[Moonmad27]

Thanks for this interesting article! Egyptian archaeology is always fascinating. The window of opportunity to visit Egypt seems to be shutting fast due to Islamic fundamentalism, and I always fear that some extremists over there are finally going to get upset that the Egyptian antiquities picture humans and other beings (against the rules, of course) and honor gods that aren't allah. These articles and photos, all thanks to the work of brave archaeologists, may be all we'll have someday.

[Vast Buffalo Wing Conspiracy]

The idea of Islamic crazies let loose amongst the antiquities of Egypt gives me the willies, but there is also another, long term danger, caused by the Aswan dam. Because of the dam, the formerly bone-dry soil of Egypt is now saturated with permanent ground water, which is slowly destroying the hieroglyphs and other wall and column artwork on the temples and tombs of Egypt. You can see this process at work, for instance, in the columns of these temples: there are large bare sections, which did not exist 50 years ago, where the outer layer of sandstone has peeled away, due to the increased moisture. In another 50 years, most of these hieroglyphs and artwork will be gone.