ANCIENT

EGYPT

EGYPTOLOGY

T.D. VAN BASTEN

2016 All Rights Reserved

 Copyright 2016 by T.D. van Basten - All rights reserved.

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INTRODUCTION

Our fascination with ancient Egypt actually extends back to the dynastic periods itself.
Royal family members and key princes during some New Kingdom eras were very
interested in the mysterious and storied history of their home land and worked to preserve
monuments, stories, temples, etc. When the Arabs finally ended the Egyptian culture, for
all intents and purposes, the interest in the history of the nation did not die with the end of
dynastic Egypt. The Arabs themselves were highly fascinated with the enduring and rather
strange culture they bore witness to.

What most of us would consider to be the academic study of ancient Egypt, Egyptology, is
thought to have begun during the invasion of Napoleon and the French. We know that
Napoleon had a keen interest in ancient Egypt and after his successful invasion, he wished
to learn as much about this mystical land as he could. He sent out a bevy of scholars and
researchers to document everything they could about the monuments, culture, and
administration of this land.

The lack of ability to understand the written Egyptian language made it difficult to do
much more than try to make assumptions about these peoples based on context. We could
derive some logical conclusions from grave goods, monuments, art work, etc., but actual
details about ancient Egypt was more the stuff of speculation before the discovery and
subsequent deciphering of the Rosetta Stone, which allowed us to begin to read the words
of the ancient Egyptians themselves.

Napoleons love for Egypt quickly spread with the publication of The Description of
Egypt, which was the culmination of the research done by his men. This allowed the
western world its first tantalizing glimpse into the majesty of ancient Egypt and we were
immediately hooked. This book is thought to have sparked off the phenomena called
Egyptomania, which can really be said to continue to this day.

The 19th and early 20th centuries were seen by some as the heyday of Egyptology. It was
during this time that massive and sophisticated constructions were excavated from the
sands of the desert. We found amazing towns, temples, and other complex structures that
still baffle many scholars to this day. With the improvement of archaeological practices,
we learned the value of careful and thorough investigation of sites as this would add to the
richness and depth of our understanding.

Now, in the 21st century, much about the ancient Egyptians is still not known. As our
technology advances, particularly DNA analysis and non-invasive scanning, we are

learning even more about this magical land. These technologies have given us glimpses
into the lives and deaths of the Egyptians in a way that simply could not have been imaged
a few hundred years ago. Our scans are showing a number of interesting anomalies that
beg for further investigation, as well as the tantalizing clues to, perhaps, a previously
undiscovered chamber in the tomb of the boy-King Tut, It is certainly an exciting time to
be a scholar of ancient Egypt.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction

I: The Foundations of Egyptology

II: Origins

III: The Development
The Initial Findings
A Scientific Focus
A Business Focus

IV: Recent Achievements

V: A Living Science of Death

Conclusion

A Note from T.D. van Basten

About the Author

Ancient Egypt Biographies

THE FOUNDATIONS OF EGYPTOLOGY

Most people understand Egyptology to be a field of study that is concerned with the
dynastic historical periods of ancient Egyptian history which includes the Old Kingdom,
Intermediate Periods, and New Kingdom. This is an accurate assumption, but the field of
study actually includes a varied number of interdisciplinary approaches. The study of
Egyptology is mainly concerned with the region of the Nile Delta from the 5th century B.C
to the 7th century A.D. This encompasses the dynastic period up until the conquest by the
Arabs.

Traditionally, Egyptology is seen as either a philosophical area of study or an
archaeological one. There are actually a number of different disciplines that are included
within the field of Egyptology and a wide array of skills that the average Egyptologist
must possess in order to do their job. While it may, at first, feel like a fairly narrow focus
of study, one finds that Egyptology is actually incredibly multifaceted.

While we think of Egyptology as a western pursuit, it actually has far older roots. We see
an interest in the study and preservation of ancient Egyptian history even back during the
New Kingdom dynastic times and after the takeover by the Greeks. Pharaohs such as
Thutmose IV are said to have restored the Sphinx (one of many times this world treasure
was dug out of the sands and repaired in various ways). One of Ramses the Greats many
sons was known to have a passion for the restoration and preservation of the history of his
nation and was involved in the repair and restoration of many different monuments,
including the pyramids at Giza. Even Egypts royal families during the New Kingdom had
a fascination with their roots and history.


1

The Pyramids of Giza, vintage engraved illustration. One of Ramses the Greats many
sons was known to have a passion for the restoration and preservation of the history of his
nation and was involved in the repair and restoration of many different monuments,
including the pyramids at Giza.


In an academic sense, the earliest roots of the study of ancient Egypt and its storied history
came with the invasion of the Greeks. A number of famous Greek historians and
philosophers wrote about Egypt. The so-called father of history, Herodotus, wrote of
Egypt, as did Strabo. Perhaps most famously of all the Greek writers of Egyptian history is
the Ptolemaic priest, Manetho, whos history still provides the base of a good deal of study
of ancient Egyptian history. Although, through the words of other historians, because
sadly, the writings of Manetho were lost in history. We only have others accounts of
Manethos works to base our understanding of this time on, but these, while they may be
incomplete, have proven invaluable in our understanding of these ancient peoples.


With the Arab conquest and the close of traditional ancient Egyptian history, there was
even still an interest and effort in studying the history of the country. Professors in Cairos
Arab academic institutions wrote of Egypts history and many wonders.

We know that many people may see academic Egyptology as a western pursuit, most
would mark the beginning of the field of study we call Egyptology at some time after the
first Europeans began to visit and write about the history and monuments of the nation.
Beginning in the 13th century A.D., we start to see the first writings about ancient Egyptian
history written by Europeans. For the most part, the study was relegated to basic
descriptions of wondrous architecture, as well as the writing down of stories and
mythologies they were able to recover from the local people, though these were not
always reliable.

Over time, the study of ancient Egypt would become more professional, rigorous, and
scientific. The first real attempt at a scientific study of ancient Egypt that we know of was
that of John Greaves. In the 17th century A.D., Greaves would undertake measurements of
the pyramids, and these findings would culminate in an illustrated book of his findings.
This provided unbiased data and illustration that could be utilized by many other
historians and Egyptologists who wished to interpret the meaning of the monument.

The so-called father of Egyptology is, for many, a Jesuit priest by the name of
Athanasius Kircher. It was he who speculated that hieroglyphics held a deep importance
and significance in Egyptian culture, that they were more than mere ornamentation. He
was to associate that later version of ancient Egyptian, Coptic, to the earlier forms of
Egyptian writing. Perhaps he was inspired by readings of Ibn Wahshiyya the Chaldean,
who was studying the hieroglyphs earlier before him in the 10th century. Seeing these
connections is seen by many as the start of the understanding of the long, consistent, and
culturally resilient history of the ancient Egyptians.

Napoleon also took a keen interest in Egypt and its history. During his periods of
conquest, he sent a number of expeditions to the lands of Upper and Lower Egypt in
attempt to unlock all of the supposed secrets that the ancient land held. Many findings
were done in this particular expedition, one of the most important discoveries was the
Rosetta Stone. When the British defeated the French and took possession of Egypt, they
also took possession of the Rosetta Stone, which would prove invaluable in the
deciphering of the hieroglyphic language. Though, perhaps ironically, it would ultimately
be a Frenchman who deciphered this important stone.

Egyptology, in the modern sense, really came of age somewhere around 1822. This was
when more professional and thorough studies of ancient Egyptian monuments and culture
began to flourish. It was after this time that famous monuments were discovered and
documented in great detail. The study really took a huge leap forward when the
Frenchman, Jean-Francois Champollion began to decipher hieroglyphics.

Once we were able to read and interpret the wealth of inscriptions and other written
material, our knowledge and understanding of these ancient, enduring people began to
become more clear. With the work of famous Egyptologists like William Flinders Petrie
and Howard Carter, the academic, professional study of ancient Egypt really began to take
hold in the popular culture.

What Does It Include?

It is easy to say that Egyptology is the study of dynastic ancient Egyptian history, but this
simplifies the wide knowledge base that is truly required to make an academic study of
ancient Egyptian history. The field of Egyptology requires an understanding of
architecture, art, religion, general historical time lines (including details of ancient
warfare), as well as ancient political and social administration. It requires broad
understanding and integration of knowledge from seemingly disparate fields of study to
fully understand this period and culture.

How Does It Work?

Noting that there are many sub disciplines that are involved in the academic study of
Egyptology does little to clear the proverbial picture. Egyptology is an interdisciplinary
field. That means that a number of different, even seemingly unconnected, fields of study
come together to form our understanding of ancient Egypt.

When most people think of ancient Egypt, they think about the consistent art and
architectural styles that pervaded the thousands of years that encompass ancient Egyptian
history. Or, perhaps, they think about the sophisticated and layered pantheon of gods and
mythologies. Both of these areas - architectural studies or religious studies represent
entirely separate fields of study. There are many people who specialize in general ancient
architecture, or ancient religion.

For the Egyptologist, a general grasp of both of these fields of study is necessary to
understand Egypt in context. There are many different skills that are required to
understand the workings and belief systems of an ancient society that is so different from
the world we currently live in. It shouldnt be surprising then, that many people will
specialize in a particular field within the broad umbrella of Egyptology and make an entire
career out of it.

There are many different areas of focus for the Egyptologist. These include field work,

religious study, art and architectural history, general history, language, or even a focus on a
specific dynastic period of time. At any level and regardless of specialty, an knowledge of
archeology, anthropology, and mythology are prerequisites to this field of study.

For those who wish to do field work, training in archaeological practices is necessary, as
well as a working knowledge of Arabic. Many recommend that Egyptologists learn either
French or German (or both!) so they can read the original source documents in their native
language. For those who wish to read tales of the afterlife and Egyptian history in its
native tongue may study hieroglyphics, Demotic script, or Coptic script. Knowing these
ancient languages can help with the direct translation of ancient written material.

Due to the extensive Ptolemaic, or Greek-influenced, period of Egyptian history, many
Egyptologists will also learn Greek so as to read the very earliest historical accounts of
ancient Egyptian history. Some of the first unbiased historical descriptions of ancient
Egypt were undertaken by the Greeks, who were themselves fans of history. These
descriptions gave us some of the very first glimpses into the inner workings of Egyptian
society. The Egyptologist who is focused on the language-related aspects of Egyptology is
often referred to as an Egyptian philologist, whereas those who focus on art and
architecture are called archaeological Egyptologists.

II

ORIGINS

For as long as weve been documenting history, ancient dynastic Egypt has held our
interest and fascination. This was an enduring empire with an incredibly stable culture
with an organizational and belief system that demonstrates a keen understanding of their
environment and the importance of cultural continuity. There is an air of mystery and
exotic intrigue that has seemed to catch many peoples fancy throughout the course of
history and will likely continue to enchant us for many years to come.

Wonders of the world were constructed here, some of the most famous names in history
lived and died here, and Egypt has long held an air of esoteric mystery, even to those we
in modern times would consider ancient. This makes it difficult to truly pinpoint the
origin of Egyptology, as even ancient Egyptians had a fascination with their own
history. Such a long, enduring culture that spanned literally thousands of years is naturally
something that would fascinate people within and without Egypt.

The development of Egyptology as a field of academic study was a long evolution from
personal interest to professional preservation practices. Even in dynastic times, Egyptians
were interested in their long and storied history. They were interested in understanding
their past, the meanings of massive constructions, and the preservation of their longstanding culture. By the New Kingdom, Egypt, as a stable culture, had been in existence
thousands of years, an amazing feat for any civilization.

The first people outside of Egypt to write extensively about the history and wonder of the
land were the Greeks. Famous Greeks such as the father of history Herodotus, Diodorus
Siculus, and Strabo all wrote about ancient Egypt. Herodotus writings are seen as
particularly important as he tried to make the understanding of history a more unbiased
pursuit.

Before Herodotus, most history was written in the form of an epic poem, such as the
works of Homer. Herodotus, however, wanted a more straightforward, unembellished,
linear account of history and this is what he sought out to do. He performed investigations
and actually went to the places he wrote of, talked to the people, and tried to construct a
more historically accurate version of history than we had previously seen. This, of course,
would cost a lot more time and effort back in the days compared to the world we find
ourselves in right now.


What we would call western Egyptology originated during the time of Napoleon.
Napoleon, the famous conqueror, invaded Egypt between the years of 1798-1801. He was
immediately enchanted with the land and storied history of Egypt. Accompanying him on
his conquests was a group of scholars and researchers. He tasked this group with
documenting and exploring Egypts long history. While he may have involved these
scholars for more selfish personal interests, it dramatically expanded the western worlds
familiarity and interest in this storied land.

The culmination of these efforts resulted in the publication of the landmark book,
Description de lEgypte (Description of Egypt). This was the first time that a large amount
of quality source material about ancient Egypt was available to the western world. So
great was the ensuing interest in this storied land that it launched what has been referred to
as Egyptomania.

During the invasion by Napoleon, a French engineer discovered the famous Rosetta Stone.
However, it would still be a few decades before the secrets of the Rosetta Stone were
deciphered. This discovery, however, would prove to be one of the most important in the
history of Egyptology. Without the Rosetta Stone, we may have never been able to decode
the mysterious hieroglyphic language and learn, first-hand, about the life and times of
these ancient peoples.

It was due to the fact that we could not understand hieroglyphics that there was such a
great aura of mystery surrounding ancient Egypt. There was a whole wealth of
inscriptions, writings on papyrus, graffiti, and more, that we simply could not read or
understand. This meant that we had no choice but to try to fill in the proverbial blanks
with the paltry amount of information we had at our disposal. This lead to a lot of false
assumptions and stories with large holes in them.

2

The Rosetta Stone. Without this stone, we may have never been able to decode the
mysterious hieroglyphic language and learn, first-hand, about the life and times of these
ancient peoples.


After years of diligent work, Jean-Francois Champollion was able to begin deciphering the
Egyptian language as he began to decode the Rosetta Stone. By 1822, he had completely
deciphered the Rosetta Stone and allowed for a much more accurate and detailed
understanding of Egyptians, their ancient culture, religious customs, means of political
organization, and more. There was a huge wealth of information that could now be
translated, thus dramatically raising our knowledge of these ancient people and taking us
beyond the realm of speculation.

Once we were able to understand the language, we became better equipped to understand
the people and the context of the times they lived in. Knowing the language helped us to
make more sense of the art and architecture of this ancient land. And while it certainly
answered a lot of the enduring questions we had about ancient Egypt, deciphering the
language also brought with it a whole new set of questions that we are, still to this day,
trying to answer. Though these were certainly incredibly exciting times to be an
Egyptologist, there was still so much more left to learn and discover. Our ability to
decipher hieroglyphics was the tip of the proverbial iceberg.

3

Jean-Francois Champollion, vintage engraved illustration. By 1822, he had completely
deciphered the Rosetta Stone and allowed for a much more accurate and detailed
understanding of Egyptians, their ancient culture, religious customs, means of political
organization, and more.

III

THE DEVELOPMENT

Due to the continuity of the culture and all the mysteries that surround the life, art, and
architecture, we have been fascinated with ancient Egypt for thousands of years. The
development of our interest in Egyptology presents an interesting evolution of a curiosity
into an academic discipline. When Egyptology first started, it was more an internal interest
of noble Egyptians, as time progressed, it became a bastion for adventure seekers and
lovers of mystery. As time passed, we realized the need to use professional practices and
preservation efforts, and the interest in Egyptology became an academic, scientific field of
study.

It did not, however, start that way, and a lot of irreversible damage has been done as a
result. Early excavators, before the field of archeology was really established with
practices and procedures, used highly invasive ways of entering into burial chambers, old
temples, and more. It was not unheard of to literally blow your way through the opening
of a tomb to gain access to the interior. They did not have much care for the structures
themselves, merely the potential treasure that may lie inside. Both foreign explorers and
native opportunists are responsible for a large deal of degradation and destruction that we
cannot even begin to quantify. Untold amounts of architectural material were destroyed,
along with untold number of inscriptions and paintings.

As the study has progressed, we have also seen a lot of infighting. There is a lot of heated
debate over who the history of ancient Egypt belongs to. It has long been a
predominately western field and a good deal of Egypts antiquities has found themselves
in European and American museums, rather than in museums within Egypt itself. This has
created a lot of tension and bitterness. This is coupled with the fact that in the earlier years
of professional Egyptology, some didnt have the professional scruples that are now
required. This means that many had no issue with purchasing stolen or black market
antiquities, as well as secreting them out of the country despite rules banning such
activities. It is still a contentiously debated topic. Many westerners point to cultural and
political instability as a key reason that antiquities should be kept by westerners, but this is
also a rather unfair way to look at things.

Since, at the outset of the more rigorous study of Egyptology, it was the pursuit of
amateurs, rather than professionals, there was a lot of bad archeology. Many explorers
were what some call dynamite archaeologists. This means what it sounds like, these
explorers would literally blow their way into tombs to search for treasure or other finds

that might bring them fame or fortune. Because of these poor practices, as well as a lack of
appreciation for more than just the possible finds of monetary value, a lot of history was
destroyed or simply overlooked. A lot more was poorly cataloged and ended up in the
private collections of wealthy westerners. There was little to no respect paid to the fact
that these tombs contained remains of actual people and later archaeological digs would
find human remains unceremoniously scattered and even defaced or intentionally broken
up.

THE INITIAL FINDINGS

As mentioned earlier, the study of ancient Egypt well predates the western interest in the
subject. However, it can be fairly stated that during the 19th and 20th centuries, the study of
ancient Egypt began to develop into a true field of academic study. As time passed, we
saw better excavation practices being utilized that were far less invasive and destructive,
causing much less collateral damage. With the introduction of western interest in
Egyptology, information about this mysterious ancient culture began to be disseminated to
other parts of the world.

With lucky finds and rigorous study, we were able to unlock the secrets of the
hieroglyphic language. This allowed the world a truly accurate and intimate glimpse into
the life and times of the ancient Egyptians, as told in their own voices. This achievement
alone is, perhaps, the most important in all of Egyptology, as we had direct source material
about the belief systems, practices, administration, and more, of these ancient peoples.

The new-found western interest in Egypt led to the categorization and documentation of
many of the wondrous art and architectural achievements of the ancient Egyptians. It led
to more and more people becoming interested in the academic study of these ancient
people and performing these studies in a means that preserved the history and did not
cause undue damage to the surrounding structures. Ultimately, this increase in interest
made the field more accessible, but also more focused on preservation and reducing
damage cause by excavation.

With more and more money being poured into expeditions to Egypt to document and
discover more about the mysterious history, the west became more and more entranced
with the amazing accomplishments of peoples that thrived thousands of years before our
time. It was during this time of great discovery that we began to learn about the secrets
held within the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens. We were able to
decipher the language and thus understand the vast array of inscriptions and other writings
we had collected.

It seemed that with each passing year, another key discovery was being made in the mid1800s through the 1920s. It was a time when we saw our understanding of these people
and their history expand many times over. During this time, we uncovered the
revolutionary and controversial city of Amarna, which was founded by the heretic king,
Akhenaten. This gave us a glimpse into one of the most unstable and revolutionary times
in Egyptian history. During the rule of the heretic king, the capital of Egypt was moved

and the entire religious structure of the country overhauled. This unwelcome change
would mark the end of a golden age in Egypt that was never again attained.

We started to uncover the massive constructions at the holy Karnak temple complex, as
well as explore the internal structure of the great pyramids at Giza. This was the time
when we began to uncover the prolific constructions of Ramses the Great from the temple
complex at Abu Simbel, to the Ramesseum. We found the site of Hatshepsuts famous and
beautiful mortuary temple and learned of the unlikely leadership of a female pharaoh. It
was during this time that Howard Carter uncovered the now-famous, mostly untouched,
tomb of the boy-king Tut, who would go on to become one of the most well-known of all
of ancient Egypts many pharaohs.

A SCIENTIFIC FOCUS

Egyptology really began to flourish as an academic discipline after the invasion of Egypt
by Napoleon and the French. Napoleon was well known to have had an intense fascination
with ancient Egypt. Upon the invasion and control of the country, he sent out a team of
explorers and scholars to document and learn as much about ancient Egyptian history and
culture as possible. This can be seen as the true start of Egyptology as a less biased,
more academic, field of study.

One of the most influential early books about ancient Egypt, The Description of Egypt,
was the culmination of the efforts of Napoleons researchers. This publication would bring
some of the first source material to the western world about ancient Egypt. During this
time, another discovery was made that would later become seen as the most important
archaeological discovery in the history of Egyptology. This is, of course, the mentioned
discovery of the Rosetta Stone.

4

Napoleon, vintage engraved illustration. Egyptology, is thought to have begun during the
invasion of Napoleon and the French. We know that Napoleon had a keen interest in
ancient Egypt and after his successful invasion, he wished to learn as much about this
mystical land as he could.


Auguste Mariette, a French Egyptologist, established the Egyptian-based Antiquities
Service, as well as founding a museum with which to house the collected discoveries of
Egyptian history. Mariette was an early contributor to the field but seemed to have a keen
understanding for the need to protect and preserve the amazing legacy of the ancient
Egyptians. Unlike many that would follow, he would not try to secrete all his knowledge
and findings out of the country, he set up his institutions within Egypt itself. In addition to
the desire to preserve Egypts history, Mariette was also a strong proponent of nondestructive and minimally-invasive excavation procedures.

Looking back on it now, many would argue that this was hardly a scientific time in the
field of Egyptology, but the professional practices had to be developed from somewhere,
from some experience, and it was these pioneers that helped establish said practices that
would go on to be refined so as to better preserve the sites being excavated. In early
archeology in Egypt, little heed was paid to the actual structure trying to be breeched. The
main concern was the potential treasure inside. Thus, not much respect was paid to
anything that was deemed invaluable, from countless inscriptions, to the actual remains of
ancient Egyptians themselves.

A good deal was destroyed by early invasive intrusions into ancient tombs or mortuary
temples. As interest in Egypt increased, so too did the interest of treasure seekers who had
heard the tales of the riches to be found in the many tombs of the ancients. The locals too
were looking to profit off this new interest and the subsequent tourism it provided.

There were many who helped with the evolution of the study of Egypt into an academic
discipline. One of the most important early contributors was Jean-Francois Champollion.
It was he who was ultimately responsible for the deciphering of the famous Rosetta Stone
in the 1820s. This helped move forward our understanding exponentially as we could
finally begin to translate and interpret the wealth of inscriptions and other written material
that we had, to that point, been unable to read.

Another important early Egyptologist was the Prussian, Heinrich Brugsch. It was Brugsch

who compiled the first Egyptian dictionary, providing a great resource to future scholars
and students. He was also the first person to provide interpretations of some of the
dynastic Egyptian texts uncovered at the time.

One of the most famous, and arguably most important, early contributors to Egyptology,
was Flinders Petrie, who would later be knighted and become Sir Flinders Petrie. In 1880,
Petrie began what would be a storied 40-year career of excavation and writing about the
history and architecture of ancient Egypt. He was one of the most prolific writers in early
Egyptology. He sought to develop professional best practices so as to reduce damage to
excavation sites and to enhance our efforts of historical preservation of the sites. He
wanted to create a methodology that could be used across the field of historical archeology
and his work did a lot to further this cause.

German Egyptologist, Adolf Erman, was one of the first historians to cover the
predynastic and very early periods of Egyptian history. He was the first westerner known
to provide a chronology for the earliest known periods of predynastic and early dynastic
times.

Prussian Egyptologist, Karl (Carl) Lepsius was conscripted by the then-king of Prussia,
Frederich Wilhelm IV. Lepsius was tasked with undertaking an expedition to Egypt for a
historical study that was along the same lines as what we saw when Napoleon invaded the
country. The result of this research trip was the publication of Denkmaler aus Aegypten
und Aethopien (Monuments of Egypt and Ethiopia). This was a 12-volume series of books
that was comprised of 900 different slides of Egyptian inscriptions with interpretations and
descriptions also provided. This was such an important piece of source material on ancient
Egypt that it was still used by students and scholars into the 20th century and is still
referred to even to this day.

French-born researcher, traveler, and historian, Emile Prisse dAvennes wrote extensively
about ancient Egypt, as well as the ancient Arabic world in general. Most famously, he is
known for the acquisition of what would be dubbed the Prisse Papyrus. The Prisse
Papyrus was obtained in Thebes (now Luxor) in 1856. The document is from the 12th
dynasty of the Middle Kingdom. Though just a fragment, it contains part of the important
text, Instructions of Kagemni. The instructions are a series of utterances and maxims
pertaining to the development of virtue of character. This is one of the only known
surviving fragments of this important document and is now housed in Paris at the
Bibliotheque nationale de France.

Another famous contributor to early unbiased study of Egyptology was the English writer
Amelia B. Edwards. She wrote the famous travelogue, published in 1877, called A

Thousand Miles Up the Nile, which was a description of a trip she took between 18731874. In addition to writing about ancient Egypt, she also co-founded the Egypt
Exploration Fund (now the Egypt Exploration Society) and served as its honorary
secretary. She also gained notoriety after she went on a lecture tour across America,
discussing her experiences in Egyptology.

Gaston Maspero was a French Egyptologist born Italian - perhaps best known for
coining the term Sea Peoples to refer to the mysterious invaders that regularly came
from the Mediterranean. He wrote extensively on ancient Egypt and is best remembered
for his efforts to further the understanding of the complex ancient Egyptian religion and
mythology. He found a number of French journals dedicated to Egyptology, as well as a
repository of knowledge for French Egyptologists.

A BUSINESS FOCUS

Not all endeavors into the study of ancient Egypt were undertaken for their academic,
cultural, or social merit. It became clear pretty early on that there was a monetary aspect
as well, and that the interest in Egyptology could actually be the basis for a whole business
enterprise. The western fascination with ancient Egypt was seen as a potential monetary
boon for people within and without of the country and they were quite right about this
notion.

Egypt was one of the first (but certainly not the last) historical regions that has been
pillaged, plundered, and then slowly eroded as tourist traps. We see some of the first
inklings of the business element of the fascination with Egypt shortly after the invasion of
Napoleon and the French. As a wealth of new, exciting, and mysterious information about
ancient Egypt became available to westerners, the trend of Egyptomania was sparked.

This refers to the explosion of western interest in ancient Egypt that started with
Napoleons conquests and could, arguable, still be said to be going on to the present day.

Unfortunately, Egypts gift would also be Egypts curse. The storied history that was
filtering into the western media was drawing interest from adventurers and treasure
seekers alike. Wealthy explorers traveled to Egypt or funded expeditions and it was during
this time that we started to see the removal of a vast amount of Egyptian cultural
antiquities from their native land and taken back to various places in Europe.

It was not just European explorers and treasure hunters who were responsible for the
destructive pillaging that occurred in pretty much all of these ancient sites. As more and
more westerners with expendable income flocked to Egypt, the financially-struggling
locals saw an opportunity to better their plight. Natives have been looting royal and noble
tombs since dynastic times. It was well known that pharaohs, royalty, and nobility were
buried with untold riches, making them targets of grave robbery almost as soon as the
person was entombed. As the nature of Egyptology began to change, locals began to see
that westerners were willing to pay huge amounts of money for seemingly worthless
antiquities and began to sell them on a very active black market.

There were more tomb robbers than can ever be accurately accounted for. Some of them
even went on to enjoy a marginal amount of fame for their exploits. Unfortunately, their
plundering was done without care for the historical and religious value of the places they

were plundering. People were more than willing to skirt the law to find fame and fortune
via ancient Egypt.

Perhaps, most famously of the early westerners that became known for their lack of
scruples, was Henry Salt. Salt was a wealthy English traveler, diplomat, and collector.
During his career, he had been involved with a number of government-sponsored missions
to various places in Africa such as Ethiopia, as a means to determine whether or not there
was potential for political or economic relations with the local governments. In 1815, he
was named British consul-general to Egypt and was stationed in Cairo.

It was during his tenure as consul-general that he began to collect vast amounts of
Egyptian antiquities. Most famously was the head of Ramses the Great from the
megalithic construction, the Ramesseum. This artifact is now to be found at the British
Museum. He is also known to have purloined Ramses IIIs burial sarcophagus, which is
now at the Louvre in Paris.

Among other things, Salt was known for his willingness to circumvent legalities in his
quest to collect ancient artifacts. He would benefit richly from the fame he obtained from
the donations he made to various museums, as well as the monetary benefit he received as
a result of selling portions of his vast collection to various antiquities collectors in Europe.

In addition to exploring himself, he also funded the expeditions of others. During his first
year in Cairo, Salt was fortuitously introduced to Giovanni Belzoni. Belzoni was a
Venetian strong man turned explorer. He was commissioned by Salt to help with the
physical movement of the giant head of Ramses from the site to the river where it could
then be transported back to Europe. This was no small undertaking in those days. This was
a 7 ton statue and there were no motorized machines that they could use to raise artifacts
of this size.

Belzoni was able to accomplish this daunting feat though. It took 130 men 17 days, but
with levers, ropes, and pulleys, and a lot of elbow grease, Belzoni and his men were able
to transport the giant head to the river for transport. While many in the western world see
this as an amazing feat, many Egyptians were less enthusiastic with having their temples
dismantled and removed from the country.

5

Giovanni Belzoni was commissioned to help with the physical movement of the giant head
of Ramses from the site to the river where it could then be transported back to Europe.
This was no small undertaking in those days. This was a 7 ton statue and there were no
motorized machines that they could use to raise artifacts of this size


He also entered the sepulcher of Seti I and the second pyramid at Giza, becoming the first
westerner known to do so. He also found and cleared away the sand from around the
famous temple complex of Ramses the Great at Abu Simbel. This temple complex
remains one of the most iconic, known for its massive statues of Ramses that line the
entrance of the temple. Due to the need to build the Aswan Dam, this site was later
dismantled, piece by piece, and relocated and reassembled some hundred miles from its
original location.

While his finds were remarkable and contributed greatly to our knowledge of ancient
Egypt, his methods were invasive and destructive. He had no respect for the native desire
to retain their history in their home land. He was commissioned to do a job and he did it,
without regard for the true meaning of what he was actually doing.

The early days of Egyptology wrought untold amounts of destruction on ancient artifacts
and even the ancient peoples themselves. Tombs, worthless artifacts, and even mummies
were callously destroyed or cast aside to become victims of the ravages of time. A good

deal of ancient Egypts history is located in other parts of the world, not Egypt. Mummies,
countless artifacts, and even monuments such as obelisks have been removed from their
native lands and can now be found in various places throughout Europe and America. On
the one hand, we can be thankful for the preservation of this history, on the other hand, we
have to be sad for all that was destroyed through primitive and financially-motivated
excavation efforts.

IV

RECENT ACHIEVEMENTS

It might seem like the heyday of Egyptology ended before the turn of the 20th century, but
there were a great deal of discoveries that happened after the initial explosion of findings
related to ancient Egypt. Even up through the present day, more of Egypts secrets
continue to unfold as we discover more constructions, more about the lives and times of
the people themselves, and this allows us to develop an even clearer picture of these
mysterious ancient peoples. It might be fair to say that we will never fully understand the
mystery and history of the lands of Upper and Lower Egypt. But with new technology,
improved methods of study, and greater knowledge sharing, we can learn as much as is
possible about a people so far removed from our modern times.

While many mark the deciphering of the Rosetta Stone by Champollion as the greatest
find in Egyptology, it is not the only find that dramatically moved our understanding
forward. When it comes to ancient history, it can be difficult to separate fact from
mythology. The more we learn, the deeper our understanding becomes, allowing us to
separate fact from fiction reality from religion. What we have found is that, though the
technology was different, the social and religious customs quite foreign to what we have
in the modern day, they were, in many ways, also not that different from modern people.
They were law-abiding, god-fearing people who wanted to raise happy and healthy
families, just like the people of today.

But for all the similarities, they were also incredibly different from us in the modern world
that they can almost seem alien. Some of the customs are still not understood, including
the development of the Egyptian culture itself. For all intents and purposes, it appears that
Egypt, as a culture, emerged fully formed from the sands of the desert at the banks of the
Nile. Logic tells us that this cannot be possible, but even to this day, there is much to
discover about ancient Egypt, both in its predynastic times, as well as during the period we
are all so familiar with.

With all that said, there have been a few discoveries that have really changed our
understanding of these ancient people, or allowed us to add a richness to our
understanding of their lives. What follows are just a few of the most important modern
and recent discoveries about ancient Egypt. The findings discussed here are by no means
the only ones of importance, however, they are the most well-known and accepted as
having significantly furthered our ability to interpret the information and mythologies we
found.


Perhaps the most well-known discovery during the modern history of Egyptology was the
discovery of the relatively unsullied tomb of the boy-king Tutankhamen. Discovered by
Howard Carter during excavations in 1922, this was one of the biggest finds in the history
of Egyptian archeology. It was this discovery that reignited worldwide interest in ancient
Egypt. The tomb yielded a wealth of luxurious grave goods and even the remains of the
ancient pharaoh. This would give us amazing insight into the lives and burial practices of
ancient royalty and also gave us some of the most iconic Egyptian artifacts ever found,
such as King Tuts famous gold death mask. Recent studies of King Tuts chamber reveal
exciting potential for future discovery and will be discussed in detail later on.

One of the major, yet unsung, finds for modern Egyptologists came with the discovery of
the town of Deir el-Medina. Deir el-Medina, which in ancient times was called Set Maat
(The Place of Truth), was an artisans village. The inhabitants of this ancient village
were the builders and artists who constructed the tombs in the Valley of the Kings, as well
as their families. The village was inhabited continually for some 400 years during between
the 18th and 20th centuries BC (during the New Kingdom). These were, for the most part,
skilled workers and artisans, so they do not represent the peasant class of Egyptian society,
however, they do give us a detailed and unparalleled glimpse into the lives of more
regular citizens of the Egyptian empire, as opposed to simply the ruling class.

Excavation of this village began in 1922 by Bernard Bruyere. Unfortunately, what should
have been a landmark discovery was quickly overshadowed by the discovery of the tomb
of King Tut by Howard Carter during that same year. This find has been unmatched and
yet, to this day, is still a rather obscure finding. While it may not be as sexy as finding
gold and other riches of a pharaohnic burial, it actually provides us with tangible
information as to the daily lives of regular people. The excavation of this site gave us great
detail and insight into the lives of everyday Egyptians (albeit upper middle class skilled
workers). This was incredibly valuable information as a good deal of what we know about
the people of ancient Egypt is limited to the royal class and the priestly class. To date, no
other site like Deir el-Medina has ever been found.


6

Deir el-Medina, which in ancient times was called Set Maat (The Place of Truth), was
an artisans village. The inhabitants of this ancient village were the builders and artists
who constructed the tombs in the Valley of the Kings, as well as their families. To date, no
other site like Deir el-Medina has ever been found.


The so-called Khufu Ship was an incredibly important find made by Kamal el-Mallakh
back in 1954. el-Mallakh discovered a pit at the base of the Great Pyramid at Giza that
contained a huge boat, remarkably well preserved some three thousand years after it was
placed in the ground. The discovery was important as it showed us just how advanced the
ancient Egyptians understanding of the engineering of water vessels was, even back in Old
Kingdom times. This made us rethink that relative sophistication and level of
advancement we attribute to ancient Egyptians.

The boat is said to be a rather remarkable feat of engineering, especially given the
antiquity of the craft. In fact, the Khufu Ship is one of the oldest surviving boats we have
from antiquity. Boating experts claim that the ship is of a solid design such that would
allow it to safely traverse a river or lake, even today. It was not, however, designed for
actual use, at least it does not appear so. It appears that the boat, dubbed a solar boat or

solar bark, was intended to be symbolic of the kings journey across the sky, similar to the
daily journey made by the sun.
Evidence to support the idea that this was intended to be a symbolic vessel, not an actual
water-going vessel, comes in the form of what is missing from the boat. There is no
indication of any rigging for sails, nor is there any room for oars or paddlers. These things
alone indicate that the boat was not actually used for travel. It does stand to reason,
though, that they had an understanding of these concepts and thus, would have been able
to build an equally well-built boat that was fitted with the proper equipment for actual use
on water.

7

The so-called Khufu Ship was an incredibly important find made by Kamal el-Mallakh
back in 1954. The discovery was important as it showed us just how advanced the ancient
Egyptians understanding of the engineering of water vessels was, even back in Old
Kingdom times.


In more recent times, new technology has allowed us to gain greater insight into the life,

death, and inner details of the lives of ancient Egyptians. One field that has allowed us to
make new discoveries is the field of DNA testing. For a long time, all we really had in
terms of evidence to make sense of remains and other finds was contextual. Improvements
in our ability to obtain DNA and make sense of it have allowed us to peer into the actual
makeup of the ancient Egyptians.

Through DNA sequencing and other genetic techniques, we can learn of an individuals
racial heritage, their general health, and even the means with which the mummy was
embalmed. However, due to the possibility of modern contamination of genetic samples,
making any major assumptions based on DNA sequencing data of mummies remains very
controversial.

One of the main ways we are learning about ancient Egypt during current times is through
the use of various types of scanning and other non-invasive means of peering inside
ancient monuments or underground. These scans have helped us to identify locations of
ancient settlements, other monuments, as well as to alert us to a variety of anomalies
present in some of the already discovered tombs and monuments which beg further
investigation.

Recent thermal scans of the Great Pyramid at Giza show some very interesting
temperature anomalies that beg further study. These scans have shown that there are three
adjacent cut stones at the base of the Great Pyramid that show significantly higher
temperatures than the stones surrounding it. The two main proposed reasons for this
anomaly are the presence of a chamber or air shaft, or, perhaps, the use of different
materials (which radiate heat differently) in the construction of the monument. There were
additional temperature anomalies found in the upper portion of the Great Pyramid too,
leading to a wide array of theories as well as desire to probe deeper into these mysteries.

Infrared satellite imaging has also helped further Egyptology in that it can pick up on
underground structures that can lead archaeologists to good places for excavation.
Recently, such satellite imaging has shown the presence of some 1,000 tombs, a number of
new pyramids, and at least 3,000 different settlements. Initial excavations at these sites
have confirmed the findings of the satellite images and further excavation of these sites is
presently underway.


8

Recent thermal scans of the Great Pyramid at Giza have shown that there are three
adjacent cut stones at the base of the Great Pyramid that show significantly higher
temperatures than the stones surrounding it, leading to a wide array of theories as well as
desire to probe deeper into these mysteries

One of the more popularized discoveries from ancient Egypt during recent times came
within just the last couple of years. British Egyptologist Nicholas Reeves performed some
scanning in the internal structure of the burial chamber of King Tut and found what he
thinks is evidence of an additional chamber within the tomb that has been undiscovered
for many thousands of years. Reeves claims led the Egyptian Antiquities department to
order more high tech scans of the tomb to see if there was anything to these claims.

As it turns out, sophisticated infrared and laser scans appear to confirm Reeves claims
that there is, indeed, another open space behind the walls of King Tuts tomb. This finding
has led to much speculation as to what may lie on the other side of this newly discovered
doorway. Reeves and others claim that it may be the previously undiscovered remains of
the famous, beautiful Queen Nefertiti, who was King Tuts stepmother.

Others think that the chamber may hold the remains of Kiye, who was another one of
Akhenatens wives. Akhenaten was, of course, the heretic king and father of the boy-king
Tut. The people who disagree with the assumption that a royal wife is to be found in this

newly discovered chamber. They claim that even a powerful Great Royal Wife like
Nefertiti would never have been buried in the illustrious Valley of the Kings as that was
against tradition, something the ancient Egyptians took very seriously.

With the scans that seem to confirm Reeves initial findings of a previously unknown
chamber, plans must be made to access said chamber to see what it contains. This has to
be very carefully planned as excavation must proceed in such a way as to not damage any
potential finds behind the wall or the exiting tomb of Tut itself.

A LIVING SCIENCE OF DEATH

As with pretty much all other fields of study, the study of ancient Egypt has evolved
greatly since its earliest days. While we know that there was interest in ancient Egypt back
in dynastic times, as we have discussed along in this book, we most often consider the
start of the study of ancient Egypt as a field of academic study, to have been around the
time that Napoleon invaded Egypt and sent out a bevy of scholars to research and
document their findings.

While it may seem a bit macabre, much of what we know about ancient Egypt, we have
learned from the dead and the customs that surround death and the afterlife. For ancient
Egyptians, this was a key focus during their lives. Preparing for the afterlife was one of
the most important and enduring activities undertaken throughout pharaonic times. Death,
like birth, was seen as another beginning to the ancient Egyptians. There was a whole
other life after the one we experience on the physical plane and so, naturally, there is a
lot we can learn about the people based on these customs.

It is fair to say that we probably know more about the death and afterlife of ancient
Egyptians than we do about their actual daily life. So much of what has stood the test of
time is either related in some way to death and rebirth, or it relates to the pantheon of
varied gods worshiped by the ancients. So much about ancient Egyptian culture was
different than our own, but this could especially be said when it comes to their feelings
and practices surrounding death. In many ways, death was a series of tests, followed by
something that was rather similar to actual life.

When we first started documenting the monuments and artwork of ancient Egypt, it
became clear that they had a sophisticated culture surrounding death and life after death.
However, during the earliest times of Egyptology, we could only make assumptions based
on what we could see, as well as whatever context we might be able to glean from the
peoples who have long lived with these monuments. This meant that we made a lot of bad
assumptions, but we did the best we could with the limited information we had available
to us.

After Champollion deciphered the Rosetta Stone, we were actually able to read the written
word of the Egyptians and this allowed the field to become a more rigorous, scientific, and
academic discipline. We had a huge wealth of different inscriptions and documents that we

had been unable to decipher until the time of Champollion. There was much work to be
done to translate and interpret the wealth of written material we were beginning to
discover.

In the late 19th century, the archaeological element of Egyptology really began to come
into its own. At first, our archeology was messy and destructive, but it was also still highly
informative. Much of what we excavate is either tombs, thus related to death, religious
monuments, and in some rare cases, actual villages and settlements of skilled Egyptian
artisans. These discoveries gave us the bulk of the information we currently have related
to ancient Egypt.

As time progressed, our practices got more professional and standardized. This allowed
for easier interpretation of information, as well as an increased ability to share research
across nations. There were a great many amazing discoveries in the early 1900s that really
showed us just how important preparation for the afterlife was to the Egyptians. We
learned that one of the first orders of business for a newly crowned king was to begin to
plan and execute his burial chamber. Even with this advanced planning, due to the variety
of ailments and uncertainty of the times, many rulers had to be buried in tombs that were
not finished.

In many ways, it seems like the Egyptians saw the afterlife as rather similar to the life they
lived here on Earth. The journey to the afterlife would be fraught with complications,
trials, and tests. Once these proverbial (and sometimes literal) waters were traversed, one
would settle into a life that had a lot in common with corporal existence. One still had to
perform work, such as farming and daily house chores. This is markedly different than
many modern ideas of the afterlife, but to the Egyptians, this made perfect sense and they
took the preparations for their version of the afterlife seriously. A king would not like to
find themselves without adequate levels of help when they become an Osiris in the sky of
the afterlife.

As no royal pharaoh would deign to take part in these humble activities of daily life, much
of the grave goods they were buried with were effigies of servants, slaves, farmhands, etc.,
that would be animated and then perform the work needed for the maintenance of the king
and his various needs. These were often called ushabtis and were generally made of
wood. They believed that the dead needed to be buried with all they would need in the
afterlife, which was much the same as what we need in this life: food, drink, a work force,
clothing, and, of course, a few little luxuries to make your stay in the afterlife a little nicer.
This meant that many graves were almost bursting at the proverbial seams with goods.
This fact was well known by all and sundry, which is why the tombs were so often the
target of tomb robbing mere years after the tomb was sealed with the kings remains
inside.


What started out as a merely observation-oriented field of study has become an
increasingly-complex field of academic study where many focus on very specific subsets
of the study of ancient history, such as focusing on the religious structure of Egypt, or the
language of the nation. The professionalization of the field, coupled with advances in
technology has really allowed us to expand our understanding and is still leading to the
unweaving of ancient mysteries to this day.

9

Preparing for the afterlife was one of the most important and enduring activities
undertaken throughout pharaonic times. Death, like birth, was seen as another beginning
to the ancient Egyptians. There was a whole other life after the one we experience on
the physical plane and so, naturally, there is a lot we can learn about the people based on
these customs.

CONCLUSION

We have come a long way in our understanding of ancient culture, but the more we learn,
the more questions also seem to be raised. The study of ancient Egypt has been no
different. This was an enduring, complex culture that had a remarkable degree of
continuity that is pretty much unknown in any other time in history. There was a pride in
tradition, in doing things as they had always been done since Zep Tepi (the First Time
when the gods like Osiris ruled the land). This is something that has not been seen again in
documented history, at least not to the same degree.

Many other cultures have long been fascinated with Egypt. Many in ancient Greece
thought that much knowledge and wisdom originated in ancient Egypt. This mysterious
land was able to capture the fascination of a good many people. The first known inquiries
into the history of ancient Egyptian history came during the New Kingdom dynastic times
when princes and members of the royal family became more interested in the preservation
of their cultural heritage. When the Arabs conquered the lands of Upper and Lower Egypt,
they too became fascinated with the storied history and pursued their own study of the
history and mystery of the lands on the banks of the Nile.

What we would consider Egyptology really began with the French. Napoleon was
enamored with ancient Egypt. So much so that after he conquered the country, he sent of
retinue of scholars to document everything they could pertaining to ancient Egypt. These
research efforts culminated in The Description of Egypt, a publication that would prove to
be one of the most important in the spread of interest in Egyptology. So fascinated was the
western world with this mysterious land that this publication sparked what has been
dubbed Egyptomania, which was the fervent interest westerners developed in the study
of ancient Egypt.

After Napoleons conquest, the study of ancient Egypt had officially gained traction.
Egypt attracted a good many different kinds of people: from those who were interested in
history to those who saw the opportunity to make a fortune. This led to westerners heading
to Egypt in droves to look for possible fame and fortune in the sands of Egypt.

This would end up being both a good and a bad thing. It was good in that we really began
to learn a lot about ancient Egypt with the discovery of monuments, goods, and other
materials that we could use to glean information about these ancient peoples. However,
many people did not appreciate anything outside of potential treasure. This meant that a

lot of the methods used were rather unprofessional, including the use of what has been
called dynamite archeology. This type of excavation completely destroyed much of the
structure itself (most often a tomb), as well as any information that might have been
gleaned from wall paintings or inscriptions.

As the field progressed, so too did the adoption of less invasive, standardized, professional
practices for the excavation of tombs and other monuments. During this time, a great deal
of Egypts storied history was spirited out of the country and into western museums and
private collections, something that would cause there to be a lot of tension between
western Egyptologists and native Egyptian Egyptologists. These tensions still pervades to
this day as there is a lot of debate as to who really owns the history of these people.

Once we learned how to read Egyptian hieroglyphs, hieratic, and demotic script, our
understanding of the inner lives and customs of the Egyptians expanded greatly. It was
after we could translate these documents that we really learned about the traditions, the
continuity, the religion, and the administration of the lands of Upper and Lower Egypt.
Being able to read the words of the Egyptians themselves allowed us an unprecedented
glimpse into the lives of such a fascinating culture that thrived for thousands of years
before western civilization emerged.

With each passing year, we learned more and more about these people and also the
importance of preserving their history for posterity. History is not only a rich, highly
entertaining story, but it is a valuable lesson about where we came from and how we got to
be what we are today. Hundreds of years have passed since the first westerners entered
Egypt with the intent to uncover the secrets of this mysterious land. And while she has
yielded some of her secrets, there is still a great deal to be discovered about Egypt, and
also much that is probably permanently lost to the proverbial sands of time.

A new resurgence in Egyptomania has spread throughout the world in recent years due to
a variety of new and potentially dramatic discoveries. Our technology has significantly
improved and this gives us new ways to glean information about people who lived long
ago. From new, highly sophisticated, forms of DNA analysis, we can learn much about the
racial history of the individual being studied, and even much about their health and cause
of death. Non-invasive scanning procedures allow us to look through the ground or solid
stone to see what might be potentially found within.

Recent discoveries of temperature anomalies within various portions of the Great Pyramid
at Giza has led to a new generation of people interested in uncovering the mysteries of this
massive megalithic structure. Recent scans performed in the tomb of the boy-King Tut
indicate the likelihood of the presence of additional chambers behind one of the walls that

was, until now, unknown. There is a lot of excitement surrounding this discovery as many
scholars have speculated that there could be an undisturbed tomb behind these walls,
perhaps even the tomb of the infamously beautiful Queen Nefertiti. The coming years
prove to hold exciting things for the study of Egyptology.

A NOTE FROM T.D. VAN BASTEN

Thank you very much for reading Egyptology, If you enjoyed it and found what you were
looking for, please be so kind to take a moment to leave a review at your favourite retailer
such as Amazon.

Leave a review


I also welcome contact from readers. You can find me on Twitter, and I would be more
than happy to get in touch with you. If you enjoy my books, you can also choose to follow
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T.D. van Basten

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@TvanBasten

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

T.D. van Basten is a 25-year young man living in the Mediterranean region to follow his
passion and explore the old historical areas. He is a passionate lover of history. Growing
up, he has always loved to learn about the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Romans and other
historical events. With his power of imagination, he could almost live and see the world as
how it used to be.
After graduating from the University, he began to see and explore the world. Taking trips
to various regions himself, such as Egypt to discover the pyramids and famous tombs.
Followed by spending months in Spain and the surrounding areas, where he still lives.
This allowed him to see the worlds that he loved first hand. Over the years, he has
assembled an extraordinary collection of artifacts, and he is now ready to share the tales
that he always loved with you.

Visit the author page

ANCIENT EGYPT BIOGRAPHIES

THE EGYPT OF CLEOPATRA


Cleopatra VII (69 BC - 30 BC), the last Pharaoh of Egypt, was a very educated, crafty,
ambitious and clever woman. Her intellect and charisma far greater than her beauty and
sexuality - allowed her to keep the power for nearly twenty years by fighting against and
allying with - the greatest power at the time, Rome. Although her history was written by
who defeated her and, therefore, modified according conveniences of them, there have
been found, in recent archaeology researches, evidences of her intellect and achievements
that portrayed her beyond her beauty and sexual power. She captivated the two greatest
Romans of her time, and destroyed herself. Cleopatra was representing everything that the

Romans didnt like. Not only was she a woman, but she was a woman with power.

THE EGYPT OF NEFERTITI


For centuries, the beautiful, mysterious Queen Nefertiti, has captured our imaginations.
We do not know very much about the womans origins, or her demise, which only adds to
her mysterious appeal. What we do know, however, is that she was the wife of one of the
most controversial and radical of all of ancient Egypts Pharaohs.

Her husband, Akhenaten, often referred to as the Heretic King started a revolution for
the proto-monotheistic cult of Aten, the sun disk. This revolution led to dramatic social
and political changes during what was later called the Amarna Period. From a huge
upheaval in the traditional power structure of the nation, the outlaw of traditional gods,
and even the relocation of the capital of the nation, there were actually deliberate attempts
from the rulers who came after to erase this period of Egyptian history from the historical
record. And they nearly succeeded.

THE EGYPT OF KING TUT

Upon the opening of the famous tomb of King Tutankhamen, Carter and his team found a
huge array of sumptuous grave goods. However, they also found a very small tomb,
lacking the well-known royal depictions and wide array of different paintings and
inscriptions. Even the grave goods, while luxurious, did not seem fit for a king for his
journey to the afterlife.

The many mysteries surrounding Tut led to many fantastic rumors, including that of a
curse on the tomb of the boy-king. Circumstances and seemingly sudden deaths, fueled by
media coverage, helped ignite the rumor that there was a curse on the tomb and that those
who worked within it or benefited from the goods within it would suffer a grisly fate.
There were just enough bizarre coincidences to fuel the rumors and convince many of the
existence of a curse on the tomb of King Tut.

THE EGYPT OF HATSHEPSUT

Hatshepsut was the first and arguably most powerful female to rule as pharaoh during its
long and storied history. Her rule was highly unconventional, yet she had the support of
the power brokers at the time. Somehow, during her long reign as pharaoh with her
stepson, she managed to maintain positive relationships with the right constituency, as
well as her co-ruler. It would seem likely that, if there was internal strife within the royal
house as to the moves made by Hatshepsut, there would be some documentation or
indication of this tension in the historical record. As of the time of this writing, no
evidence of poor relations or civil strife has ever been found.

THE EGYPT OF RAMSES II

In all of Egypts long and storied history, Ramses the Great stands out as one of the best
known and successful of all. Ruling the country for some 67 years, Ramses II ruled over
Egypt during a time of stability and prosperity. His rule was marked by economic
prosperity, successful military campaigns, and impressive building projects. He wanted
from the very beginnings of his long reign, to ensure that his legacy was sealed, literally in
stone, and that reminders of his rule were so ubiquitous that he would not be forgotten. In
this, like many other elements of his kingship, he was highly successful and he has gone
down in history as a legendary ruler.

THE EGYPT OF THUTMOSE III

Thutmose III was one of the most known and respected of all of Egypts pharaohs,
regardless of dynasty or time period. He ruled during the New Kingdom, which is often
seen as the star-studded dynasty in ancient Egyptian history because thats the dynasty
where many of the big names come from. He had the benefit of a lengthy co-rule that
allowed him to develop and hone his military skills which would serve him incredibly
well during his time in power.
His early life and rule were rather unusual, and he was a powerful person, even when he
was just a mere infant. He was the son of Thutmose II and one of his lesser wives of
common heritage. Thutmose II was married to the incredibly powerful Queen Hatshepsut,
but the two were unable to produce a male heir which meant they had to look to Thutmose
IIs harem for a suitable successor. Thutmose III was the chosen successor.