News

Among the products imported to Egypt as a result of Hatshepsut’s Punt expedition, there is a big bird, whose identity used to puzzle scholars since the discovery of the reliefs in 1858. It has been suggested that it might have been a crane due to its relatively big size, but this identification could not have been confirmed due to the fragmentary state of preservation of this part of the wall. While re-examining the famous Punt reliefs of Deir el-Bahari our colleague Filip Taterka noted the presence of yet another previously unknown representation of the bird in question. The latter is more complete, thanks to which it is now possible to identify the mysterious creature as the secretary bird (Lat. Sagittarius serpentarius), a species endemic to Africa, which has far-reaching consequences for the discussion on the exact location of the land of Punt. Moreover, the representations of the secretary bird of Deir el-Bahari are the only depictions of this creature known to date of the pharaonic period.

We cordially invite for the lecture by Dr Zbigniew E. Szafrański about the recent works of the Polish mission.

Booklet about the Main Sanctuary of Amun is available online!

Media

Honorary “Bene Merito” distinction for Dr. Zbigniew E. Szafrański - 16.10.2015

Centrum Archeologii Śródziemnomorskiej UW

PAP - Nauka w Polsce

PolishArchaeology.com

Opening ceremony of the Complex of the Solar Cult - 22-02-2015

Archeowieści (in Polish)

Biuletyn Polonii w Egipcie "Mazurek" (in Polish)

Community Times (in English)

Gazeta Wyborcza (in Polish)

Luxor Times Magazine (in English)

Leben-in-Luxor.de (in German)

Nauka Polska - Serwis PAP (in Polish)

Nile News (in Arabic)
Polskie Radio (in Polish)

Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology of the University of Warsaw (in English)

Science and Scholarship in Poland - PAP (in English)

Scanning mummies from the Temple of Hatshepsut

Scientists from the Polish-Egyptian Archaeological and Preservation Mission at the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari are using computed tomography and X-ray to study more than 2,500 year old mummies of the priests of the god Montu - told PAP Zbigniew E. Szafranski, director of the Research Station of the Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology of the University of Warsaw in Cairo

More info can be found HERE.