Search
Search Results
Article
Death in Ancient Egypt
To the ancient Egyptians, death was not the end of life but only the beginning of the next phase in an individual's eternal journey. There was no word in ancient Egyptian which corresponds to the concept of "death" as usually defined, as...
Definition
Book of the Heavenly Cow
The Book of the Heavenly Cow is an ancient Egyptian text dealing with the rebellion of humanity against the sun god Ra, his destruction of the rebels through the goddess Hathor, the reversal of this decision and Ra's mercy, and his ascent...
Definition
Ghosts in Ancient Egypt
A text known as The Lay of the Harper, dating from the Middle Kingdom (2040-1782 BCE) encourages its audience to make the most of the time because death is a certainty: Make a holiday! And do not tire of playing! For no one is allowed...
Image
Wall Relief, Nimrud
This alabaster bas-relief depicts the Assyrian king Ashurnasirpal II praying in a religious ceremony. The king (right) holds a bowl (filled with a fluid) with his right hand and puts his left hand on his sword hilt. Before him, a royal attendant...
Image
Thomas Blood Stealing the Crown Jewels
A 1793 illustration by T. Simpson showing Colonel Blood and his gang stealing the British Crown Jewels from the Tower of London in 1671. Blood was soon captured and the regalia returned.
Image
Excavation of Troy, 1877
Excavations at Hissarlik, watercolour by William Simpson, 1877.
Hissarlik is the Turkish name of the site which is now identified as Troy. This painting shows the early excavations by Heinrich Schliemann.
Article
The Satire of the Trades
The literature of ancient Egypt is as rich and varied as any other culture. From the inscriptions of the Old Kingdom of Egypt (c. 2613-2181 BCE) through the Love Poems of the New Kingdom (c. 1570 - c. 1069 BCE) the Egyptian scribes produced...
Article
Jobs in Ancient Egypt
In ancient Egypt, the people sustained the government and the government reciprocated. Egypt had no cash economy until the coming of the Persians in 525 BCE. The people worked the land, the government collected the bounty and then distributed...
Article
Games, Sports & Recreation in Ancient Egypt
Although the ancient Egyptians are often depicted as death-obsessed and dour, they actually had a great appreciation for life and their culture reflected their belief in existence as an eternal journey imbued with magic. Life was a gift from...
Article
A Ghost Story of Ancient Egypt
The best-known ghost story from ancient Egypt is known, simply, as A Ghost Story but sometimes referenced as Khonsemhab and the Ghost. The story dates from the late New Kingdom of Egypt (c. 1570 - c.1069 BCE) and specifically the Ramesside...