Answers to more of your questions II

Here are the answers to your latest questions from the blogs:

Lindsey - There were 6 woman pharoahs in Egypt. Nitocris in the 6th dynasty, Sobekneferu in the 12th, Hatshepsut in the 18th, Smenkhkare (some have even suggested this was another name for Akhenaten's wife, Nefertiti) in the 18th, Twosret in the 19th and Cleopatra VII in the final Ptolemaic dynasty. Hatshepsut is really the only woman that ruled when Egypt was prosperous.

Mitch - Egyptologist used to think that King Tut was murdered by Ay but recent evidence shows this not to be the case. It is now thought that he died from an infection from a hunting accident - you can read more in this National Geographic article from 10/23/07.

Brian - Yes, we really like seeing all of these places on the West Bank. We are actually planning on going back in the next few days to see more of the tombs that we didn't get to go in. I hope you can visit www.kv5.com and see the same things we are seeing. It's really interesting because these tombs are beautifully decorated and very large. The ancient Egyptians didn't have bulldozers like we have now so it must have taken them a very long time to dig these tombs out.

Alex - Egyptians thought the heart was the brain because they could feel it beating. They could feel love and other emotions with their heart. It seemed to them to be the seat of all of their emotions and thoughts.

Jack - It took us 3 hours to drive to Abydos from Luxor. Two hours from Abydos to Dendera and one hour back to our hotel in Luxor.

Carlyle Lynn - Yes, we are having fun but traveling in these kinds of countries is difficult. The language hasn't been that much of a problem for us because most everyone speaks a little English. Also, most of the signs in the larger cities are written in English and Arabic. Not knowing what's in the food is a bit hard plus not being able to drink the water and eat the fresh fruit and vegetables starts to get a bit hard after awhile. Start saving your money now. You can definitely go to Egypt when you get a little older. Nothing is impossible. If you have a love for something or are interested in something, you can always figure out a way to do it.

Carin - I don't know about the mummification of insects. I think you are right in that they just let them dry up with the natron solution without removing any of the insides. I will try to ask our guides in the next few days. This National Geographic article describes how animals were mummified the same way as humans, so it makes sense that sacred insects were treated the same way.