Egypt
Peeking Between the Pages (blog by Dar)
Interview with Michelle Moran, author of fiction novels based in ancient Egypt. Here's the first question and answer. There are eight more on the above page, plus comments.
- Archaeologists Find Ancient Scarab In Jerusalem
Israel Hayom (Yori Yalon) Rare Egyptian artifact dates back to the 13th century B.C.E., the era when some scholars speculate the Exodus may have occurred • Scarab bears name, in Egyptian writing, of the sun god Amon-Ra, one of Egypt's most...
- More Re Face Beneath The Face Of Nefertiti
The Independent (Andrew Johnson) Her name is synonymous with beauty; and unlike history's other renowned women, such as Helen of Troy, we don't have to take the classical historians' word for it. Nefertiti's reputation rests on hard evidence...
- Book Review: The Heretic Queen By Michelle Moran
blogcritics.orgMichelle Moran starts this novel several years after the events of her first novel, Nefertiti. The sole survivor from the previous royal line is Princess Nefertari, niece of Nefertiti. She has been raised at the court of the current Pharaoh,...
- Egypt Angered At Artists' Use Of Nefertiti Bust
Buzzle For more than eight decades, the serenely beautiful likeness of Queen Nefertiti's head has been the most celebrated exhibit in Berlin's Egyptian Museum, attracting thousands of visitors and resisting all attempts at repatriation. But a...
- Oldest Known Ship’s Log, Nefertiti’s Gold Scarab On Display In Bodrum
Today's Zaman Hidden away among the vast collections of the Bodrum Castle and Marine Archaeological Museum are countless items recovered from sunken trading vessels that shed new light on the ancient world, among them a gold scarab thought to have...
Egypt
Q&A with Michelle Moran author of Nefertiti & The Heretic Queen
Peeking Between the Pages (blog by Dar)
Interview with Michelle Moran, author of fiction novels based in ancient Egypt. Here's the first question and answer. There are eight more on the above page, plus comments.
1. Why did you choose Ancient Egypt as your focus for your novels?
My travels to archaeological sites around the world have been enormously influential in my writing career. In fact, my inspiration to write on the Egyptian queen Nefertiti happened while I was on an archaeological dig in Israel. During my sophomore year in college, I found myself sitting in Anthropology 101, and when the professor mentioned that she was looking for volunteers who would like to join a dig in Israel, I was one of the first students to sign up. When I got to Israel, however, all of my archaeological dreams were dashed (probably because they centered around Indiana Jones). There were no fedora wearing men, no cities carved into rock, and certainly no Ark of the Covenant. I was very disappointed. Not only would a fedora have seemed out of place, but I couldn’t even use the tiny brushes I had packed. Apparently, archaeology is more about digging big ditches with pickaxes rather than dusting off artifacts. And it had never occurred to me until then that in order to get to those artifacts, one had to dig deep into the earth. Volunteering on an archaeological dig was hot, it was sweaty, it was incredibly dirty, and when I look back on the experience through the rose-tinged glasses of time, I think, Wow, was it fantastic! Especially when our team discovered an Egyptian scarab that proved the ancient Israelites had once traded with the Egyptians. Looking at that scarab in the dirt, I began to wonder who had owned it, and what had possessed them to undertake the long journey from their homeland to the fledgling country of Israel.
On my flight back to America I stopped in Berlin, and with a newfound appreciation for Egyptology, I visited the museum where Nefertiti’s limestone bust was being housed. The graceful curve of Nefertiti’s neck, her high cheekbones, and the faintest hint of a smile were captivating to me. Who was this woman with her self-possessed gaze and stunning features? I wanted to know more about Nefertiti’s story, and thus began my forays into writing historical fiction set in ancient Egypt.
- Archaeologists Find Ancient Scarab In Jerusalem
Israel Hayom (Yori Yalon) Rare Egyptian artifact dates back to the 13th century B.C.E., the era when some scholars speculate the Exodus may have occurred • Scarab bears name, in Egyptian writing, of the sun god Amon-Ra, one of Egypt's most...
- More Re Face Beneath The Face Of Nefertiti
The Independent (Andrew Johnson) Her name is synonymous with beauty; and unlike history's other renowned women, such as Helen of Troy, we don't have to take the classical historians' word for it. Nefertiti's reputation rests on hard evidence...
- Book Review: The Heretic Queen By Michelle Moran
blogcritics.orgMichelle Moran starts this novel several years after the events of her first novel, Nefertiti. The sole survivor from the previous royal line is Princess Nefertari, niece of Nefertiti. She has been raised at the court of the current Pharaoh,...
- Egypt Angered At Artists' Use Of Nefertiti Bust
Buzzle For more than eight decades, the serenely beautiful likeness of Queen Nefertiti's head has been the most celebrated exhibit in Berlin's Egyptian Museum, attracting thousands of visitors and resisting all attempts at repatriation. But a...
- Oldest Known Ship’s Log, Nefertiti’s Gold Scarab On Display In Bodrum
Today's Zaman Hidden away among the vast collections of the Bodrum Castle and Marine Archaeological Museum are countless items recovered from sunken trading vessels that shed new light on the ancient world, among them a gold scarab thought to have...