A Dutch team from Leiden University has discovered a previously unknown Ramesside tomb in Sheikh Abd el-Qurna. Wall inscriptions name the owner as an official called Paser. The tomb has a typical Theban layout, with an open courtyard containing a…
• At Ihnasya (ancient Herakleopolis Magna), an Egyptian team has uncovered the remains of a Roman basilica and a large marble head of the Greek goddess Aphrodite, along with terracotta coin moulds and an inscription of Senusret III (Twelfth Dynasty)…
Robert R Frost explores the life and legacy of the antiquary, traveller, and pioneer of British Egyptology.
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.
Hadrian’s Wall may be primarily associated with stone fortifications, but trees played a key role in Roman life on the northern frontier. Complementing our preceding geological exploration of this region, David Breeze now turns the spotlight on to sacred species, wooden artefacts, and iconic views.
A residential settlement dating to the Middle Kingdom has been uncovered at Karnak by an Egyptian–French mission. The ‘city’ is in the south-east corner of the complex, dated to the reign of Nectanebo I (c.380- 362 BC), within its outer…
Wolfram Grajetzki continues his series on the Twelfth Dynasty pharaohs with one of the lesser-known kings of the Middle Kingdom: Nubkaura Amenemhat II.
The owner of a tomb discovered in the 1970s in el-Assasif has finally been identified by a joint Egyptian-Canadian (University of Ontario) mission. Following the first archaeological work since the discovery of the tomb, known as Kampp 23, the team…
The cartouches of an Egyptian king, discovered on a rock face in Jordan a decade ago, have now been documented, and confirmed as an inscription of Ramesses III (c.1184-1153 BC). The first such Egyptian inscription to be found in Jordan,…
The Roman frontier in Georgia follows the edge of the Black Sea. Matthew Symonds visited the remains of Apsaros fort to find out more.
Roman Chester – Deva Victrix – is one of the unquestioned ‘great sites’ of Roman Britain. This was a major military centre from its late 1st-century AD origins through to its abandonment in the late 4th/early 5th centuries AD, and significant parts of the town survive beneath the medieval and modern city.
The only reference to Israel ever found in Egypt, inscribed on a stela discovered in 1896 by Flinders Petrie.
Following the discovery of the Tomb of Senebkay at Abydos in 2014 (see ‘News’ in AE 82 and AE 89), a new mystery pharaoh has been found at the site, providing further evidence of a separate Abydos Dynasty (c.1700-1600 BC)…
Wolfram Grajetzki explores the life, reign, and legacy
of one of Egypt’s lesser-known pharaohs.
This object was found by a metal-detectorist in Roxby cum Risby, North Lincolnshire, and was subsequently identified by the local Finds Liaison Officer as a nail cleaner, or possibly a surgical instrument, dating to the late Roman period (c.AD 250-410).…
A major project at the Tower of London has revealed hundreds of graffiti written by prisoners, as well as other historical visitors to the site, thanks to cutting-edge technology. The initiative, conducted by Dr Jamie Ingram as part of his…
Survey work in Wadi Rum is revealing fascinating new insights into the age and variety of its rock art. Genevieve von Petzinger and George Nash share the findings so far.
Alan Lloyd considers the motives of certain individuals from antiquity for studying ancient Egypt. Were they Egyptologists?
Your observations, your objections, and your opinions: send them to cwaletters@world-archaeology.com
Geoffrey Lenox-Smith travels to Sinai to visit a temple dedicated to Hathor, ‘Lady of Turquoise’.
Sean Rigby explores textual evidence to identify ancient Egypt’s enigmatic neighbour.
Previously overlooked fragments dramatically change our knowledge of foreign contacts in the Middle Kingdom.
REVIEW BY GEORGIA FRANK This rich collection of essays explores the behaviour, experiences, and memories of travellers who visited shrines and sacred centres around the Mediterranean in antiquity. Looking beyond literate travellers’ descriptions of sacred places, these essays also attend…
Geoffrey Lenox-Smith goes off the beaten track to explore an unusual Late Period temple.
Following his introduction to the Harrogate Collection in the last issue, Ken Griffin takes a closer look at some of the objects that are on loan to the Egypt Centre in Swansea.
The remains of a royal fortified military rest area have been discovered at Tell Habwa (northern Sinai) by a mission from the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. The team found the remains of a mud-brick building near the beginning…
Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones completes his series on the later Ptolemaic queens and assesses their legacy as women of power in the ancient world.
Situated in the north-eastern part of the Nile Delta, ancient Djanet (Tanis) was the residence and burial place of the kings of the Twenty-first and Twenty-second Dynasties. In the late 1930s and early ’40s, a complex of royal tombs was…
What is it? This almond-shaped lead object is a type of Roman projectile known as a glans inscripta (‘inscribed bullet’). Measuring 4.5cm by 2cm by 1.7cm and weighing 71g, it has a dent at one end, probably the result of…
Ancient bricks inscribed with the names of Mesopotamian kings are offering an important opportunity to identify variations in the Earth’s magnetic field thousands of years ago.
Dr Campbell Price describes an architectural portal between the realms of the living and the dead.
Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones continues his series on the later Ptolemaic queens
with the ambitious Cleopatra III and her murderous family rivalries.
A round-up of some of the latest news from the world of ancient Egypt.…
New evidence found at Umm el Qa‘ab (‘Mother of Pots’) in Abydos has shed light on the importance of the First Dynasty queen Meretneith (or Merneith), and casts doubt on the theory of ritual human sacrifice as part of royal…
REVIEW BY SG Being able to identify the kings by name can unlock the mysteries of monumental inscriptions and scenes. Thus a handy reference to help the beginner identify kings by their cartouches would be really useful. There are such…
Karl Harris travelled to Sudan on an expedition to identify the original locations and find-sites of objects now in museum collections.