Hathor’s healing talismans
A series of elegant female figurines, the subject of ongoing research, had been wrongly identified in the past as ‘brides of the dead’. W Benson Harer Jr proposes a new theory to explain their purpose.
Ancient Egypt
Predynastic warfare – No eden: violence and warfare in the Nile Valley
Continuing his series of articles on Predynastic Egypt (see AE 127, 135, and 137), Julian Heath now looks at evidence for the disputes that arose between different groups of early settlers.
The bust of a Ptolemaic Pharaoh
For this issue, Dr Campbell Price examines a sculpture in the Brooklyn Museum whose original purpose is unclear.
Crown Prince Ramesses: Pharaoh-in-waiting
Peter J Brand looks at how Sety I ensured his son and heir became the most well-prepared of all Egypt’s pharaohs.
Mapping subsurface Saqqara
Revealing the remains of a tightly packed complex of previously unknown temples and tombs.
Ramesses loved by Ptah: The history of a colossal royal statue
A selection of the latest publications on Egypt and Egyptology, assessed by AE’s team of experts.
Vestiges of Ancient Egypt: The Bubasteion Votive Cachette at Saqqara
REVIEW BY CAMPBELL PRICE The book’s introduction sets the scene by briefly describing the find, with a chronological sketch of the archaeological landscape of Saqqara the subject of the first chapter. The caching phenomenon – the deliberate gathering and deposition…
Objects of Daily Use (Oxbow Classics in Egyptology)
REVIEW BY HILARY FORREST William Flinders Petrie, known to many as the ‘Father of Egyptology’, left a huge legacy of Egyptological material – not only artefacts, but also many writings. He also produced many typological catalogues based on his excavations.…
Egyptian dinosaur and whale discoveries
Dinosaur bones discovered in 1977 in the Kharga Oasis have recently been identified as a species of herbivorous dinosaur new to science. The remains, which included vertebrae and limb, pelvis, and shoulder bones, date to about 75 million years ago,…
Gems and trade
Egyptian researchers have used three spectroscopic techniques for rapid analysis of gemstones from Egypt, revealing their origins and providing a window into historical trade routes. Gemstones peridot (olivine) and emerald, and semi-gemstones beryl, amazonite, and amethyst, from mines in the…
Ancient Egypt news in brief
A round-up of some of the latest news from the world of ancient Egypt.
The scent of eternity
Researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology in Germany have recreated the smell of the mummification balm used on the noblewoman Senetnay, wet nurse to Amenhotep II. The team used gas chromatography, mass spectrometry, and other techniques to analyse…
Basilica columns
A joint team from the Ministry of Antiquities and the University of Colorado have completed the restoration and reinstallation of a number of huge granite columns at Ashmunein, in Minya Governorate. Known as Hermopolis Magna in the Graeco-Roman era, the…
Shipwreck off el-Alamein
Archaeologists have discovered the remains of a ship that sank in the Mediterranean Sea, approximately 650 metres off the coast of el-Alamein. Dating to the 3rd century BC, the ship was carrying a cargo of wine amphorae imported from Rhodes.…
House of Life
Roger Forshaw investigates this intriguing institution and its role in ancient Egyptian society.
The High Steward Amenhotep
Continuing his series of articles about individuals who influenced events in Egypt during their lifetimes, Wolfram Grajetzki now turns his attention to one of the most important members of Amenhotep III’s court in Memphis.
Magical honey: some unusual uses in Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egyptians used honey in cooking, especially to sweeten dishes in the absence of sugar, and in medicine, for its healing properties and to soothe coughs. They also used it for more unusual purposes, as Amandine Marshall reveals.
Exotic colour and pigments in early Ancient Egypt
Barbara Boczar investigates the sources of the wonderful colours used by ancient Egyptian artisans.
The Cleopatras – Part 2: Cleopatra II, traditionally untraditional
Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones continues his new series on the later Ptolemaic queens, focusing on the tangled family relationships of the second Cleopatra.
A first look at the Grand Egyptian Museum
Geoffrey Lenox-Smith attends the ‘soft opening’ of Giza’s new blockbuster museum.