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THE OSIRISNET PROJECT |
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Anyone who is seriously interested in the tombs of Ancient Egypt know the volumes of Bertha Porter and Rosalind Moss (Porter & Moss "). This remarkable work is not however illustrated, and can't be easily updated.
Compared to their number, few tombs have been published with good iconography in colour, which is, in addition, necessarily limited in a paper edition. These rare publications are also often difficult to obtain, and expensive. To add, and it is an important element for reflection, that a good number of tombs haven't had the good fortune to be published in book-form, because they are too damaged, or don't include any spectacular scenes.
The aim of our project is to photograph or to gather photographs from the greatest possible number of tombs and mastabas, so as to cover them as completely as possible, the tombs and mastabas, known and less known, and to put them freely at the disposal of all on our OsirisNet.net site.
Thus the above quoted problems would be circumvented, and of the sometimes splendid but ignored monuments could, in full safety for them, being revealed to the world.
Some will think this to be a utopian project ... but doesn't Egypt also add to this dream ?
Numerous people have photos in their personal collection.
All Egyptophiles throughout the world, will be thankful if you accept to share them on the site.
OsirisNet can only live and develop, as such, if people - like yourselves, who can read these lines - are good enough to help us find the essential photographic material.
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 his message is from the owner of this site, Thierry Benderitter. I (Jon Hirst) only translated it. I also produce original pages, in English, which Thierry then translates.
he idea started from a report :
the magnificent tombs left to us in ancient Egypt remain too poorly known by the general public, who are more and more passionate of this civilisation. This is all the more paradoxical as they represent one of the essential heritages which make it all the more possible to penetrate in the universe of the ancient Egyptians, not only their beliefs but also their everyday life.
Many people will never get to Egypt.
Those that have been there, even several times, very often only too briefly visits of some of these tombs; numerous are those people who would like to see some more, and also to know more about them.
 hy are the Egyptian tombs so badly known?
 First of all, to assure their protection, a minute number of them, always the same ones, are open to the public, and for several years now it is forbidden for photographs to be taken in them.
When photography was permitted, the conditions of lighting almost always posed problems in the absence of a cumbersome specialised equipment and authorisations.
The institutes or (public) foundations hardly encourage distribution in this domain: numerous tombs are not published, or only with a few meagre pictures in black and white. Yet these institutions have in their stores numerous photographs, in excellent condition, which they obtained. But nearly all lie dormant, inaccessible, in drawers and are finally lost to everyone.
 dditionally, full size reconstructions (Lascaux type) are still only at the project state. Anyway, they could only concern some monuments, and could be only partial representations for the great tombs.
 sirisNet tries to fill this hiatus, and also to act as a link between the work of the Egyptologists and a more and more vast and demanding public, which wants to pass the simple superficial vision of the monument for a more deeper approach, but at the same time aesthetic and explanatory, a comprehensive approach.
A global and complete approach, based on modern media, is the method which OsirisNet tries to develop. The tomb must not only be able to be seen, to be visited, but also to be understood.
A multi-centred approach is therefore offered, associating a detailed description, the largest possible iconography and where possible a 3D visit, the whole being presented in respect to modern data standards.
 reviously, it was essentially amateur Egyptophiles who contributed towards the site.
Nevertheless, we began to convince certain professionals that a collaboration was of interest for everybody. This is how we obtained the authorisation of the Polish mission in Saqqara, directed by the Prof. Karol Mysliwiec, to put on-line a long summary of their work, dedicated to the magnificent - and completely inaccessible - mastaba of Merefnebef in Saqqara. The great public can thus now know of the existence and the beauty of this monument. The people who want in to know more can acquire the published work and so to help Polish Egyptological research.
Other projects are in progress with this team, which shows well that publication on paper and publication on the web do not have to be competitors, but can complement each other.
The same has been true, to a slightly lesser degree, with the Australian Centre for Egyptology, via Prof. Naguib Kanawati, who who assisted in Jon's production of pages for the mastaba of Mereruka and his son Meryteti.
We hope that other Egyptologists will be interested by this initiative.
sirisNet thus , thanks everyone, is hoping to succeed in creating the best alternative to a physical visit and to also contribute in this manner, and at its level, to the protection of the tombs and mastabas of Egypt.
Thanks
 would like to thank all the people who help me to translate the pages of the site:
• [Added by me (JJH)] : Thierry BENDERITTER, without whom this site could not exist. It is Thierry who maintains the site in total, not just the French pages. He is the author of most texts (including the news pages) and is the provider of a great many photos. He is responsible for all communications regarding this site.
• Jon HIRST, who not only translates but is also responsible for the pages in English. He is also the author many texts, drawings and plans and he is the creator of all of the 3D virtual reality tours. Without him, OsirisNet would not be what it is.
 ome Egyptologists wanted to really show their empathy with and support for this work. Some provided the texts and photographs. I here wish to express my respect and gratitude.
special thank you to Michel Treillet for his bibliographical help. If an article exists somewhere, he is going to find it.
Also Raymond Betz, responsible for the 'Groupe d'Etudes Egypte' (Lasnes, Belgium), for all the help and the support which he brings to us.
wish to also thank Prof. Michel Guay of the University of Quebec in Montreal who encouraged me to create this site, and William Hoffmann who made me make my first - and painful - steps in html.
Sources
 no indication is provided concerning the origin of the photographs, it is that they come either of my personal collection (9 journeys to Egypt) or that of Jon Hirst.
ther photographs, translations, documents, or information, are provided by friendly Egyptophiles, whom we thank very heartily here.
Numerous photographs, and some bibliographical data are communicated by friendly Egyptophiles, whom I thank very heartily here.
The main contributors are :
• Christian Mariais
• Alain Guilleux and his site "une promenade en égypte"
• Serge Blanc
• Christiane Hachet (director of the collection "Champollion" the Editions du Rocher)
• Christiane Dispot
• Georges Engel
• Brigitte Goede
• Marjolaine Moreau
• Jon Bodsworth and his site "The Egypt archive"
• Raymond Monfort and his site Men-Maat-Rê, Sethy I
• Paul Biesta
• Stan Kurowski
• Cau Brualla
• Jim Ashton
• Hans Groesz
• Les and Shirley Brown
• Tish Chapman
of the other people, who provide, information, translations or occasionally documents: please find here the expression of our gratitude. Everyone who has kindly helped us, are also cited on the appropriate page.
So far we have been unable to find a contributor willing to take care of a version in Arabic, which would be nevertheless very useful to help the numerous Egyptian students who visit us; or those working in tourism, or Egyptologists.
A monthly NEWS letter, summarising the main events in the world of Egyptology is produced on a monthly basis; as are also announcements of the new publications on the site itself.
Monuments other than the tombs are also presented when their interest, and the circumstances, made it possible to document them. It is thus, for example, that you can find the existence, in close proximity to Medinet Habu, of a small almost unknown Ptolemaic temple, the Qasr el Aguz.
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Osirisnet is a totally non-profit site, and without advertisements.
The site is copyrighted. Nevertheless, we are always happy
to help people, especially students, wanting some documents
or photos for a non commercial use. |
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