Narmer is widely regarded as the first ruler of a unified ancient Egypt and the founder, or one of the founders, of Egypt’s First Dynasty. He ruled around 3100 BCE, more than 5,000 years ago, near the end of the Predynastic Period and the beginning of the Early Dynastic Period. Narmer is famous for apparently…
Osiris and Anubis were both closely connected with death, burial, and the afterlife in ancient Egyptian religion, but they performed different roles. Osiris was the ruler of the underworld and the god whose resurrection offered the dead the hope of renewed life. Anubis was the god of embalming, mummification, cemeteries, and the physical protection of…
When Mount Vesuvius erupted in AD 79, it buried Pompeii and Herculaneum beneath volcanic material. Buildings, household objects, food, and even loaves of bread were preserved in extraordinary detail. Among the most recognizable finds are round Roman loaves divided into eight wedge-shaped sections. This style of bread is commonly known today as panis quadratus. Although…
Modern Greeks often resemble the people depicted in ancient Greek sculpture, frescoes, and painted pottery. This has led many people to wonder whether the inhabitants of Greece have changed physically during the past 2,000 to 3,000 years. The most accurate answer is that many modern Greeks probably share broad physical similarities with ancient Greek populations,…
Isis and Hathor were two of the most important goddesses worshipped in ancient Egypt. Both were associated with motherhood, protection, royal women, magic, and the care of the dead, and both could be shown wearing cow horns surrounding a solar disk. Despite these similarities, Isis and Hathor were not originally the same goddess. Isis was…
Today, the concept of confirming identities and familial relationships with DNA tests is so common that we often take it for granted. But it’s only in recent history that this amazing technology has become available and, as a result, has provided us with insights and information we might not otherwise have. King Tutankhamun’s DNA has…
The ancient Egyptians traded grain, gold, linen, papyrus, glass, pottery, wine, oil, jewelry, and other manufactured goods. In return, Egypt imported materials that were scarce or unavailable along the Nile, including cedarwood, silver, copper, tin, incense, ivory, ebony, animal skins, precious stones, and exotic animals. Egypt’s location connected northeastern Africa with the Mediterranean, the Levant, Nubia,…
There’s so much in a name. We all have them, and they often help define who we are, at least in part. We get our last names from our parents as they got theirs from their parents. But how did ancient Egyptians choose their last names? The surprising answer is that they usually did not have…
World Emoji Day is celebrated each year on July 17th, and it got me thinking. Were hieroglyphs really the emojis of ancient Egypt? The answer is more complicated than it looks. 👁️🐍☀️ Every day, people communicate with tiny pictures. A smiling face can soften a message. A heart can express affection without a sentence. A pair of…
With his black canine head, tall pointed ears, and human body, Anubis is one of the most recognizable gods of ancient Egypt. His unusual appearance has also inspired a popular question: What kind of dog was Anubis? The simplest answer is that Anubis wasn’t based on a specific domestic dog breed. Ancient Egyptian artists portrayed…