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Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ

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11th Dynasty model of Nubian archers in the Egyptian army, from a tomb in Asyut (2130–1991 BC). Source: Aidan McRae Thomson/CC BY-SA 2.0

Five Mysteries About Ancient Nubia (Video)

Ancient Nubia , a region south of Egypt, boasts a rich history shrouded in mysteries that have often been overlooked. The first mystery revolves around the relative obscurity of Nubian civilization...
Banganarti site in 2014.       Source: Albertinese/CC BY-SA 4.0

The Raphaelion, the Ancient Christian Faith Center of Banganarti

Banganarti, a famous archaeological site on the eastern bank of the Nile, is one of the most popular sites in Sudan. Within this site is the Raphaelion, a church that dates back to the 7th century AD...
Images of the Christogram tattoo on the dorsal (top) side of the right foot. Picture was taken with a full spectrum camera and digital enhanced using ImageJ software with a DStretch plugin. Source: Kari A. Guilbault/PCMA UW

Medieval Christogram Tattoo Found in Sudan Reveals Deep Christianity

Nubia, the region that consists of modern-day Egypt and Sudan, has yielded a rather surprising find – a Christogram tattoo has been unearthed on the body of a person dating back 1,300 years. This...
Queen Amanirenas, warrior queen AI representation. Source: Refineria AI/adobe Stock

The One-Eyed African Queen Who Defeated the Roman Empire: Amanirenas

Few are those who stood defiant to the powerful Roman Empire and opposed its incessant expansion. From the barbarian tribes of Central Europe to the warlike Britons and Gauls, and all the way to the...
Nubian Queen. Source: Atelier Sommerland / Adobe Stock.

Never Mind Cleopatra – What About the Forgotten Queens of Nubia?

Jada Pinkett Smith’s new Netflix documentary series on Cleopatra aims to spotlight powerful African queens. “We don’t often get to see or hear stories about Black queens, and that was really...
Roman Kiosk and Apedamak (lion god) temple in Naqa, Nubia Sudan. Source: YiannisMantas/Adobe Stock

The Ancient City of Naqa - The Kushite Religious Stronghold

For centuries the ancient Nubian Kingdom of Kush stood as a potent rival of the neighboring Ancient Egypt. Over countless generations, the rising Kushite polity engaged in intermittent warfare, trade...
Statue identified as being Sebiumeker, god of procreation and fertility from Meroe in present-day Sudan. Source: K. Braulinska / PAP

Asian and Nubian Influences Found In Ptolemaic Era Statues in Berenice

Several mysterious statues dating back over 2000 years have been unearthed inside a temple in the ruined port of Berenice in Egypt . What makes them unique is that they exhibit strong influences from...
Throne Hall of Dongola, Sudan

Throne Hall of Dongola: Hidden Christian Beginnings Revealed in the Walls of the Oldest Preserved Mosque in Sudan

Relatively little is known of Sudan beyond the borders of Africa even though it is a country which has been home to significant civilizations and has many fascinating archaeological sites. One of the...
The Starving of Saqqara sculpture.

Elongated Skulls and Indecipherable Language: What Does the Mysterious Starving of Saqqara Sculpture Mean?

The Starving of Saqqara is the name given to an ancient Egyptian sculpture believed to date to the Pre-Dynastic period. Little is known about the origins and provenance of this statue, which is today...
Head of Marcus Aurelius found at Aswan/Site of the newly discovered shrine at Luxor,

The Head of an Emperor, the Shrine of a God: Two Contrasting Finds at the Egyptian Sites of Luxor and Aswan

Recent discoveries at two of the major ancient sites in Egypt emphasize the diversity of culture and power that existed in the region over time. In Aswan, the head of a marble statue of the Roman...
Burial Sites Show How Nubians, Egyptians Integrated Communities Thousands of Years Ago

Burial Sites Show How Nubians and Egyptians Integrated Communities Thousands of Years Ago

New bioarchaeological evidence shows that Nubians and Egyptians integrated into a community, and even married, in ancient Sudan, according to new research from a Purdue University anthropologist. "...
Professor Stuart Tyson Smith opens an intact tomb with the coffined, mummified burial of an elderly woman inside.

Ancient Tomb Reveals Cultural Entanglement between Egypt and Nubia

At some point around 1500 BC, Egypt conquered Upper Nubia, and each kingdom took on cultural aspects of the other. Clear evidence of this cultural mixing is seen in the recently discovered grave of...
Kushite ceremonial cup

Cheers! Archaeologists Discover Ceremonial Cup from the Dynasty of the Black Pharaohs

A team of scientists, composed of members of the Tenerife University of La Laguna and in charge of carrying out an archaeological mission in Luxor, have recently discovered a ceremonial cup from the...
One of 16 pyramids uncovered in a cemetery in the ancient town of Gematon in Sudan. The pyramid likely rose more than 39 feet (12 meters) in height.

16 Ancient Pyramids, Burial Sites for a Vanished Kingdom, Found in Sudan

2,000-year-old pyramids have been found in an ancient cemetery, revealing the burial practices of a long-vanished kingdom in Sudan. Discovered near the ancient town of Gematon in Sudan, the 16...
Nubian King leads his queens through a crowd during a festival

‘Gold and the Gods’ opens window to rulers of ancient Nubia

King Piankhi, otherwise known as Piye, was the first of the great Nubian kings who reigned over Egypt for three-quarters of a century in the 25 th Dynasty. King Piankhi and the so-called black...