For the Ancient Egyptians, cyclical time was sacred. The daily rise and fall of the sun, the monthly phases of the moon, the annual flood of the Nile; all were manifestations of divine order. Festivals weren’t simply commemorations, they were re-enactments and activations of the eternal cycles that bound gods and nature together. Even when...
In 1290 B.C., Ramesses I, former general turned Pharaoh, was laid to rest in the Valley of the Kings, wrapped in linen and legacy. But centuries later, tomb robbers stirred, priests panicked, and the royal mummy was whisked away into hiding. Fast-forward to the 19th century, and his remains were quietly sold to curious foreigners and ended up, quite astonishingly, in a dusty glass case in Niagara Falls, Canada, labelled merely as an “Egyptian nobleman.”
The Ancient Egyptian Harem: An Opium-Drenched Fantasy or Refined Commune of Courtly Women? The term “harem” in the context of Ancient Egypt often conjures up misleading images shaped by later Islamic and Orientalist ideas. When hearing the word, the mind’s eye conjures up images of opulent pleasure palaces, veiled concubines, and the fantasy of a...
The Bentresh Stela (also called the Stela of Bakhtan) is one of the most intriguing narrative monuments from Ancient Egypt, blending elements of myth, political theology, and religious propaganda. Though it claims to describe events during the reign of Ramesses II (c. 1279–1213 B.C.), modern scholars agree that it was erected centuries later, during the...
“the Traveller, He who crosses [the sky]” Khonsu (also spelled Khons or Khonsou), whose name means “the Traveller” or “He who crosses [the sky],” is one of the oldest known deities of the Ancient Egyptian pantheon, with roots traceable back to the Old Kingdom (c. 2686–2181 B.C.). However, he rose to prominence particularly during the...
Ani was a high-ranking scribe and treasury official who lived in Thebes during the 19th Dynasty of Ancient Egypt, likely under the reign of Seti I or Ramesses II (c. 1290–1250 B.C.). Though his titles vary, he is often called the “Scribe of the Divine Offerings,” indicating a prestigious role in the temple economy. He...
“the good and beautiful swallow who remains in eternity,” In the bright blue skies of Ancient Egypt, few creatures fluttered with more quiet mystique than the humble swallow. Known to the Egyptians as menet or occasionally wer, this elegant little bird, most likely the Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica), with its deeply forked tail and acrobatic...
Thutmose’s workshop was discovered in early December 1912 by a German archaeological expedition led by Ludwig Borchardt. The workshop was located in what is now known as Amarna, previously called Akhetaten, the then new capital established by Akhenaten. The workshop was identified as belonging to Thutmose due to an ivory horse blinker found in a...
In 332 B.C., the ever-ambitious Alexander the Great, fresh from his triumphs in the Levant, swept into Egypt like a storm with sunshine at its centre. Egypt, weary under Persian rule, did not resist him. Quite the opposite; he was welcomed as a liberator. To the Egyptians, Alexander was not merely a foreign conqueror, but...
This vividly painted fragment comes from a Book of the Dead scroll dating from the 19th Dynasty. The scene depicts a male scribe, identified by his title “Scribe of the House of the King”, offering incense and homage to the enthroned god Osiris, who is flanked by Isis. Behind the scribe stands a female figure...
