Stories from the Nile
Go beyond the famous names and monuments with focused stories about the people, ideas and discoveries that shaped Ancient Egypt.
Editor’s selection
Our features connect objects, landscapes and ancient voices to build a richer picture of life beside the Nile.
Early Egypt was the formative period during which communities living beside the River Nile developed into one of the ancient world’s most powerful and enduring civilisations. Long before the construction of the great pyramids, the people o…
Read the feature →From the journal
70 articles · Ancient Egyptian history
Early Egypt was the formative period during which communities living beside the River Nile developed into one of the ancient world’s most powerful and enduring civilisations. Long before th…
Continue reading →The Egyptian Old Kingdom was one of the most important periods in the history of ancient Egypt. It lasted from approximately 2686 BC to 2181 BC and included the Third, Fourth, Fifth and Six…
Continue reading →The Egyptian Middle Kingdom was one of the most important periods in the history of ancient Egypt. It lasted from approximately 2055 BC to 1650 BC and included most of the Eleventh, Twelfth…
Continue reading →The Egyptian New Kingdom was one of the most powerful and prosperous periods in the history of ancient Egypt. It lasted from approximately 1550 BC to 1069 BC and included the Eighteenth, Ni…
Continue reading →Late Period Egypt was the final great era of native pharaonic rule before Egypt became part of the Hellenistic and Roman worlds. It lasted from approximately 664 BC to 332 BC and included t…
Continue reading →The Giza Plateau is one of the most famous archaeological landscapes in the world. Located on the western bank of the River Nile near modern Cairo, it contains the Great Pyramid of Khufu, t…
Continue reading →Karnak is one of the largest and most important religious sites of the ancient world. Located on the eastern bank of the River Nile at modern Luxor, the complex was known to the ancient Egy…
Continue reading →Abu Simbel is one of the most remarkable archaeological sites in ancient Egypt. Located in southern Egypt near the modern border with Sudan, the site contains two enormous rock-cut temples …
Continue reading →The Valley of the Kings is one of the most important archaeological sites in Egypt. Located on the western bank of the River Nile near the ancient city of Thebes, now modern Luxor, the vall…
Continue reading →Ra was one of the most important and powerful gods of ancient Egypt. He was primarily associated with the sun, light, warmth, creation and kingship. For thousands of years, Egyptians believ…
Continue reading →Osiris was one of the most important gods of ancient Egypt. He was associated with death, resurrection, fertility, agriculture, kingship and the eternal afterlife. Egyptians believed that O…
Continue reading →Horus was one of the most important and ancient gods of Egyptian religion. He was associated with the sky, kingship, protection, order, warfare and royal power. Egyptian pharaohs closely id…
Continue reading →Amun was one of the most powerful and influential gods of ancient Egypt. He was associated with creation, kingship, the hidden forces of nature, the air and the sun. His name is commonly in…
Continue reading →Hathor was one of the most important and widely worshipped goddesses of ancient Egypt. She was associated with love, beauty, motherhood, music, dance, joy, fertility, the sky, foreign lands…
Continue reading →Anubis was one of the oldest and most recognisable gods of ancient Egypt. He was associated with mummification, embalming, cemeteries, funerals, tombs and the protection of the dead. He als…
Continue reading →Thoth was one of the most important intellectual and religious gods of ancient Egypt. He was associated with wisdom, writing, language, mathematics, measurement, science, magic, law, time a…
Continue reading →Sekhmet was one of the most powerful and feared goddesses of ancient Egypt. She was associated with war, destruction, fire, disease, healing, medicine, royal power and the burning heat of t…
Continue reading →Ptah was one of the oldest and most important gods of ancient Egypt. He was associated with creation, craftsmanship, architecture, sculpture, metalworking, art, knowledge and royal authorit…
Continue reading →Bastet was one of the most popular and widely worshipped goddesses of ancient Egypt. She was associated with protection, domestic life, women, children, fertility, childbirth, music, perfum…
Continue reading →Ma'at was one of the most important divine concepts in ancient Egyptian religion. She was both a goddess and the principle of truth, justice, balance, harmony and cosmic order. The ancient …
Continue reading →Isis was one of the most important and widely worshipped goddesses of ancient Egypt. She was associated with magic, motherhood, healing, protection, royal authority, marriage and the afterl…
Continue reading →The pyramids of ancient Egypt are among the most remarkable monuments ever created. Built as royal tombs and sacred places of transformation, they were designed to preserve the bodies of ph…
Continue reading →Egyptian temples were among the most important institutions of ancient Egypt. They were sacred houses built for gods, goddesses and deified rulers, but they were also centres of government,…
Continue reading →The towns and homes of ancient Egypt reveal how ordinary people lived beside one of the world’s greatest civilisations. Beyond the pyramids, temples and royal tombs, most Egyptians spent th…
Continue reading →The pyramid landscapes of Egypt’s Old Kingdom were vast sacred environments created around the tombs of kings and queens. They included far more than the pyramids themselves. Temples, cause…
Continue reading →During Egypt’s New Kingdom, Thebes became one of the greatest religious cities of the ancient world. Successive pharaohs expanded enormous sacred complexes on both banks of the Nile, transf…
Continue reading →Rock-cut monumentality was one of the most dramatic forms of architecture created in ancient Egypt. Instead of constructing an entire building from separate blocks, Egyptian architects carv…
Continue reading →Egyptian hieroglyphs were one of the most remarkable writing systems of the ancient world. Developed more than 5,000 years ago, they appeared on temple walls, monuments, tombs, statues, and…
Continue reading →Egyptian Hieratic was a handwritten script used in ancient Egypt for religious, administrative, literary, and everyday documents. It developed alongside hieroglyphs around 3000 BCE and rema…
Continue reading →Egyptian Demotic was a cursive writing system used during the later periods of ancient Egyptian history. It developed around the seventh century BCE and remained in use until approximately …
Continue reading →Names and kingship were closely connected in ancient Egypt. A pharaoh’s names expressed royal authority, religious responsibilities, and relationships with the gods. They were more than per…
Continue reading →Letters and accounts provide a fascinating view of everyday life in ancient Egypt. Unlike monumental inscriptions celebrating gods and pharaohs, these documents record ordinary concerns suc…
Continue reading →Writing held extraordinary power in ancient Egypt. Words were not simply tools for recording information; they could preserve identities, communicate with the gods, and help the dead achiev…
Continue reading →The Edwin Smith Papyrus is one of the world’s oldest surviving medical documents. Written in ancient Egypt around 1600 BCE, it presents a systematic approach to examining and treating physi…
Continue reading →The Ebers Papyrus is one of the oldest and most extensive surviving medical manuscripts from ancient Egypt. Written around 1550 BCE, it contains hundreds of remedies, diagnoses, observation…
Continue reading →The Kahun Medical Papyri are among the oldest surviving medical documents from ancient Egypt. Discovered at the settlement of el-Lahun, they provide important evidence about Egyptian approa…
Continue reading →Astronomical ceilings were decorated surfaces found in some ancient Egyptian tombs and temples. Covered with stars, constellations, planets, deities, and calendars, they transformed archite…
Continue reading →Ancient Egyptian monuments were carefully positioned within both natural and sacred landscapes. The orientation of a pyramid, temple, tomb, or processional route could connect it with the c…
Continue reading →The Imperishable Stars were a group of stars in the northern sky that held great religious importance in ancient Egypt. Because they circled the celestial pole without appearing to set belo…
Continue reading →Ancient Egyptian sculpture expressed religious belief, royal authority, social identity, and hopes for eternal life. Sculptors created monumental statues for temples, smaller figures for to…
Continue reading →Relief carving and painting were central to ancient Egyptian visual culture. They covered the walls of temples, tombs, palaces, and other important buildings with images of gods, rulers, of…
Continue reading →Objects and jewellery played important roles in ancient Egyptian daily life, religion, social identity, and burial practices. Egyptians created practical tools, elegant vessels, protective …
Continue reading →Egypt’s First and Second Dynasties formed the Early Dynastic Period, which lasted approximately from 3100 to 2686 BCE. During these centuries, rulers consolidated the unified state, develop…
Continue reading →Egypt’s Third Dynasty marked the beginning of the Old Kingdom and the first great age of pyramid building. Lasting approximately from 2686 to 2613 BCE, it connected the Early Dynastic tradi…
Continue reading →Egypt’s Fourth Dynasty, lasting approximately from 2613 to 2494 BCE, marked the height of Old Kingdom pyramid building. Its rulers commissioned the pyramids at Meidum, Dahshur, Giza, and Ab…
Continue reading →Egypt’s Fifth and Sixth Dynasties formed the later part of the Old Kingdom, lasting approximately from 2494 to 2181 BCE. During this period, kings continued to build pyramids while investin…
Continue reading →Egyptian Dynasties 9–17 cover a complex period of political division, reunification, prosperity, renewed fragmentation, and foreign rule. Together they span much of the First Intermediate P…
Continue reading →Egyptian Dynasties 9–10 belonged to the First Intermediate Period, an era of political division between the Old and Middle Kingdoms. Their kings ruled from Herakleopolis in Middle Egypt dur…
Continue reading →Egypt’s Eleventh Dynasty was a transformative royal line that rose from Thebes, defeated the rival kings of Herakleopolis, and reunited the country after the First Intermediate Period. It l…
Continue reading →Egypt’s Twelfth Dynasty was one of the most stable and prosperous periods of ancient Egyptian history. Lasting approximately from 1991 to 1802 BCE, it formed the central phase of the Middle…
Continue reading →Egyptian Dynasties 15–17 belonged to the Second Intermediate Period, an era when the country was divided among competing rulers. The Hyksos kings of Dynasty 15 governed northern Egypt from …
Continue reading →Egyptian Dynasties 18–20 formed the New Kingdom, which lasted approximately from 1550 to 1070 BCE. During these centuries, Egypt became a wealthy imperial power whose influence extended dee…
Continue reading →Egypt’s Eighteenth Dynasty, lasting approximately from 1550 to 1292 BCE, was the first royal house of the New Kingdom. Its rulers reunited Egypt, established an empire in Nubia and the Leva…
Continue reading →Egypt’s Nineteenth Dynasty lasted approximately from 1292 to 1189 BCE. It formed the middle phase of the New Kingdom and was ruled by a royal family with strong military connections and roo…
Continue reading →Egypt’s Twentieth Dynasty was the final royal house of the New Kingdom. Lasting approximately from 1189 to 1070 BCE, it began with the restoration of central authority under Setnakhte and r…
Continue reading →Egyptian Dynasties 21–30 covered almost seven and a half centuries, from approximately 1070 to 343 BCE. This long era included the Third Intermediate Period and most of the Late Period.
Continue reading →Egyptian Dynasties 21–25 formed the Third Intermediate Period, lasting approximately from 1070 to 664 BCE. During these centuries, political authority was frequently divided among kings, hi…
Continue reading →Egypt’s Twenty-Sixth Dynasty, also known as the Saite Dynasty, lasted from 664 to 525 BCE. Its rulers governed from Sais in the western Nile Delta and reunited Egypt after centuries of poli…
Continue reading →Egyptian Dynasties 27 and 31 were periods of rule by the Achaemenid Persian Empire. Dynasty 27, known as the First Persian Period, lasted from 525 to 404 BCE. Dynasty 31, or the Second Pers…
Continue reading →The years from 305 to 30 BC formed the Ptolemaic Period, when Egypt was ruled by a dynasty of Macedonian Greek origin. The kingdom began with Ptolemy I and ended with the deaths of Cleopatr…
Continue reading →Luxor Temple is one of ancient Egypt’s most important religious monuments. Standing on the east bank of the Nile in the heart of modern Luxor, it formed a major sacred centre within the anc…
Continue reading →Deir el-Bahri is one of ancient Egypt’s most spectacular archaeological sites. Located beneath towering limestone cliffs on the western bank of the Nile at Thebes, it contains temples and t…
Continue reading →Seti I was the second pharaoh of Egypt’s Nineteenth Dynasty and one of the New Kingdom’s most important rulers. He re-established Egyptian influence in the Levant, supported traditional rel…
Continue reading →Tutankhamun was a pharaoh of Egypt’s Eighteenth Dynasty who ruled near the end of the Amarna Period. He came to the throne as a child and reigned for approximately nine or ten years before …
Continue reading →Ramesses V and Ramesses VI were pharaohs of Egypt’s Twentieth Dynasty who ruled during the later New Kingdom. Their reigns occurred at a time of growing economic pressure, powerful temple i…
Continue reading →Heit el-Ghurab is a large Fourth Dynasty settlement at Giza associated with the administration and support of royal pyramid construction. Located approximately four hundred metres south of …
Continue reading →Deir el-Medina was an extraordinary settlement on the west bank of the Nile at ancient Thebes, near modern Luxor. During the New Kingdom, it housed the skilled artisans responsible for cutt…
Continue reading →Akhetaten was a purpose-built royal capital established by the pharaoh Akhenaten during Egypt’s Eighteenth Dynasty. Located at modern Amarna in Middle Egypt, the city became the centre of a…
Continue reading →Ancient Alexandria was one of the most remarkable cities of the Mediterranean world. Founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BCE, it became a royal capital, a thriving port and a celebrated c…
Continue reading →On the desert plateau west of the Nile, the ancient tombs of Saqqara preserve thousands of years of Egyptian history. This vast burial ground served Memphis, one of Egypt’s most important c…
Continue reading →Keep exploring
A bead, a letter or a mason’s mark can bring us closer to the people behind the monuments.
Explore daily life