In Ancient Egyptian art, when a king is depicted touching the Was sceptre, it is a symbolic gesture signifying his divine authority and legitimate rule. The Was sceptre, often held by gods such as Thoth or Osiris, represents power, dominion, and the control of chaos. By touching it, the king affirms his connection to the...
Egypt was one of the very first lands to embrace Christianity, long before it was sanctioned by the Roman Empire. Tradition holds that Saint Mark the Evangelist brought the Christian faith to Alexandria in the 1st century A.D., establishing one of the world’s earliest Christian communities. By the time Constantine issued the Edict of Milan...
The Ancient Egyptians held one of the most sophisticated and enduring beliefs regarding the soul in the ancient world. Far from being a singular, indivisible entity, the soul in Ancient Egyptian thought was composed of multiple interconnected parts, each fulfilling a specific role in both life and the afterlife. These concepts, deeply rooted in religious...
In Ancient Egyptian thought, the gods were not merely supernatural beings to be worshipped, but profound personifications of essential concepts that underpinned the very fabric of existence. To the Egyptians, divinity and ideology were inseparable; their deities embodied the principles that sustained both the cosmos and society. Foremost among these was Ma’at, the divine embodiment...
Inherkhau was the ‘Foreman of the Lord of the Two Lands in the Place of Truth’ during the reigns of Ramesses III and Ramesses IV, c. 1186–1149 B.C. In this scene, depicted upon one of the walls of his tomb (TT359), we behold Inherkhau seated alongside his wife and four children, receiving offerings in tribute....
Butehamun was a distinguished scribe who was born and raised in the Deir el-Medina region, and resided in Medinet Habu, living during the 29 year reign of Ramesses XI, he died in early stages of the Third Intermediate Period. Born into a lineage of scribes, he followed in the footsteps of his father, Thutmose, embracing...
The arrival of Julius Caesar in Egypt in 48 B.C. marked a turning point in the history of the ancient world, intertwining Rome’s fate with that of the Ptolemaic Dynasty. His involvement was not merely a matter of conquest but of political intrigue, romance, and a struggle for supremacy that would shape the future of...
A goddess of unmatched power, grace and divine fury—Sekhmet, the lioness-headed deity was said to be born from the breath of Ra, and was both a fierce protector and relentless avenger. As one of the most ancient deities of the Ancient Egyptian pantheon, she was revered as a fierce guardian of pharaohs, a goddess of...
In Ancient Egypt, they kept a variety of pets, with cats, dogs, mongooses, monkeys, gazelles, and birds being among the most popular. Many Egyptians deeply cherished their animal companions, and mourning the loss of a beloved pet was a serious ritual. According to Herodotus, in his publication Histories (Book II, Chapter 66) traditional mourning practices...
Maatkare Mutemhat was the daughter of Pinedjem I, the de facto ruler of Upper Egypt as the High Priest of Amun at Thebes, and his wife, Duathathor-Henuttawy, who carried the blood of kings, being the daughter of Ramesses XI—the final sovereign of Egypt’s 20th Dynasty. It is thought that Maatkare Mutemhat ascended to a sacred...
