Archaeology meets politics: Spring comes 2 ancient Egypt
Posted: Fri Dec 02, 2011 8:03 am
A long and interesting article in Nature weekly international journal of science titled: Archaeology meets politics: Spring comes to ancient Egypt
As the country struggles to refashion its government, archaeologists are looking warily towards the future.
It contains comments and quotes from the 'twat in the hat' amongst others. Here are a few snippets.
"The uncertainty dashed hopes of a swift return to normality for archaeological research, and unrest this week adds new concerns. “Everything is up in the air,” said Kim Duistermaat, director of the Netherlands–Flemish Institute in Cairo, last month. As Egypt struggles to determine its future without Mubarak, archaeologists are wondering what their field might look like without Hawass."
"But critics claim that Hawass had a darker side: that as the years went on, he exerted excessive control and sought mainly to boost his own fame at the expense of other researchers and of high-quality science. Under Hawass, they complain, archaeologists were prevented from announcing their own discoveries. “This focus on him was something that really bothered people,” says Duistermaat. “Even for foreign missions, you had to wait, even for weeks, until Zahi would come down and 'excavate' it.”
“Egyptological research is subject to very heavy censorship,” she argues. In media interviews over the years, Hawass has accused several well known archaeologists of smuggling, scientific fraud or other improprieties".
"Everyone now hopes that Amin, the SCA's latest secretary-general, can get things started again. He holds a PhD in Islamic antiquities, and was previously head of the SCA's Islamic and Coptic department. Researchers say it is too early to comment on his leadership style, but because he does not specialize in Egyptology, it seems unlikely that he will share Hawass's one-man approach — or front documentaries about the pharaohs.
“He'll need people beside him,” says Atef Abu El-Dahab, the affable head of the SCA's Egyptian antiquities sector. “First of all, me.”
"Hawass has previously denied any interest in returning to his old job, but now seems to be repositioning himself. “I'm sorry to say it, but I'm the only one who can bring the tourists back,” he told Nature. So would he offer his services, if asked? “I will never come back unless there is a stable government,” he says. If the upcoming elections can deliver that, the man in the hat might yet rise again."
For the full article, follow the link: http://www.nature.com/news/archaeology- ... ypt-1.9416
As the country struggles to refashion its government, archaeologists are looking warily towards the future.
It contains comments and quotes from the 'twat in the hat' amongst others. Here are a few snippets.
"The uncertainty dashed hopes of a swift return to normality for archaeological research, and unrest this week adds new concerns. “Everything is up in the air,” said Kim Duistermaat, director of the Netherlands–Flemish Institute in Cairo, last month. As Egypt struggles to determine its future without Mubarak, archaeologists are wondering what their field might look like without Hawass."
"But critics claim that Hawass had a darker side: that as the years went on, he exerted excessive control and sought mainly to boost his own fame at the expense of other researchers and of high-quality science. Under Hawass, they complain, archaeologists were prevented from announcing their own discoveries. “This focus on him was something that really bothered people,” says Duistermaat. “Even for foreign missions, you had to wait, even for weeks, until Zahi would come down and 'excavate' it.”
“Egyptological research is subject to very heavy censorship,” she argues. In media interviews over the years, Hawass has accused several well known archaeologists of smuggling, scientific fraud or other improprieties".
"Everyone now hopes that Amin, the SCA's latest secretary-general, can get things started again. He holds a PhD in Islamic antiquities, and was previously head of the SCA's Islamic and Coptic department. Researchers say it is too early to comment on his leadership style, but because he does not specialize in Egyptology, it seems unlikely that he will share Hawass's one-man approach — or front documentaries about the pharaohs.
“He'll need people beside him,” says Atef Abu El-Dahab, the affable head of the SCA's Egyptian antiquities sector. “First of all, me.”
"Hawass has previously denied any interest in returning to his old job, but now seems to be repositioning himself. “I'm sorry to say it, but I'm the only one who can bring the tourists back,” he told Nature. So would he offer his services, if asked? “I will never come back unless there is a stable government,” he says. If the upcoming elections can deliver that, the man in the hat might yet rise again."
For the full article, follow the link: http://www.nature.com/news/archaeology- ... ypt-1.9416
