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The bottom of the cartouche is presently submerged in water. It was found in an ongoing illegal excavation at the bottom of a 4-meter pit in a home in Abydos.

Cartouche of the Last Pharaoh of Egypt Found at Illegal Dig Under Home in Abydos

A team of Egyptian archaeologists found a cartouche of the last native Egyptian pharaoh under the home of a man in Abydos, Egypt. The man and his accomplices were doing an illegal excavation...
This is the 3,700-year-old box that contained the remains of the daughter of King Emnikamaw, a 13th Dynasty sovereign. You can just barely make out some of the hieroglyphics carved into the box in the photo

What’s in the Box? Burial Chamber of an Egyptian King’s Daughter Discovered in Recently Unearthed Pyramid

Last month, in the ancient Egyptian necropolis of Dahshur, researchers discovered a pyramid. This week, inside the pyramid they found a burial chamber that is about 3,700 years old containing a...
Busts of Akhenaten and Nefertiti.

Why No Nose? The Ancient Breath of Life and Remarkably Powerful ‘Living Statues’

Why was is so important for bodies and images to remain intact after death in Ancient Egypt? And what was the power of ancient statues and reliefs – that they would be a danger to a Pharaoh? For the...
Pyramid of Pepi II with smaller pyramids for the queens Neith, Iput II and Udjebten.

Documenting 6th Dynasty Pharaohs: The Significant Inscription on the South Saqqara Stone

The sands of Egypt still cover many secrets. One such example was unearthed in the desert in Saqqara, which is now a part of Cairo. The stories of the people who lived there more than 5000 years ago...
The corridor leading to the interior of the newly-discovered pyramid

Entrance to 3,700-Year-Old Previously Unknown Pyramid Discovered in Egypt

Egyptian archaeologists excavating in the Dahshur Necropolis at an area north of King Senefru's Bent Pyramid, have made an exciting discovery – a 13 th dynasty pyramid that experts never knew existed...
Researchers traced around the edges of the figures to reveal a hunter, a possible shaman (medicine man) and an ostrich, which are still hunted today by San people of Africa. If you look underneath the image, you can see some faint pecking in the rock that clearly show the prehistoric human and ostrich images.

Ancient Egyptian Ritual Image Predates the Rise of the Pharaohs

The ancient Egyptians built their first great monuments in stone beginning with the step pyramid of Djoser about 4,650 years ago. Well before that, around 6,000 years ago, a fine artist working in...
An artist’s representation of Giovanni Battista Belzoni’s expedition. Belzoni is one of many researchers who entered the tomb KV20.

KV20: The Famous Female Pharaoh Hatshepsut Has a Magnificent Temple, But What Became of Her Body?

Father and daughter, Tuthmose I and Hatshepsut were two famous pharaohs of the 18th dynasty of the New Kingdom of Egypt; Hatshepsut being only the second confirmed female pharaoh. KV20 is one of the...
Tutankhamun’s silver trumpet with wooden insert. Tutankhamun’s War Chest by Asaf Braverman

Instruments of Mass Destruction: Do Tutankhamun’s Trumpets Really Summon War?

In 1922, the tomb of Tutankhamun was discovered in Egypt by an expedition led by the archaeologist Howard Carter. The discoveries made in uncovering the largely untouched tomb provided a wealth of...
The statue of a pharaoh found in a Cairo mud pit. It is believed to depict Ramesses II.

How Did an Enormous Statue of an Egyptian Pharaoh End Up Fragmented in a Mud Pit?

A team of archaeologists have unearthed fragments of a gigantic statue, possibly portraying Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses II, in a muddy pit at the ancient Heliopolis archaeological site in Cairo, as...
Did You Know that Tutankhamun Was Buried in Not One but THREE Golden Sarcophagi?

Did You Know that Tutankhamun Was Buried in Not One but THREE Golden Sarcophagi?

The discovery of the tomb of King Tutankhamun in 1922 by Howard Carter and his archaeological team was highly significant due to the intact nature of the tomb. Entering the tomb, the team found four...
Leaving an Impression: Footprints Left by Children Found in Ancient Capital of Ramesses II

Leaving an Impression: Footprints Left by Children Found in Ancient Capital of Ramesses II

A group of German archaeologists has discovered many Pharaonic features in Egypt's Nile Delta, including the remains of a building complex, a mortar pit with footprints left by children, and a...
The Great Sphinx of Giza.

Depicting Man or Beast? Can You Solve the Riddle of the Great Sphinx of Giza?

The Great Sphinx of Giza is one of the most fantastic monuments of ancient Egypt. A monolith carved into the limestone bedrock of the Giza plateau, the statue depicts a mythical creature with the...
Queen, Warrior, and a Symbol of a Forgotten Dynasty – The Powerful Matriarch Ahhotep

Queen, Warrior, and a Symbol of a Forgotten Dynasty – The Powerful Matriarch Ahhotep

A few surviving records show that Ahhotep was a woman who was stronger, braver, and a more powerful ruler than the average man. Her thrilling story starts in the Egyptian Middle Kingdom and ends in...
The Tomb of Pharaoh Seti I:  A Missing Mummy, An Unexpected Tunnel and a Mummified Bull

The Tomb of Pharaoh Seti I: A Missing Mummy, An Unexpected Tunnel and a Mummified Bull

The mummified face of Pharaoh Sety I (Seti I) still shows that he was not only extremely powerful but also very handsome during his lifetime. Sety’s tomb was brought back to the world on October 16,...
Fast Money: The Egyptian Economy, Monetary System, and Horrendous Taxes

Fast Money: The Egyptian Economy, Monetary System, and Horrendous Taxes

The ancient Egyptians created a sophisticated economic system thousands of years ago. Although they may seem far removed from modern life, their inventions in the monetary realm provided the basis...
Hunting the Lions: The Last King of Assyria, and the Death of the Empire – Part II

Hunting the Lions: The Last King of Assyria, and the Death of the Empire – Part II

The Assyrian empire, with the death of King Ashurbanipal, was collapsing under the weight of politics and war. Kingdoms and leaders previously held in Assyria’s great grasp fell upon the vulnerable...
A lion is hunted, and is near death. Assyrian relief, Nineveh, north palace, 645-635 BCE

Hunting the Lions: A Dead King, and a Collapsing Assyrian Empire – Part I

The fall of Assyria was with a whimper and in no way ended with a bang. Instead, it ended in a slow, agonizing death. Ashurbanipal, Assyria's last great king, ascended the throne only to inherit a...
Owner of Mummified Legs Likely to Be Nefertari, Favorite Queen of Ramses II

Owner of Mummified Legs Likely to Be Nefertari, Favorite Queen of Ramses II

They are not very pretty to look at now, but a pair of mummified legs are now believed to have belonged to a much sought after queen of ancient Egypt who had been buried in an elaborate and...
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...
This Forgotten Egyptian Dish Reveals Early Astronomical Symbols of Key Constellations

This Forgotten Egyptian Dish Reveals Early Astronomical Symbols of Key Constellations

While traveling in Egypt for my studies, I came across a unique artifact in the Nubian Museum in Aswan. It was a dish which had not been recognized for the important information it holds. As soon as...
The Egyptian Judicial System: Robust Pillar of Empire

The Egyptian Judicial System: Robust Pillar of Empire

Down the millennia, right from the hoary Narmer Palette to the grand reliefs on the walls of the magnificent temples of Ramesses II and that of later rulers; Egyptian artistic canon depicted the...
The Mystery of the Screaming Mummy

The Mystery of the Screaming Mummy

Mummification in ancient Egypt was performed using clearly defined routines and religious rituals. However, an unidentified mummy found in 1881 had not been prepared in accordance with custom. What...
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...
A stone statue of Hatshepsut and Egyptian soldiers from Hatshepsut's expedition to the Land of Punt as depicted from her temple at Deir el-Bahri.

Out for War or A Shopping Trip? Why Hatshepsut Traveled to the Kingdom of Punt

The walls of the great temple in Karnak depicted the story of an expedition of impressive ships to the mysterious land known as Punt. The fleet of Queen Hatshepsut traveled there for unknown reasons...

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