Cover Story
Saints or Sinners? Scandals among the servants of God Roger Forshaw explores the transgressions of the ancient Egyptian priesthood. Features
The Book of the Heavenly Cow Andrew Fulton investigates the ancient Egyptian myth that tells how humanity was saved by red-coloured beer. 
Hilary Wilson on… Unexpected Egypt Visitors to stately homes and minor museums will frequently come across isolated ancient Egyptian artefacts with little or no explanation of their provenance. 
The Cleopatras – Part 1: Cleopatra I, the Syrian Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones begins a new series exploring the lives and legacies of the Cleopatras of Egypt. 
The Thirteen Dynasty: Vizier Ankhu In the second of his series focusing on remarkable people of their period, Wolfram Grajetzki introduces us to an important official whose tomb has recently been discovered. 
Tell el-Farkha: An exceptional predynastic site in the Nile Delta Following his articles in AE 127 and AE 135 exploring Predynastic sites in Egypt’s Western Desert, Julian Heath now looks at archaeological evidence for occupation of the Nile Delta during… News
Ptolemaic rams’ heads The thick-walled Sixth Dynasty building discovered near to the Ramesses II temple at Abydos. More than 2,000 mummified rams’ heads have been discovered by an American Mission excavating near to… 
Byzantine finds at Meir A monk’s room with storage shelf in the newly discovered building at Meir, which dates to the Byzantine Period The Egyptian archaeological mission working at the Meir archaeological site in… 
Esna zodiac Animal-headed deities A beautifully painted zodiac ceiling has been revealed at the Temple of Esna following cleaning and restoration work by a German-Egyptian team. The colourful scenes, carved on the… 
Pithom trade The ancient East Delta city of Pithom mentioned in the Bible was an important hub for international trade according to new discoveries made at Tell el-Maskhuta (Ismailia Province). The Italian-Egyptian… 
Heliopolis finds The head of a pharaoh, one of several discovered at Heliopolis The joint German-Egyptian mission at Heliopolis, excavating the area surrounding the Obelisk Open-air Museum, has discovered a series of… 
Severed hands at Avaris German researchers analysing 12 severed hands that were discovered at Avaris (Tell el-Dab’a) in 2011 have published their findings, suggesting that the amputations were part of a ritual, rather than… 
Animal mummy discoveries Researchers at the British Museum have used a new technology called neutron tomography to reveal the contents of six votive animal coffins, made of copper alloy, without having to open… Views
Travels in an antique land: The rock-cut tombs of El-Hawawish What's on In AE 135, Karl Harris described a visit he made as an independent traveller to a small temple at Elkab, south of Luxor. He now travels north to Abydos, and… 
Win a copy of The Oldest Book in the World by Bill Manley Competitions Do you recognise this object? 
Ivory label of King Den: From the William MacGregor Collection Objects Dr Campbell Price examines a tiny artefact in the British Museum that names one of Egypt’s earliest pharaohs. 
Ancient Egypt June listings Museum, What's on EGYPTIAN MUMMIES: EXPLORING ANCIENT LIVES An international touring exhibition exploring the hidden history behind six ancient Egyptian mummies from the British Museum, as revealed by state-of-the-art, non-invasive technology. Lid of… 
The Discovery of the Serapeum of Saqqara The Picture Desk Auguste Mariette uncovers the funerary complex of the Apis bulls. Reviews
Travels in an antique land: The rock-cut tombs of El-Hawawish In AE 135, Karl Harris described a visit he made as an independent traveller to a small temple at Elkab, south of Luxor. He now travels north to Abydos, and… 
Current research in Egyptology 2021: Proceedings of the 21st annual symposium, University of the Aegean, 9-16 May 2021 REVIEW BY ROGER FORSHAW The 21st annual Current Research in Egyptology (CRE) conference was held online by the Department of Mediterranean Studies of the University of the Aegean (Rhodes, Greece)… 
What Killed King Tutankhamum, Autopsy #4, the Hippo Heresy REVIEW BY ROGER FORSHAW This brief book by W Benson Harer discusses the controversial question of what caused the death of Tutankhamun, with the author strongly supporting the view that… 
The Earl and the Pharaoh: From the real Downton Abbey … To the discovery of Tutankhamun REVIEW BY BOB BRIER With all the Tutankhamun books published for the 100th anniversary of the discovery of the tomb, it is reasonable to wonder if there is really anything… 
Ramesses II, Egypt’s ultimate pharaoh? REVIEW BY SG Ramesses II is known as ‘the Great’, yet there are far fewer volumes dedicated to his reign than to earlier New Kingdom kings, such as Akhenaten and,… 
Ancient Egyptian Architecture In 15 Monuments REVIEW BY JPP This relatively slim volume (with only 109 pages) is full of insightful analysis, tracing the development of architecture throughout the entire span of ancient Egyptian civilisation, from… 
Walking Among Pharaohs: George Reisner and the dawn of modern egyptology REVIEW BY CATHIE BRYAN Harvard-based Egyptologist Peter Der Manuelian examines the life, career, and legacy of George Reisner (1867-1942), and considers his place in Egyptological and archaeological history. He argues… Ancient Egypt June listings EGYPTIAN MUMMIES: EXPLORING ANCIENT LIVES An international touring exhibition exploring the hidden history behind six ancient Egyptian mummies from the British Museum, as revealed by state-of-the-art, non-invasive technology. Lid of… 
From the editor
Egyptology can be full of surprises, as the articles in this issue illustrate. Although most of our readers will be aware that the famous Cleopatra was the seventh Egyptian queen with that name, it will come as news to some. Over the next few issues, Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones will tell us about them all, starting with Cleopatra I, ‘the Syrian’.
Excavation of archaeological sites in Egypt continues to unearth unexpected new treasures. In the past, most of the Egyptian and foreign missions have concentrated on sites in Middle and Upper Egypt, where the dry conditions have led to the better preservation of remains. Wolfram Grajetzki tells us about the life and times of a Thirteenth
Dynasty vizier whose tomb has recently been discovered on the West
Bank at Luxor. In Middle Egypt, Karl Harris has been ‘out and about’to photograph a little-known necropolis near Akhmim.
Increasingly, however, the focus for Egyptological investigation has moved to the Delta, and one site that has been under excavation for several years by a Polish mission has fundamentally altered our understanding of Late Predynastic and Early Dynastic culture in Lower Egypt. The quality of the artefacts uncovered there, including a pair of sheet-gold statuettes, is astonishing, as Julian Heath reveals.
The magnificent monuments and stunning objects that have survived sometimes encourage us to think that ancient Egyptians enjoyed an ideal lifestyle in a perfect society. In fact, they were witness to their fair share of scandals. A minority of the priesthood was responsible for criminal activity, as Roger Forshaw reveals. Meanwhile, the myth of the Heavenly Cow that Andrew Fulton recounts is as bloodthirsty as any modern horror movie.
And you can be surprised by unexpected encounters with Egypt much nearer to home, as Hilary Wilson explains.
