Xois or Khaset or Khasut as the Egyptians knew it was a large Egyptian town, ancient even by the time of the 14th Dynasty. It enjoyed a Mediterranean-wide reputation for its production of fine wine and the manufacturer...

Thutmose II who is believed by Egyptologists to have reigned from c. 1493 to 1479 BC. He was the 18th dynasty’s (c. 1549/1550 to 1292 BC) 4th pharaoh. This was an era in which ancient Egypt rose to the peak of its...

The distinctive geography of ancient Egypt with a narrow strip of lush fertile land surrounded by desert saw its cities built close to the Nile River. This ensured a ready supply of water, access to hunting grounds in...

Snefru (or Sneferu) was the founding Pharaoh of the Fourth Dynasty in Egypt’s Old Kingdom. Following his death, his ancient Egyptian subjects remembered him as a good and just ruler. Egyptologists believed he reigned...

The ancient Egyptian Empire as we know it today emerged at the time of the New Kingdom (c. 1570 to c. 1069 BCE). This was the height of ancient Egypt’s wealth, power and military influence. At its apogee, the Egyptian...

At the heart of ancient Egypt’s culture lay a deep reverence for and belief in the afterlife. Enormous care was taken to create vast necropolises to serve not just the royal family and members of the aristocracy but the...

As with other contemporary civilizations, ancient Egypt’s economy was dependent on a mix of both unskilled and skilled labour. How ancient Egypt organized its labour force was one of the contributing factors to its...

Egyptologists believe Ramses I (or Ramesses I) was descended from a military family hailing from Egypt’s northeast delta region. Horemheb the final king in ancient Egypt’s 18th Dynasty (c. 1539 to 1292 BCE) was Ramses’...

Since Howard Carter discovered King Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922, the world has been gripped by a mania for ancient Egypt. The find propelled Howard Carter a previously largely anonymous archaeologist to global fame...

Hieroglyphics was a system of writing developed by the ancient Egyptians around c. 3200 BC. These hieroglyphics were based on a system of several hundred ‘picture’ words. This writing system was extremely...

Who was King Tutankhamun? Tutankhamun was the 12th king of ancient Egypt’s 18th dynasty. His enduring fame is due more to the vast riches found in his tomb than for his achievements on the throne as he reigned for only...

The Ancient Egyptians relied on a lunar calendar until they migrated to a solar based calendar. While the exact genesis of the ancient Egyptians calendar remains unclear, Egyptologists estimate it was created some 5,000...

While some elements of marriage in ancient Egypt appear on the surface to be similar to those customs of today, other ancient conventions were radically different. Moreover, surviving accounts of marriage customs in...

The ancient Egyptians led a rich theological life. With 8,700 deities in their pantheon, religion played a central part in both their society and their daily lives. The heart of their religious devotions was the temple...

Xerxes I was Persia’s king from 486 to 465 B.C. His reign continued the Achaemenid Dynasty. He has come to be known to historians as Xerxes the Great. In his time, Xerxes I’s empire stretched from Egypt to parts of...

As with other cultures, the home was the centre of social life. Ancient Egyptian homes were built to a generally common layout using a limited range of natural materials. Most houses in ancient Egypt were built using...

Thanks to her role as the ancient Egyptian goddess of kindness and love, Hathor was one of the most popular deities, worshipped by pharaohs and queens through to ordinary people. Hathor also personified motherhood and...

In a religious pantheon brimming with 8,700 gods, the ancient Egyptians worshipped Ra ahead of all other gods. After all, Ra was the Egyptian god who created everything. In this role, Ra rose from a sea of turbulent...

Today, Tutankhamun’s tomb is considered to be one of the world’s great art treasures. When his burial items go on tour, they continue to draw record crowds. Its fame is due in no small part to the grave goods in King...

Few Pharaohs have captured the public imagination over succeeding generations than the young Pharaoh Tutankhamun. Ever since Howard Carter discovered his tomb in 1922, the world has been enthralled with the splendour...

Neferefre may not be amongst the most high profile of Egyptian pharaohs, however, he is one of the most thoroughly documented kings of the Old Kingdom’s (c. 2613-2181 BCE) Fifth Dynasty. Inscriptions, texts and...

An icon of ancient Egyptian culture, the enigmatic Great Sphinx of Giza is one of the most instantly recognizable artifacts in the world. Hewn from a single colossal limestone outcrop, the origins of this 20 metres (66...

In ancient Egypt, Isis was the much-loved goddess of fertility, motherhood, marriage, medicine and magic. Myths and legends abounded in the ancient world about Isis and have come down to us today through Egyptian...

That the ancient Egyptian civilization proved so resilient and endured for thousands of years was in no small part due to the system of government it evolved over centuries. Ancient Egypt developed and refined a...

Ancient Egypt was a culture rich in theological beliefs. In a religious cosmos featuring 8,700 major and minor deities, one god, Amun was consistently depicted as the Egyptian supreme creator-god and the king of all the...

The ancient Egyptian concept of ma’at or harmony and balance in all things lay at the heart of their approach to technology. Harmony and balance could be maintained by overcoming life’s problems with human ingenuity...

Alongside the pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx, when we think of ancient Egypt, we immediately summon an image of an eternal mummy, swathed in bandages. Initially, it was the grave goods that accompanied the mummy into...

Ancient Egyptian medical practises were so advanced that many of their procedures and observations were not eclipsed by western medicine for centuries following the fall of Rome. Both the ancient Greeks and Roman...

Religion in ancient Egypt permeated every facet of society. Ancient Egyptian religion combined theological beliefs, ritual ceremonies, magical practices and spiritualism. Religion’s central role in everyday Egyptians’...

While Egypt’s Old Kingdom poured resources into building the Giza Pyramids and tombs in the Nile Delta, New Kingdom pharaohs, searched for a southern location closer to their dynastic roots in the south...