Egyptomania

The Dendera Zodiacs have been one of the most baffling puzzles pertaining to Ancient Egypt. Most people may be familiar with the older circular zodiac which petty astrologers reduce to an Ancient Egyptian Horoscope. You may definitely align your western astrological sign with this zodiac and we may tell you how in a future article, but it certainly does not mean that you share characteristics with the gods of Egypt. The fundamental importance of these zodiacs lies in the actual astronomical science they signify. These zodiacs did not only threaten both established science and Catholic doctrine at some point in time but were also a key Champollion utilized to decipher the Rosetta Stone.  Description The older zodiac, also known as  Le Zodiaque de Paris  (the Zodiac of Paris) is circular and dates to about 50 BCE. It formed half of the ceiling in the Osiris chapel at the Dendera Temple. The second rectangular zodiac, which is about 80 years older is found as part of the Den...

Hollywood jokes around with Eastern history, producing a lot of under researched, incompetent trash for fan servicing. With Queen Cleopatra, this is disastrous. The issue is not about whitewashing claims since these claims are as uninformed as the fanfic producers. Still, casting choices for such a complex character often seem ambiguous, especially with the latest news about Gal Gadot starring as Cleopatra in the upcoming "biopic". Gadot's portrayal of Wonder Woman, a character not as remotely as complex as Cleopatra, was only satisfactory, if not below. It is really no different than her animated Injustice video game counterparts. Cleopatra has Greek origins and the Ptolemais never appreciated the concept of mixing races with the Egyptians. Casting a white actress here won't threaten coherence, but casting an insufficiently talented one definitely will. Cleopatra VII is unarguably the most popular ruling Queen in Egyptian history ending the whole Ptolemaic dynasty wi...

Jason and the Golden Fleece  One day there was a king named Aeson who was ruling the province “Iolcus” in Thessaly. Until, Pelias, the half-brother of Aeson deposed him and took the throne of Iolcus, threatening to kill any who disputed his claim.  Meanwhile the queen Alcimede , wife of Aeson was pregnant with a boy. She claimed that the boy died as she was giving birth to protect the child.  Aeson sent his son Jason (Iason in Greek) to the old Centaur Chiron who was living on the mountain of Pelion in Thessaly. Chiron brought up Jason and taught him how to fight and use all kinds of weapons until Jason became a strong, well-built young man.  After many years, Jason decided to return to Iolcus to regain his kingdom from Pelias.  Pelias felt guilty for what he had committed against his half-brother, so he asked his Oracle about the fate of his throne. The Oracle gave him a prophecy warning him of (a man with one shoe). This man was no other than Jason who helped...

Can you imagine that some of these portraits were painted using beeswax? The history of the paintings: Fayoum portraits are unique pieces of art, they belong to the Greco-Roman era in Al Fayoum. These astonishing portraits are painted on thin wooden panels, they depict the entire detailed face of the owner and were believed to be  painted during the owner’s life to be displayed in his/her home then attached later to the owner’s mummy after his/her death. The technique: Some are painted in tempra and others in encaustic (wax). They were painted using thick, fine brushes or painting knives.  The beautiful traces of the brush strokes can be seen on the portraits.  The painters of these portraits must have been skilful to use wax as a painting medium since wax hardens so fast and needs to be applied carefully and quickly in order to obtain a plane painting layer. While the portraits painted using tempra technique have a less thick painting layer, it’s still diffi...