Purple: A middle kingdom fad?
James A Harrell investigates the peculiar popularity of purple during the Middle Kingdom.
AE153
Ancient Post
Dr Joseph L Thimes traces the development of the postal system in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia.
The Graeco-Roman museum in Alexandria
Geoffrey Lenox-Smith visits the archaeological museum in Alexandria, now reopened after a long period of renovation.
Amenemhat IV and Sobeknefru
In the last of his series of articles on the Twelfth Dynasty, Wolfram Grajetzki investigates the reigns of Amenemhat IV, and Sobeknefru, Egypt’s first female king.
Ancient Egypt February listings
CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENCE IN ANCIENT EGYPT The exhibition traces the daily lives of young ancient Egyptians, with a display of more than 190 pieces from national and international collections in the Vimcorsa Room, accompanied by an immersive audiovisual experience in…
Cancer in ancient Egypt: A disease beyond time
Gerrit zur Hausen explains the difficulties of studying cancer in ancient populations, and how such research may help in our fight against the disease today.
Dows Dunham and the tomb of Queen Hetepheres
Peter Lacovara celebrates the achievements of one of the most important, yet under-appreciated, figures in Egyptian archaeology: Dows Dunham.
Monumental Legacy: The Heb Sed court in the mortuary complex of Djoser at Saqqara
Djoser (c.2667-2648 BC), the second ruler of the Third Dynasty, was the pharaoh whose chief minister Imhotep is credited with the idea of creating the first pyramid by layering a series of steps on top of an original mastaba. He…
Terenouthis: a Roman town in Egypt
Maiken Mosleth King explores life in Terenouthis, an important mining and trade centre that rose to prominence in the Graeco-Roman era.
Hilary Wilson on… Axes
Hilary Wilson looks at the development of axes, from Palaeolithic flint to ceremonial gold in the Eighteenth Dynasty.
Ancient Egypt Letters 153
Your opportunity to comment on articles in the magazine or on any Egyptological subject that interests you. Email the Editor peter@ancientegyptmagazine.com with your thoughts.
Win a copy of The Libyan Pharaohs of Egypt: their lives and afterlives by Aidan Dodson
Where is this? If you know, email the Editor peter@ancientegyptmagazine.com before 30 April with your answer, giving your full name, address, and a contact phone number. One lucky reader’s name will be selected at random from all the correct answers…
The Libyan Pharaohs of Egypt: Their Lives and Afterlives
Aidan Dodson’s The Libyan Pharaohs of Egypt is a detailed reappraisal of one of the most complex periods of ancient Egyptian history. Drawing on his long-standing expertise in Egyptian royal history, Dodson presents a richly illustrated, clear and balanced synthesis…
Clever Minds and Expert Hands: Egyptian Art and Artists in the New Kingdom
This new publication brings a welcome focus to the creative individuals behind the artistic achievements of the New Kingdom. Building on a 2022 conference in Madrid, the collection’s 12 papers examine a broad range of interconnected themes: the role and…
Ancient Nubian art: a history
The Nubian empire at its height was one of the largest in the ancient world – a land rich in gold and other resources, with thriving trade. Highly skilled artisans created distinctive and finely crafted jewellery, ceramics, and architecture. And…
Two months on the Nile: Thomas Sandwith’s Nineteenth-Century Egyptian Journey
Thomas Sandwith was a British diplomat who served as consul in the Levant from 1855 to 1891. This is the second volume in a biography written by historian and former senior British civil servant Stephen Boys Smith, which covers Sandwith’s…
Made In Ancient Egypt
This is the companion to an exhibition at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, which includes objects gathered from many international collections, curated by Helen Strudwick. But it is more than a catalogue of the artefacts in the exhibition. Although not…
Sandals for a child
Campbell Price describes some beautifully preserved ancient Egyptian footwear.
Ancient dental practice
New research published in the British Dental Journal (240, January 2026: 45-50) reveals that, although limited, ancient Egyptian and Graeco-Roman dentistry was surprisingly inventive. Prescriptions recorded in the medical papyri provide a fascinating glimpse into how dental care was approached…
Western Delta discoveries
Workshops from the Late Period and early Ptolemaic era have been discovered by an Egyptian-Italian (University of Padua) team working at the interconnected Kom al-Ahmar and Kom Wasit sites in the Western Delta (Beheira Governorate). The workshops consist of at…
Amenhotep III restored
Dr Hourig Sourouzian, Director of the Colossi of Memnon and Amenhotep III Temple Conservation Project in Luxor, was recently honoured by Sherif Fathy, the Minister of Tourism, for her outstanding contributions to the restoration of the mortuary temple. The ceremony…
Byzantine monastery in Sohag
The remains of a complete Byzantine monastic residential complex have been discovered by an Egyptian mission working at the al-Qarya archaeological site, in the Tima district of Sohag. The team found the remains of rectangular mud-brick structures with dimensions ranging…
Ancient pleasure boat
An ancient Egyptian pleasure barge (thalamagos in Greek) has been discovered by Franck Goddio and his team from the European Institute for Underwater Archaeology (IEASM). The 35m-long boat was found submerged off the coast of Alexandria in the Eastern Harbour,…
Sheshonq shabtis
The Twenty-second Dynasty Libyan king Sheshonq III (c.825-773 BC) may have been buried in the tomb of a predecessor, Osorkon II, according to a new discovery at San al-Hagar (Tanis). The Tomb of Osorkon II was discovered in 1939, but…
Nyuserra Sun Temple
The remains of the Valley Temple from the Sun Temple complex of the Fifth Dynasty king Nyuserra (c.2445-2421 BC) have been uncovered at Abu Ghurab, in the Abusir necropolis. The location of the temple – one of only two or…
Ancient Egypt news in brief
• A 3,000-year-old gold mining operation, including mining tools and residential areas, has been discovered in Egypt’s Sukari Mountains; the entire camp has been moved nearly two miles away to separate it from the modern mine at the site. •…