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Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ

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Ancient Egyptian woman. Source: Denis / Adobe Stock.

What Hieroglyphics Say About the Women of Ancient Egypt (Video)

In the midst of Karnak's grandeur and prosperity, there's a revelation that challenges conventional wisdom. Images etched on tomb walls unveil a remarkable narrative of female influence in ancient...
Paying tribute in ancient Egypt. Source: Esignd ® / Adobe Stock.

How Ancient Cultures Paid Tributes to their Gods (Video)

Ancient civilizations, in their devotion to the divine, created enduring tributes that stand as evidence of their unwavering faith. Among these, the intricate carvings adorning the walls of Angkor...
Head of Tutankhamun. Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art / Public Domain.

Face of the Boy King: The Deeply Human Story Behind Tutankhamun's Head (Video)

This exquisite limestone sculpture, currently an exhibit at the New York Met, captures the youthful innocence of Tutankhamun , the boy king, at the tender age of six. Crafted with meticulous detail,...
A delicate bronze duck-shaped pourer is discovered amongst ceramics of the 4th century BC on the site of a newly discovered Greek sanctuary to Aphrodite in Thonis-Heracleion. Photo: Christoph Gerigk ©Franck Goddio/Hilti Foundation

Ancient Greek Temple Remains Found Submerged Off Egypt Coast

Along a canal off the coast of Egypt in the Mediterranean, archaeologists have made a remarkable discovery in the ancient port city of Thonis-Heracleion in Egypt. They have uncovered evidence of...
Gold sandals and toe covers discovered in King Tut’s tomb, part of “The Discovery of King Tut" exhibition in New York City. (Mary Harrsch / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 )

These Objects Reveal Intimate Details of Tutankhamun's Life (Video)

Renowned Egyptologist Professor Joanne Fletcher curated a captivating exhibition in Barnsley, exploring the life of the famous pharaoh Tutankhamun. The exhibition not only celebrated Tutankhamun's...
From Pagan To Christian To Islam, Religious Wars In Ancient Sudan

From Pagan To Christian To Islam, Religious Wars In Ancient Sudan

A change in religion more often than not, leads to bloodshed and war as gods hold on to their powers, and their priests and kings and queens take up arms to defend them. The history of Sudan has seen...
Locals on camels near Meroe pyramids, Sudan (Matyas Rehak/ Adobe Stock)

Secrets in The Sands Of Sudan: The Kushite Kings’ Pyramids

After the decline of Egypt’s New Kingdom, the Kings of Kush established the 25th Dynasty by expanding their territory to include Egypt, and ruled as the Black Pharaohs for at least a hundred years...
Relief of Mentuhotep II and the Goddess Hathor, circa 2010-2000 BC Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art

Mentuhotep II and the Emergence of the Middle Kingdom

The iconic ancient Egyptians are perhaps the best and grandest example of an ancient civilization that was both technologically advanced and spiritually rich. It was during the Archaic Period that...
One of the huge ram heads that sat on top of what is called a criosphinx, a combination of a ram and a sphinx.		Source: Dr Mostafa Waziry

Three Giant Criosphinxes Discovered On Egypt’s Cultic Avenue in Luxor

The remains of three giant ram head sphinx statues, known as criosphinxes, have been unearthed on Luxor’s Avenue of Sphinxes in southern Egypt. At least one of the sphinx statues had a coiled cobra...
Entrance to the Luxor Temple at sunset showing the obelisk and statues of pharaohs

Luxor Temple: The Sacred Sanctuary With An Eternal Legacy

Luxor Temple is one of the most famous temple complexes in Egypt. This temple complex is situated on the east bank of the Nile River, in Luxor, the main city of Upper Egypt’s fourth nome. Luxor...
Fragment of the Alley of the Sphinxes in the Karnak Temple, Luxor, Egypt. The image of a sphinx with the head of a ram was a common depiction of the god Amun and this connected him with fertility.                   Source: Anton / Adobe stock

Amun, The Creator God Whose Supremacy Surpassed Egypt

The world of the ancient Egyptians was diverse and enigmatic, filled with untold wonders and beliefs that were closely interwoven with the nature around them. Of particular interest is the vast...
The Trials and Tribulations of BM 22542 (1889,0731)

The Trials and Tribulations of BM 22542 (1889,0731)

Spies have code names, so who was the mysterious BM 22542 (1889,0731), of Egyptian origin, that caused the deaths of many, sabotaged ships including the Titanic and Lusitania and disrupted the London...
The brown quartzite King Tut statue for auction. Source: Christie's.

3,000-Year-Old Egyptian God Whips Up A Sand Storm Of Legal Battles

On July 4th, Christie’s auction house in London will sell a rare 3,000 years old, , statue of the young pharaoh Tutankhamun’s head, portrayed as the god Amun , which according to Christie’s listing “...
Thousands of talatat blocks from Akhenaten's dismantled Aten temples lie in the precincts of Karnak complex; design by Anand Balaji

Akhenaten, the Savior of Karnak: Breaking Ties with “tainted” Amun - Part II

(Read Part I) Trouble brewed on the horizon when Amenhotep IV changed his name to Akhenaten in Regnal Year 5 in honor of his “father” the Aten, and abandoned Thebes (Waset) to occupy a desolate...
Enormous columns in the Great Hypostyle Hall at Karnak Temple complex, modern-day Luxor; design by Anand Balaji

Akhenaten, the Savior of Karnak: Sun God Vs the Hidden One - Part I

The fifth year of Pharaoh Akhenaten’s reign was to prove a watershed moment in ancient Egyptian history. In a bid to break free from the shackles of the influential Amun-Ra priesthood, the ruler...
Head of the statue discovered at the site of Dangeil in Sudan.

2,600-Year-Old Statue Identified as Vengeful Kush Ruler

Almost a decade ago archaeologists exploring a ruined temple dedicated to the Egyptian god Amun, near the Nile River in modern day Sudan, found a 2,600-year-old statue, but his identity remained...
Bust of Akhenaten

The Silence of Akhenaten: Was the Pharaoh Mute, Blind or Cultic?

The enigma of Pharaoh Akhenaten has captured the imagination of the world ever since Napoleon’s savants brought him to light. Today, every scholar holds steadfast to his or her theory about the...
Collage of Egyptian art, design by Anand Balaji.

Amarna in 3 Acts: Defining Vignettes from an Incomparable Era

Three important aspects, in many ways, defined and shaped the Akhetaten years and the post-Amarna period. His detractors in the new disposition erased Pharaoh Akhenaten’s memory in great haste—an...
Dark forces conspired in Ancient Egypt. Egyptian relief, design by Anand Balaji.

Dark Forces Conspire to Destroy the Radiant One: The Assassination of Akhenaten—Part II

Akhenaten’s religious experiment, which was launched in the imperial capital Thebes and later nurtured in the new city Akhetaten, resulted in dramatic changes. Not only did the king oust the panoply...
Was there a sinister plot to eliminate the Sun King? Egyptian relief, design by Anand Balaji.

A Sinister Plot to Eliminate the Sun King: The Assassination of Akhenaten—Part I

The Pharaoh clearly had enough of life at Thebes (Waset). His determined attempts to introduce Atenism—a syncretism of the Memphis-Heliopolis solar philosophy, with a deification of kingship dating...
Main: Temple of Aton in Amarna (CC by SA 3.0). Inset eclipse (public domain)

Eclipse over Amarna: Beginning of the End for Akhenaten in his City of Light?

The ancient Egyptian civilization was wedded to the Sun, and yet, extant records only ever mention the solar aspect as the giver and sustainer of life that shines brightly for all eternity. Sterling...
The Monumental Temple of Hibis: Memories of Glory Days by the Last Egyptian Pharaoh of Kemet

The Monumental Temple of Hibis: Memories of Glory Days by the Last Egyptian Pharaoh of Kemet

Nectanebo II is known as the last native ruler of ancient Egypt; Persians and the ancestors of Alexander the Great took over after his reign. Although these circumstances led to Nectanebo II being...
Astronomically Aligned Temple in Siwa Oasis is Ancient Calendar Device

Astronomically Aligned Temple in Siwa Oasis is Ancient Calendar Device

Ever wondered what would become of humanity if the power grid were to collapse, nulling every technological advancement man has ever made? Long before ego tricked humans into thinking they were the...
The Women Who Created a Legendary Pharaoh: The Hidden Advisers of Ramesses II

The Women Who Created a Legendary Pharaoh: The Hidden Advisers of Ramesses II

Ramesses II is considered one of the greatest pharaohs of Egypt. Regardless if this is an exaggerated statement or not, his reign had very distinct stages. With the disappearance of two of the most...

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