Earlier in the year I was having trouble finding the web sites of some Egyptology groups and societies. There have been a number of changes and now new sites are either up and running or in the process of being constructed. If anyone has missed out, send a message via the Ed and it will get to me whatever the season.

First of all, the new North Yorkshire Ancient Egypt Group (NYAEG) site can be found at www.nyaeg.fsnet.co.uk.It was still under construction when I waded in, but the concept and design seemed excellent, with some atmospheric segues (is that the word you mortals use?) from page to page.  You can read back copies of articles from the group’s very professional newsletter, Seshen.

The new site of Tameside Egyptology Group (TEG) is also shaping up very well, with a visitors’ book and some promising ideas. Check it out on www.egypt.20m.com .

Manchester Ancient Egypt Society (MAES) has a new site at the classically simple yet elegant maes.org.uk. It has everything that the old site had to offer and then some. Very professional, excellent links and plenty to digest. It will keep you going for a long time! It’s also, as far as I am aware, the only society site to offer links to the majority of other UK society sites.

While out there on these wonderfully smooth waters, I dipped into the site of Thames Valley Ancient Egypt Society, (TVAES)  www.tvaes.btinternet.co.uk and the Sussex College of Egyptology, www.egyptology.sussex.mcmail.com.

There are still a few sites that seem to be out of action…are they under reconstruction or have they gone forever? Tried the Sussex Egyptology Society site, members.aol.com/egyptsusx without success so far but I’m sure it’s only a temporary glitch.

Now, for our first ever visit to one of the most substantial and informative sites on the web. The www.newton.cam.ac.uk/egypt/index.html site is massive, colourful and chunky, a Yorkie bar of information for the would-be Egyptology student. Where to begin is the only problem. The site is also one of the longest established, and between May ’98 and June ’99 received over 2 million hits.

The pages devoted to the Tomb of Senneferi, TT99, would probably be a good place to start. This on-going Cambridge project has been made available to surfers through the work of Nigel Strudwick, and what an excellent job he has done. This is the next best thing to excavating in Egypt for wannabee excavators, and there are quite a lot of those about. Meticulously constructed, the pages give the location of the excavation in Qurna, and background excavation on the family for which the tomb was originally constructed, along with a tour of the tomb, background texts, related museum exhibits and masses of other information.

The work of Nigel Strudwick is also responsible for much of the rest of the success of the web site and gives every impression of a joyful embracing of the medium of the web. It’s here to stay, folks. Better get used to it and to using it for Egyptology information. 

The site has plenty to offer the academic and non-academic browser, and especially school children. According to the information, an Australian school has adopted TT99 as a special project after, presumably, finding out about it through the web site. Finally, Nigel and Helen Strudwick give their own book “Thebes in Egypt” a mention on the pages, with the wish that no-one will mind. And so I’ll give it a mention too.