sightings – Introducing Nefret-Mut

 

screen shot of ROM Egyptologist Gayle Gibson         source : rom.on.ca

http://www.rom.on.ca/en/blog/introducing-nefret-mut-0

It’s great to realize that we can use modern technologies to learn more about ancient people and how they lived. A recent investigation of the hieroglyphics on this 3,000 year old mummy case have revealed the name of the deceased.

Nefret-Mut which means ‘the beautiful one of the Goddess Mut’

From torontoist.com

Researchers have revealed the real name of a ROM mummy that has been commonly known as “Justine.” Last week, Toronto Egyptologist Gayle Gibson discovered that the mummy was called Nefret-Mut, which means “beautiful one of the goddess Mut.” Gibson says that according to the messy hieroglyphics on what is believed to be her coffin, Nefret-Mut was a chantress at the Temple of Amun-Re. According to Gibson, Nefret-Mut lived around 945 B.C. during the rule of King Shesonq I. The mummy was excavated in 1905 to 1906 by egyptologist Eduoard Naville before being acquired by the ROM’s first curator Charles Trick Currelly, and is currently on display at THEMUSEUM in Kitchener.

Early fish found and donated

acanthodian       illustration by Danielle Dufault

Amateur fossil hunters have added significantly to Palaeontology through donations of important fossils. The earliest nearly complete fossil of a fish was recently excavated in a quarry near Ft. Erie, Ontario. Dated at 425 million years old, this specimen helps fill in the picture of early vertebrates as they changed from jawless to jawed.

The amateurs had been looking for eurypterids in the Bertie Formation dolostone that had already been quarried for 100 years. Densely packed and fine-grained, this is an area of exceptional preservation. If the non-mineralized eurypterids (sea scorpions) could be preserved, then other Silurian marine animals were expected. But in all that time, no one had found a fish.

Fortunately the fossil hunters understood they had found an important specimen and contacted the experts. Now the fish is classified (Nerepisacanthus) and registered in the museum collection. Hooray for the amateurs.

Fund-raising walk

completion medal photo source : Lorie Pierce

Too tired right now to comment. But it was a good experience fund-raising for Palaeontology at the museum.

Fossil – time period match game

game components photo source : Lorie Pierce

The disco party event at the museum last night was rocking, in more ways than one. Party-goers were invited to match 4 fossils with the time periods the original animal or plant lived within.

Since the focus for the evening was all things African, the fossils were specifically picked from the collection to represent Morocco, Egypt, Zimbabwe and Madagascar. Since the no actual bones of the dinosaur Spinosaurus were available, a plastic model and a reproduction claw were used as samples. Teams who were successful in making the match received stickers portraying dinosaurs, pterosaurs, icthyosaurs and ancient mammals. Since the participants were allowed to make as many guesses as they wanted, everyone who tried ended up a winner….while learning about ancient life in Africa at the same time.

game in action – it’s kind of dark     photo source : Lorie Pierce

Definitely a quiz we will repeat.

I'm atwitter

So many of my interests are aligning this week on Twitter.

fer and gingko fossils photo source : Lorie Pierce

@NatlFossilDay

#CephalopodAwarenessDay

#cuttlefish

@EarthSciWeek

Plus the standby #trilobitetuesday and #FossilFriday.

There are not enough 140 character increments in each day!

Kenojuak Ashevak doodle

Google Doodle to commemorate Kenojuak’s 87th anniversary of birth

The Google Doodle has become a way to deciminate information about important events and people. Today the great Inuit artist Kenojuak Ashevak was honoured in a doodle that draws on the spirit of her paintings. She passed away almost two years ago, outliving 3 husbands and many children.

Her Enchanted Owl print from 1960 is a classic. The image has graced many calendars, note cards and a Canadian postage stamp.

Enchanted Owl print © Reproduced with the permission of the West Baffin Eskimo Cooperative, Cape Dorset, Nunavut

Perhaps museums can find small ways, like Google uses the doodle, to highlight aspects of their collection. A doodle or a trivia fact could be posted on the museum website or sent out by Twitter or other social media.