From My Fantasy Writing Desk:
Tucson Festival of Books
Last Sunday I had so much fun meeting new readers at the Tucson Festival of Books. I also caught up with some good writer friends while signing in the Sisters in Crime booth. Then I spent the afternoon in the Young Adult Pavilion (even though I write fiction for adults my novels work well with a YA audience). I enjoyed talking to teenagers about their favorite fantasy authors and introducing them to my fiction. I love telling people about the queen lost to history who is my main character.
Archaeology I enjoyed:
The Newest Sphinx
Newly excavated: A partially completed ram-headed sphinx at an ancient quarry workshop. Archaeologists also found a smaller sphinx right next to it, perhaps an apprentice practice work, and a coiled-up cobra that would have crowned the sphinx.
It isn’t clear why this work wasn’t delivered. Two theories are mentioned in this article. That it was abandoned because of a small crack. Or that it was ordered by Amenhotep III (Tut’s grandfather) at the end of his reign, and when he died, the order was left unfilled.
It remained unseen for 3 millennia because Roman-era quarry debris buried almost all of it. This Vintage News article was written by Nancy Bilyeau, whom many of you will know as a favorite historical fiction author of mine, most recently of The Blue.
Click here for Vintage News “Ram-Headed Sphinx Unearthed in 3,000-yr-old Egyptian Carving Workshop“
Earliest Tattoo Kit
Researchers have uncovered the oldest tattoo kit, 2,700 years old—and 4 of the tools are made from human bone. The location is on the main island of Tonga, an archipelago nation in the South Pacific Ocean.
As with many things archaeological, the actual excavation of these tools occurred a while ago, then they were thought lost in the wildfires and the finding of them safe triggered a closer look and analysis. The early date of these tools indicates that Polynesian tattoo artistry probably developed in Polynesia rather than any sort of import. So that is one of the significances of this tattoo tool kit.
As to the human bone part—which was the eye-catcher of this story—that turns out to be a guess based on the lack of any large enough other mammal bones on the island, so human bone must have been used. Polynesian tattoos represented deep cultural expression, sacred and otherwise, so using the bones of those who passed away may or may not be significant, or simply practical. That’s an intriguing dichotomy that may, in itself, be a wrong-headed notion. If anyone has some expertise in this region’s artifacts, share the information.
Click here for Archaeology News Network “Oldest human bone tattooing kit found in Tonga“