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Ancient Egypt

An ancient wooden falcon decorated with Egyptian blue alongside one of the newly developed pigments

New Research

Archaeologists Are Recreating the Long-Lost Recipe for Egyptian Blue, the World’s Oldest Known Synthetic Pigment

Created 5,000 years ago, the mysterious color has been found on artworks and artifacts throughout the ancient world. But the pigment’s recipe was eventually lost to history

Paintings in the tomb of Amum-em-Ipet depict a funeral procession and banquet.

Cool Finds

Egyptian Archaeologists Unearth Ancient Tombs Belonging to Three Senior Statesmen Who Helped Keep the New Kingdom Running

The burials were found at Dra Abu el-Naga, a necropolis for nobles and officials on the West Bank of the Nile River

Tell Abu Saifi features housing units where soldiers and their families may have lived.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Uncover Evidence of Ancient Tree-Lined Road in Egyptian Military Fortress

Located in the northern Sinai Desert, the site is shedding new light on defensive structures built to protect Egypt’s eastern borders

The obelisk once stood outside a temple in Luxor, Egypt.

Cool Finds

Egyptologist Reveals Mysterious Messages Hidden in the Hieroglyphics on a 3,000-Year-Old Obelisk

Jean-Guillaume Olette-Pelletier says he has identified seven sets of crypto-hieroglyphs on the 75-foot-tall structure, which France received as a gift in 1836

A man rides a camel in view of the remarkable Egyptian pyramids.

Smithsonian Photo Contest Galleries

These Extraordinary Archaeological Sites Are a Portal to Ancient Egypt

The Valley of the Kings and other bucket-list Egyptian destinations offer a glimpse into millennia-old majesty and artistry

Tutankhamun's burial mask is made of gold and precious stones.

New Research

Clay Artifacts Found in King Tut’s Tomb May Have Been Part of a Ritual Honoring the Egyptian God Osiris

The four clay troughs were initially thought to have served as stands for gold-plated staffs. Now, a researcher has presented a new theory about their purpose

The family handed the scarab over to the Israel Antiquities Authority, which plans to display it in an upcoming exhibition.

Cool Finds

Toddler Discovers 3,800-Year-Old Egyptian Amulet While Hiking With Her Family in Israel

The 3-year-old picked up an ancient Canaanite scarab that dates back to the Middle Bronze Age

A granite statue located in Tombos, an ancient Egyptian outpost in present-day Sudan

New Research

Lower-Class Workers May Have Been Buried in Ancient Egyptian Pyramids Alongside Elites

When researchers examined skeletons buried in present-day Sudan, they found evidence that some had belonged to workers who performed hard labor

Tomb of the unknown Abydos dynasty king

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Discover Tomb of Unknown Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh

The king’s mummy and sarcophagus are missing from the royal tomb, which is the second of its kind unearthed this year

The discoveries include gold-plated beads, eye-shaped amulets and a small statue of three Egyptian gods.

Cool Finds

See the Stunning Golden Jewelry, Amulets and Small Statues Unearthed at an Ancient Egyptian Temple

Found at the Karnak Temple complex in Luxor, the 2,600-year-old trove includes a necklace depicting a golden trio of Egyptian deities

The suitcase was likely made in the 1920s.

Cool Finds

Suitcase Belonging to the Legendary Archaeologist Who Discovered King Tut’s Tomb Surfaces in England

Howard Carter used the luggage while working in Egypt before giving it to a fellow researcher in 1939. Now, it’s heading to the auction block

Pottery shards helped researchers identify the tomb as Thutmose II's.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Say They’ve Discovered the First Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh’s Tomb Since Tutankhamun’s in 1922

Researchers initially thought the tomb belonged to a royal wife. Then they unearthed fragments of alabaster jars that identified it as Thutmose II’s

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Five Unusual Ways People Used Lead—and Suffered For It

Cultures throughout history have put lead to use for wacky and often deeply poisonous purposes

The scientists recorded dozens of scents, which they broke down into four categories, including embalming ingredients and odors from plant oils used by modern museum conservators.

Discover the Aromas of Ancient Egyptian Mummies, From Orange Peels to Pine to Incense

A new, first-of-its-kind analysis of the scents of nine mummies detected woody, spicy, herbal and rancid notes, among other odors

The Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt is a major tourist attraction.

Experts Are Alarmed by a Video of Workers Hammering Away at Egypt’s Great Pyramid of Giza

Some citizens and archaeologists are concerned about what they see as widespread “mismanagement” of Egypt’s rich cultural heritage

The hunk weighs a whopping five pounds and measures more than six inches long.

Cool Finds

A Five-Pound Hunk of the World’s Oldest Known Synthesized Pigment Was Found in Nero’s Palace

The discovery might illuminate the link between the blue pigment’s ancient Egyptian roots and its rediscovery by Renaissance artists centuries later

The marble head dates to Egypt's Ptolemaic period (305 to 30 B.C.E.), but it was found in a seventh-century C.E. house.

Cool Finds

See the Haunting Stone Face of a Ptolemaic Statue Unearthed Near the Ancient Egyptian City of Alexandria

The statue was found at Taposiris Magna, an archaeological site where some researchers suspect Cleopatra and Mark Antony are entombed

Archaeologists unearthed roughly 1,500 decorated stone blocks that once made up part of Hatshepsut's valley temple.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Unearth Intricately Decorated Blocks From Hatshepsut’s Temple in Egypt

Officials have announced a number of discoveries during excavations around the valley temple of the powerful Egyptian queen, who reigned during the 15th century B.C.E.

The tomb's walls are painted and carved with images of objects the doctor might have used.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Discover Intricately Decorated Tomb Belonging to a Doctor Who Treated Egyptian Pharaohs 4,100 Years Ago

The chamber holds a stone coffin engraved with the physician’s name and titles, which include “director of medicinal plants” and “chief dentist”

Experts debate whether this bust depicts Cleopatra. 

Does This Peculiar Statue Found at an Ancient Egyptian Temple Really Depict Cleopatra?

Experts on the hunt for the queen’s tomb believe that they’ve found a small bust of her—but not everyone agrees

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