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Ancient Egypt

Some of the jewelry found in the tombs resembles designs worn by Queen Nefertiti.

Egyptian Jewelry, Mesopotamian Seal Found in Cyprus Offer Clues to Bronze Age Trade Networks

Artifacts found in a pair of tombs on the Mediterranean island speak to the interconnected nature of the ancient world

Archaeologist Anastasiia Stupko-Lubczynska at work in the Chapel of Hatshepsut.

Master Artisans Fixed Mistakes Made by Apprentices at Ancient Egyptian Temple

New research reveals how reliefs on the walls of the Temple of Hatshepsut in Thebes were crafted—and corrected

The team found traces of an earlier temple beneath the famed sun temple of Nyuserra (pictured).

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Discover ‘Lost,’ 4,500-Year-Old Egyptian Sun Temple

Fifth-Dynasty pharaohs built six such structures. Until now, only two had been found

The tomb was decorated with colorful painted scenes.

Cool Finds

Tomb of Ramses II’s Treasurer Unearthed at Saqqara Necropolis

Carved scenes in the grave depict the life of Ptah-M-Wia, an important figure in the 19th-Dynasty pharaoh’s government

JR's Greetings From Giza is one of ten enormous art installations featured in the "Forever Is Now" exhibition.

First-of-Its-Kind Art Installation Appears to Levitate the Tip of a Giza Pyramid

See stunning photos of new contemporary art installations at the historic Egyptian plateau, including an illusion by street artist JR

Researchers discovered Khuwy's richly painted tomb in 2019.

Cool Finds

Richly Adorned Egyptian Tomb Could Rewrite the History of Mummification

A new analysis of a Fifth-Dynasty official’s mummy suggests sophisticated embalming techniques are 1,000 years older than previously believed

Authorites plan to reattach the heads to statues along the famed Avenue of Sphinxes.

Cool Finds

Ancient Stone Ram Heads Unearthed on Egypt’s ‘Avenue of the Sphinxes’

The newly restored road, once lined with around 700 towering sculptures, is set to open to the public in the coming weeks

Scientists used DNA analysis of mummies from ancient Egypt to reconstruct the faces of three men buried more than 2,000 years ago.

Art Meets Science

3-D Reconstruction Reveals the Faces of Three Ancient Egyptian Mummies

Researchers used a combination of DNA and physical analysis to approximate the trio’s visages

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for captive apes.

Ask Smithsonian

How Do Gorillas Get Heart Disease? And More Questions From Our Readers

You’ve got questions. We’ve got experts

A limestone pillar depicts the goddess Hathor, who was worshipped at the temple.

Cool Finds

Ancient Egyptian Tools Used in Worship of the Goddess Hathor Discovered

The find also includes works of art, as well as a bath with running water

Inscription mentioning renovation of the settlement's hospital

Cool Finds

Ancient Christian Settlement in Egypt Shows Evidence of Urban Planning

Dated to the sixth century C.E., the Marea complex boasted public baths and a hospital

Experts transported the boat in a shock-absorbing metal container carried by a remote-controlled vehicle imported from Belgium.

Why King Khufu’s Solar Boat Is on the Move After 4,600 Years

Officials transported the pharaoh’s wooden ship from the Pyramids of Giza to its new home at the Grand Egyptian Museum

Researchers excavating the sunken ruins of Thônis-Heracleion have discovered an array of archaeological treasures.

Cool Finds

2,400-Year-Old Baskets Still Filled With Fruit Found in Submerged Egyptian City

Wicker vessels recovered from the ruins of Thônis-Heracleion contain doum nuts and grape seeds

Interest in gymnastics soared during the Cold War, when the Olympics emerged as a cultural battleground for Western and Eastern nations.

The Paris Olympics

A History of Gymnastics, From Ancient Greece to Tokyo 2020

The beloved Olympic sport has evolved drastically over the past 2,000 years

An Egyptian-French mission found the 80-foot-long ship beneath roughly 16 feet of hard clay.

Cool Finds

Divers Discover Ancient Military Vessel in Submerged Egyptian City

Prior to the foundation of Alexandria, Thônis-Heracleion served as Egypt’s greatest Mediterranean port

This fragment of the Egyptian Book of the Dead depicts the god Osiris. Two segments of a different Book of the Dead were recently reunited digitally.

Cool Finds

Fragments of Ancient Egyptian ‘Book of the Dead’ Reunited After Centuries

Researchers in Los Angeles realized that a linen wrapping housed in the Getty’s collections fit perfectly with a piece held in New Zealand

Archaeologists are working to decipher the slab's 15 lines of hieroglyphs.

Cool Finds

Farmer Stumbles Onto Egyptian Pharaoh’s 2,600-Year-Old Stone Slab

The large sandstone marker may be connected to a military campaign led by the 26th dynasty ruler Apries

Beneath the ruins of the Bubasteion temple, archaeologists discovered “megatombs” crammed with burials. The coffins pictured date to more than 2,000 years ago.

Inside the Tombs of Saqqara

Dramatic new discoveries in the ancient Egytptian burial ground. A special report produced with Smithsonian Channel

Researchers study burial sites like the Falcon Necropolis at Quesna to learn more about ancient Egyptian culture and biodiversity. The site is protected by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.

Smithsonian Voices

Mummified Shrew Discovery Unearths Ancient Egypt’s Wetter Climate

The mummified Güldenstaedt’s White-toothed shrew adds to scientists’ understanding of climate in the region more than 2000 years ago

The rock-cut tombs are carved into different levels of a mountain face at the site.

Cool Finds

Egyptian Archaeologists Accidentally Discover 250 Ancient, Rock-Cut Tombs

Some of the burials found at the Al-Hamidiyah necropolis date back 4,200 years

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