From Mysterious Black Boxes to the hidden chambers inside the pyramids, here are 10
secrets from ancient Egypt.
10.
Papyrus Around Mummies
It’s long been a mystery how ancient Egyptians went about their day to day business, because
the only records that remain from the time are those deemed important enough to be preserved
in tombs or on tablets.
This all changed in 2017, though, when archaeologists took a closer look at the papyri that was
used to encase the bodies of mummies.
Workers in ancient Egypt recycled their papyrus- after all it was quite an elaborate product
to make- and waste not, want not!
One of the most common uses was to decorate the boxes that mummies were kept in.
Quite often scraps of papyrus would be stuck together with glue, similar to how paper mâché
is made.
Of course, the boxes are now important artefacts themselves, but researchers have developed
a digital imaging technique that actually lets them see what was originally written
on the paper, and the results are pretty amazing!!
They were scraps of people’s shopping lists and tax returns, which gives a much deeper
insight into how Ancient Egyptians lived their lives and how society worked.
It turns out they were far more similar to us, today, than you might think, and had to
worry about the same day-to-day concerns as people have in the 2 thousand years since
they lived.
We still need to buy groceries, and we still have to pay taxes!!
9.
The Cairo Manuscript
There are many ancient Egyptian artefacts still waiting to be found across the country,
but the Cairo Manuscript was one that was originally discovered in the 1800’s, before
being lost again for another 70 years.
It was re-discovered in an old storage box in Cairo’s Egyptian museum in 2015, and
is simply stunning.
It’s the largest known Egyptian leather manuscript, and is about 8 feet (2.4 m) long!
As a reference, I am 5 foot 6!
Only the most important documents were written in such a way, because leather was seen as
a very prestigious material.
Unfortunately, it disintegrates much quicker than papyri, so it’s very rare to find leather
manuscripts.
It’s written on both sides, and is a religious manuscript that details a series of incantations
that would have been recited by a priest, and images of rituals for funerary processions.
There’s a strip of incredibly colourful images across the top, and it is thought to
be at least 4,000 years old.
This predates depictions of similar images that have been found on the base of sarcophagi
that were uncovered from the necropolis of Hermopolis.
The Cairo Manuscript is one of the most detailed and well preserved texts from so long ago,
and further uncovered the rituals associated with Egyptian religion.
8.
Pet Cemetery
It’s well known how the Ancient Egyptians treated their dead, especially the bodies
of important figures, but a discovery that was made near the Red Sea in 2017 shed some
light on how most Egyptians lived closely w ith their pets.
A team of Polish archaeologists have uncovered the biggest mass pet cemetery which is over
2,000 years old.
It contains the remains of more than 100 domesticated pets, including dogs, cats, and monkeys.
They found it was part of the area they were digging to investigate the town of Berenike
and the temple built in honor of the god, Serapis.
The unusual thing about the cemetery is that the pets were mummified before they were buried.
Someone spent a lot of time and care to make sure their pet would be well preserved for
the afterlife.
This ritual burial shows that the animals were close companions to their owners, and
were not religious sacrifices.
Some were buried in elaborate ways- sometimes with accessories, and two cats were found
alongside ostrich eggs.
Animals were an important part of ancient Egyptians lives, and they particularly valued
cats for the home, dogs because they were responsible for guarding tombs, monkeys because
of their shouts, snakes for their representation of fertile lands, and cows which were used
as symbols of beauty and represented the god, Hathor.
7.
Who Built the Pyramids?
There have been countless theories about who actually built the pyramids.
You have probably learned in school that they were the work of slaves who were forced to
endure beatings and harsh conditions for years during construction.
There are also many who believe that the structures were far beyond the capabilities of the Egyptians,
and that aliens were the true masterminds behind them.
The truth, though, is far more terrestrial and humane than these theories may lead you
to think.
That’s because the actual people who built the pyramids were paid construction workers.
In 2010, a number of mud brick tombs were found near the Great Pyramids of Giza.
Dug 9 feet into the ground, they contained the bodies of workers who died while building
the pyramids, along with jars of beer and loaves of bread to take with them into the
afterlife.
According to Egypt’s chief archaeologist, the workers came from poor regions in the
north and south of the country, and were very highly respected- as is evidenced by the way
that those who died were buried in the sacred ground near the pyramids of their pharaohs.
It would take 10,000 people 30 years to build a pyramid, and though they were paid labourers,
it was still tough work.
Their skeletons showed signs of arthritis and they clearly suffered from bad health
as a result of the conditions they were exposed to.
There are also many records of camps with animals being kept near the pyramids in order
to feed the workers each day.
While their job was challenging, ancient documents that were recently discovered showed that
the workers ate extremely well!
6.
The Lost City of Thonis-Heracleion
In the early 2000’s, a team of divers working off the coast of Egypt in the Mediterranean
found an usual lump of rock under the seabed.
They brought it back to the surface and realized it was part of a statue.
Further investigation found more pieces, along with shards of pottery, jewellery, coins,
lamps, and temple ruins.
It soon become clear that they had discovered a lost sunken city.
Thonis-Heracleion isn’t a name too many people are familiar with, unlike Atlantis
for example, but to people who lived in or traded with Egypt in the fifth century BC,
it would have been the center of the universe!
It was the main port on the Mediterranean, and the gateway by which all people and goods
would pass between the country and the western world via the mediterranean.
It was founded about 2,700 years ago, and soon became an important trading hub- a complicated
network of canals, harbours, temples, and wharfs that were built on the aquatic marshland.
Despite having been mentioned in various manuscripts from the time, the city was lost at some point
in the second century BC.
It’s thought to have happened during a flood, when the weight of the buildings caused the
soft foundations to quickly liquefy, and everything collapsed into the water.
Rather than attempting to rebuild, all trade rerouted through nearby Alexandria, and the
once famed port was lost to history.
5.
The Black Boxes Near Giza
The Great Pyramid of Giza is mysterious enough, but researchers were baffled when a series
of giant black boxes were found close to the site.
These boxes were found in a burial site and are thought to be from 3,300 years ago during
the time of Ramses II.
These strange boxes are carved from solid Aswan granite, and weigh more than 100 tons
each.
Known as the Serapeum of Saqqara, 24 of them have been found about 12 miles to the south
of the Giza Pyramid in the abandoned city of Memphis.
Their weight alone is very remarkable, but it is also interesting to note that they were
cut with remarkable precision!
They have some hieroglyphs on them, but they are so crudely drawn that they are thought
to be ancient graffiti rather than the original design.
Ancient graffiti is still pretty cool because it means that most people in the society were
literate!
They were first discovered in 1850, but still no one has any definitive idea of what they
are for.
The most comprehensive theory that currently stands is that they were the burial places
for Apis bulls, which were revered as representations of the god Ptah.
It’s thought the boxes are giant sarcophagi designed to contain the mummified remains
of the bulls and allow them to continue on into the afterlife.
4.
Medicines
We like to think that modern medicine is the best we’ve ever had it, but the Ancient
Egyptians weren’t too shabby at treatments themselves.
While they still believed in supernatural causes for some ailments and would chant spells
during treatment, they also developed effective cures for many different diseases.
The Ramesseum medical papyri are interesting examples that have survived since the 18th
century BC.
They meticulously detail the structure of the human body and various illnesses.
5 papyri were found in the temple of Ramesseum.
One describes things such as labor, ways to look after a newborn, and even a formula for
contraception.
The others talk about medicines for the relaxation of limbs, treatment of burns, and descriptions
of a mysterious plague.
Their medical knowledge was far more developed than other civilizations of the time, possibly
because of their deep understanding of the insides of human bodies as a result of the
mummification process.
3.
Tutankhamun's Tomb
The tomb of Tutankhamen is one of the most famous archaeological finds EVER, but there
are some who think that what we know of the boy-king’s tomb is only just the beginning.
In 2015, high resolution scans of the tomb suggested that there are two hidden passages
leading away from the main chamber of the tomb- seemingly towards other hidden chambers.
Some archaeologist think that this could be the final resting place of Queen Nefertiti.
The theory is that Tutankhamun died at such a young age, that preparations weren’t able
to be made quickly enough to make him a burial chamber of his own.
Instead they adapted the tomb of his stepmother to hold both of them, and concealed the entrance
to her chamber.
Unfortunately the Egyptian government has not granted permission to explore the supposed
passages because they are concerned about the stability of the tomb and think it would
involve damaging the walls.
One day, though, we may find out there’s far more hidden down there than Howard Carter
realized when he first discovered the tomb in 1922.
And hopefully not another curse.
2.
The Sphinx
The Sphinx is one of the most iconic structures that has survived from Ancient Egypt, but
surprisingly no one is quite sure who was responsible for building the 240 feet long
and 66 feet tall statue.
It probably wasn’t even called the Sphinx, which is a name that probably came into use
more than 2,000 years after its construction.
Furthermore, hundreds of tombs have been found in the surrounding area of Giza, all with
hieroglyphs that speak about wider society, and not one mentions the sphinx.
It also looks very different now than it once did.
Some parts of the face still have residues of red pigment, which means it likely was
all covered in red when it was built, and excavations have found pieces of its carved
stoned beard buried in the ground nearby.
It was covered in sand for thousands of years, with only the head protruding until a Genoese
adventurer led a group of men to dig it out in 1817.
Their attempt failed, though, and the full scale of the structure was only finally revealed
in 1930.
Still, it’s thought there could be more to discover here.
Currently archaeologists are investigating secret passageways underneath it!
1.
The Great Pyramid of Giza
Built during the reign of the pharaoh Khufu, the Great Pyramid of Giza was built between
2580 and 2560 BC.
It’s 450 feet tall and 750 feet wide, and is an astonishing piece of architecture that
would be difficult to replicate even today.
It’s the largest of the three pyramids at Giza, and is the only one of the ancient wonders
of the world that still stands.
Originally the pyramid was covered with smooth stones, but these have worn away over thousands
of years, and what we see today is the under layer of the original design.
It has long been known that there are rooms within the pyramid, known as the King’s
and Queen’s chambers, but recent scans have suggested that there may be more hidden within
it.
A new void, thought to be about 100 feet long, has been detected above the Grand Gallery
that connects the known chambers, and it’s a complete mystery why it’s there.
Maybe it was integral to the construction of the pyramid, or perhaps it’s a connection
to a whole new series of tombs.
SO far, permission has not been granted to drill through and explore it, but as non invasive
techniques are developed, the full truth behind the Pyramid may one day be uncovered.
Thanks for watching!
Remember to subscribe and see you soon!
Byeeeee