Ancient Egyptians, features and articles | Educational Science

Jan 31, 2018

The ‘Screaming Mummy’ Was a Murderer Who Killed Himself

He's back. Prince Pentawere, a man who tried (probably successfully) to murder his own father, Pharaoh Ramesses III, and later took his own life after he was put on trial, is now on public display at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Pentawere's mummy, popularly known as the screaming mummy, was...

Nov 30, 2019

An Ancient Egyptian Physician Cited As the 'First Woman Doctor' Likely Never Existed

Merit Ptah was an ancient Egyptian physician, often revered as the world's first female doctor. She was thought to live nearly 5,000 years ago...but she likely never existed, according to new findings. Merit Ptah was everywhere, from online posts about women in STEM and popular history books to computer games,...

Sep 30, 2019

30 Perfectly Preserved Coffins Holding Ancient Egyptian Priest Mummies Discovered

Archaeologists have unearthed 30 sealed wooden coffins with mummies inside at El-Assasif, an ancient necropolis near Luxor, Egypt, Egypt's Ministry of Antiquities announced this morning (Oct. 19) at a press conference. Called the cachette of the priests because some of the mummies appear to be those of ancient Egyptian priests,...

Apr 30, 2019

In Photos: Ancient Cemetery Near Giza Pyramids

Giza cemetery (Image credit: Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities)Archaeologists working southeast of the Giza Pyramids have discovered part of a cemetery that dates back about 4,500 years. It contains a number of tombs and burials, the oldest of which dates to shortly after the Giza Pyramids were completed. [Read more about...

Aug 31, 2020

3,200-year-old Egyptian-built fortress found in Israel

Archaeologists in Israel have discovered a 3,200-year-old fortress built by the Egyptians and Canaanites, the ancient foes of the Israelites in the bible. The fortress was built to keep the newly arrived Philistines out of the region. The military structure, dubbed Galon Fortress, dates to the middle of the 12th...

Feb 29, 2020

The equinox reveals one of the secrets of Egypt's iconic Sphinx

The Sphinx had a distinctive astronomical moment with the sun during the spring equinox when, in a shining flourish, the sun set on the shoulder of the half-man, half-lion statue on March 19, according to the Egypt Ministry of Antiquities. This phenomenon happens only twice a year, during the spring...

Mar 31, 2021

3,000-year-old 'Lost Golden City' discovered in Egypt

Archaeologists have found a Lost Golden City that's been buried under the ancient Egyptian capital of Luxor for the past 3,000 years, the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced Thursday (April 8). The city, historically known as The Rise of Aten, was founded by Amenhotep III (ruled 1391-1353 B.C.),...

Jan 31, 2021

Never-before-seen 'mud mummy' from Egypt discovered in wrong coffin

The discovery of a rare mud mummy from ancient Egypt has surprised archaeologists, who weren't expecting to find the deceased encased in a hardened mud shell. The mud carapace is an unparalleled find; it reveals a mortuary treatment not previously documented in the Egyptian archaeological record, the researchers wrote in...

Jan 31, 2021

Ancient Egypt's Mona Lisa? An elaborately drawn extinct goose, of course

Nearly five millennia ago, an artist inked an incredibly detailed painting of geese in the tomb of an Egyptian vizier and his wife. This Mona Lisa of ancient Egypt may depict a previously unknown and now extinct species of goose, a new analysis suggests. The 4,600-year-old painting, known as Meidum...

Apr 30, 2022

What did ancient Egypt's pharaohs stash inside the pyramids?

When British archaeologist Howard Carter cracked open King Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922, he reported seeing wonderful things. Tut's tomb was filled with extraordinary treasures, including the golden death mask of Tutankhamun, a golden throne and even gold sandals. But did all royal tombs in ancient Egypt have such plush grave...

Feb 28, 2022

Cleopatra: Biography of the last pharaoh of ancient Egypt

Cleopatra VII, often simply called Cleopatra, was the last of a series of rulers called the Ptolemies who ruled ancient Egypt for nearly 300 years. Cleopatra ruled an empire that included Egypt, Cyprus, part of modern-day Libya and other territories in the Middle East. Modern-day depictions of Cleopatra VII tend...

Jan 31, 2022

Astronauts spot an ancient heart-shaped oasis in Egypt just in time for Valentine's Day

Soaring 250 miles (400 kilometers) over Earth, astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) looked down on our planet last May and saw a heart-shaped oasis blooming in the Egyptian desert. Today (Feb. 14), our friends in space are sharing the striking image as a special Valentine for the whole...

Aug 22, 2022

Book of the Dead: The ancient Egyptian guide to the afterlife

The Book of the Dead is a modern-day name given to a series of ancient Egyptian texts that the Egyptians believed would help the dead navigate the underworld, as well as serving other purposes. Copies of these texts were sometimes buried with the dead. The 'Book of the Dead' denotes...

Aug 26, 2022

13-foot-long 'Book of the Dead' scroll found in burial shaft in Egypt

A funerary temple belonging to Queen Nearit has been discovered in the ancient Egyptian burial ground Saqqara next to the pyramid of her husband, pharaoh Teti, who ruled Egypt from around 2323 B.C. to 2291 B.C., the Egyptian antiquities ministry said in a statement. Made of stone, the temple has...

Aug 26, 2022

Ancient game board could be a missing link tied to the Egyptian Book of the Dead

A game board that dates back to before the reign of the pharaoh Hatshepsut may represent the transformation of the game senet from fun pastime to religious symbol. Senet is ancient, dating back some 5,000 years to Egypt's first dynasty. The game was played on a board with 30 squares...