Edwin smith papyrus: Did you mean...?

In Europe, in the 19th century CE, an interesting device began appearing in graveyards and cemeteries: the mortsafe. This was an iron cage erected over a grave to keep the body of the deceased safe from 'resurrectionists' - better known as...

The Papyrus Fresco from the Room of the Ladies from the house of the same name, Akrotiri, Thera. Papyrus is not indigineous to Thera and therefore suggests that the Cycladic artists were borrowing iconography from elsewhere, perhaps Egypt...

The vacillating nature of Ancient Egypt's associations with the Kingdom of Kerma may be described as one of expansion and contraction; a virtual tug-of-war between rival cultures. Structural changes in Egypt's administration led to alternating...

Explore 4 common misconceptions about Ancient Rome, and find out what living in this time period was actually like. – Minerva, the esteemed Roman goddess of reason, wisdom, handicrafts, and war, is judging a contest: duo vera et mendacium...

Alexander the Great transformed the world during his reign — but was he an embattled leader, or a ruthless conqueror? – Alexander the Great fundamentally transformed the world during his 13-year reign. He conquered Persia when it was one...

Cuneiform is a system of writing first developed by the ancient Sumerians of Mesopotamia circa 3600/3500 BCE. It is considered the most significant among the many cultural contributions of the Sumerians and the greatest among those of the...

John Rolfe (l. 1585-1622 CE) was an English merchant and colonist of Jamestown best known as the husband of Pocahontas (l. c. 1596-1617 CE). He is also known, however, for his successful cultivation of tobacco in Virginia which established...

The Papyrus of Ani, a text of The Egyptian Book of the Dead, was prepared for the priest Ani of Thebes (c. 1250 BCE) and included among the grave goods of his tomb. It includes a number of chapters from the Book of the Dead.

The Turin Papyrus Map is an ancient Egyptian map of gold mines in the Eastern Desert. It is considered to be one of the oldest surviving topographical maps. Made c. 1150 BCE by Scribe-of-the-Tomb Amennakhte, son of Ipuy. (Turin Museum)

Detail of the Funerary Papyrus of Tameni, depicting the god Geb and the goddess Nut. Egypt. Third Intermediate Period (c. 1069-525 BCE). (Courtesy of the British Museum)