Lesser-Known Discoveries from Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt was one of the earliest and longest-lived civilisations, spanning almost 4000 years of history.

Enter through a three-story replica of a mastaba, a type of ancient Egyptian tomb, that houses two authentic government rooms from the burial site of 5th Dynasty Egyptian Pharaoh Unis’s son Unis-Ankh.

The burial chamber, which dates to 2400 BC, houses one of the largest concentrations of mummies in the United States: 23 human mummies & more than 30 animal mummies.

Ancient Egypt Religion

One of the most exciting aspects of ancient Egypt is its religion. The depth of Egyptian thinking and the rich imagination displayed in creating ideas and images of the gods and goddesses are beyond compare. In elaborating their beliefs, the Egyptians were working on the cosmic plane, searching for an understanding of the most fundamental laws of the universe.

The underlying principle of Egyptian religion was known as heka (magic), personified in the god Heka. Heka had always existed and was present in the act of creation. He was the god of magic and medicine and the power that enabled the gods to perform their functions and allowed human beings to commune with their gods. He was all-pervasive and all-encompassing, imbuing the daily lives of the Egyptians with magic and meaning and sustaining the principle of meat upon which life depended.

The gods each had their own area of speciality. Bastet, for example, was the goddess of the hearth, home life, women's health and secrets, and cats. Hathor was the goddess of kindness and love, associated with gratitude, generosity, motherhood, and compassion. 

However, according to one early story surrounding her, she was initially the goddess Sekhmet who became drunk on the blood and almost destroyed the world until she was pacified and put to sleep by beer which the gods had dyed red to fool her. 

When she awoke from her sleep, she was transformed into a gentler deity. Although she was associated with beer, Tenenet was the principal goddess of beer and presided over childbirth. Beer was considered essential for one's health in ancient Egypt and a gift from the gods, and there were many deities associated with the drink, which was said to have been first brewed by Osiris.

Everything about the ancient Egypt Pyramids 

The Egyptian pyramids are one of the defining architectural achievements of the ancient world. As an incredible feat of engineering, Egyptologists are still discovering more about these structures with each passing year. The Giza pyramid complex has drawn visitors from around the world.

• THEY WEREN’T ALL POINTED.
• STILL FIGURING OUT HOW THESE WERE BUILT.
• THE GREAT PYRAMID CAN TELL TIME.
• ARCHAEOLOGISTS ARE STILL UNCOVERING THE MYSTERIES OF THE PYRAMIDS.

The Ancient Egypt Mummies 

Ancient writers, modern scientists, and the mummies themselves all help us better understand the Egyptian mummification process and the culture in which it existed. What we know about the actual process is based on the writings of early historians. 

He carefully recorded the process during his travels to Egypt around 450 B.C. Present-day archaeologists and other specialists are adding to this knowledge. The development of x-rays now makes it possible to x-ray mummies without destroying the elaborate outer wrappings. 

By studying the x-rays or performing autopsies on unwrapped bodies, experts learn more about diseases suffered by the Egyptians and their medical treatment. A better idea of average height and life span comes from studying the bones. By understanding their age at death, the order and dates of the Egyptian kings become a little clearer. 

Even ties of kinship in the royal line can be suggested by the striking similarities or dissimilarities in the skulls of pharaohs that followed one another. Dead now for thousands of years, the mummy continues to speak to us.

The Ancient Egypt Rosetta Stone 

The "Rosetta Stone", which was discovered in mid-July 1799 during the construction of a fort by a French military expedition, includes text written in Egyptian hieroglyphs.

Demotic (a written script used by the Egyptians between the seventh century B.C. and the fifth century) and ancient Greek.

Classical Egypt Discoveries 

1. The Pyramids
2. Papyrus Sheets - Papyrus sheets are the earliest paper-like material.
3. Mummification - The Egyptians were so expert at preserving the dead bodies that after thousands of years, we know of the diseases they suffered, such as arthritis, tuberculosis of the bone, gout, tooth decay, bladder stones, and gallstones. There is confirmation of the condition bilharziasis affected by miniature, parasitic flatworms.
4. Wigs - During the hot summers, many Egyptians shaved their heads to keep them clean and prevent pests such as lice. Although priests settled bald as part of their purification rituals, those that could control it had wigs made in various styles and set with perfumed beeswax.