Zahi Hawass

Archaeos

Member
foreverwingnut said:
I'm sorrry if I caused confusion, but you are on to my meaning.

I think so, too.

foreverwingnut said:
Alexandria was under the rule of the Ptolemaic Dynasty throughout the Hellenistic period. They even refused to speak Egyptian, hence the creation of the Rosetta Stone as a means to translate. Alexandria had become a marriage of Greek, Roman and Egyptian cultures, making it a kingdom unto itself. Therefore, Egypt (Zahi) should have little or no authority over Alexandrian antiquity. It would have been certainly wise to have asked for Zahi's expert advice in the recovery and care of Alexandrian relics, but giving him the free-reigns to lord over Alexandrian discovery in the name of the Egyptian government was misplaced and unnecessary in my opinion.

You seem to take a very ethnicity-based or regional/nationality-based approach to who is allowed to cater for what antiquities in what place, effectively saying that only people with some, well, effectively (imagined) "blood-line" connection should care and research for antiquities found there: because Alexandria was a cosmopolis for a few centuries, developing under Hellenistic, Roman influences in addition to be located in Egypt, one should be... well... what? Ask the Greek or Turkish or Italian or Saudi government agencies to exclusively conduct archaeological work in Alexandria?
Or do you mean that Zahi as an egyptologist/archaeologist should not be involved with Alexandria because this would be the expert realm of Classical archaeolgists?

I think one should not forget that Zahi Hawass was the Secretary General of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities since 2002. The Supreme Council of Antiquities is responsible for all antiquities and related research within the borders of the Arab Republic of Egypt.
This includes all Dynastic Kingdoms and Periods of Ancient Egypt. And while most popular broadcastings and interests in Ancient Egypt focus on the New Kingdom (and then mostly on the mere 3 centuries of the 18th and 19th Dynasty out of that), the SCA's responsibility includes all the other 6000 years of human activity in Egypt as well!
This includes Persian Egypt (both Achaemenid Egypt and the Sassanid/Arab Muslim Conquest), the Ptolemaic Dynasty of the Graeco-Roman Period, and also Byzantine/Coptic-Christian/Islamic eras.
Zahi as Secretary General was responsible for the administration of this organisation. While many academics levy appropriate criticism on him for expanding his responsibilities beyond what would be ethically accepted in academia or other national organisations of a similar kind, I think he being responsible for Alexandria, "...to lord over Alexandrian discovery in the name of the Egyptian government...", is exactly what his job description is all about.

In fact, many think that the millennia from Byzantine to Arab Muslim Egypt are those eras most neglected by Zahi and the SCA. And I think this might change in the next few years under a new political (Muslim) government.

Or are you referring specifically to an incident when he was still Chief Inspector or later Director of the Giza Pyramid Plateau? In that case, note: just because he presents something on TV doesn't mean that he is actually calling the shots on excavations outside of the Giza area.


foreverwingnut said:
Alexandria possesses many capable and competent archeologists to oversee their own affairs.

Sure, and I can reassure you that excavation projects in Hellenic or Hellenistic sites such as Naukratis or Hierakonpolis are done by a mixed team of experts from all over the world. It's not that Alexandria is some Greek territory occupied by the hostile Egyptians... unless I missed something.

foreverwingnut said:
Alexandria's discoveries belong to their own people, not Egypt.

I might have missed something... Again, it's not that Alexandria is some Greek territory occupied by the hostile Egyptians... and it has a pretty good museum landscape... for Egypt.

foreverwingnut said:
And while the pylon that I mentioned will be displayed in Alexandria, there is little doubt that Zahi would have eventually demanded that it and other Cleopatra-age discoveries be sent to Cairo.

I am not a follower of Zahi, but I think one should level critique against him fairly (which does not mean mildly where it would not be inappropriate to be harsh). You will find that museums in Egypt have specific topics and also regional rooting, so it's not that everything and anything ends up in Cairo because Zahi's "ego couldn't accept anything else", as you imply.
One also has to bear in mind that some museums have better equipment, displaying technology, or more suitable capacity and technology to conduct specific research on a newly-found object. Hence why sometimes one museum makes more sense as 'resting place' than another.

:)
 

foreverwingnut

New member
I understand you, Archaeos, and you bring up very valid points, but my issue is with Zahi's ego and broad authority, not with politics or skin-color. As I said earlier, I really liked Zahi at first, but as the years went by, he became increasingly arrogant and down-right tyrannical. He's been called "Pharoah" and he clearly loved the title. He seemed to become more concerened with his own image than academia. I'll give you another example: During "Chasing Mummies", Dr. Allen Morton needed a simple signature from Zahi on a work order. Zahi was expecting the work order, but refused to sign it until he'd finished mingling with some unexpected tourists. He got angry with Morton for doing his job and ordered him to stand in a corner until Zahi had finished taking catering to his fans. "Stand in the corner" is something an adult tells a child who misbehaves, it's not something a professional tells a colleague who is just doing his job. When signing autographs takes precedence over signing important work orders, then clearly his ego needed a reality check. His treatment of Morton was reflective of his lack of respect for other archeologists in general, which was my issue with his authority over Alexandrian antiquity. He just doesn't respect other experts in his field. Without question, Zahi is the world's most accomplished archeologist, but power often corrupts great people.
 

Archaeos

Member
Right, okay, that's fair enough, and I think you would find few people in the profession of archaeology to disagree with you - from what I hear and read.

foreverwingnut said:
Without question, Zahi is the world's most accomplished archeologist.

I think you would find more than a few people in the profession of archaeology to politely or vehemently disagree with that :) .
What would be fairer to say is that he is the most recognisable mainstream face of archaeology today (after Indiana Jones :p ).
 

foreverwingnut

New member
It's difficult to articulate when trying to praise and belittle a man in the same breath, but I'm glad we reached an understanding. Thanks, Archaeos. I will have to explain my use of the phrase, "most accomplished". I agree with you that there are certainly other archeologists that have more impressive and diverse areas of expertise, such as David Cheatham. But I believe Zahi to be the most accomplished in terms of authority, discovery, and- as you pointed out- recognition. I hate to bash the man any more without sounding like a complete jerk, but I have to mention one more item about his ego that I think everyone, whether you love him or hate him, can agree. His claims on discoveries were the product of his authority- his mandate that no one should enter a newly found tomb before him, giving him full credit for the find. Having said that, I'd like to change direction and pose a question, Archaeos: Is there an archeologist that you would describe as being a real-life Indiana Jones? If I could name a real-life Indiana Jones, it would be David Cheatham. He's a lady-killer, a teacher, a gentleman, and a darn-fine archeologist.
 

Archaeos

Member
foreverwingnut said:
His claims on discoveries were the product of his authority

I agree with that statement :)

foreverwingnut said:
Having said that, I'd like to change direction and pose a question, Archaeos: Is there an archeologist that you would describe as being a real-life Indiana Jones? If I could name a real-life Indiana Jones, it would be David Cheatham. He's a lady-killer, a teacher, a gentleman, and a darn-fine archeologist.

Cheatham? Good call, foreverwingnut!

To be honest, thinking about a real-life Indy today... - ...I can't think of any man... and that might be good for science and women ( :p ) ... Maybe John Coleman Darnell? :confused:
(something for Stoo, fashion-wise... here, here and here)

When thinking about women who are "...teachers, ladies, darn-fine scholars and win men over with their attractiveness :rolleyes: and inspire women as role-models..." (to amend your quote a bit), the names of Kara Cooney, Bettany Hughes, Colleen Manassa, Efrosyni Boutsikas, and the earlier-mentioned Salima Ikram come to my mind.

But this is just an off-hand-out-of-my-mind list, with no claim for completion or correctness - I think none would describe themselves as a "real-life" Indiana Jones/Jane. But I also think it's fair to say that archaeology has a much better influx of women nowadays then ever before - with a hint of underlying or (un)conscious inspiration from the Fedora-wearer. Check out this wonderful little thread on a German Indiana Jones board that exemplifies that - just to keep that aspect within the Indy community ;) .

I think Margaret Maitland deserves a plug here, as her blog "Eloquent Peasant" is really excellent. She also recently spoke at Thinking Digital 2012 talking as "Egyptologist 2.0".
Check it out...
 
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Archaeos

Member
Just very quickly pushed off my desk amidst much work, as I wanted this in the thread for completion's sake:

Egyptologist and broadcaster Kara Cooney just posted a link on her Facebook page leading to a HuffPost article by Andrew Burmon.

Titled Golden Mummies: What Happened To The Indiana Jones Of Egypt?, it nicely summarizes what happened to Zahi Hawass since the Arab Spring, and what his prospects are under a potentially new institutionalised Islamic Republic of Egypt lead by the current generation of the Muslim Brotherhood. While the summary is comprehensive and well sourced, featuring comments by Dieter Arnold, Head of the Met’s Egypt Department, it should be noted that any ideas of an "Iran 2.0" occuring in Egypt are still nowhere on the horizon.

Salle ala Nabi, my fellow Raveners.
 

China Jim

New member
Zahi Hawass Update

Recently heard on Coast to Coast AM Dr.Hawass is residing some where in the continental United States the interviewer could get no further info from guest, the guest stated Zahi was trying to get back into the good graces of the ruling party but we will see as they say
 

Goodeknight

New member
Just saw on Facebook that Zahi will soon lead a tour of Egypt. Feb. 15-28, 2014.

http://www.archaeologicalpaths.com/

14 days, 700 people, and after hours tours of both the Egyptian Museum and the Great Pyramid. You'd need private tour hours with 700 people along. However, they are opening two closed areas in the Great Pyramid for this group, including the subterranean chamber, which I've always wanted to see.

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/vniYklc0zVA?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

No idea what the cost is.
 

Goodeknight

New member
Found out by happenstance that these tours are $5,000 per person. ($6,300 or so if you're traveling alone and want your own room.)

That wouldn't include airfare, either.

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/cYFP_czRIZE?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

So, Zahi is staying busy...and rolling in the Benjamins, or, rather, the Sphinxes...

egp-100-egyptian-pounds-1.jpg


I find it amusing that for his standup, they tried to crop around his head so they could pump up the sky and make it look pleasantly blue. There's almost never a sky that blue over Cairo.
 

Le Saboteur

Active member
Information in English appears to be scant on the actual show thus far, but Dr. Hawass appears to be doing some promotional work for his new teevee show* -- Revealer of Secrets. Cairo Scene has a lengthy interview with the good doctor in which expounds his theory on, well, everything.

* - The 16-part programme appears to have begin airing last October throughout the Arab speaking world.

Eihab Boraie said:
Sitting under an iconic poster of himself, behind a desk cluttered with mountainous files of yellow paper, Dr. Zahi Hawass is in the middle of penning a letter using what he proudly tells me is specially imported paper and pen. Refusing to use computers, Hawass is old school, leading some to believe he is Ancient Egypt's mythbuster while others argue he is an out-of-touch obstructionist.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bUgMHpy5OJo" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HweaD03yCsc" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 

Nosirrah

New member
"Imported paper and pen" :confused: -- what's wrong with papyrus and a sharpened reed? If you're going to go old-school Egyptian, go all the way. :whip:
 

Nosirrah

New member
... but seriously, folks. It appears that Hawass has survived the tectonic shift in Egyptian politics by making himself increasingly irrelevant to Egyptology, and morphing into the trademarked spokesman for Egyptian archaeo-tourism (IT'S SAFE!!!). At US$6K a pop.

So he disses the muon detectors in language that makes me think he doesn't understand the technology or the preliminary results, while the current Antiquities Minister is totally on board with it. Each is contributing in his way, to complementary constituencies-- tourists and researchers.

Still, I give Hawass credit for fostering a cadre of Egyptian-born Egyptologists, and breaking the centuries-old stranglehold of (mostly) British and French cultural imperialism. Now they can step out of the shadow of his monumental ego as well.
 

axelan

New member
I watched him lecture to a private audience. Seemed like a great guy.
I had my picture taken with him a couple years ago. I also had the opportunity to approach him and volunteer my services to him on a project he was working on but I just didn't have time. Wished I had.
 
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