Egyptian Figures

The Figures of Egypt take many forms – from living beings to legendary gods, and even hybrids of the two – pharaohs were treated as gods too. And as much history was written in stone, we have many records of who ruled, who was worshipped, and even who made the beer! Some of the famous figures still exist today, in the form of mummified remains. Here you can explore them all.

10 July, 2021 - 01:45 Stewart Ferris

Did Egyptian Mummification Descend from a More Ancient and, Perhaps, Reversible Preservation Technique?

A central concept in the novel The Sphinx Scrolls is whether a mummification technology has ever existed that could preserve someone for long periods and retain the potential to bring them back to...

9 June, 2021 - 18:59 Jonathon Perrin

King Akhenaten Offers Clues to Finding the Lost Ark of the Covenant

The Ark of the Covenant is perhaps history’s most famous archeological relic. I have been fascinated with it ever since watching Raiders of the Lost Ark , the movie that kick-started so many...

7 May, 2021 - 21:05 Jonathon Perrin

“His Face Was Radiant”: Pulling Back The Veil On The Mystery Of Moses’ Shining Face

One of the Bible’s most enduring exegetical enigmas has to be the strangely shining semblance of Moses . The Book of Exodus relates how after the great Hebrew lawgiver receives the Ten Commandments...

9 April, 2021 - 14:53 Alicia McDermott

‘Mind-blowing’ Find in Egypt! Lost Golden City Discovered in Luxor

Thousands of years ago a fabulous settlement was buried under the sands. Now, an Egyptian mission led by Zahi Hawass has discovered the ruins of the so-called “Lost Golden City” that has been linked...

19 March, 2021 - 14:02 Alicia McDermott

Revealing the Face and Identity of the Controversial Mummy KV55

Ever since mummy KV55 was discovered in 1907, it has generated deep interest, debate, and controversy. The big issues have been identifying the KV55 mummy in ancient Egyptian history and combining...

9 March, 2021 - 00:47 ancient origins

Killer Queens: 5 of Ancient History’s Most Outstanding Female Rulers

True leadership knows no gender and despite societal condemnation or restrictions of the gods, powerful women have risen to the challenge and stepped up to take the reins of governance firmly in...

8 March, 2021 - 18:04 Aleksa Vučković

Ready for the Afterlife: The Mummification Process in Ancient Egypt

When it comes to ancient Egypt and its long lasting and influential civilization, plenty of its unique characteristics can seem peculiar and otherworldly. Sure, it is no secret that ancient Egypt was...

17 February, 2021 - 23:40 Natalia Klimczak

What if Cleopatra and Octavian Had Been Friends?

While Caesar and Cleopatra have been remembered as the ultimate power couple, Cleopatra and Octavian are among the most famous enemies of ancient history. Both inextricably linked to Caesar,...

Mummy With Golden Tongue Found At Possible Site Of Cleopatra’s Tomb

2 February, 2021 - 13:59 Nathan Falde

Why Was This Mummy Found With A Golden Tongue?

During explorations at an ancient Egyptian temple near Alexandria in 2021, archaeologists found something startling and unique. While searching inside a burial shaft, they found a 2,000-year-old...

Carving of the ancient Egyptian god Thoth

5 January, 2021 - 18:23 Katrina Sisowath

Thoth Hermes Trismegistus and his Ancient School of Mysteries

Thoth Hermes Trismegistus is portrayed by the Egyptians as the moon god with the body of a man, head of an ibis, and a crescent moon over his head. His symbol was the winged serpent staff. He was the...

Though Egyptian hippos are now extinct in Egypt they still thrive in Africa. And these hippos are shown with lotus flowers, which often featured as decoration in Egyptian hippo figurines and paintings. Source: Faas / Adobe Stock

20 December, 2020 - 17:56 Alison Snell

Egyptian Hippos: Ancient Symbol of Protection, Rebirth And Hunting

The ancient Egyptians had an undeniable and powerful connection to nature and the world around them. Almost every animal and plant had a specific meaning to their way of life, inspiring grand murals...

27 November, 2020 - 15:22 Jonathon Perrin

Parallels Between The Jewish Fall Festival And Akhenaten’s Royal Jubilee

A deep mystery haunts the origins and rituals of the Jewish Fall Festivals: Rosh Hashanah (New Year), Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), and Sukkot . Representing more than individual holidays, these...

Image shows excavation work by the University of Jaen Qubbet-el Hawa Project, during which they have uncovered evidence of an ancient gynecological treatment. Source: Patricia Mora / Proyecto Qubbet-el Hawa

17 November, 2020 - 17:06 ashley cowie

Remains of 4,000-Year-Old Gynecological Treatment Discovered in Egypt

Gynecology is the “science of women” and the term given to the modern medical discipline that focuses on the female reproductive system. The 19th-century physician James Marion Sims developed new...

10 November, 2020 - 18:40 Andrew Collins

Sobekneferu’s Legacy: The Sacred Places of Egypt’s First Female Pharaoh

In part one , we saw how Egypt’s first female pharaoh Sobekneferu (also written Neferusobek) has emerged as a major character both in literary fiction and in the cinema. Her mysterious life and...

14 October, 2020 - 21:29 ancient-origins

Hatshepsut: The Queen Who became Pharaoh

Hatshepsut was the longest reigning female pharaoh. Under her reign, Egypt prospered. Known as “The Woman Who Was King,” the Egyptian economy flourished during her time as pharaoh. She directed the...

A few of the perfectly preserved new Egyptian mummies and coffins recently found in the Saqqara area, south of Cairo. Source: Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities

4 October, 2020 - 18:15 Ed Whelan

Dozens of Egyptian Mummies Discovered South Of Cairo

Archaeological authorities in Egypt have just announced the discovery of many new Egyptian mummies and precious statues . In all, at least 59 new coffins and mummies were found at one of Egypt’s most...

Could the origins of Jewish New Year really lie in the coronation of Akhenaten? Source: On the left Jon Bodsworth. Background image Arthur Szyk / CC BY-SA 4.0

17 September, 2020 - 13:56 Jonathon Perrin

Surprising Links Between Pharaoh Akhenaten and the Jewish New Year

The origin of Jewish New Year celebrations has long been shrouded in mystery. Families around the world celebrate it during autumn with sweet delicacies, joyous prayers, and the blasting of the...

Considering how important the illumined sun disk was to Akhenaten and the Amarna period, it would be fascinating if we could detect any possible connection, correlation and perhaps even causation between historical events and ancient Egyptian solar eclipses of the Amarna era. Source: Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin / CC BY-SA 4.0

2 September, 2020 - 18:56 Jonathon Perrin

Egyptian Eclipse Enigmas: Wild Solar Influences in the Amarna Age

The Amarna age of ancient Egypt lasted only twenty years, a relatively tiny slice of time, yet it irrevocably altered the course of the country’s art, religion, and language. From ~1350-1334 BC a...

Sultan Razia never gave up her rightful place as heir. One Friday, dressed in red, the color of protest, she visited Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque to appeal to her people for justice. Source: kharchenkoirina / Adobe Stock

23 August, 2020 - 14:02 Khadija Tauseef

Sultan Razia: The First and Only Female Royal of Delhi

On the eve of October 1240, two armies faced one another ready for battle. This was a last-ditch effort by Sultan Razia to recapture her throne which had been usurped by her brother. Razia was the...

The Second Scorpion King of Ancient Egypt

6 August, 2020 - 18:59 Natalia Klimczak

Searching for the Lost Footsteps of the Scorpion Kings

There were two Scorpion Kings in the pre-dynastic period of ancient Egypt. They were forgotten by most of the world until Dwayne Johnson played one of the rulers in the famous movie ‘The Scorpion...

The god Horus represented by a falcon at the Temple of Edfu. Source: Edyta / Adobe Stock

5 August, 2020 - 01:51 dhwty

The Cult of Horus: Myths That Stretch From Egypt To Rome

Horus (also known as Heru) was one of the most important deities in the ancient Egyptian pantheon . The ancient Egyptians worshipped Horus mainly as the sky god and the god of kingship. In the cult...

Trilogy statue of King Ramesses II, Ptah and Sekhmet. Cairo Egyptian Museum. Source: JMCC1 / CC BY-SA 3.0

29 July, 2020 - 18:35 ashley cowie

Has A “Royal-Trinity” Of King Ramesses II Been Discovered In Egypt?

A group of ancient statues has been discovered in the deserts of Egypt, and this remarkable timeworn ‘royal-trinity’ seems to feature the Egyptian creator god Ptah , the maintainer of Earth, King...

Prince Thutmose's schist recumbent bier (Soutekh67 / CC BY-SA 4.0)

17 July, 2020 - 21:34 Calumy

The Missing Prince And The Missing Papyri

A strange mystery baffled Egyptologists when opening the tombs of kings who had been laid to rest in The Valley of the Kings. In 1816 explorer Giovanni Belzoni had reached the far end of the valley...

5 July, 2020 - 00:14 dhwty

The Life and Death of Ramesses II, Ramesses the Great

Ramesses II is arguably one of the greatest pharaohs of ancient Egypt (hence named Ramesses the Great), and also one of its most well-known. Ramesses II, the third pharaoh of the 19 th Dynasty,...