At the heart of Egypt’s ancient history is the 14th-century-BCE pharaoh Akhenaten, a leader depicted with full lips, a long nose, and evident breasts. At the heart of the visual cornucopia in Philip Glass’s 1983 opera Akhnaten is Anthony Roth Costanzo, a slender singer with full lips, a long nose, and a voice so high and clear it seems implausible coming from a man’s throat. There’s a lot of uncertainty around the historical figure, who is almost as famous for the woman he married (Nefertiti) as for his own accomplishments, which were considerable.
For centuries rumours have persisted about a powerful and mysterious substance. And these days, adverts and videos offering it for sale can be found online. Why has the story of "red mercury" endured?
Some people believe it's a magical healing elixir found buried in the mouths of ancient Egyptian mummies.
The symbol of Anubis, a black canine or a muscular man with the head of a black jackal, the ancient Egyptian god of the dead was said to oversee every aspect of the process of dying. He facilitated mummification, protected the graves of the dead, and decided whether or not one’s soul should be granted eternal life.
Strange that a civilization known to worship cats should come to personify death as a dog.
By analysing the dentistry of a woman who lived in Ancient Egypt, archaeologists have made a surprising discovery: her unusual profession. Take a look at the video above for all the details...
With this incredible discovery, archaeologists have gone from surprise to surprise. A short time ago, a team of scientists from the University of Alberta, in Canada, analysed the teeth of a woman who lived 4000 years ago, in Ancient Egypt. From this study, they learnt a lot more than they expected.
We liked him instantly — perhaps because he’s so unlike all of the other gods and goddesses of Ancient Egypt we had seen carved onto temple walls and painted in the dark, narrow tombs. And since most of those deities feature animal heads, that’s saying something.
Even so, Bes is perhaps the most unique character in the Ancient Egyptian pantheon. I’d try to come up with my own colorful description, but once Duke read this to me, I figured why bother? I can’t top Alastair Sooke’s write-up in Frieze, who describes this “grotesque little fellow” so evocatively.
Khepri - Total Solar Eclipse Scarab God
The Internet Archive has done a pretty good job of preserving my 'Khepri - Total Solar Eclipse Scarab God' eclipsology "web site". Here is the complete text of the original website with the two main GIF animations that it displayed.
From head to toe, Egypt is one of the most intriguing places you will ever get the pleasure of visiting. It has something of a bad reputation and that isn't entirely unjustified, and it's certainly worth discussing from time to time. However, we aren't here to debate the ins and outs of Egyptian law—we're here to work with the word 'fascinating.'
The French and international news outlets reported that the temporary exhibition of King Tutankhamun currently on display at the Grande Halle La Villette in Paris broke records of turnout of the French cultural exhibitions.
International media outlets stated that the exhibition is the most visited exhibition in France, where the total number of registered visitors so far has reached 1,371,476, according to the latest official census issued by the exhibition officials, explaining that the number will increase. Visitors
Egypt’s vast, much-delayed museum is scheduled to open in 2020. But while Tutankhamun’s treasures are being readied for tourists, some critics see the building as a vanity project.
In the vast, shade-dappled atrium of Egypt’s new Grand Egyptian Museum, construction work surrounded a colossal statue of Ramses II, his left foot striding forward and fists clenched in readiness.
As Marvel fans begin looking ahead to the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the time has come to look at the announced films and projects coming in the MCU’s Phase 4. One of the most prominent films that everyone is talking about has to be Marvel’s The Eternals.
A relatively unknown property to casual Marvel fans, the Eternals are a race of immortal beings created by The Celestials millennia ago. Bestowed with their own unique abilities, The Eternals have been around long enough to see the Marvel gods emerge. Here are ten Marvel gods we hope to see appear.
Watch | A Night At The Museum With Egyptian Icon Sawsan Badr
Proudly showcasing her silver locks, Egyptian screen siren Sawsan Badr takes an enchanting tour of the Egyptian museum in downtown Cairo, Egypt.
Lovingly dubbed ‘the fugitive from the museum’ due to her uncanny resemblance to the Ancient Egyptian queen, Nefertiti, Sawsan’s reputation precedes her. Add to that a career that has spanned nearly 40 years, and her persona in the public eye is almost unparalleled.
This next excerpt from Lewis Holmes’ book The Mystery of Music reads more like a pulp-fiction mystery novel. However, the story is preserved on 3000 year old papyri. It has torture, conspiracy, bribery and, yes, a bit of music.
The setting: Egypt, 1080 BCE. It was the end of the second Ramessid dynasty, during what Egyptologists call “The New Kingdom.” Law and order had decayed in the once great cities. Crime and corruption were on the rise as gangs looted old tombs and palaces for the precious treasures buried with the dead.
The scene of this crime was the "Valley of the Queens," an ancient burial site for the wives of pharaoh over the centuries.
The Find the Path podcast is an officially-licensed partner of Paizo, the makers of the Pathfinder roleplaying game. Comprised of a group of longtime friends, the Find the Path podcast invites gamers and non-gamers alike into the world of Golarion and the Pathfinder RPG system.
Known for their strong grasp of the Pathfinder rules system and genuine, cooperative table dynamics, Find the Path tells an engaging and exciting story set in an Ancient Egypt analog that is full of diverse, multifaceted characters and epic fantasy adventure.
According to various local media outlets, Egypt’s government is stepping up preparations for the inauguration ceremony of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) which is set to open by 2020.
Working jointly, Prime Minister Mostafa Mabdouly and the Museum’s supreme committee have been arranging several logistical aspects of the ceremony such as the actual date, its program spanning multiple days, and the consultation of specializing international companies which can organize and arrange the ceremony.
EGYPT archaeologists uncovered a “subterranean world” hidden below the city of Saqqara, just metres from one of the most famous pyramids of the ancient world.
Saqqara is best known for being home to the Pyramid of Djoser, also known as the Step Pyramid. Built in the 27th century BC, during the Third Dynasty, the six-tiered structure is the earliest known attempt of what the ancient civilisation became best known for. However, below the constructions lies something more sinister.
This month many of us are preparing for another academic semester, as teachers or as students. This fall promises to be an exciting season as several compelling exhibitions will be on display in North American museums in Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, and Quebec. The Nile Scribes are excited about these four upcoming exhibitions about the Nile Valley cultures in Egypt and Sudan. Why not plan a weekend to visit one of these exhibitions for your next Egyptological getaway?
With the end of summer upon us, the Nile Scribes are getting closer to our first ever Scribes on the Nile tour leaving for Egypt on October 17 from Toronto! With our group of 15 participants, Thomas and Taylor will be travelling up and down the Nile from Cairo to Aswan and back, taking in the sights and enjoying the culinary wonders Egypt has to offer. In our blog this week, we round up our Top 5 favourite guidebooks any prospective visitor should consider getting to learn as much as you can before, and during, your trip to Egypt!
I was initially attracted to The Pyramid Supper Club because of its kooky architecture and its surprising location on a rural Wisconsin road next to a cornfield. I admit I thought it was a joke.
As a 1991 advertorial noted, “The Pyramid Supper Club on Highway 33 east of Beaver Dam is surrounded by a bare, flat-land setting much like the original pyramids depicted in the interior wall paintings.”
In an attempt to develop Tahrir Square and to show the whole world Egypt’s unique civilisation, eight blocks of one of Ramses II’s obelisks, found in his temple at San Al-Haggar archaeological site in Zagazig, arrived in Cairo on Friday.
They will be restored, assembled and erected in Tahrir Square.
Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities decided on Friday to display the coffin of ancient Queen Tausert, the last ruler of Egypt's 19th Dynasty, to the public for the first time since its discovery two decades ago.
In a statement, Secretary General of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) Mostafa Waziri said that the coffin will put on display within the few coming days at the Luxor Museum in Upper Egypt.
He explained that the coffin has already been transferred on Thursday from the place of its discovery, at the closed tomb of King Bay in Luxor's west bank, to the Luxor Museum.
The director of Antiquities Museum at Bibliotheca Alexandrina and the supervisor of Zahi Hawass center for Egyptology Hussein Abdel Baseer revealed that the famed ancient Egyptian Queen Hatsheput died because of cancer at the age of 50 and was a diabetes patient as well.
Abdel Baseer announced that in a lecture entitled ‘’Egyptian Queens..Drama of Love and Power’’ at Zahi Hawass center for Egyptology.
Anubis Dog?
The Xoloitzcuintli (Mexican hairless dog). A dog considered to be the guide for the dead to reach the underworld. It resembles Anubis. Also it most commonly believed to be behind the legendary chupacabra.
A Virgil Finlay illustration from Weird Tales, October 1936
Howard Carter and his team dug through hundreds of boulders in Egypt's Valley of the Kings for about five arduous years, looking for the lost tomb of Tutankhamun. His research told him the tomb was there. But no one — not even he — could find it thousands of years after the child king's death. Carter's once enthusiastic financial backer was losing patience.
The Gold of the Pharaohs exhibition” kicked off in Monaco on Friday, showcasing 149 ancient masterpieces from the Egyptian Museum. The huge, unique event is hosted by The Grimaldi Forum in Monaco, between July 7 and September 9, under the auspices of Prince Albert II and the Egyptian government.
After this weekend, it will be years before visitors to the Penn Museum in Philadelphia will be able to see its ancient sphinx.
The Lower Egyptian gallery of the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania is about to undergo extensive renovations, expected to last several years.
A new exhibition reappraises the work of Harry Burton, who photographed the decade-long Tutankhamun excavation. The collection is a striking record of a groundbreaking moment in our study of the past.
It was one of the most remarkable archaeological discoveries of the 20th Century.
But what was it like to first point a lens into the 3,000-year-old tomb of King Tutankhamun?
Archaeologists have discovered two ancient homes near the Giza pyramids in Egypt. The structures may have housed officials responsible for overseeing the production of food for a paramilitary force more than 4,500 years ago.
Egyptian archaeologists have discovered what’s thought to be the largest granite sarcophagus ever found in Alexandria, measuring nearly nine feet long.
The massive stone casket was buried more than 16 feet beneath the surface alongside a huge alabaster head – likely belonging to the man who owned the tomb.
Experts say the ancient coffin has remained untouched since its burial thousands of years ago during the Ptolemaic period.
Egyptian Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Anany said in a recent interview with Xinhua that the first-ever Chinese archaeological mission in Egypt will start working this September.
"The Chinese mission has completed all the procedures to work in Egypt ... their work will start in September in Upper Egypt's city of Luxor," al-Anany told Xinhua.
He added that the mission has chosen Luxor as it is rich in many uncovered ancient Egyptian antiquities.
Every few months, the Nile Scribes bring you summaries of the latest news and discoveries in Egyptology, both from the field and the lab. We’ll introduce you to the newest archaeological finds or recently undusted manuscripts being rediscovered in museum collections, plus other new theories stirring in the Egyptological Zeitgeist. In this edition, Graeco-Roman buildings were discovered in the Nile Delta and Siwa Oasis, new texts were revealed by the Sinai Palimpsest Project using multi-spectral imaging, and a beautiful set of Twenty-Sixth Dynasty canopic jars were excavated at the South Asasif in Luxor.
Horus was worshipped in different forms throughout Egypt from the predynastic period before Egypt was united under one ruler until Roman times. The pharaohs of Egypt took a Horus name to symbolize that they were the living embodiment of this god.
I recently saw this exhibit at the St. Louis Art Museum, the first city in America to host it. It will be in St. Louis through September 9. World-renowned underwater archaeologist Franck Goddio and his team discovered two lost cities of ancient Egypt, which were submerged under the Mediterranean Sea for over a thousand years.
The exhibit is quite well organized and provides ample room for a mass of people. I went on one of the museum's free days, and every entrance time slot was full, yet, I never felt pushed or crowded. All in all, one of the best exhibits I've seen in some time.
I took several photos, and I hope you enjoy some of them.
While waiting to enter the exhibit, you can study a mural of what they believe the submerged city looked like. The temple looks a lot like Edfu to me, so it might just be their fantasy.
When I visited Egypt in 2006 and 2007, I saw some of artifacts in the exhibit. At the time, they were bringing them up and "stashing" them in a Roman amphitheater in Alexandria. I remember seeing statues resembling the ones shown here, although they were rather crusted in lichen so I can't be sure they were the same ones.
The first statue is of the goddess Isis, if memory serves.
The second statue is of Arsinoe II, which is a magnificent example of Graeco-Egyptian art. The drapery of her dress is amazing. This sculpture might have been a cult statue of Arsinoe in the Serapeum of Canopus
Now, let's get our steles on. It's almost impossible for me to say which one I liked best, although I'm tilted toward the young Horus standing on a crocodile (Set?) and holding snakes in each fist.
I found these statues, both of Osiris, remarkable because they are made of wood, not stone or marble. Only after I read the information and pressed my nose to the glass did I see the wood grain.
And speaking of Osiris. . . . the mysteries of Osiris supposedly became less mysterious based on these findings. I bought the exhibition catalog, which supposedly explains all this, but I have not yet read it. Nonetheless, there were plenty of Osirion pieces, and here are a few of them.
This statue called the Awakening of Osiris has long been a favorite of mine and was not found in the Mediterranean.
Osiris Vegetans Figure in a Falcon-headed Coffin (800-600 BC). This figure is also called a corn-mummy and was formed from earth, Nile flood water, and seeds and then swaddled in linen. They were sprinkled with water until the seeds grew, which symbolized both the rebirth of Osiris and the annual regeneration of Egypt.
Osiris on Funeral and Revival Bed (1773 -1650 BC) found at Abydos represents the moment when Isis in the form of a kite (bird of prey) revives him with the breath of her wings. The etching behind the statue shows the same story, which I believe is from a carving from the Temple of Hathor at Dendera.
Osiris-Canopus (AD 100-200) is marble sculpture, which was produced after Egypt became part of the Roman Empire.
These beautiful fragments are the god Bes and a sacred ram of the god Amun.
And finally, the most whimsical piece in the exhibition, a commemorative column with a votive foot from the Temple of Ras el-Soda. The temple was dedicated to Osiris, Isis, and Horus. The Greek inscription reads "Flung from his carriage by his horses at the spot, Isidoros, restored to health by divine intervention, in exchange for his feet." Isidoros dedicated this sculpture to the "Blessed," which was a name frequently used to describe Isis.
As any cat lover can tell you, felines are divine.
Ancient Egyptians took that notion even more seriously than pet owners of today, and a charming new exhibition at the Carlos Museum through November 11 offers a fascinating glimpse at the unusual status occupied by cats in the ancient world. It’s a small but superb show that explores feline themes in ancient Egyptian art. Organized by the Brooklyn Museum, and drawn from the collections of both the Brooklyn Museum and the Carlos Museum, the exhibition features more than 90 artifacts — sculptures, textiles, luxury items and funerary objects — dating from the Middle Kingdom to the Roman period.
NEW YORK—Commending his healthy frame, impeccable lineage, and ability to form light and order from the primordial chaos, judges announced Thursday that Egyptian deity Ra has taken top honors at the 141st annual Westminster God Show.
During the field school organised by the Ministry of Antiquities at the site of Kom Rasras in Kom Ombo,Aswan, a group of archaeologists discovered the remains of a sandstone Roman temple according to Dr. Ayman Ashmawy (Head of Egyptian Antiquities sector).
EGYPTIAN MUSEUM OF ANTIQUITIESEgyptian Museum of Antiquities
Experts studying the so-called "Screaming Mummy" have long tried to solve the mystery of the terrifying remains.
Now they believe that he was either buried alive or poisoned.
When the body was first dug up from their Deir El Bahri valley, near the historic Valley of The Kings, archaeologists were stunned to see the mummified face distorted in a silent scream.
