Modern-day Karnak is the contemporary name for the ancient Egyptian Temple of Amun. Set at Thebes, the ancient Egyptian referred to the site as Ipetsut, “The Most Select of Places,” Nesut-Towi, or “Throne of the Two Lands”, Ipt-Swt, “Selected Spot” and Ipet-Iset, “The Finest of Seats.” Karnak’s ancient name reflects the belief of ancient Egyptians …
Ancient History
When we think of the ancient Egyptians, we summon images of Giza’s pyramids, the vast Abu Simbel temple complex, the Valley of the Dead or King Tutankhamun’s death mask. Rarely do we get a glimpse of ordinary ancient Egyptians doing ordinary everyday things. Yet there is ample evidence to suggest ancient Egyptians both children and …
At the heart of ancient Egypt’s culture is the belief in a host of deities and the central role they played in everyday life and the immortal journey every human soul underwent in the underworld. Ancient Egyptians believed in a diverse pantheon of gods and goddesses, around 8,700 divine beings in total. Some of these …
Symbolising ancient Egypt’s cultural richness the Abu Simbel temple complex is a breathtaking statement of political and religious power. Originally carved into living rock, Abu Simbel is typical of Ramses II prodigiously ambitious passion for erecting colossal monuments to himself and to his reign. Set on a cliff face at the Nile River’s second cataract …
Nefertari means ‘beautiful companion’ and was the first of Rameses the Great’s Great Royal Wives. Known also as Nefertari Meritmutor or ‘Beloved of the goddess Mut’ Nefertari is one of Egypt’s most iconic queens, alongside Nefertiti, Hatshepsut and Cleopatra. However, comparatively little is known about her family or her past prior to Rameses ascending to …
Surely one of the most enigmatic examples of ancient Egyptian art ever to come down to us through the passing centuries is the bust of Queen Nefertiti, the Pharaoh Akhenaten’s Great Royal Wife. Today she gazes unseeing towards her audience as confidently as if she was still seated on her throne. Believed to have been …
Giza may have its pyramids and its sphinx; however, its obelisks are one of the most enduring and most widely travelled icons of ancient Egyptian civilisation. The ancient Egyptians developed the monumental design during the Early Dynastic Period (c. 3150-c. 2613 BCE) following their architectural evolution, which produced their mud-brick mastaba tomb designs and prior …
In ancient Egyptian religious lore, the Eye of Ra is an entity representing a female analog to Ra Egypts sun god. When unleashed it is a violent force able to subdue Ra’s enemies. The Eye is likened to the sun’s disk and is a manifestation of Ra’s power through an autonomous form. Related Articles: Top …
Each pharaoh had a kingdom to rule and government ministers and officials together with an army and police force to help him rule. Overseeing the vast apparatus of the administration was his Vizier, the Pharaoh’s right-hand man. In ancient Egypt, the role of vizier was perhaps the most powerful position in the kingdom after that …
Seth was ancient Egypt’s god of chaos, storms and war. Also known to the ancient Egyptians as Seth and Suetekh, Seth was the brother of Horus the Elder, Osiris and Isis, Nephthys brother-husband and uncle to Horus the Younger. Tawaret, Egypt’s hippo-headed goddess of fertility and childbirth was Seth’s other wife. One of the initial …
Religion for the ancient Egyptians mined a rich seam of belief. They worshipped over 8,700 gods and goddesses with each playing an integral role in maintaining balance and harmony across the dual kingdoms. Despite the extensiveness of the Egyptian panoply of gods and goddesses, few are as important as Nut, for she was the eternal …
Perhaps only Cleopatra VII has such a tragic story as the turbulent personal history of the vanishing Princess Ankhesenamun. Born around c. 1350 B.C. Ankhesenamun or “Her Life Is of Amun” was the third of King Akhenaton and Queen Nefertiti’s six daughters. As a young girl, Ankhesenamun grew up in her father’s purpose-built capital city …
Today, ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics are amongst the world’s most recognizable images. Developed just before the dawn of Egypt’s Early Dynastic Period (c. 3150 -2613 BCE), these “sacred carvings” were initially thought by some archaeolinguistics to have originated in Mesopotamia and arrived via ancient trade routes in Egypt. However, despite the abundant flow of ideas and …
Set inland 10 kilometres (six miles) from the Nile River in Upper Egypt, Abydos emerged as a centre of gravity in ancient Egypt’s rich religious life. Abydos became the burial site of choice for Egypt’s early First Dynasty (3000-2890 B.C.) kings. Their mortuary complexes and tombs may represent the first step in a religious evolution …
Cleopatra VII Philopator was the last Queen of Egypt and its last pharaoh. Her death in 30 BCE brought to an end over 3,000 years of an often glorious and creative Egyptian culture. Following Cleopatra VII’s suicide, the Ptolemaic dynasty that had ruled Egypt since 323BCE was extinguished, Egypt became a Roman province and Rome’s …
Horus is the ancient Egyptian god of the sky and war. In Egyptian lore, there are two divine beings sharing this name. Horus the Elder, also known as Horus the Great was the last of the first five original gods to be born, while Horus the Younger, was the son Isis and Osiris. The Horus …
Ma’at or Maat is a concept that symbolises the ancient Egyptian ideas about balance, harmony, morality, law, order, truth and justice. Ma’at also took the form of a goddess who personified these essential concepts. The goddess also governed the seasons and the stars. Ancient Egyptians also believed the goddess exerted an influence over those deities …
Osiris is one of the most powerful and important gods in the ancient Egyptian pantheon. Depictions of Osiris as a living god show him as a handsome man wearing royal robes, with the plumed headdress Atef crown of Upper Egypt and carrying the two symbols of kingship, the crook and flail. He is associated with …
Ihy is the ancient Egyptian god of childhood, music and joy. His name has been translated as meaning “sistrum player” or “calf.” He is closely associated with the music of the sacred sistrum, a musical rattle form of percussion instrument first used by the ancient Egyptians in their dances and religious observances. Alluded to only …
Egyptian art has woven its spell on audiences for thousands of years. Its anonymous artists influenced Greek and Roman artists, particularly in creating sculpture and friezes. However, at its core, Egyptian art is unapologetically functional, created for eminently practical purposes, rather than aesthetic indulgence. An Egyptian tomb painting depicted scenes from the departed’s life, on …
When we think of ancient Egyptians, the image that most readily pops into our minds is hordes of workers labouring to build a colossal pyramid, while whip-wielding overseers brutally urge them onwards. Alternatively, we imagine Egyptian priests chanting invocations as they conspired to resurrect a mummy. Happily, the reality for ancient Egyptians was quite different. …