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Egyptian Book of the Dead
The Egyptian Book of the Dead is a collection of spells which enable the soul of the deceased to navigate the afterlife. The famous title was given the work by western scholars; the actual title would translate as The Book of Coming Forth...
Article
Prayer to Thoth for Skill in Writing
The Prayer to Thoth for Skill in Writing is a literary piece dated to c. 1150 BCE from the latter period of the New Kingdom of Egypt (c. 1570- c. 1069 BCE) in which a young scribe prays for inspiration to Thoth, god of wisdom and writing...
Definition
Heka
Heka is the god of magic and medicine in ancient Egypt and is also the personification of magic itself. He is probably the most important god in Egyptian mythology but is often overlooked because his presence was so pervasive as to make him...
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Euripides, Orestes, 338-44: Musical Fragment
This papyrus was written around 200 BCE in Hermopolis, Egypt, and contains seven fragmentary lines (338–344) from the first chorus of Euripides, Orestes. The fragment contains vocal and instrumental symbols written above the lines of the...
Article
Jobs in Ancient Egypt
In ancient Egypt, the people sustained the government and the government reciprocated. Egypt had no cash economy until the coming of the Persians in 525 BCE. The people worked the land, the government collected the bounty and then distributed...
Article
Cosmetics, Perfume, & Hygiene in Ancient Egypt
For the ancient Egyptians life was a celebration, and so, just as one would want to look one's best at any party, personal hygiene was an important cultural value. The Egyptians bathed daily, shaved their heads to prevent lice or other problems...
Article
The Royal Macedonian Tombs at Vergina
Excavations at Vergina in northern Greece in the late 1970s CE unearthed a cluster of tombs thought to be the burial site of Philip II (r. 359-336 BCE), the father of Alexander the Great (r. 336-323 BCE), with a wife interred in a vaulted...
Article
Women in Ancient Egypt
Women in ancient Egypt were regarded as the equals of men in every aspect save that of occupation. The man was the head of the household and nation, but women ran the home and contributed to the stability of that nation as artisans, brewers...
Definition
Writing
Writing is the physical manifestation of a spoken language. It is thought that human beings developed language c. 35,000 BCE as evidenced by cave paintings from the period of the Cro-Magnon Man (c. 50,000-30,000 BCE) which appear to express...
Image
Tale of Sinuhe (Berlin 10499)
The Berlin 10499 papyrus tells the Tale of Sinuhe. It is one of the most well preserved copies of the story. The script was written in Hieratic which is roughly a cursive version of Middle Egyptian. The papyri is also referred to as the Ramesseum...