The latest from Egypt, Monday and Tuesday

Apologies for the lack of an update yesterday. I was a tad busy. Here are the latest updates about how current events in Egypt are impacting the archaeology and collections of Egypt. I am out this afternoon to meet Kate Phizackerely to talk about the latest development work for our new online magazine so I won't be updating again until tomorrow. There's very little new information.



Hawass has made a statement on his drhawass.com website about the restoration of items in the Egyptian Museum. He specifies some of the individual items that are undergoing restoration and has made it clear that none of the Akhenaten family mummies have been damaged.

Jeffrey Bartholet, who recently wrote an article about Saqqara on National Geographic has interviewed Tarek El Awady, the director of the Egyptian Museum. El Awady says that most of the artefacts damaged received only minor injuries and that the situation is much better than previously thought. He adds that four people were arrested, one of whom dropped the looted items whilst trying to scale a wall to escape and says that it is not yet possible to know whether any items were in fact stolen. Items will be inventoried to determine this.

CNN has provided a useful summary of the main points from Hawass's recent statements, together with the doubts expressed by some archaeologists. There's also a video showing a cordon of people protecting the Biblioteca Alexandrina.

The bikyamasr.com website has picked up on the restoration plans for artefacts damaged in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, quoting an SCA consultant believes it might take a few days longer to restore the objects than officially stated.

Kate has translated an interview in French with Professor Phillipe Colombert, Chair of Egyptology at the University of Geneve in the Tribune de Genève, which effectively counters Hawass's statements that Saqqara is undamaged.

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