Mediterraneo Antico - 03

derstanding what you know, and who your audience is – and therefore what you have that you can pass on.

Social networks are an excellent way to develop an Egyptological ‘persona’ and to build a reputation for doing

interesting things, knowing interesting things and sharing them with a wide audience. Finally, go to Egypt, be in

Egypt, as much as you can!

You have added several fieldworks – archaelogical campaigns in Egypt – to your academical skills; you also

digged in the Assasif and in the Abido Necropolis, if I am not wrong. Tell us something about your first dig, if

there is any anecdote to tell, your impressions, and what was your feeling facing the remainings of an ancient

civilization (until that moment only studied on the books) for the first time as an archaeologist.

Wow, good question! To be honest I think I spent so much time worrying about things during my first excavations

that I was unable to really focus on the archaeology in the way I might have liked. Egypt is quite an overwhelming

country for someone like me – a quiet, shy Englishman who, at that time, had not travelled very much – so I think

that to begin with I learnt more about modern Egypt than about the ancient culture. But so much of that stayed

with me very strongly – the sunshine, the sounds of the cars or of donkeys, and the warm, dry air. All of that has

been with me in the way that I imagine Egypt, ancient and modern ever since.

What I loved about working with the Italian Archaeological Mission to Luxor for four years – from the archa–

eological point of view – was that apart from the wonderful monuments we were working in and around in

el-Asasif, I had the opportunity, usually at breakfast time, just to sit and look out across the landscape towards

Deir El-Bahri and to imagine what would have been similar for the ancients and what would have changed.

That really helped me to understand the landscape and the way it has evolved over time. I was in a really good

place for that as the history books and the tourist experience suggest that that Deir El-Bahri was an Eighteenth

Dynasty place – Hatshepsut dominates the story, and yet she arrived centuries after Mentuhotep Nebhepetre,

and her temple was used and re-used for various different purposes in the centuries after her death. It was only

chiefly Hatshepsut’s place, and the temple we see now is largely the result of archaeologists’ rebuilding in the

20th century – it’s a modern monument!

In these days two breaking news have moved the Egyptology world. First of all, the italian Egyptologist Fran-

cesco Tiradritti has defined the famous “Fayum gooses” painting as a probable fake, dating the painting to the

XVIII century. Then your fellow countryman, the egyptologist Nicholas Reeves, has said that in Tutankhamon's

tomb should be some undiscovered rooms that would hide the tomb of Queen Nefertiti. What do you think

about all of the above? Tell us your opinion especially about the second matter, as you have done a research

on Tutankhamon for the Channel 4 film “Tutankhamun: The Mystery of the Burnt Mummy”.

Well, Francesco is a very good friend – he was the director f the Italian project I worked for so I owe him a lot

including everything I just said about having the opportunity to understand the landscape around Deir El Bahri!

He is an enormously knowledgeable man, a very talented Egyptologist but also a mischief-maker! He loves to

rock the establishment and this makes me smile. I cannot really comment on his theory but his evidence seems

to be strong and there are lots of similar storied of supposedly great works of Egyptian art having been forged

at around that time. One of the things I found interesting is that so many people dismissed his ideas out of hand

but without presenting clear evidence to argue against his case. He may well be right.

Similarly, I enjoyed reading Nick Reeves’ theory about the possibility of there being hidden chambers in the tomb

of Tutankhamun very interesting. It’s just so exciting, which I think is very exciting in itself. But I also thought he

made a very strong case and although some will criticise him for not having published his ideas in a peer-re-

viewed journal I thought it was excellent that he had set down his case in a very clear and logical way in a paper

posted to his

page so that people could follow up his thoughts if they wanted to. We do not often

have the luxury of being able to do that when sensational Egyptological stories appear in the news. We will only

know if he is right when the radar and other tests have been carried out and of course I am looking forward to

hearing the results.