A Boston-based archaeologist has developed a theory that the Egyptians delivered stone to the pyramids at Giza through a system of canals and harbors, shedding more light on the mystery of how ancient people — sorry, not aliens — built the massive structures.
Mark Lehner, director of Ancient Egypt Research Associates, says his research indicates that, when the Nile River was in flood, Egyptians could steer boats laden with stone to a major port city at the pyramid complex.
A Swiss-French archaeological mission at the Saqqara necropolis, directed by Professor Philippe Collombert from the University of Geneva, has unearthed the upper part of an Old Kingdom obelisk that belonged to Queen Ankhnespepy II, the mother of King Pepy II (6th Dynasty, Old Kingdom, around 2350 BC).
In ancient Egypt, many priests were also physicians. A priest-physician might diagnose a stomach aliment, provide a treatment of honey, and then instruct the patient to pray to Horus—the God of protection—for healing.
“We have evidence of what we call today the placebo effect,” said Dirk Van Tuerenhout, Ph.D., curator of anthropology at the Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS). “If you were stung by a scorpion or bitten by a snake, or worse a Nile crocodile, in which case you would most likely be dead, what people would do when they got home was pour water over representations of Horus.
During an archaeological survey in the desert of Subeira Valley, south Aswan, an Egyptian archaeological mission from the Ministry of Antiquities stumbled upon pre-Dynastic rock markings.
Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, explained that the markings can be dated to the late pre-Dynastic era, and were found engraved on sandstone rocks.
Credit: Ivan Marcialis. Source: Wikimedia Commons
Often thought of as the last active refuge of the native ancient Egyptian religion, the island temple complex of Philae (or Pilak, meaning ‘the end’ or ‘boundary’) was originally located near the massive First Cataract of the Nile in Upper Egypt. Probably comprising two islands, the conglomerate site of Philae (1,500 by 490 ft) was mythically related to the burial place of god Osiris – thus making it an important pilgrimage center for both Egyptians and the Nubians. Building upon this ambit of reverence, the later Egyptians, Greeks (Ptolemaic dynasty) and even Romans furnished their fair share of architectural features – which collectively translated to the magnificent ancient Egyptian island temple complex of Philae.
Egyptians inherit many social traditions and customs from their early historic roots, so Egypt Today will give a quick overview on the history of love, marriage and divorce.
“Love your wife and make her happy as long as you live.” One of the Ancient Egyptian thinker Ptahhotep’s wisdoms.
He stressed that love is the main basis for marriage in ancient Egyptian life.
(Courtesy: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of Edward S. Harkness, 1917 (17.9.1))
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is celebrating the 100th anniversary of "William" its mascot with a small installation “Conversation between Two Hippos”.
The installation juxtaposes two small sculptures an ancient Egyptian faience hippopotamus with a 20th-century American glazed earthenware work inspired by it. It celebrates the 100th anniversary of the acquisition of the faience hippopotamus by the museum. It has been named as "William" and is the unofficial mascot for The Met.
A British-Egyptian archaeological mission from Cambridge University discovered a gypsum head, on Saturday, from a statue of King Akhenaten (around 1300 BC) during excavation work in Tel El-Amarna in Minya governorate.
The head – which is 9cm tall, 13.5 cm long and 8 cm wide – was unearthed during an excavation dig in the first hall of the Great Atun Temple in Tel El-Amarna, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Mostafa Waziri said in a statement released by Egypt’s ministry of Antiquities.
What books are you reading now?
My teaching term has just ended, so I am currently relaxing by re-reading Elizabeth Peter’s Amelia Peabody books. These deal with the late 19th and early 20th century excavation of several well-known Egyptian sites. They are of course fiction, but Elizabeth Peters was the pen name of the respected Egyptologist Barbara Mertz, and so alongside the mystery, they provide a fairly accurate account of life on an archaeological dig at this time.
Across the globe, there are countless of astonishing and fascinating destinations just waiting for you to explore and experience their beauty.
Without a doubt, Egypt is one of them.
Worth touring are well-known monuments such as the pyramids, of course, but no trip to Egypt would be complete without a visit to Alexandria, a city in the north dubbed 'The Bride of The Mediterranean Sea'.
Egypt's Alexandria hosts Cleopatra-themed celebration
The Egyptian coastal province of Alexandria on Saturday held a festive event themed "Cleopatra's Dream" to highlight the discovered sunken palace and city of the ancient Egyptian queen.
A massive ancient-like parade, starting from Qaitbay Citadel, headed to newly-inaugurated diving center Alexandria Dive, with a young lady playing Queen Cleopatra seated on a golden throne and accompanied by dozens of officers and maidens.
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