The Seven Hathors, Temple of Hathor at Dendera / Creative Commons Ancient Egyptians set a premium on celebrations enjoying life, and there were many of them throughout the year. By Dr. Joshua J. Mark / 03.17.2017 Professor of Philosophy Marist College Introduction The gods of the ancient Egyptians were always apparent to the people through[…]
The village of Deir el-Medina in the West Bank of Luxor, Egypt. Anne Austin, Author provided Records show that the Egyptian state provided health care to workers building royal tombs more than 3,000 years ago. But it was more about productivity than altruism. By Dr. Anne E. Austin / 02.16.2015 Postdoctoral Fellow in Archaeology Stanford[…]
A limestone relief depicting a nobleman, New Kingdom, Dynasty XIX or XX, c. 1295-1070 BCE. The figure is probably a scene from an offering in the Underworld. On the left side a hand is holding a sistrum and flower. (Brooklyn Museum, New York) / Photo by James Blake Wiener, Creative Commons Women were free to[…]
Detail of sarcophagus lid of Ramesses III / The Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge Justice was an immensely important concept within ancient pharaonic Egypt, known to them by the word Ma’at. By A.J. van Loon / 12.15.2014 MA Thesis, Ancient History Leiden University Introduction Concerning Egypt, I am going to speak at length, because it[…]
Workers depicted in a mural at the tomb of Menna at Thebes, 18th Dynasty / Photo by Horus3, Flickr, Creative Commons Egypt operated on a barter system up until the Persian invasion of 525 BCE, and the economy was based on agriculture. By Dr. Joshua J. Mark / 05.04.2017 Professor of Philosophy Marist College Introduction[…]
A relief carving of the Egyptian god Thoth from the throne back of a seated statue of Ramesses II (1279-1213 BCE), Luxor / Photo by Jon bodsworth, Wikimedia Commons He was the patron god of scribes and it was said that scribes would pour out one drop of their ink in Thoth’s honor before they[…]
Map of Egypt showing the major sites and settlements Looking at the choices the ancient Egyptians made in the allocation of resources to different parts of the built environment. By Dr. Steven Snape Reader in Egyptian Archaeology University of Liverpool Introduction It is easy to think of ancient Egypt as a land filled with tombs and[…]
Mythical figurines from Nagada The rise of the city as an important institution can perhaps more confidently be identified as an aspect of ancient Egyptian civilization. By Dr. Steven Snape Reader in Egyptian Archaeology University of Liverpool Introduction Like the term ‘city’, ‘urbanism’ and ‘urbanization’ are not words that are easy to define in very strict terms.[…]
Tattoos on Egyptian mummy / Public Domain Tattooing was practised by many ancient societies, including the ancient Egyptians and Nubians. By Dr. Geoffrey Tassie Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Archaeology University of Edinburgh Abstract Tattooing was practised by many ancient societies, including the ancient Egyptians and Nubians. Egypt, for example, boasts iconographic and physical evidence for[…]
The air god Shu, assisted by other gods, holds up Nut, the sky, as Geb, the earth, lies beneath (950 BCE) The Egyptian religion and belief were spread beyond the domain of Ancient Egypt. By Stephan Weaver / 07.10.2015 Introduction Egyptian Mythology is the accumulation of myths derived from ancient Egypt from at least c.[…]
These clay tablets (letters) were found in the ruins of Akhenaten’s capital, Tell el-Amarna, Egypt. They were inscribed with Babylonian cuneiform inscriptions, not hieroglyphs. The letters represent the diplomatic correspondence sent by various vassal princes of the Egyptian Empire to the pharaoh Amenhotep III, Akhenaten, and Tutankhamun. They document a turbulent period when Egypt’s preoccupation with domestic policy led to insurrection and instability throughout[…]
A letter to the dead, addressed to the ‘excellent spirit, the Count, Overseer of the Army’. First Intermediate Period of Egypt. / British Museum The letters to the dead, often written on an offering bowl, would be delivered along with food and drink and would then be read by the soul of the departed. By Dr.[…]
Wooden Ship-Cart Model, late 13th–early 12th century B.C. Wood with traces of paint, 5 3/16 × 15 3/16 × 2 3/16 in. Courtesy of the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, UCL. Photo: J. Paul Getty Museum, Rebecca Vera-Martinez A wooden model of a ship-cart excavated at Gurob, Egypt, is the single most important piece of[…]
Hammurabi (standing), depicted as receiving his royal insignia from Shamash. Hammurabi holds his hands over his mouth as a sign of prayer (relief on the upper part of the stele of Hammurabi’s code of laws). / Photo by MBZT, Louvre Museum, Paris, Wikimedia Commons According to his own inscriptions, letters and administrative documents from his reign, he sought[…]
Polychrome relief of Kagemni in his own mastaba, Saqqara, Egypt. Kagemni was a vizier of pharaohs Djedkare Isesi and Unas (5th dynasty), and Teti (6th dynasty), 24th century BCE. / Photo by Sémhur, Wikimedia Commons Ancient Egyptian culture flourished through adherence to tradition and their legal system By Dr. Joshua J. Mark / 10.02.2017 Professor of Philosophy Marist College[…]