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Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ

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papyri

Ancient magical grimoire with a dimly lit, mysterious background and captivating light swirls, emphasizing knowledge power and spell world. Source: XaMaps/Adobe Stock

Spells, Invocations and Divination: The Ancient History of Magical Grimoires

Grimoires are books containing magic spells and instructions for the making of amulets and talismans, but some of them also contained directions on how to summon and control demons. Grimoires have...
AI tech scans carbonized Herculaneum scrolls. Photograph: University of Kentucky.

AI Unlocks Secrets from Charred Herculaneum Scroll

A 21-year-old computer-science prodigy has used artificial intelligence (AI) to achieve what many thought impossible: reading the interior text of a carbonized scroll from the ancient Roman city of...
Libraries of ancient wisdom that helped shape our understanding of the world. Source:  tilialucida/Adobe Stock

Halls of Ancient Wisdom: 7 Remarkable Ancient Libraries

Throughout history, some of the world’s most powerful rulers have acknowledged one simple fact, knowledge is power. This fact led them to build monumental testaments to the pursuit of knowledge and...
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

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...
Book of the Dead papyrus

Invisible Ink on Nile Papyrus Revealed by Groundbreaking Method

The first thing that catches an archaeologist's eye on the small piece of papyrus from Elephantine Island on the Nile is the apparently blank patch. Researchers from the Egyptian Museum, Berlin...
The Christian letter - papyrus P.Bas. 2.43 has been in the possession of the University of Basel for over 100 years. Source: University of Basel / Fair Use.

World’s Oldest Christian Letter Found On 3rd Century Egyptian Papyrus

Egypt played a very significant role in the history of early Christianity . A researcher has announced that she has found the earliest known Christian letter, that was written in Roman Egypt in the...
Burning scroll

Who Destroyed the Great Library of Alexandria?

The destruction of the great library of Alexandria has been lamented as one of the biggest losses of the ancient world. Nearly one million documents from across Assyria, Greece, Persia, Egypt, India...
2,000-Year-Old Scorched Scrolls of Herculaneum

Secrets in 2,000-Year-Old Scorched Scrolls of Herculaneum to be Revealed with New Tech

An enormous wealth of knowledge locked within hundreds of ancient papyrus scrolls scorched by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, may now be revealed thanks to new technology which may enable...
Papyrus (P. BM EA 10591 recto column IX, beginning of lines 13-17).

Ancient Advanced Technology Reveals Itself in Egyptian Papyrus Ink

A new study shows ink on 2,000-year-old Egyptian papyri fragments contains copper. This means the assumption that carbon was the only basis for ink to write on ancient papyri is now a thing of the...
Tutankhamum’s Golden Coffin

5 Important Egyptian Archaeological Discoveries that Provided Leaps in Our Knowledge of the Past

When it comes to archaeological discoveries, very few countries can measure up to the wealth of Egypt. From the Rosetta Stone , to the Valley of the Kings, to the great ancient pyramids at Giza,...
The Only Library Ever Recovered from Antiquity: The 1800 Scrolls of Herculaneum

The Only Library Ever Recovered from Antiquity: The 1800 Scrolls of Herculaneum

The Villa of the Papyri is the name given to a private house that was uncovered in the ancient Roman city of Herculaneum. This city, along with nearby Pompeii, is perhaps best remembered for its...
Aerial view of Thebes' Ramesseum, showing pylons and secondary buildings and the Medical Papyri.

Revealing the Ramesseum Medical Papyri and Other Remarkable Finds from the Temple of Ramesses II

The mortuary temple of Ramesses II is one of the most magnificent temples in the Theban necropolis in Upper Egypt. It was discovered by Jean-Francois Champollion, the same man who deciphered the...
The Oxyrhynchus Papyri: The Largest Cache of Early Christian Manuscripts Discovered to Date

The Oxyrhynchus Papyri: The Largest Cache of Early Christian Manuscripts Discovered to Date

The Oxyrhynchus Papyri are a group of texts that were discovered at Oxyrhynchus (known today as el-Bahnasa), a site located in Upper Egypt. This group of documents is seen as one of the most...
The Schoyen Collection: 20,000 Ancient Manuscripts from 134 Countries in 120 Languages

The Schoyen Collection: 20,000 Ancient Manuscripts from 134 Countries in 120 Languages

The largest private collection of manuscripts is remarkable not just for the number of items it possesses (over 20,000) but for the breadth and depth of human history it encompasses. The Schøyen...
Newly translated Egyptian papyrus reveals evil spells of coercion, love incantations and healing recipes

Newly Translated Egyptian Papyrus Reveals Evil Spells of Coercion, Love Incantations and Healing Recipes

Some ancient Egyptian papyri have recently been translated and were found to be magic incantations intended to cast love spells, treat disease and force people to do the bidding of the person casting...
A papyrus fragment believed to contain lines from the Gospel of John, dating from A.D. 250 to A.D. 350.

Priceless Ancient Papyrus with Gospel of John Extract Found on eBay for $99

A scholar of early Christianity at the University of Texas has announced his discovery earlier this year of a priceless fragment of the New Testament written in ancient Greek – for sale on eBay with...
Scan of the Dinner Invitation

Rediscovered Papyri Fragments Provide Charming Insight into Everyday Life in Ancient Egypt

The papyrus fragments rediscovered at the University of British Columbia (UBC) Library include a reminder for an invitation to dinner and a letter to a young man’s mother. The invitation calls guests...
Extracting papyri from a Greco-Roman mummy mask, in hopes that early Biblical texts might be found.

Researchers extract Papyrus Text from Mummy Mask, revealing what might be the oldest known Gospel

A team of scientists claim to have recovered the oldest known copy of a gospel, dating back to the 1 st century AD, which they extracted from papyri used to create an Egyptian mummy mask, Live...