Saqqara Bird

by Autumn Studnicka

What is the Saqqara Bird

The Saqqara Bird is a bird-shaped artifact made of sycamore wood, it was discovered during the excavation of the Pa-di-Imen tomb in 1898 in Saqqara, Egypt. It has been dated to approximately 200 BC, and is now housed in the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Cairo. The Saqqara Bird has a wingspan of 7.1 inches and weighs 1.380 oz. It is shaped like what we’d recognize as a modern day airplane with the head of a bird.

Discovery

The tomb of Pan-di-Imen was discovered in 1898 by a group of French archeologists. The tomb was filled with artifacts, painted walls, mummies and all of their belongings that were left behind to aid them in the afterlife. In the heaps of artifacts of tools, arts, pottery, statues, and more, the archaeologists found a small wooden carved bird. It was found on a table laid there by some unknown human 2,200 years ago in approximately 200 BC. The little wooden bird was nearly perfectly symmetrical. In the museum records it states that it was found by a French archaeologist named “Lauret." At that time the model was labeled as a bird object and stored in the basement of the Cairo Museum in Egypt. Seventy years later Dr. Kahlil Messiha, an Egyptologist, re-discovered the model among other bird figurines. And made them recognize that the bird figurine did not look much like a bird, but resembled more of an airplane.

Victor Loret

As stated in the discovery section the Saqqara bird was discovered my a French archeologist named "Lauret" This could be a misspelling of Victor Loret, who excavated at Saqqara in 1898 and uncovered the tomb of Khuit, one of the many wives of the Pharaoh Teti. Victor Loret was the head of the Egyptian Antiquities Service. He also discovered many other tombs like tombs KV32, KV33, KV36, KV38, KV40, KV41 and KV42.

Dr.Khalil Messiha

Dr. Khalil Messiha was a Professor of Anatomy for the Artists at Helwan University in Egypt.Wikimedia Foundation. He brought the idea that the Saqqara bird resembled more of an airplane rather than a bird. Also as a member of the Royal Aeromodellers Club and Egyptian Aeronautical Club, he saw the Saqqara bird as something different than the other bird models that were displayed. To him, it showed the unmistakable characteristics of a model airplane. And suggested that the ancient Egyptians were the first ones in flight. To support his claim, he pointed out that many Egyptian tombs contained small models of things they might need in the afterlife. Models of chariots, ships, people, buildings, temples and other items were frequently found when tombs were excavated. Then he made the statement that the Saqqara Bird was in fact a model of the real thing, it could be an Egyptian Aeroplane in miniature.

Construction

Made out of sycamore wood the Saqqara bird is 5.6 in length with a wingspan of 7.2 in. Also the model has a vertical tail, instead of a horizontal one. And did not have legs. The function of the bird is unknown, though its shape resembles a bird, on close observation, it resembles a modern airplane with a head of a bird. It was constructed in 200 BC by the ancient Egyptians.

Context

The bird was constructed by the ancient Egyptians. With the function of the bird being unknown due to lack of documentation. Some believe that it was used as a ceremonial object, a child's toy, or a weather vane. Other Some people think that it may be a ceremonial object because the falcon, as the form most often used to represent many of the important gods in Egyptian mythology, most notably Horus and Ra Horakhty, the Saqqara Bird is modelled after this bird. There have also been suggestions that it could have been a toy for an elite child, or used as a weather vane. Others speculate that it might have been used as a type of boomerang, since throwing sticks were common and well-known in ancient Egypt for hunting waterfowl.

Psuedoarcheolgical Claims/beliefs

Some people believe that the Saqqarra bird may represent evidence that knowledge of aviation and flying machines existed. The claim that the Saqqara Bird was a model of an airplane. Many speculated that the ancient Egyptians were the first to invent aircraft. However, no ancient Egyptian aircraft have ever been found, nor has any evidence suggesting their existence. The Saqqara Bird has a vertical tailplane which, unlike all of the other birdlike artifacts found, had a horizontal shape, more of a real bird's tail. .

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