Since Howard Carter discovered King Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922, the world has been gripped by a mania for ancient Egypt. The find propelled Howard Carter a previously largely anonymous archaeologist to global fame, creating the world’s first celebrity archaeologist. Moreover, the lavish nature of the burial goods interred with King Tutankhamun for his journey through …
Ancient Egypt
Hieroglyphics was a system of writing developed by the ancient Egyptians around c. 3200 BC. These hieroglyphics were based on a system of several hundred ‘picture’ words. This writing system was extremely complex and enormously labour intensive. Egyptologists believe hieroglyphics were first employed on temple complexes, tombs and public buildings. Initially, ancient Egyptians used 700 …
Who was King Tutankhamun? Tutankhamun was the 12th king of ancient Egypt’s 18th dynasty. His enduring fame is due more to the vast riches found in his tomb than for his achievements on the throne as he reigned for only nine years around c. 1300’s B.C. How old was King Tut when he died? Tutankhamun …
The Ancient Egyptians relied on a lunar calendar until they migrated to a solar based calendar. While the exact genesis of the ancient Egyptians calendar remains unclear, Egyptologists estimate it was created some 5,000 years ago. While their lunar calendar regulated their rituals and religious festivals, the ancient Egyptians employed a solar calendar in their …
While some elements of marriage in ancient Egypt appear on the surface to be similar to those customs of today, other ancient conventions were radically different. Moreover, surviving accounts of marriage customs in ancient Egypt have failed to provide us with a full picture. As is the case today Egyptian society, saw marriage as being …
The ancient Egyptians led a rich theological life. With 8,700 deities in their pantheon, religion played a central part in both their society and their daily lives. The heart of their religious devotions was the temple. Devotees did not worship at the temple. Rather, they left offerings to their gods, made requests for their god …
Xerxes I was Persia’s king from 486 to 465 B.C. His reign continued the Achaemenid Dynasty. He has come to be known to historians as Xerxes the Great. In his time, Xerxes I’s empire stretched from Egypt to parts of Europe and east to India. At that time the Persian Empire was the largest and …
As with other cultures, the home was the centre of social life. Ancient Egyptian homes were built to a generally common layout using a limited range of natural materials. Most houses in ancient Egypt were built using readily available and abundant materials. Facts About Ancient Egyptian Houses Ancient Egypt’s earliest recorded houses date back to …
Thanks to her role as the ancient Egyptian goddess of kindness and love, Hathor was one of the most popular deities, worshipped by pharaohs and queens through to ordinary people. Hathor also personified motherhood and joy, as well as being the goddess of foreign lands, music and dance and miner’s patron goddess. Her instrument was …
In a religious pantheon brimming with 8,700 gods, the ancient Egyptians worshipped Ra ahead of all other gods. After all, Ra was the Egyptian god who created everything. In this role, Ra rose from a sea of turbulent chaos. Standing astride the primordial BenBen mound, creating himself, before begetting the remaining gods who formed the …
Today, Tutankhamun’s tomb is considered to be one of the world’s great art treasures. When his burial items go on tour, they continue to draw record crowds. Its fame is due in no small part to the grave goods in King Tutankhamun’s tomb being intact when Howard Carter discovered it. Intact royal burials are rare …
Few Pharaohs have captured the public imagination over succeeding generations than the young Pharaoh Tutankhamun. Ever since Howard Carter discovered his tomb in 1922, the world has been enthralled with the splendour and vast richness of his burial. The pharaoh’s comparatively young age and the mystery surrounding his death have combined to fuel the world’s …
Neferefre may not be amongst the most high profile of Egyptian pharaohs, however, he is one of the most thoroughly documented kings of the Old Kingdom’s (c. 2613-2181 BCE) Fifth Dynasty. Inscriptions, texts and artifacts discovered in his mortuary temple have given Egyptologists fresh insights into elements of life in ancient Egypt during the time …
An icon of ancient Egyptian culture, the enigmatic Great Sphinx of Giza is one of the most instantly recognizable artifacts in the world. Hewn from a single colossal limestone outcrop, the origins of this 20 metres (66 feet) high, 73 metres (241 feet) long and 19 metres (63 feet) wide figure of a recumbent lion …
In ancient Egypt, Isis was the much-loved goddess of fertility, motherhood, marriage, medicine and magic. Myths and legends abounded in the ancient world about Isis and have come down to us today through Egyptian literature. The ancient Egyptian scribes adopted multiple titles and names for this popular goddess. Worship of the Isis cult spread across …
That the ancient Egyptian civilization proved so resilient and endured for thousands of years was in no small part due to the system of government it evolved over centuries. Ancient Egypt developed and refined a theocratic monarchy model of government. The pharaoh ruled through a divine mandate received directly from the gods. To him, fell …
Ancient Egypt was a culture rich in theological beliefs. In a religious cosmos featuring 8,700 major and minor deities, one god, Amun was consistently depicted as the Egyptian supreme creator-god and the king of all the gods. Amun was ancient Egypt’s god of the air, sun, life and fertility. While the popularity of many Egyptian …
The ancient Egyptian concept of ma’at or harmony and balance in all things lay at the heart of their approach to technology. Harmony and balance could be maintained by overcoming life’s problems with human ingenuity through advances in technology. While those ancient Egyptians believed the gods gifted many great benefits to the Egyptians, an individual …
Alongside the pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx, when we think of ancient Egypt, we immediately summon an image of an eternal mummy, swathed in bandages. Initially, it was the grave goods that accompanied the mummy into the afterlife that attracted the attention of Egyptologists. Howard Carter’s remarkable discovery of King Tutankhamun’s intact tomb triggered …
Ancient Egyptian medical practises were so advanced that many of their procedures and observations were not eclipsed by western medicine for centuries following the fall of Rome. Both the ancient Greeks and Roman borrowed extensively from Egyptian medical expertise. Doctors in ancient Egypt were both male and female, made house calls, understood the importance of …
Religion in ancient Egypt permeated every facet of society. Ancient Egyptian religion combined theological beliefs, ritual ceremonies, magical practices and spiritualism. Religion’s central role in everyday Egyptians’ daily lives is due to their belief that their earthly lives represented merely one stage on their eternal journey. Moreover, everyone was expected to uphold the concept of …