Egyptology

29 January, 2020 - 01:50 Richard Hoyle

The Bosnian Pyramids: One of the Greatest Finds Ever?

In 2020, as we begin a new decade, Dr Sam Osmanagich and The Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun Foundation is celebrating its 15 th year since multidisciplinary investigations of the Bosnian Pyramids began...

One of the Amarna graves found with a head cone. Source: Courtesy of the Amarna Project via Antiquity Publications Ltd

10 December, 2019 - 16:04 ancient-origins

First Examples of Ancient Egyptian Head Cones Found at Amarna

Ancient Egyptian art frequently depicted people wearing cone-shaped headgear, but for a long time no physical examples were found. Now, an international team of archaeologists report the discovery of...

Some of the twenty coffins found in the Assasif necropolis. Source: Ministry of Antiquities

16 October, 2019 - 15:26 Ed Whelan

Huge Cache of Exquisite Coffins Found in Egypt

The Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities has announced a major discovery near Luxor in the south of the country. Archaeologists have unearthed at least 20 wooden coffins that date back to the era of the...

Granite sphinx of Rameses II, moved from Memphis Egypt to Philadelphia USA in 1913 Source: Penn Museum Archive.

14 June, 2019 - 23:03 ashley cowie

Hi-Tech Levitation Devices Used To “Float” Ancient Egyptian Sphinx

In 1913, archaeologists working with the Egyptian Antiquities Service, the Egypt Exploration Fund and the British School of Archaeology, excavated an enormous red-granite sphinx representing the...

Of all the pharaohs of ancient Egypt who yearned to rest for an eternity in their sepulchers in the Valley of the Kings, only Tutankhamun has had his wish fulfilled. Here, his mortal remains rest within a climate-controlled glass case in the Antechamber.

21 January, 2019 - 17:29 anand balaji

When Tutankhamun Lay in State: Did Ankhesenamun Willfully Delay Her Husband’s Burial – Part I

The twilight years of the Amarna interlude are shrouded in mystery. We have little concrete evidence of the persons who reigned and their actions. Tossed into this confounding milieu are details of...

Napoleon Bonaparte before the Sphinx, (circa 1868) by Jean-Léon Gérôme, Hearst Castle.

17 September, 2018 - 20:23 anand balaji

Napoleon’s Amazing Foresight: Savants, Soldiers and Science

In 1798 the French general, Napoleon Bonaparte, led an expedition to Egypt vowing to annex the country and halt the military and commercial march of the British. But a little over three years later,...

Top Image: Painted limestone block from Amarna shows Akhenaten worshipping the Aten; while his daughter, Meritaten, shakes a sistrum; design by Anand Balaji (Photo credit: Brooklyn Museum, New York); Deriv.

5 September, 2018 - 17:56 anand balaji

Was Meritaten the Ephemeral Ankhkheperure? Death of Nefertiti and Succession Games in the Royal Court – Part II

Given the virtual lack of royal males who were old enough to rule, disarray over who would assume the throne after Akhenaten’s death seems to have plagued the Amarna family. Having accorded...

Detail of a talatat block from Amarna supposedly shows Kiya with her unnamed daughter. It is also suggested that this is Nefertiti and Meritaten; design by Anand Balaji (Photo credit: Brooklyn Museum, New York); Deriv.

3 September, 2018 - 16:07 anand balaji

Was Meritaten the Ephemeral Ankhkheperure? Discovering the True Identity of Amarna’s Female Pharaoh – Part I

During the final years of the Atenist heresy, an obscure ruler came to the throne of Egypt. No one is certain about the identity of this person - especially if it was a man or a woman. Akhenaten’s...

Enormous headless Osiride sculptures of Pharaoh Ramesses III stand in the colonnade of the king's Barque Chapel south of the second pylon at Karnak Temple; design by Anand Balaji (Photo credit: Anand Balaji); Deriv.

17 August, 2018 - 16:21 anand balaji

Ramesses III and the Harem Conspiracy: Kingship Saved as Brutal Coup Backfires Miserably – Part II

Even though Pharaoh Ramesses III had been the master of all that he surveyed – striking awe in the hearts of his enemies and earning admiration among his subjects – the glory days were drawing to a...

Remains of the Hypostyle Hall in the Mortuary Temple of Ramesses III at Medinet Habu; design by Anand Balaji

15 August, 2018 - 16:31 anand balaji

Ramesses III and the Harem Conspiracy: Diabolic Plot to Kill the Living Horus Unfolds – Part I

The collapse of the Late Bronze Age world brought chaos to the shores of ancient Egypt. Vibrant trade and tributes from Near Eastern lands had all but ceased after the Sea Peoples decimated those...

A small statue of goddess Nephthys guards the golden canopic shrine of Tutankhamun; and detail from the north wall of KV62.

27 July, 2018 - 17:10 anand balaji

When the Falcon Had Flown: Evidence of Approximate Order in Burial Paraphernalia – Part II

A great deal of ritualistic activity was involved in the burial of royals in the ‘Valley of the Kings’. This apart, stocking their tombs with everything that they would need in the Afterlife was...

This collage shows the Valley of the Kings, statuettes of funerary deities and the Antechamber of the tomb of Tutankhamun.

25 July, 2018 - 15:36 anand balaji

When the Falcon Had Flown: Understanding the Process of Stocking Pharaonic Tombs – Part I

Given their overwhelming belief in the Afterlife, did ancient Egyptian royalty organize their tombs in advance of their eventual demise; or were preparations made post mortem? Although we do not...

Painted limestone relief from the Memphite tomb of Horemheb shows him with the uraeus on his brow; it was added after he became pharaoh; design by Anand Balaji

4 July, 2018 - 15:19 anand balaji

The Rage of Horemheb: Traditionalism for the Greater Glory of the Egyptian State – Part II

Horemheb was no run-of-the-mill general, but a true nationalist at heart. The demise of King Aye was a watershed moment, insofar as getting the country back on track wholeheartedly was concerned...

Fragmentary scene, originally from the second courtyard of his Saqqaran tomb, shows Horemheb wearing the Gold of Honor given by Tutankhamun; design by Anand Balaji

2 July, 2018 - 15:30 anand balaji

The Rage of Horemheb: Hurried End of Akhenaten, Aye and Atenism – Part I

Barely four years after the death of Nebkheperure Tutankhamun in 1323 BC, the powerful ruling family was overthrown by Horemheb, a general and one-time non-royal crown prince; ending the Thutmosid...

VR screenshot of one of the tomb’s images.

29 June, 2018 - 14:03 Alicia McDermott

Would You Like to Tour the Tomb of Nefertari? Grab Your VR Headset and Explore!

Have you ever wished you could be guided through a beautifully preserved ancient Egyptian tomb? This is a dream for many people, however advances in virtual reality (VR) can help you get one giant...

The entrance stairway of 16 steps viewed from the point where Howard Carter uncovered the first sealed doorway

8 June, 2018 - 15:35 anand balaji

Robbing Tutankhamun: Greed for Gold, Linen, Cosmetics and the Good Life—Part II

Against all odds, Tutankhamun’s tomb survived the ravages of time; when the magnificent burial places of his predecessors and successors were ransacked in antiquity, and their treasures stolen...

Pages

Myths & Legends

The Powerful Symbol of the Swastika and its 12,000 Year History

The swastika is a symbol that has been used for at least 12,000 years. While in the Western world it is synonymous with fascism, being the centerpiece of the Nazi flag, in ancient times it was used as a positive symbol representing well being and good fortune.

The Real Story of Medusa: Protective Powers from a Snake-Haired Gorgon

A Multitude of Demons: More on the Mythology of the Constantine TV Series

Beware the Supernatural Bathroom Spirits, Toilet Deities, and Dung Demons

The Ancient Pagan Origins of Easter

The Glastonbury Giant: Who Did the Mystery Bones of A Nine Foot Skeleton Belong To?

Human Origins

Snow White a Disney story based on real historical events.

The Truth Behind 5 Disney Movies That Are Based On Real Histories

Many of us grew up watching Disney movies and their tales of fairy princesses and evil queens are undeniably a part of the modern zeitgeist.

One Hundred Thousand Adams and Eves?

Facing the Facts: Just How Accurate Are Facial Reconstructions?

Rh-Negative Blood: An Exotic Bloodline or Random Mutation?

Dark Skin and Blue Eyes: European Hunter-Gatherers Did Not Fit with Common Representations

The Secret Life of an Ancient Concubine

Ancient Technology

Norimitsu Odachi: Who Could Have Possibly Wielded This Enormous 15th Century Japanese Sword?

The Norimitsu Odachi is a huge sword from Japan. It is so large, in fact, that it was said to have been wielded by a giant. Apart from the basic knowledge of it having been forged in the 15th century AD, measuring 3.77 meters (12.37 ft.) in length, and weighing as much as 14.5 kg (31.97 lbs.), this impressive sword is shrouded in mystery.

The revolutionary invention of the wheel

Is this a 300 million-year-old screw or just a fossilized sea creature?

Ancient Trap Ideas to Protect Your Tomb or Catch Your Lunch

Han Purple: A 2,800-year-old artificial pigment that quantum physicists are trying to understand

Secrets Behind the Creepy Plague Doctor Mask and Costume

Ancient Places

5 Pyramids of the Ancient World that You May Not Have Heard About

The Great Pyramid of Giza is undoubtedly one of the most well-known icons of the ancient world. But thousands of other pyramids exist, not just in Egypt, but across the entire globe, including Europe, Asia, Oceania and the Americas. The reason why so many ancient civilizations, many of which had no contact with each other, were constructing pyramids at around the same time remains a bit of a mystery.

Populating Palmerston Island: One Man, Three Wives and A Desert Island Paradise

Eisriesenwelt Cave, Home of the Legendary Ice Giants

How A Handful of Yamnaya Culture Nomads Became the Fathers of Europe

The Contrasting Royal Palaces of Rwanda

The White Slaves of Barbary

Opinion

Naupa Iglesia: An Egyptian Portal in the Andes?

Halfway up a near-vertical ravine in the Andes, someone carved an inverted V-shaped entrance into the mountainside. Then they sliced the bedrock with great precision to create a shallow door that...

The Nephilim: Giant Offspring of the Sons of God and the Daughters of Man?

Mount Shasta: Spirits and Danger on a Sacred California Mountain

Mysterious Worlds: Travels to the Faerie and Shamanic Realms

Pharaoh Akhenaten: An Alternative View of the Heretic King

Changing Colors and Scampering Across the Night Sky: What Did the Ancients Say about Sirius?

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At Ancient Origins, we believe that one of the most important fields of knowledge we can pursue as human beings is our beginnings. And while some people may seem content with the story as it stands, our view is that there exists countless mysteries, scientific anomalies and surprising artifacts that have yet to be discovered and explained.

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By bringing together top experts and authors, this archaeology website explores lost civilizations, examines sacred writings, tours ancient places, investigates ancient discoveries and questions mysterious happenings. Our open community is dedicated to digging into the origins of our species on planet earth, and question wherever the discoveries might take us. We seek to retell the story of our beginnings.