Helicopter Hieroglyphs

High upon the walls of the Temple of Seti I at Abydos lies a curious carving that has sparked endless wonder. To the casual eye, the shapes appear astonishingly familiar to the modern world; depicting what appears to be a helicopter, a submarine, and even a tank, yet these images were etched more than three thousand years ago. Could the Egyptians have glimpsed the technology of the future? What is the reality of these carvings that have captured the imagination for the past few decades?

What are we seeing?

Egyptologists are unanimous in their view that the so-called “helicopter hieroglyphs” of Abydos are not depictions of futuristic machines, but the result of a palimpsest. This explanation may upset those who prefer the fringe side of historical study, yet this clarification it is not conjured from imagination nor an attempt to “cover up” a theory, but is grounded in a well-attested practice of Ancient Egypt.

Usurping, recycling, reclaiming, and inscribing one’s own name upon monuments to forge new associations was a common practice among pharaohs. Ironically, Ramesses II (whose re-inscriptions are now at the heart of the Abydos “helicopter” mystery) is especially notorious among Egyptologists for this habit, having frequently overwritten or replaced earlier texts to stamp his legacy upon the works of his predecessors.

The carvings at Abydos are a clear example of this. The names of Seti I, Ramesses’ father, and Ramesses II himself, were layered one upon the other, and, over the centuries, the erosion of plaster has blurred them into strange and coincidental forms. To modern eyes, these overlaps evoke shapes familiar from our own world, yet they are not traces of lost technology. Rather, they stand as a vivid reminder of how time, erosion, and human perception can conspire to create illusions, weaving mystery into stone and leaving us with riddles born not of science fiction, but of history itself.

Fringe theorists argue that the carvings are too precise to dismiss as coincidence, pointing especially to the “helicopter” shape with its apparent rotor and tail. Some claim the Egyptians may have preserved knowledge of lost technology or even recorded visions of advanced craft from another civilisation. Others go further, linking the Abydos carvings to out-of-place artefacts and ancient astronaut theories, suggesting Egypt had help from beings with superior knowledge. These ideas have proved popular in books, documentaries, and online discussions, yet despite the intrigue and entertaining value they hold, they remain unsupported by credible evidence and are firmly rejected by academic Egyptology.

1. Seti I’s Original Carving

• Contained parts of his throne name: signs like the reed leaf (ỉ), the scarab beetle (kheper), and structural elements such as door bolts and baskets.
• These were arranged in neat cartouches and titulary, standard for a pharaoh’s temple inscription.

2. Ramesses II’s Re-carving

• When Ramesses II succeeded Seti I, the same wall was re-inscribed with his own names.
• Hieroglyphs such as the vulture (mwt), the chick (w), and further throne-name elements were carved over the earlier set.
• Plaster was used to fill gaps between old and new carvings.

3. Erosion Over Time

• Centuries later, the plaster between the two layers crumbled away.
• The overlapping outlines of Seti’s and Ramesses’s hieroglyphs fused into strange new shapes.

4. The Illusion of Modern Machines

• “Helicopter”: formed from the reed leaf (vertical stroke) + scarab wings + Ramesses’s signs, which together mimic a rotor and fuselage.
• “Tank / Submarine”: rectangular bolt and basket signs overlapped with bird outlines, creating the impression of a hull with a turret.
• “Jet” shapes: eroded combinations of vulture wings and throne signs, which resemble angled aircraft.

When the two sets of hieroglyphs are separated, the “machines” vanish entirely, revealing only the ordinary signs of royal titulary. Scholars also stress that there is no textual, archaeological, or artistic evidence for advanced machinery anywhere else in Egyptian culture, temples, tombs, and papyri show chariots, boats, and animals, but never aircraft or engines. To them, the “ancient technology” idea is a textbook example of pareidolia, the human tendency to see familiar shapes where none were intended.

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