December 2025

No comments Ramses IV Heqamaatre Dynasty 20 1151-1145 BC As Ramses III‘s long reign of 31 years came to an end, so did the greatness of the Egyptian pharaohs. The exact relationships of the subsequent kings bearing the name Ramses is at times obscure; certainly Ramses IV, V, VI and VIII appear to have been […]

No comments Tomb of Sirenput II This tomb, belonging to the grandson of Sirenput I, who was a prince in the reigns of Amenemhet II and Senusert II, is one of the most well-preserved of the Middle Kingdom. It is entered through a courtyard leading to a narrow passage, an excavated hall with six elegant […]

No comments Military Activity in Nubia The Egyptians focused their military aspirations on Nubia (or Kush as they called it) during much of the 12th Dynasty, and sought to reinforce the border with a series of forts. Some of these were founded by Senusret I and II, but the majority was built by Senusret III. […]

No comments Creatures Come down to Drink, 1817 Captains Charles Irby and James Mangles Wednesday, July 23. It was curious to observe in the morning, on the smooth sur­face of the sand, drifted by the night breeze, the tracks of the snakes, lizards, ani­mals, etc, etc which had come down to the water’s side during […]

No comments Water and Minarets, 1868 Reverend A.C. Smith Then the strange architecture, the really handsome fountains, which abound at the comers of the bazaars for the continual refreshment of this water–loving people; the mosques, many of which have no slight pretensions to beauty, above all the minarets, the most graceful and elegant of buildings, […]

No comments The Great Temple at Abu Simbel, 1817 Captains Charles Irby and James Mangles Abu Simbel We now entered the temple, and thus ended all our labours, doubts and anxiety. This morning we built a wall to barricade the door; it was made of stones and mud, with a foundation of date trees driven […]

No comments What to Wear, 1819 John Fuller The stock of clothes which I had brought with me from Europe being nearly exhausted, I assumed today the Oriental dress, which I continued to wear all the time I remained in the Levant. I do not, however, in general recommend its adoption, except in those places […]

No comments Diplomatic relations outside Egypt At Tell el–Daba (Avaris) in the north-eastern Delta, there is evidence from the recent excavations of terrible destruction wrought upon the palaces there. Incredible Minoan-style wall-painting fragments (which might even predate the Minoan frescoes at Knossos on Crete) have been found scattered in a garden area at the site, […]

No comments The ancient Egyptians were rather closer to the disconcerting discovery of death than we are today. Their belief in a life after death was even firmer and also more concrete. In due course they developed a complicated ritual to assure eternal life for each man and woman, but in early times the individual […]

No comments The Middle Kingdom The Middle Kingdom started about 2060 B.C. with the end of the Xlth dynasty. The Pharaoh Montu-Hotep I re-established control over Lower Egypt with the aid of the Egyptian “middle class”. During the reigns of his successors, Montu-Hotep II and Montu-Hotep III, commerce was intesified, a trade route to the […]

1 comment Sekhmet Egyptian Goddess Ptah’s consort, Sekhmet Goddess, was called the “Great Lady, beloved of Ptah, holy one, powerful one.” She was both wife and sister to Ptah, a common situation in Egyptian mythology. Usually she was depicted with the body of a woman and the head of a lioness. Her headpiece consisted of […]

No comments Tomb of Ramses VI This tomb was started by Ramses V and was usurped by his successor. It has three entrance corridors, two chambers, a further two corridors, one after the other in a straight line, leading to the ante-chamber and the tomb chamber. The wall representations are carried out in painted low […]

No comments Sailing toward the Temple of Jupiter Ammon, 1819 Giovanni Belzoni Temple of Jupiter Ammon . . . we put on board some provisions and made towards the west, where the famous Labyrinth is supposed to have been situated. The water of the lake was good enough to drink, though a little saltish; but […]

No comments Pyramids and human sacrifice at the top of them were discovered by the Conquistadors to be a standard feature of daily life throughout Mexico. Since human sacrifice came to an abrupt end with the Conquest, the actual number of sacrifices is not certain but native records show that at the dedication of the […]