Archaeology, features and articles | Educational Science

Sep 21, 2022

3,300-year-old pink granite sarcophagus of Egyptian 'pyramid keeper' found at Saqqara

Archaeologists in Egypt have unearthed the 3,300-year-old stone sarcophagus of an official whose mummified body was stolen by grave robbers long ago. The coffin, carved from pink granite, was crafted for an official named Ptah-im-wea, who, according to the hieroglyphs inscribed on it, lived during the time of Ramesses II...

Sep 22, 2022

What is the ancient Egyptian 'mummy's curse'?

Within months of the discovery of King Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922, the man who financed its excavation — George Herbert, the fifth Earl of Carnarvon in England — became ill and dropped dead. It didn't take long for people to question whether a mummy's curse had doomed the earl. Pharaoh's...

Oct 4, 2022

Who was the ancient Egyptian god of death?

The ancient Egyptians are known for many things, such as mummification, the great pyramid, a sophisticated writing system and a belief in the afterlife. Considering that death and devotion to many deities was featured so prominently in this culture, who was the ancient Egyptian god of death? While Osiris is...

Oct 5, 2022

Was ancient Egypt a desert?

Thanks to modern images of Egypt's iconic pyramids towering over a vast sandscape, many people assume this area is, and always has been, a desert. But considering that climates and landscapes can change over time and that humans have been known to alter natural environments, was ancient Egypt a desert?...

Oct 5, 2022

Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx: Facts about the ancient Egyptian monuments

Constructed in the 26th and 25th centuries B.C. (roughly 2600 B.C.–2400 B.C.), the Egyptian pyramids of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure, built in that order, are a testament to ancient planning and engineering. The precise years that they were built is somewhat unclear, as those dates depend on when exactly the...

Oct 6, 2022

How old is ancient Egypt?

To many, Egypt's history seems to stretch back into time immemorial. But how old exactly is ancient Egypt? It depends how you define ancient Egypt, said Aidan Dodson, an Egyptology professor at the University of Bristol in the U.K. If you take it as meaning the civilization that incorporated pharaonic...

Oct 20, 2022

Falcon shrine with cryptic message unearthed in Egypt baffles archaeologists

Archaeologists in Egypt have discovered a 1,700-year-old falcon shrine, complete with the remains of 15 headless falcons on a pedestal, as well as a stone monument depicting two unknown gods. The shrine and monument — which were found in Berenike, an ancient Egyptian port on the Red Sea — were...

Oct 24, 2022

King Tut's 'dagger from outer space' may have been a gift from abroad

A gold-hilted dagger found in the tomb of King Tut surprised archaeologists when they discovered that it was made of a material forged in outer space. Now, two new studies are painting conflicting pictures of the origins of the mysterious weapon, which may have been wielded by arguably the most...

Oct 24, 2022

King Tut's Sisters Took the Throne Before He Did, Controversial Claim Says

Archaeologists have known that a mystery female pharaoh ruled ancient Egypt before the renowned King Tutankhamun ascended the throne. Though they knew the royal name of this female king — Neferneferuaten Ankhkheperure — her true identity has remained elusive; however, Tut's famed tomb was originally meant for her. Now, a...

Oct 24, 2022

In Photos: The Life and Death of King Tut

Mummy case (Image credit: Horemweb | Wikimedia.)Tutankhamun was an Egyptian pharaoh who lived between roughly 1343 B.C. and 1323 B.C. Often called the boy-king, he ascended the throne at around the age of 10. Today he's most famous for his tomb, which was discovered largely intact in the Valley of...

Oct 24, 2022

King Tut's father revealed in stunning facial reconstruction

An ancient Egyptian pharaoh that may be King Tut's father has a new face, with regal features and a serene expression shaped by digital reconstruction. Though this is the most accurate reconstruction of the man to date, long-standing questions about his identity remain unanswered. His remains were found in 1907...

Oct 24, 2022

King Tut's Parents Were Cousins, Not Siblings: Researcher

Updated Friday, Feb. 15, at 6:25 p.m. ET For all the popularity Tutankhamun enjoys today, key details about the ancient Egyptian pharaoh's life, such as his parentage, have remained somewhat mysterious. While Akhenaten was known to be King Tut's dad, the identity of the boy king's mother has remained elusive....

Oct 24, 2022

King Tut's Mummified Erect Penis May Point to Ancient Religious Struggle

Egypt's King Tutankhamun was embalmed in an unusual way, including having his penis mummified at a 90-degree angle, in an effort to combat a religious revolution unleashed by his father, a new study suggests. The pharaoh was buried in Egypt's Valley of the Kings without a heart (or a replacement...

Oct 24, 2022

King Tut Sculpture with Sketchy Origins Sells at Christie's for Nearly $6 Million

Despite a sketchy provenance, a raging diplomatic dispute and threat of court action, a sculpture depicting the head of the pharaoh Tutankhamun sold for $5,971,285 (4,746,250 pounds) yesterday (July 4) at auction at Christie's in London. Both the buyer and seller are anonymous. The buyer chose to remain anonymous on...

Oct 24, 2022

What Killed King Tut

King Tut may have died in part from malaria and bone abnormalities, new mummy DNA analysis shows. Tutankhamun, perhaps the most famous of the ancient Egyptian pharaohs, was part of the 18th dynasty of the Egyptian New Kingdom, which lasted from about 1550 to 1295 B.C. The boy king died...