Casting News

Cleopatra VII Documentary

We have just received the following notice from a production company in the US who are filming a documentary in Egypt later this month on the life of Cleopatra VII.

“We are producing a biography series for the History Channel on infamous characters in history, one of whom is Cleopatra– it’s essentially a biography of her life, but also looking at some of the darker sides to her character. We are filming in Egypt on Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th July. We need an Egyptologist to work with us on the ground in Luxor and for some other general filming, who feels confident discussing Cleopatra and the Ptolemaic Period.

We would like to film at the Temple of Dendara looking at the representation there of Cleopatra and Caesarion and the message this was presenting to the world. We are also interested in filming some sequences talking about Cleopatra as Isis and the meaning of her role as Isis, other areas of discussion could include her relationships with Caesar and Mark Anthony”

Travel expenses and accommodation within Egypt will be covered and a fee will be payable (through Past Preservers), however not flights to Egypt.

If you are interested in applying for this position please contact me asap and I will forward your details to the production company, who will arrange a telephone interview with suitable candidates, so please supply a telephone number.

Any questions please email us, all the best Nigel

nigel@pastpreservers.com

Hit and Run History: The Columbia Expedition-Open Call

Hit and Run History is holding a competition this summer for a new crewmember – one with a special talent. We’re looking for a Portuguese speaker for the next episode, as we follow the track of the Columbia Expedition.

The first American voyage 'round the world left Boston Harbor on October 1, 1787 commanded by Cape Codder John Kendrick. Their first stop was in Cape Verde. With so many people in Southeastern New England able to speak Portuguese, it makes sense to see if we can find someone to bring along to help out.

We're holding an open call for talent. Are you a budding historian, actor or videographer? Any combination thereof? All three is best because our cast IS our crew.

REQUIREMENTS

Native Fluency in Portuguese
Valid Passport and able to obtain a visa to Cape Verde
Signing a release for us to use you and your work during the shooting of the episode, and that this is all done at your own risk.


Points given for familiarity in:

Cape Verde, its culture and history
Post-Revolutionary War History or Maritime History (and especially the Columbia Expedition)
Video or still photography

Extra points given for:

If we think we can get along with you for a week

The trip will entail roughly a week’s travel to Cape Verde as an unpaid member of our crew. These will be long days, often in risky or even hazardous circumstances. Airfare and lodging (shared) will be provided. Any other expenses are your own.

This is not a prize. We reserve the right to refuse anyone, or to not bring anyone at all. It might turn out we just don’t find the right person.

HOW TO APPLY

YOU MUST: Go to Facebook and become a Fan of Hit and Run History: The Columbia Expedition

YOU CAN: Send us an email at CapeVerde@hitandrunhistory.com with your vitals (name/age/etc.) and explaining in 100 words or less why we should take you along.

IT WOULDN’T HURT:

To Upload photos or video, or links to them, of yourself or your work to the “Come Run With Us” event page,

OR

If we saw you at one of our screenings this summer, in locations like Chatham, Hull, Provincetown, Brewster or Edgartown.

BUT YOU REALLY, REALLY OUGHTA: Come to our open calls, the first of which will be held on Tuesday, July 14 from 7-9 PM at the Cape Cod Community Media Center in South Yarmouth.

Good luck!

Breaking News from Egypt

23rd June 2009

Minister of Culture, Farouk Hosni, announced today that Egyptian archaeologists, performing routine conservation work at the southern side of Saqqara’s step pyramid (2687-2668 BC), have stumbled upon what is believed to be a deep hole full of the remains of animals and birds. The mission has also found that the hole’s floor is covered with a layer of plaster.

Dr. Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), has stated that the mission unearthed a large quantity of golden fragments during their restoration work at the southern tomb of Djoser’s pyramid. These may have been used by the ancient Egyptians of the Late Period to decorate wooden sarcophagi or to cover carttonage. Thirty granite blocks were also discovered, each weighing five tons. These blocks, Dr. Hawass explained, belonged to the granite sarcophagus that once housed Djoser’s wooden sarcophagus - the final resting place of the king’s mummy.

While cleaning the internal corridors of the pyramid, the mission has also found limestone blocks bearing the names of King Djoser's daughters, as well as wooden instruments, remains of wooden statues, bone fragments, the remains of a mummy, and different sizes of clay vessels.

Hit and Run History: The Columbia Expedition

Release date: 22nd June 2009

Hit and Run History: The Columbia Expedition

Past Preservers is pleased to announce it is now the official media representative for the documentary Hit and Run History: The Columbia Expedition

Gumshoe Historian Andrew Buckley takes us on a journey, following the tracks of John Kendrick and the Columbia Expedition.

The first American circumnavigation of the globe was prompted by desperate Boston merchants following the Revolution, and commanded by former privateer John Kendrick. Returning to Boston three years later, it was a commercial failure and the commander was missing in the China.

Describing Kendrick’s life, Buckley says, “It’s not just the American Heart of Darkness -- it precedes Conrad’s novel by a hundred years. It could well be the original Heart of Darkness.” Kendrick’s explorations, travels and business on the Columbia Expedition are the focus of our story.

Buckley tells it in a gritty, let’s-get-our-hands-dirty style. This approach owes much to Anthony Bourdain, the devil-may-care host of Travel Channel's culinary adventure program “No Reservations.” Buckley brings the viewer directly to the scenes of historical events by visiting the sites as they are today. He tells the story here and now, himself -- and his film crew.

Download the full press release from our website @ http://www.pastpreservers.com/about.html

New Tombs found on Luxor's West Bank

SCA Press Release-

Minister of Culture, Farouk Hosni, announced today that an Egyptian archaeological mission led by Dr. Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), has discovered an 18th Dynasty tomb (1570-1315 BC) in the necropolis of Dra Abu el-Naga, on Luxor's west bank.

Dr. Hawass stated that the newly discovered tomb belongs to the Supervisor of Hunters, Amun-em-Opet, and that it dates to shortly before the reign of King Akhenaten (1372-1355 BC).

Dr. Hawass added that the entrances to two further undecorated tombs have also been found to the north-west of this tomb; seven funerary seals bearing the name of Amenhotep-Ben-Nefer, the Supervisor of the Cattle of Amun, were found in the courtyard of the first tomb, while seals bearing the name of Eke, the Royal Messenger and Supervisor of the Palace, were unearthed in the courtyard of the second. Furthermore, fragmentary remains of unidentified mummies have also been found, as well as a collection of Ushabti figures made of burned clay and faience

Expert needed for new Discovery TV show

Hello everyone, this has just arrived on my desk from a production company based in the US.

“We will be filming a show on the Ark of the Covenant and want to find an expert/archaeologist who can talk on camera about the presence of the Ark at the Jewish temple at Elephantine Island in Aswan, Egypt. We want to identify someone who is local or as close by as possible and who has good English.

The show is part of a series for Discovery about intriguing archaeological sites around the world. This particular show asks the question - what happened to the Ark of the Covenant? We will track its possible path from Jerusalem to Ethiopia. We will stop in Aswan to talk to the expert we are seeking about the Jewish temple, the possibility that the Ark could have been there, and in general about the Jewish presence in the area historically.

We would ideally like the expert to be from an area in or in close proximity to Aswan”

Filming will take place around July 19-20th, 2009.

If you are interested please email me asap.

Nigel J. Hetherington M.A

Owner & Founder

Past Preservers

nigel@pastpreservers.com

New Festival of British Archaeology Website Launched!

The CBA has launched a new Festival of British Archaeology website to
help you find out what's happening near you during this annual
extravaganza of heritage-related events. More than 600 excavations,
guided walks, reenactments, demonstrations, lectures and more are taking
place between July 18 and August 2 2009, with events covering the whole
of the UK from Margate in the east to Armagh in the west, and from Unst
in the north to Guernsey in the South.

Events can be searched for by postcode, event type and date so you can
find events which suit your interests and location:
www.archaeologyfestival.org.uk/whatson

There is also a facility to sign up to Festival e-newsletters, so you
can keep up-to-date with Festival news and developments throughout the
year:

www.britarch.net/mailman/listinfo/festival-news

An organisers' section provides all the information and downloadable
promotional material to help support event organisers and attract as
wide an audience as possible: www.archaeologyfestival.org.uk/organiser

The press section provides information and press releases for the media
to ensure that they have the facts and support to cover the Festival to
full effect in both print and broadcast media:
www.archaeologyfestival.org.uk/press

The Festival website will be regularly updated with new information and
events in the run-up to, and during, the Festival.

Tourism Concern launches new Ethical Travel Guide!

PRESS RELEASE: New Ethical Travel Guide is launched

Our very own Nigel provided the guide's introduction to Egypt

‘This is tourism with the lightest of touches. It's a new way of travelling for a new age. Book nothing till you've read it - it's the closest you'll get to guilt-free travel.’

Paul Heiney, television reporter and author

New Edition Includes:

• An extensive updated and expanded directory, listing over 400 hundred places to visit and stay in more than 70 countries, from canoeing the backwaters of the Amazon to luxury breaks in the Indian Ocean
• A new section tackling the dilemma of tourism and climate change by Tourism Concern director, Tricia Barnett
• Extended introduction, ‘Under an Ethical Sky’, by Polly Pattullo
• Real-life experiences told by ethical travellers
• Full-colour photographs

Sustainable Tourism

The UNWTO Sustainable Development of Tourism Department is pleased to inform you that the latest edition of the SDT E-bulletin is now available at http://www.unwto.org/sdt/ebulletin/en/ebulletin.php (also in Spanish and French.

This electronic newsletter is prepared and sent by email every 2-3 months with updates and technical information on actual events and activites related to the sustainable development of tourism.

Safe Podcasts

Great page of Podcasts by SAFE

Including Richard Leventhal on cultural heritage and Colin Renfrew on combating the illicit antiquities trade

These video lectures and podcast interviews featuring noted authors and experts in the field of cultural heritage preservation are produced by members and friends of SAFE

Arabic Lessons on the Beach in Sinai this summer

This company is run by a friend of mine, they held them last year and we are a great success.

Take Arabic Lessons on the Beach in Sinai this summer

Come take Arabic lessons on the beach and learn about Bedouin culture on the Gulf of Aqaba between Nuweiba and Taba. Students will be staying in one of the first Bedouin camps on the Red Sea – just steps away from some of the best diving and coral reefs in Sinai. Each student will have their own individual bamboo hut directly on the beach and will take their formal Arabic lessons overlooking the sea with an experienced language instructor fluent in Arabic and English. The simple condition of the Bedouin camp and the surrounding beauty of the environment takes the student far away from the frantic pace of other Egyptian cities and allows them to focus solely on Arabic.

Program includes:
- 3 hours of intensive Arabic a day
- Weekly Bedouin musical gatherings w/ translation
- Weekly conversation exchange with local Bedouin children
or local craft demonstrations and lessons w/ local Bedouin women
- Optional weekend excursions with Bedouin guides and translators to the desert (by camel or jeep)
- Optional diving instruction and organized dives

Dates:
4 weeks in August or September 2009 (shorter stays also possible, please ask for prices!)

Price:
- Basic Plan: 600 Euros includes breakfast and all Arabic lessons and included excursions
- Full Board: 850 Euros including all meals (mostly vegetarian food); no drinks

Facilities:
- Students will live in an authentic Bedouin camp – in a modern version of an ancient way of life.
- The camp is Bedouin owned and run
- Huts are cooled by natural breezes from the sea and instead of electric lighting - candles and moonlight create an ambience that respects the
natural rhythms of day and night.
- Students will have access to communal showers and toilets.

For more information contact Astrid Quast at astridquast@web.de and please include the following in your email:
- Name and contact information
- Type of Arabic desired (MSA – Modern Standard Arabic or ECA – Egyptian Colloquial Accent)
- Level of Arabic on level of 1-5

1 - pure beginner
2 - advanced beginner
3 - intermediate
4 - advanced intermediate
5 – advanced

www.almagana.com

Turath- EGYPT'S HERITAGE REVIEW - Issue#4 is OUT!

IN THIS ISSUE:



Heritage News- Nigel Hetherington/Turath

Taht el Rab'a- Lesley Lababidi

In Search of Cairo's Historical Gardens- Eva Dadrian

The Art Deco Heritage of Cairo - Nigel Hetherington

Women's Atelier in Tulun-Iman AbdelFattah

The Workmen of Quft-An Ongoing Legacy- Mennatullah ElDorry

Serabit ElKhadem- Fatma Kishk, Monica Hanna, Sara Abou Bakr

What's in a Name? Why Egypt is "Egypt" and other Derivations- Dr. Lisa Sabahy

Lady Liberty: A Fallaha? - Yasmine El-Dorghamy

Ismailia... Who Remembers? - Amr S. Talaat

The Cultural River Runs on - Jill Kamel

Past Horizons Magazine New Issue Online

The May 2009 issue of Past Horizons Magazine is now online. Free to read
for everyone.

Full version http://publications.pasthorizons.tv/?id=pasthorizonsmay09

PDF Version
http://www.scribd.com/doc/15572373/Past-Horizons-May-2009-Issue-8


Editorial
Challenge yourself.

News stories from around the world.

The Great Arab Revolt Project
Archaeology in the Jordanian desert through the eyes of volunteer Susan
Daniels.

Bamburgh Research Project
Archaeology is in itself a destructive process and as a result needs to be
fully recorded. The media department at the Bamburgh Research Project was
created to experiment with video recording as a means to deal more fully
with this issue. Gerard Twomey, the media director, explains the ideas
behind this successful project.

Where the Camel meets the Canoe
A team of Yale University academics have set up the Timbuktu Research
Project in response to the worsening environmental conditions in this remote
region. Their research has led them to conclude this is not the first time
Timbuktu has faced this particular dilemma.

Gloucester's Itinerant Diggers
Archaeologist Austin Ainsworth on the launch of an exciting heritage project
for Gloucester's homeless community.

Dig In
Archaeological volunteer digs and field schools for 2009.

Beneath the Bricks
A local group turns potential conflict into a positive outcome for the
community in a historic Louisiana town.

Profile
Archaeologist Douglas Post Park.

Dig Cook
Culinary escapades from Annie

Interested In...
Distance learning.

Viewpoint
David Connolly discusses what archaeology means to him.

Back Pages
Alternative Diggers' Photo Archive. (are you in there??)

3rd Annual Archaeology Student Conference

The HEA Subject Centre for History, Classics and Archaeology would like to invite you to the 3rd Annual Archaeology Student Conference on 30th June at Birkbeck College.

This conference is open to both undergraduate and postgraduate students in archaeology and related fields. There will be presentations about a range of topics, such as career options after graduation, advice on finding employment, publishing work, funding research and further study, and information from professional bodies such as the IfA.

This is the provisional programme for the day:

Registration and coffee around 11 am

Mark Pearce, University of Nottingham
Writing successful grant applications

Professor Martin Carver, Antiquity
Getting published

Lunch & publication surgery

Professor Matthew Johnson, University of Southampton
How to become a university lecturer

Tim Howard, Institute for Archaeologists
The IfA and its role

Tea / coffee

David Connolly, BAJR
How and where to start looking for a job

Andrew Fitzpatrick, Wessex Archaeology
Working in field archaeology

Discussion

Close around 5 pm