: 9/30/08 Section: News
"So have you made your lists and checked them twice? I hear King Tut's coming to town," joked Dr. James Hoffmeier, professor of Near Eastern Studies at Trinity International University. Hoffmeier had been invited by the art department to lecture on recent developments in the Armana period of ancient Egyptian history. Hoffmeier addressed an audience of about 50 in the Art History Building at 7:30 p.m., Sept. 25.
Before the lecture began, conversation in the lecture room was lively. Some students had clearly been drawn to the evening lecture by the sheer fact that a real-life archaeologist was speaking. There were many giggled references to Indiana Jones.
Hoffmeier presented some of the recent finds that he and his team have uncovered in the Northern Sinai region of Tell el-Borg in modern-day Egypt. While Tell el-Borg is within the boundaries of modern day Egypt, Hoffmeier noted that in the Armana period, around 1300 BC, the location was outside of Egypt.
Since 1999, Hoffmeier and his team have been working on excavations of a fortress-outpost from the Armana period, trying to understand what happened to Egypt during the reign of the enigmatic pharaoh, Akhenaton. Hoffmeier told his audience that Akhenaton was a pharaoh who persecuted the believers of the traditional pantheon of Egyptian gods, turning rather to a newer god, Aton, the solar disk. There is some scholarly debate as to whether or not Ankhenaten is the father of King Tut.
In a slide-show presentation, Hoffmeier showed the fragmentary evidence he has gleaned from the site. In the moat of the ancient structure, he and his team found oven-fired red brick, a building material formerly thought to have barely been used until Roman times, centuries later.
Also of note were shards of wine pots found in the area. Hoffmeier explained that most scholars have thought that, during the reign of Egypt's philosopher king, the empire began to collapse, with the pharaoh's armies pulling back to within the borders. These pottery shards might alter that view, however. Each shard Hoffmeier presented bore the cartouche-hieroglyphic name-of the pharaoh under whom the wine was bottled. With these, Hoffmeier has been able to trace an unbroken line of cartouches of seven consecutive Egyptian rulers, including those of Akhenaton and Tutankhamen. This proves that the fortress was occupied continuously through the period and challenges the idea that Egypt became isolationist during Akhenaton's reign.
Hoffmeier directed anyone interested to check out the dig site's web page, www.tellelborg.org.
Before the lecture began, conversation in the lecture room was lively. Some students had clearly been drawn to the evening lecture by the sheer fact that a real-life archaeologist was speaking. There were many giggled references to Indiana Jones.
Hoffmeier presented some of the recent finds that he and his team have uncovered in the Northern Sinai region of Tell el-Borg in modern-day Egypt. While Tell el-Borg is within the boundaries of modern day Egypt, Hoffmeier noted that in the Armana period, around 1300 BC, the location was outside of Egypt.
Since 1999, Hoffmeier and his team have been working on excavations of a fortress-outpost from the Armana period, trying to understand what happened to Egypt during the reign of the enigmatic pharaoh, Akhenaton. Hoffmeier told his audience that Akhenaton was a pharaoh who persecuted the believers of the traditional pantheon of Egyptian gods, turning rather to a newer god, Aton, the solar disk. There is some scholarly debate as to whether or not Ankhenaten is the father of King Tut.
In a slide-show presentation, Hoffmeier showed the fragmentary evidence he has gleaned from the site. In the moat of the ancient structure, he and his team found oven-fired red brick, a building material formerly thought to have barely been used until Roman times, centuries later.
Also of note were shards of wine pots found in the area. Hoffmeier explained that most scholars have thought that, during the reign of Egypt's philosopher king, the empire began to collapse, with the pharaoh's armies pulling back to within the borders. These pottery shards might alter that view, however. Each shard Hoffmeier presented bore the cartouche-hieroglyphic name-of the pharaoh under whom the wine was bottled. With these, Hoffmeier has been able to trace an unbroken line of cartouches of seven consecutive Egyptian rulers, including those of Akhenaton and Tutankhamen. This proves that the fortress was occupied continuously through the period and challenges the idea that Egypt became isolationist during Akhenaton's reign.
Hoffmeier directed anyone interested to check out the dig site's web page, www.tellelborg.org.
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