NEW CHRONOMETRIC INSIGHTS INTO ANCIENT EGYPTIAN MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS HELD AT THE MUSÉE DU LOUVRE AND THE MUSÉE DES BEAUX-ARTS DE LYON

ABSTRACT Very little is known about the manufacturing and use of ancient Egyptian instruments, and their discovery is very rare. An extensive radiocarbon (14C) dating program has been conducted on 25 ancient Egyptian musical instruments currently held at the Louvre Museum (musée du Louvre) and the Lyon Museum of Fine Arts (musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon). This study includes cordophones (harps, lyres, lutes), membranophones (drums, tambourines), idiophones (clappers, crotales), as well as wind instruments (oboe) that have entered the museum collections during the 19th century or the first half of the 20th century; consequently, the original archaeological contexts of their discoveries are poorly understood. Approximately 50 14C dates enable drawing a general overview of the instruments manufacturing. A wide variety of wood material has been identified, representing both indigenous species and imported species. Results indicate that the native flora of Egypt was exclusively used until the Third Intermediate Period when the first imports could be identified. 14C results are not always consistent with relative dates previously thought, mainly based on stylistic criteria. They demonstrate these collections hold very well-preserved objects extending over 2500 years, from the Second Intermediate Period (ca. 1700 BCE) to the start of the Islamic Period (8th century CE). This project provides important results for the knowledge of ancient Egyptian musical instrument crafts.

Two additions to the Asteraceae of Egypt

The novel occurrence of Helenium amarum (Raf.) H. Rock var. amarum and Pulicaria dysenterica (L.) Gaertn. (Asteraceae) in the flora of Egypt is reported. Apart from the single collection of H. amarum var. amarum in Australia, this taxon was not recorded previously outside its country of origin in South-Eastern United States and Mexico. With the recording of Pulicaria dysenterica in Egypt, Libya remains the only Mediterranean country where it has not as yet been found. Detailed description of the two species in terms of 83 characters is provided. A data matrix including the eight Pulicaria species found in Egypt and 19 of their morphological characters was compiled and a conventional key was constructed using the key-generating computer program suit DELTA.

Taxonomic revision of the genus Ononis (Trifolieae, Fabaceae) in Egypt, with the first record of Ononis viscosa subsp. breviflora

The genus Ononis comprises 86 species worldwide distributed in temperate regions. It is represented in Egypt by ten species. During recent excursions to the mountains of southern Sinai Peninsula, a newly recorded species, namely O. viscosa subsp. breviflora, was collected. This new record was previously confused with O. sicula. These two species can be differentiated by corolla length and shape. This study provides a full taxonomic revision of the genus for the flora of Egypt, updated nomenclature for all taxa, amended descriptions, detailed hand drawings, and a diagnostic key to the species. The most valuable diagnositic characters in the taxonomy of the genus in Egypt are discussed. After critical examination and literature study, we found that two names (O. serrata and O. vaginalis) needed to be lectotypified.

A new record of Abutilon grandifolium (subfamily Malvoideae, Malvaceae) from Qena Governorate, Egypt

Abutilon grandifolium is reported for the first time for the flora of Egypt. The paper includes a comprehensive description, occurrence, comparison with closely related species, comments on habitat, and an updated identification key to the species of Abutilon in Egypt. In addition, photographs are given for easy identification.