Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt is famous for its pyramids, pharaohs and mummies, but archaeologists are still learning about this sophisticated society. The 5,000-year-old kingdom left behind a written record and countless artifacts, allowing archaeologists to learn about its culture, including its elaborate ideas on the afterlife and gods and goddesses, as well as its taxes and trading and farming practices. Here's the latest news on Egyptian archaeology and what it can tell us about the people who lived there.

Related Topics: Archaeology, Dead Sea Scrolls, Mummies

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This head of a sphinx statue shows Ramesses II, a ruler who expanded Egypt's empire.

Ancient Egyptian pharaoh-sphinx statues unearthed at sun temple

By Owen Jarus published

Archaeologists have discovered broken pharaoh-sphinx statues at an ancient Egyptian sun temple.

This zodiac sign depicts Sagittarius. While the zodiac signs at Esna were known before cleaning was done the work allows them to be seen more clearly. Here we see a centaur with a scorpion's tail aiming a bow and arrow.

Ancient zodiac paintings on Egyptian temple see the light of day after 2,200 years

By Owen Jarus published

A restoration project has revealed ancient Egyptian zodiac paintings and inscriptions at the Temple of Esna.

This sphinx has a face which some archaeologists believe depicts Roman emperor Claudius.

Newfound ancient Egyptian sphinx statue may depict Roman emperor Claudius, but not everyone agrees

By Owen Jarus published

A sphinx found at an ancient Egyptian temple may depict the face of the Roman emperor Claudius, but not everyone agrees with this interpretation.

An endoscope inserted into the hidden corridor reveals that no artifacts are visible within the hidden void.

Cosmic rays reveal 'hidden' 30-foot-long corridor in Egypt's Great Pyramid

By Owen Jarus published

For years, scientists have known there was something hidden above the entrance to the Great Pyramid. Now, they've finally revealed it.

This image shows a part of the Book of the Dead. On the left is a block of hieratic text. On the right is an image appears to show Osiris, the ancient Egyptian god of the underworld.

See photos of stunningly preserved 52-foot-long Book of the Dead papyrus from ancient Egypt

By Owen Jarus published

Egypt has released photos of a newly discovered Book of the Dead from more than 2,000 years ago.

A digital reconstruction of a Giza pyramid by Australian insurance company Budget Direct.

What did the ancient Egyptian pyramids look like when they were built?

By Patrick Pester published

The ancient Egyptian pyramids have stood for thousands of years and are among the world's most enduring monuments. But what did the pyramids look like when they were first built?

A selection of pottery that includes bowls and jugs.

Battle site of 'Great Revolt' recorded on Rosetta Stone unearthed in Egypt

By Jennifer Nalewicki published

A battleground fought over by ancient Egyptians and the Ptolemaic Kingdom and mentioned on the Rosetta Stone has been discovered.

Bust of Queen Nefertiti of Egypt

Who was Nefertiti, the ancient Egyptian queen depicted like a goddess?

By Owen Jarus published

Queen Nefertiti was the wife of the sun-disk worshipping Pharaoh Akhenaten and stepmother to King Tutankhamun.

The mummy of Hekashepes is seen here. He was buried covered with gold leaf.

Egyptian mummies covered in gold are rare, and we may have just found the oldest

By Owen Jarus published

An ancient Egyptian mummy is the oldest covered with gold, but it's not the oldest ancient Egyptian mummy on record.

A photo showing the ruins of what once was a Roman residence in Luxor. There are sand-colored rock walls forming corridors and several rooms.

Ancient Roman residences with 'pigeon towers' discovered in Luxor, Egypt

By Owen Jarus published

Roman residences located near workshops and pigeon towers have been discovered in Luxor, Egypt.

Here we see a photo of a section of the Book of the Dead. Hieroglyphics are on the bottom and illustrations of people doing funerary rites are on top.

52-foot-long Book of the Dead papyrus from ancient Egypt discovered at Saqqara

By Owen Jarus published

For the first time in 100 years, a full "Book of the Dead" papyrus has been uncovered at Saqqara.

A view of a giant sand-colored cliff in Egypt, which tents and excavators at the bottom of the cliff.

Royal tomb discovered near Luxor dates to time when female pharaoh co-ruled ancient Egypt

By Owen Jarus published

The tomb dates from a period when ancient Egypt was co-ruled by the female pharaoh Hatshepsut and Thutmose III.

A mummy found at the necropolis in Philadelphia, Egypt. Some of the mummies had portraits of the deceased buried with them.

10 times ancient Egyptian discoveries awed us in 2022

By Jennifer Nalewicki published

From mummies with gold-plated tongues to a pyramid built for a previously unknown queen, here are 10 spectacular discoveries about ancient Egypt from 2022.

This gold ring shows an engraving of Bes, the ancient Egypt god of fun, depicted as a dwarf.

Egyptian ring featuring 'god of fun' discovered in ancient burial

By Owen Jarus published

A mysterious burial from ancient Egypt contains gold jewelry, including three rings — one featuring the Bes, the god of fun — and a necklace.

The birds shown in this image from the facsimile are rock pigeons, which can still be found year-round in Egypt.

Ancient Egyptian 'masterpiece' is so realistic, researchers identified the exact bird species it depicts

By Owen Jarus published

An ancient Egyptian painting is so detailed, researchers can determine which species of birds were featured in it.

One of the newfound mummy portraits, seen here, is painted on a linen shroud.

Ancient mummy portraits and rare Isis-Aphrodite idol discovered in Egypt

By Owen Jarus published

For the first time in 50 years, archaeologists have discovered Fayum mummy portraits at an ancient Egyptian site.

The remains of a gold tongue found on a mummy from ancient Egypt.

Gold tongues found in 2,000-year-old mummies in Egypt

By Owen Jarus published

Archaeologists in Egypt have discovered several ancient mummies with gold tongues, which were thought to help transform the deceased into divine beings.

The tomb's chapel, part of which is seen here. A statue of a governor was supposed to be placed in here, and the chapel is aligned in such a way that the statue would be bathed with sunlight during the winter solstice.

Tomb aligned with winter solstice sunrise excavated in Egypt

By Owen Jarus published

An ancient tomb whose chapel was oriented toward the sunrise on the winter solstice may be the oldest of its kind in Egypt.

A gold mummy that is part of the museum exhibition.

Ancient Egyptian mummification was never intended to preserve bodies, new exhibit reveals

By Jennifer Nalewicki published

It's long been believed that mummification was meant to preserve the dead. It turns out that notion is dead wrong.

A newly found pyramid near Cairo.

Hundreds of mummies and pyramid of an unknown queen unearthed at Saqqara

By Jennifer Nalewicki published

On the 100-year anniversary of unearthing King Tut's tomb, archaeologists discover hundreds of tombs and mummies buried in Giza.