Egyptomania

Who is Tutankhamun? During Akhenaten’s reign, a royal child was born under the name of Tutankh aten, after Aten, the new all-god preached by Akhenaten .   Following the turmoil of Akhenaten’s death, the boy king changed his name after the famous solar deity, Amun and his name became Tutankh amun . Scholars are still uncertain about the identity of Tutankhamun’s mother; some believe that the child’s mother was Nefertiti who was Akhenaten’s principal wife and some believe that his mother was one of his secondary wives named Kiya. He married Ankhesenamun who was his half-sister and the daughter of Akhenaten and Queen Nefertiti. Although the couple had no surviving children, it was believed they had two daughters, Tutankhamun was the 12 th pharaoh of the 18 th dynasty and he ruled Egypt as a pharaoh for 10 years. Because Tutankhaten was just nine years old when he ruled Egypt, the first years of his reign were dominated by Ay, who was a Vizier during that ...

Khonsu, Chons, or Khons is the god of the moon and the god of time in ancient Egypt. As a lunar god, Khonsu is associated with the other lunar god, Thot. He is originally part of the triad with Amun and Mut. He is the child of the union between the air and the sky. He was primarily worshipped at Thebes. In the north, he was considered the son of Ptah and Sekhmet. At the Greco-Roman Kom-Ombo Temple, Khonsu is the son of Sobek and Hathor . He has his own temple at the Karnak Complex. It is from there that his statue was transported, during the Thebian New Year Festival,  to join his parents at the Luxor Temple. Khonsu's Name  There has been a dispute about the meaning of his name. Some scholars suggested that it represented the royal placenta. It is more accepted that Khonsu is derived from the hieroglyphs for "wanderer" or "traveller". ( hns ) means to travel or to cross, referring to the journey of the moon through the sky. Khonsu's Appearance He is usually ...

A 3,000-Year old artificial toe from Ancient Egypt is thought to be the world’s earliest functional prosthetic body part. It was discovered in a tomb near the city of Luxor in 1997 attached to a mummy of a woman named “Ta bakit an mut”. This woman was the daughter of “Amun” a priest who lived in Egypt during the transition period of the 3 rd dynasty of ancient Egypt (710-915 B.C) . Necessity is the mother of invention “Ta bakit an mut” suffered from Atherosclerosis and had her big toe (the hallux) amputated through a skillfully performed surgical procedure using advanced medicine in ancient Egypt. This resulted in complete healing of the skin naturally. It is known that the big toe carries 40% of the body weight and is responsible for forwarding propulsion. Since the ancient Egyptians used to walk in sandals, it was necessary to make a prosthetic device so that “Ta bakit an mut” can lead a normal life. The ancient prosthetic toe display at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization,...

The physical body (khet) is one of the five aspects of the ancient Egyptian identity. This body had to preserve its form as the only tangible vessel to the intangible entirety of a human being. Coupled with the ancient Egyptian belief in the afterlife, mummification became of paramount importance. When it comes to ancient Egyptian kings and queens, the situation becomes more and more complex. For it was the ancient Egyptian rulers who shall lead their people in the land of the dead, naturally marking their mummies as the most important in the land. In this article we aim to follow the brief stories of some of the kings and queens recently featured in the Pharaoh's Golden Parade transporting them from the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities. They now find their resting place at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in a show-stopping display aimed to simulate their original resting place at the Valley of  Kings and Queens.  Entrance to the Royal Mummies Hall, National Museum ...

Seth was also known as Sutekh or Set. He was often associated with the negative aspects of chaos, violence, disorder, war, storms, and foreign lands. He was the brother and husband of Nephthys and the brother of Isis and Osiris. This makes him the son of Geb (the Earth) and Nut (the Sky) and the main antagonist in the famous myth of Osiris.  His name in hieroglyphs is translated as "instigator of confusion" and "destroyer". It is believed that Seth was one of the two gods who gave the power and authority to the pharaohs and that’s why he was respected for his chaotic powers. Some kings used the animal that represented Seth as part of their emblem to evince their dominance and frightening power. Different forms of Seth The physical representation of Seth is different from any other Egyptian deity, whose physical representations were based on known animals, because the animal that represented him is so far unidentified. Seth was usually depicted as a man with an anima...

Ancient Egyptians believed in the afterlife in the form of a heavenly Field of Reeds (A'aru) that exactly mirrored their lives, albeit in a more perfect, immortal form.  This naturally makes funerary practices one of the most important, if not the most important, rituals in Ancient Egypt. The aim here was to preserve the different aspects of the deceased's life so that they may later relive it in peace after waking up from their temporary slumber. These funerals warranted the survival of the spirit in the Netherworld and so the mummification of the body was a central part in these rituals. For the body (khet) is the main vessel of the soul (Ka and Ba).  The family of the deceased had one of three options for the mummification and making of the coffin. This was a quality for money deal as families would strive for the second best or best option to ensure the safe journey for the deceased and avoid getting haunted by their trapped ghost. Funerary Processions were a given ev...

The Dendera Zodiacs have been one of the most baffling puzzles pertaining to Ancient Egypt. Most people may be familiar with the older circular zodiac which petty astrologers reduce to an Ancient Egyptian Horoscope. You may definitely align your western astrological sign with this zodiac and we may tell you how in a future article, but it certainly does not mean that you share characteristics with the gods of Egypt. The fundamental importance of these zodiacs lies in the actual astronomical science they signify. These zodiacs did not only threaten both established science and Catholic doctrine at some point in time but were also a key Champollion utilized to decipher the Rosetta Stone.  Description The older zodiac, also known as  Le Zodiaque de Paris  (the Zodiac of Paris) is circular and dates to about 50 BCE. It formed half of the ceiling in the Osiris chapel at the Dendera Temple. The second rectangular zodiac, which is about 80 years older is found as part of the Den...

This is a vivid and complex tale, dating to the reign of King Seti II of the 19th dynasty. This tale has a connection with a myth of two gods, namely Anubis and Bata. What is unique here is that these very gods are depicted as humans with minor super powers, not as the omnipotent beings we normally encounter in Ancient Egyptian mythology. This tale also has a very strong similarity with the tale of Joseph and Potiphar's wife. Once upon a time, there were two brothers, Anubis who is the elder and married, and Bata, the younger bachelor. Anubis had a house and a wife, treating Bata as his own son. Bata was a perfect man, none like him in the whole land (a god's strength was in him). The two brothers worked together, farming land and raising cattle. One day when they were in the field, they had a need for seeds. The elder brother sends his younger brother Bata to bring the seeds from home. His sister in law tries to seduce him. Bata becomes very angry and resists her adamantly. Wh...

General information This battle was between the ancient Egyptians under the leadership of King Ramses II and the Hittites under the leadership of King Muwattali II along with his brother and commander in charge Murshilli. This battle dates to nearly 1275B.C. It took place in present day Syria. This battle is, by far, the most well documented in the history of the Middle East.  Causes Hittite expansion into Syria coincided with the revive of the Egyptian interests in the same area. Both of them wanted the wealth of natural sources in Syria, its strategical location and the control of trade routes.  Why clash in Kadesh specifically? Kaddish was the border line and a critical point between Egypt and the Hittite empire so the battle naturally took place there.As usual the Egyptian army was divided into its traditional four divisions (Amun, Seth, Re, Hours). The Hittites surpassed the Egyptian army and Muwatalli was very cunning to drag Egypt to a foxy trap. He sent a spy to the Eg...

Hathor is one of the most complex and mysterious of ancient Egyptian gods. She has been present ever since prehistoric times until the late period. Unlike other gods, goddess Hathour's cult had never witnessed a decline. Hathor was always shining like a sun only setting with the last traces of the Ancient Egyptian empire.  Hathor is symbolic of many different things: Animals (cows, cats , lions). Vegetation (Lotus, Papyrus, Rosetta). Sky (associated with the sky of the morning and the sky of the night). The sun (associated with Re of the morning, Atum of the night). Trees (also personified as a tree giving food to the dead in the netherworld). Minerals (Hathor was the goddess of gold, copper, Lapis Lazuli). Love, sex, creation and fertility. At earlier times, Hathor had no features since her most important symbolism were the horns associated with fertility.  Goddess Hathor could appear in 3 forms: A cow: she was represented as a cow from the prehistoric times. At such times, w...

The City of the Dead unveils more treasures. Saqqara, located to the Southwest of Cairo, had always been one of the main cemeteries in Memphis. As old as civilized times, Saqqara housed the remains of the earliest dynastic kings, to the proximity of 3,100 B.C. This makes Saqqara about 5,120 years old (or older) to the best of our knowledge. Saqqara may be most prominently known for the Great Funerary Complex of Djoser. Beneath its dry sands, it holds numerous treasures just as fascinating as the ground level architectural masterpiece. It also houses later Pyramids such as the Pyramids of Unas and Userkaf . Saqqara held the title of "The Land of the Dead" for many ancient centuries, only to be (almost) paralleled by the Valley of Kings and Queens much later in Ancient Egyptian history. The new discovery in the Necropolis of Saqqara can only testify to its ever persistent importance. So, what did the Egyptian mission find? Three 10-12 metres deep burial shafts were uncovered. ...

 A meeting point of the khedivate and monarchic eras, the Mohammed Ali Palace in Manial stands witness to the political shifts in the tides of Egypt. Muhammad Ali palace is one of the most beautifully unique palaces in Egypt. It belongs to prince Muhammed Ali Tawfiq, the second son of Khedive Tawfiq , and the brother of Khedive Abbas Hilmi II. The construction of the palace began in 1903 AD and the land of the palace was chosen by Prince Muhammed Ali himself to be a marker of 20th century Egypt. The prince who never made it to kingship chose a very calm location for his palace, a place where he could relax and enjoy the beauty of nature. This land was an island of Manial El Rawda on the shore of the Nile in the Shubra area, extending to Al-Haj lake.  Mohammed Ali Tawfiq, forever a Prince. Photo Attribution: Rais67, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons What makes this palace a unique architectural masterpiece? Prince Mu...

Pepi II was one of the late pharaohs of the sixth dynasty. The boy king ascended the throne at the age of six. He was thought to be the son of Pepi I but it is now more accepted that Pepi II was the son of Merenre (who was thought first to be his half-brother). His mother Ankhesenmeryre II served as regent for a number of years while Pepi II was a child. Pepi II ruled for 94 years according to the Turin King-list. Manetho also recorded that he reigned for 94 years. This would make Pepi II the longest ruler of Ancient Egypt. However, some doubt has been shed on this number, and some researchers suggest that it was a misreading of 64. At first glance, we do not notice that Pepi II was a bad king. He developed new trade links with southern Africa and he also strengthened foreign relations in a very similar manner to both his predecessors of the 5 th and 6 th Dynasties. These are such as the good relations he maintained with the Nubians during his reign. Egypt received goods such...