Archaeology, features and articles | Educational Science

Nov 7, 2023

Rare tumor with teeth discovered in Egyptian burial from 3,000 years ago

While excavating an ancient Egyptian cemetery, archaeologists made a rare discovery: an ovarian tumor nestled in the pelvis of a woman who died more than three millennia ago. The tumor, a bony mass with two teeth, is the oldest known example of a teratoma, a rare type of tumor that...

Nov 9, 2023

Ancient Egyptian tomb was filled with magical spells to ward off snake bites

Egyptologists have discovered a 2,500-year-old tomb just south of Cairo containing numerous magical sayings meant to ward off snake bites. The tomb's entrance was covered with sayings aimed to both ward off serpent bites and enlist snakes as tomb protectors, the archaeologists said in a translated statement. Such a strong...

Nov 20, 2023

Baboon mummy DNA from ancient Egypt reveals location of mysterious port city not on any maps

Ancient Egyptians traded with people in what is today coastal Eritrea to bring baboons to their temples, according to a new study of baboon mummy DNA. Ancient Egyptians were big fans of baboons, which they associated with the god Babi, a god of the underworld and the deity Thoth, who...

Nov 24, 2023

Scottish boy digging for potatoes found 'masterpiece of Egyptian sculpture' on his school grounds. How did it end up there?

Seventy-one years ago, a schoolboy in Scotland was digging up potatoes as a punishment when he discovered an ancient Egyptian statue — the first in a collection of ancient Egyptian sculptures and artifacts buried in the grounds of his school. Now, researchers have finally worked out how the artifacts got...

Jan 4, 2024

Ancient Egyptian teenager died while giving birth to twins, mummy reveals

The ancient remains of an unborn fetus found in the headless mummy of an Egyptian teenager shows she died while giving birth to twins, a new study confirms. When archaeologists excavated and unwrapped the mummy in 1908, they discovered the bandaged body of a fetus and the remains of a...

Jan 10, 2024

Ancient Egyptian mummy masks, tombs and 'god of silence' statue discovered at Saqqara

Archaeologists in Egypt have discovered a series of tombs dating from about 1,800 to 4,800 years ago, some of which contain colorful mummy masks and even the childlike statue of the god of silence, according to the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. The colorful mummy masks, which would have...

Jan 11, 2024

2 golden tongues symbolizing 'flesh of the gods' unearthed in ancient Egyptian mummies

Archaeologists in Egypt have discovered two mummies outfitted with golden tongues at the ancient town of Oxyrhynchus, bringing the total number of golden tongues found at the location to 16, archaeologists say. During the Roman period (29 B.C. to A.D. 641), the Egyptians put golden tongues inside the mouths of...

Feb 9, 2024

3,500-year-old burial of Nubian woman reveals 1 of world's earliest known cases of rheumatoid arthritis

The 3,500-year-old pockmarked skeleton of an ancient Nubian woman could be one of the earliest known cases of rheumatoid arthritis in the world, scientists say. Archaeologists discovered the woman's skeletal remains in 2018 while conducting excavations at a cemetery located along the bank of the Nile near Aswan, in southern...

Feb 13, 2024

When did the Egyptians start using hieroglyphs?

For thousands of years, the ancient Egyptians inscribed hieroglyphs on tombs, papyri and, in some cases, pyramids. But when were hieroglyphs invented? Research shows that they emerged about 5,200 years ago, at around the same time another writing system, called cuneiform, was being invented in Mesopotamia. German excavations at Abydos...

Feb 25, 2024

13 treasures the ancient Egyptians buried with their dead, and what they mean

The ancient Egyptians are known for their lavish and complex burials. Over the centuries, archaeologists have found a variety of grave goods and decorations that were included in these millennia-old tombs. Here are 13 grave goods that keep turning up in Egyptian burials, including shabti figurines, meant to work for...

Feb 29, 2024

How many ancient Egyptian pyramids are there?

Egypt's pyramids are stunning — the Great Pyramid of Giza, in particular, is the last surviving wonder of the ancient world. But although dozens of these structures dot the landscape, is it known precisely how many ancient Egyptian pyramids still stand today? If you type this question into Google, you'll...

Mar 11, 2024

Archaeologists find top half of giant Ramesses II statue, completing a century-long puzzle

The upper half of a giant statue of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses II has been discovered near the ancient city of Hermopolis (modern-day el-Ashmunein), about 155 miles (250 kilometers) south of Cairo. The large stone piece is about 12.5 feet (3.8 meters) tall and depicts Ramesses II (reign circa...