News
Children's Drawings, Grocery Lists, And Other Inscriptions Found On Ancient Egyptian Sherds
Egyptologists have uncovered over 18,000 bits of broken pottery used as writing surfaces 2,000 years ago.
Ancient Egypt
Art
How Academics, Egyptologists, and Even Melania Trump Benefit From Colonialist Cosplay
From khakis to pith hats, certain items of clothing have become enduring emblems of European colonialism and particular scholars who know these problematic histories choose to engage in the aesthetics of colonialism in their everyday lives.
Opinion
Should We Be Displaying the Dead Bodies of Preserved Ancestors?
The bodies of ancient “mummies” made the news again this month, when Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities and Tourism opened one of the recently unearthed 59 wooden coffins.
Art
Why Are the Noses Broken on Egyptian Statues?
This essay is an account of truly learning to see what is and is not present in these objects.
Books
Peeling Back the Messy and Myriad Layers of Tutankhamun’s Discovery
Thorough and rewarding, Christina Riggs’s Photographing Tutankhamun illuminates the reasons behind our fascination with one of Ancient Egypt’s most famous tombs.
In Brief
Unique Painted Leopard Sarcophagus Unearthed in Egypt
Archaeologists are reconstructing pieces of a 2,000-year-old sarcophagus lid featuring a colored leopard face.
Opinion
Who’s Responsible for Bad Reporting on Mummies?
From questionable race science to an inaccurate synthesis of a mummy's voice, scholars regularly contribute to providing poor understandings of the past.
Art
Photography's Potential as Art and Science in Documenting Ancient Egypt
Signs and Wonders: The Photographs of John Beasley Greene features photographs that focus on ancient monuments and landscapes in Egypt and Algeria from the 1850s, rather than people.
Art
What Centuries of Damage to Ancient Egyptian Artifacts Might Mean
The power relations presented in an exhibition at the Pulitzer Arts Foundation are selective. We get a discussion of ancient power — but what about the modern power to acquire these objects regardless of legal or ethical concerns?
In Brief
Egyptian Airport Officials Find Mummy Remains Smuggled in a Loudspeaker
Authorities intercepted the package on its way to Belgium after X-rays revealed dismembered body parts inside the equipment.
Books
Ellie Ga’s Empire of Texts
Like Italo Calvino or Umberto Eco, Ga’s theme is a search for a truth that leaves signs everywhere, but remains out of reach.
In Brief
The Untouched 4,000-Year-Old Egyptian Tomb of Mehu Opens to the Public
Untouched for nearly 4,000 years, the ornately painted tomb in Egypt's Saqqara region, is in nearly pristine condition.