Tea at Trianon: A New Egyptian Tomb

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Sunday, October 31, 2010

A New Egyptian Tomb

There is always something more to discover.

Archaeologists have unearthed a more than 4,000-year-old tomb of a pharaonic priest near the Giza pyramids, Egypt’s authorities announced on Monday.

Beautifully decorated, the burial site is located near the tombs of the pyramid-builders.
It belonged to Rudj-Ka, a priest who lived during the Fifth Dynasty (2465 - 2323 B.C.) and was responsible for the mortuary cult of the pharaoh Khafre, also known as Chephren.

The son of Khufu, or Cheops, the Fourth Dynasty king Khafre is best known as the owner of the second largest of the Giza Pyramids.

According to Zahi Hawass, general secretary of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, Khafre’s pyramid complex and mortuary cult remained functioning well after the king’s death, thanks to a group of priests who conducted rituals and prayers in honor of the dead pharaoh.

Rudj-Ka was one of those priests. An important member of the ancient Egyptian court, he was provisioned through a royal endowment to serve as a purification priest.

Built from limestone blocks, which create a maze-like pathway to the main entrance, Rudj-Ka's tomb is cut directly into a cliff face and boasts walls painted with beautiful scenes of daily life in ancient Egypt.

P. M. Doolan said...: Isn't it interesting that we refer to pyramids as having been tombs, but no corpse has ever been discovered in a pyramid?; October 31, 2010 at 9:34:00 AM EDT
May said...: Queen Elisabeth of the Belgians LOVED ancient Egyptian art/culture (one of her many, many passions) and even set up a special Egyptological Foundation in Belgium. She also insisted on attending the opening of one of the famous tombs in the 1920's(?). There was a 'curse' on the tomb but it luckily spared her;-)

Her husband, King Albert I, had previously warned one of the guides, humorously: "If there is danger anywhere, don't tell my wife- she'll insist on going there."

Personally, though, I am (unfortunately) unable to work up enthusiasm for ancient Egypt. In fact, it quite puts me off; I never enjoy the Egyptian sections at museums. I actually am not that fond of archaeology in general. Tastes differ.; October 31, 2010 at 10:38:00 PM EDT
Julygirl said...: I agree with you Matterhorn, but we still must admit they were an amazing civilization during a time when much of the world were just coming out of the trees so to speak.; November 1, 2010 at 9:55:00 AM EDT