Look up inside the Temple of Hathor at Dendera, and the ceiling seems to open into another world. Across enormous stone surfaces, celestial figures stretch between rows of columns. Stars, divine beings, astronomical symbols, and carefully arranged inscriptions transform the…
In 1995, archaeologists working in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings realized that a tomb entrance known for more than a century concealed something extraordinary. Behind it lay a network of passages and chambers extending deep into the limestone hillside. The…
The men who built Egypt’s royal tombs left behind something almost as remarkable as the tombs themselves: records of their own lives. They wrote about missing work, delayed food payments, family disputes, and the problems of everyday life. Some even…
Seventy-one boxes were found inside Tutankhamun’s tomb. But some of them contained something very different from what their ancient labels suggested. One box was labeled for linen but held headrests. Another had an internal fitting apparently intended to support a…
Tutankhamun was buried with more than one way to sit. Inside his tomb were elaborate royal chairs, lightweight stools, folding seats, footstools and the spectacular object now commonly known as his Golden Throne. Howard Carter’s records even distinguish a chair…
