The Levites are members of the Hebrew tribe of Levi. They, and their tribe, are named after Levi, the third son of Jacob, and Leah. In the past, the Levites were entrusted with religious...
Archaeological authorities in Egypt have just announced the discovery of many new Egyptian mummies and precious statues . In all, at least 59 new coffins and mummies were found at one of Egypt’s most...
An anchorite or anchoret (anchoress being its female form) was person who chose to “live alone in prayer to worship God, unceasingly and without distraction.” Although other Christian ascetics share...
The 4,400-year-old tomb is the next in a string of rare discoveries at the Saqqara pyramid complex in Egypt. A BBC article quotes Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of...
A ritual based religion, Shintoism is defined as "the way of the gods" in Japan, from the Chinese Shendao. It is the indigenous religion of the country, and survives today as the state religion,...
An appointee of the Pharaoh himself, the role of the sem priest carried immense political and religious weightage. In many ways, this class of priest served as the bridge between the ruler and the...
The office of sem or setem priest of Ptah, the patron god of the craftsmen in Memphis, Lower Egypt, was a prestigious one. Considered a sacred feline with a connection to the Heliopolitan cult via...
At first glance it appears as though Pharaoh Akhenaten is someone whom one would describe as a textbook monotheist, but are we missing the plot? Apart from Amun (and later, Osiris) the king doesn’t...
Pharaoh Akhenaten has been revered and reviled in equal measure for unleashing his religious policy of one god, the Aten sun disc. But, was the king a monotheist in letter and spirit – one who...
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...
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...
In his History , Livy reported that during a critical part of the battle against the Samnites in 296 BCE, the general Appius Claudius was seen in the front lines raising his hands as he uttered a...
A very interesting tomb has been uncovered in San Pedro de Pacopampa, Chota Province, Cajamarca Region, Peru. The tomb contains a double burial of what is believed to be high-ranking priests from the...
In modern times, it is common to initiate a new building with what is known as a "ground-breaking" ceremony. This tradition symbolically marks the beginning of a new project in many cultures and is...
Giant limestone heads have been unearthed in Egypt, including those of royal priests and 18th dynasty king Amenhotep III. The discovery of the stone head depicting Amenhotep III was a surprise find...
In a claim that the Vatican has brushed off as a “fairy tale”, proponents of female priesthood say that the newly restored Catacombs of Priscilla in Rome provide undeniable proof that there were...