China supports the flourishing development of Egypt's archaeological industry

2025-03-12

In February of this year, the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced "one of the most important archaeological discoveries in Egypt in recent years": another pharaoh's tomb has been discovered since the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922. Recently, there have been a series of astonishing new discoveries in Egyptian archaeological excavations. From the rediscovery of pharaoh tombs to the excavation of ancient temples, archaeological achievements are uncovering more and more mysteries of ancient civilizations. At the same time, a new group of Chinese archaeologists recently returned to Egypt and joined hands with their Egyptian counterparts to carry out joint archaeology. The increasingly frequent archaeological cooperation between China and Egypt has become a model of cultural exchange between the two countries. The cultural code beneath the yellow sand - a new archaeological discovery in Egypt that shocked the world. The Valley of the Kings, west of the southern Egyptian city of Luxor, was scorched by the scorching sun on the reddish brown rocks. Archaeologists' brushes gently brushed over fragments of snowflake shaped gypsum jars filled with hieroglyphs for a moment. On the fragments, the names of Pharaoh Tuthmos II and his wife Hatshepsut from the 18th Dynasty (approximately 1575-1308 BC) gradually appear, confirming the identity of the tomb owner. At the same time, the blue ceiling of the tomb chamber is decorated with yellow stars symbolizing the authority of the pharaoh, and engraved with the contents of the "Book of Amduat" (an important religious document used in royal tombs), indicating that this is undoubtedly a pharaoh's tomb. On February 18th of this year, the joint archaeological team of Egypt and the United Kingdom announced that this tomb, which had been dormant for 3500 years, has finally come to light, becoming the first pharaoh tomb excavated by Egyptian archaeologists in over 100 years since the discovery of the famous pharaoh Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922. On January 8th, the Supreme Council of Antiquities in Egypt announced a significant discovery made by archaeologists at the site of the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut in Luxor. The archaeological team led by former Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Hawass, after more than three years of hard work, finally found the partial foundation of the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut in the Valley. This valley temple serves as the entrance to the main temple, with exquisite reliefs and inscriptions preserved on its foundation, vividly showcasing the outstanding sculptural art of Queen Hatshepsut and Thutmose III of the 18th Dynasty. On November 25, 2024, a joint archaeological team from Egypt and Germany also unearthed a treasure in the ancient village of Atribis near Sohage, a temple with a history of 2100 years that has been restored to light. The entrance of the temple consists of two towering towers, decorated with reliefs from the Ptolemaic VIII period, vividly depicting the images of the lion headed goddess "Lepit" and the fertility god "Min". This discovery provides extremely valuable information for studying religious architecture during the Ptolemaic dynasty (approximately 305 BC to 30 BC). The guardian of pharaoh heritage - archaeology has risen to a national strategy. The reason why Egypt's archaeological excavations have repeatedly yielded new results is not only due to its unique archaeological resources, but also closely related to its archaeological system, international archaeological cooperation, the use of technological means, and the popularization of archaeological awareness among the public. In Egypt, every grain of sand could be the key to unlocking the mysteries of civilization Khalid, the Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities in Egypt, stood in front of the reporter, pointing his right hand towards the direction of the Sakara Pyramid Group in the distance, with a firm tone. This statement is by no means empty talk. The Egyptian government regards archaeology as the lifeline of the country and the cornerstone of cultural heritage, and it is also an important engine for promoting economic development and boosting tourism growth. The government has even elevated the archaeological industry to the level of national strategy, constructing a three-dimensional network of cultural relics excavation and protection through multiple channels such as law, technology, and education. The Egyptian Cultural Relics Law and Archaeological Excavation Management Law have established a strict institutional framework, which provides detailed regulations on the approval, implementation, cultural relic protection, research, and exhibition of archaeological excavations. For example, all archaeological excavations must be approved in advance and carried out by qualified archaeological institutions or experts. All archaeological projects must be approved by the Supreme Cultural Relics Committee and implement a "graded excavation permit system": local institutions can apply for A-level permits for active excavation, and international teams need to participate through the "joint archaeology" model. It is generally believed that modern Egyptian archaeology began in 1822, marked by the successful interpretation and deciphering of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs by French scholar Jean Baptiste Champollion. Systematic research and archaeological work began in the early 20th century. Almost at the same time, especially since the mid-20th century, Egypt has launched a "joint archaeology" mechanism with foreign counterparts, actively promoting international joint archaeological projects. By absorbing cutting-edge archaeological teams from multiple countries, integrating world-class talents and technological resources, and focusing on archaeological excavation work, it has achieved good results. Currently, the cross-border cooperation rate in Egyptian archaeology is as high as 70%. Standing in the world-renowned ruins of the Valley of the Kings, the scorching sun is like fire, and the entire land is filled with rolling heat waves. Sweating archaeologists are operating a geological radar scanner, and the waveform on the screen is jumping like a heartbeat. There is an abnormal structure 12 meters underground, which may be an unrecorded tomb, "said the leader Professor Yehaya's voice trembling slightly with excitement. Not far away, French team members are using 3D modeling technology to restore the peeling colors of murals, and digital brushes are accurately filling in the virtual space with lines from 3000 years ago. This is the daily scene of archaeological sites in Egypt today: technology and history intersect and collide here, and the dormant civilization is being awakened by the light of technology. Egypt has achieved significant results in empowering archaeology through technology. In the digital laboratory near the Giza Plateau, laser scanners are recording every giant rock of the Khufu Pyramid with an accuracy of 0.1 millimeters. This "holographic archaeological information" strategy has covered more than 100 important sites throughout Egypt, and the established database contains three-dimensional models of millions of cultural relics. Our reporter put on a VR (virtual reality) device and instantly traveled to the New Kingdom era city of Thebes: the thermal imaging layer clearly displayed the underground water supply system, AR (augmented reality) marked the mechanical structure of the building site, and the algorithm is accurately calculating the original height of the temple colonnade. According to Egyptian media reports, the breakthrough application of molecular archaeology is also astonishing. In a laboratory at Cairo University, researchers successfully isolated microbial DNA from plant fibers extracted from mummy shrouds dating back to the 14th century BC. This is not only a technological leap, but also a revolution in methodology, as archaeology is shifting from the study of "things" to the reconstruction of "life history". In the underwater archaeology of Alexandria in 2022, the autonomous underwater robot equipped with a mass spectrometer was able to locate the sunken ship solely through seawater composition analysis, increasing traditional exploration efficiency by 17 times. Egypt is also vigorously building a "national archaeology" ecosystem, such as the "Discover Your History" national archaeology program, which has sparked an archaeological boom. In Aswan, our reporter encountered fisherman Hassan reporting clues about Nubian pottery shards to the archaeological station. This "public archaeological information officer" system has developed over 28000 volunteers. The archaeological topic on social media attracts millions of users to actively participate. Archaeologists regularly livestream the excavation process, and netizens even use AI (artificial intelligence) tools to compare pottery patterns to assist in dating. This interaction not only enhances the cultural identity of the people, but also increases the report rate of illegal excavation by 39%. Another characteristic of Egyptian archaeology is that archaeological work not only focuses on salvage excavations, but also combines them with tourism development. For example, priority should be given to protective excavations in infrastructure intensive areas such as the Nile Delta, and immersive tourism should be used to enhance the public experience. In addition, Egyptian archaeology is highly integrated with cultural revival. The government emphasizes the role of archaeological achievements in promoting cultural revitalization, such as restoring pharaonic festivals and rebuilding some historical sites, making archaeology an important component of national identity, national pride, and cultural soft power construction. Analysis has pointed out that Egyptian archaeology has provided a model and experience for the development of world archaeology, and has important value in studying the origin and evolution of human civilization. Its archaeological achievements have also influenced people's understanding of ancient world civilizations. As one of the four birthplaces of ancient civilizations in the world, Egypt has not only promoted in-depth research on ancient Egyptian civilization through continuous archaeological excavations, but also promoted the development of world cultural heritage protection. Egypt's archaeological policies and model achievements have also deepened cross-cultural integration and cooperation. The Civilization Dialogue between the Yellow River and the Nile River - The fruitful archaeological cooperation between China and Egypt. The sunlight shines through the cracks of the date palm trees and falls on the site of the Temple of Mengtu, while golden dust gently dances in the air. Jia Xiaobing, the Chinese executive leader of the Sino Egyptian Joint Archaeological Project, bent down to wipe away the floating soil on the newly unearthed mud bricks, gazing at the ancient imprints - the oval shaped seals with the words "Neb Maat Ra" prominently engraved inside. This is the coronation name of Amenhotep III, the ninth pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty of ancient Egypt, who founded the Temple of Mengtu. The laying method of these mud bricks is extremely neat, and combined with the seal information, it can be confirmed that the history of the relics in this area can be traced back to at least the 14th century BC Jia Xiaobing told our reporter. Egyptian archaeologist Ashmawi looked at the reporter and gently touched the brick surface, excitedly saying, "Yes, this provides crucial and powerful evidence for the construction age and architectural distribution of the Mengtu Temple." Since the signing of the archaeological cooperation agreement between China and Egypt in 2018, excavation work at the Mengtu Temple site has been ongoing for seven years. At the end of February this year, the Chinese archaeological team once again set foot on Egyptian soil and joined hands with their Egyptian counterparts to launch a new round of joint archaeological operations. Recently, the archaeological team successfully cleared a complete small holy lake site on the west side of the Maat Temple based on the original excavation, which further enriches the understanding of the ancient Egyptian religious system. China's technology and equipment provide solid support for Sino Egyptian joint archaeology, making excavation work more precise and efficient. During the archaeological process at the Mengtu Temple site, the Chinese team carried a total station electronic speedometer (hereinafter referred to as the "total station"), combined with advanced software and hardware systems, broke through technical limitations, and completed a series of key tasks such as terrain surveying, 3D modeling, relic mapping, and inscription stitching, ensuring the smooth progress of archaeological work. Due to the limitations of relevant laws and regulations in Egypt, we are unable to use drones and RTK (Real time Dynamic Carrier Phase Difference Technology) for surveying and mapping. However, we fully utilized the advantages of Chinese equipment and relied on total stations to complete accurate mapping of the site topography Jia Xiaobing introduced, "This enables every building and relic in the site area to be accurately located, providing basic data for studying the spatial layout, interrelationships, and construction sequence of the architectural complex." On the basis of precise surveying, the Chinese team also used close range photogrammetry technology and professional photography equipment to take all-round and multi angle photos of the architectural relics of the Mengtu Temple. Combined with software such as Agisoft Metashape Pro (a high-quality 3D model software based on image automatic generation), high-precision 3D modeling of the Mengtu Temple was achieved. With the help of this technology, Chinese archaeologists have reconstructed this ancient temple in digital space, providing important references for subsequent research and laying a solid foundation for future cultural relic protection and public display. The Egyptian newspaper "Pyramid Daily" commented that on the coordinate system of the dialogue between the Nile and Yellow River civilizations, the joint archaeological project of the Mengtu Temple in Luxor, Egypt, is writing a new chapter in cross-cultural archaeology. This is not only the excavation of historical relics, but also a dialogue of wisdom spanning thousands of years, allowing the echoes of history to echo in modern society for a long time. The article states that archaeology is not just about

Edit:Yi Yi    Responsible editor:Li Nian

Source:people.cn

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