4 Facts About Pharaohs That Will Change Your Concepts of Ancient Egypt

The Egyptian civilization is one of the oldest in the world, and it inspires a multitude of myths, including many that are not supported by science. Although we know a lot about the time of the great pharaohs, this civilization still hides many secrets. For example, the location of Nefertiti’s tomb is still unknown. However, very soon, this mystery will not only be known, but expanded.

O awesome.club proposes you to delve deeper into some important discoveries made in the last decade by specialists in the history of Ancient Egypt.

In 2015, British archaeologist Nicholas Reeves stunned the scientific world with the theory that Tutankhamun’s famous funerary mask was not originally intended for him. According to the expert, the play was initially designed for the stepmother of the young leader of Egypt, Nefertiti, who ruled along with her supposed father, Pharaoh Akhenaten.

Reeves came to this conclusion because of certain characteristics. In the first place, the mask had piercings in the ears. As is well known, in Ancient Egypt earrings were worn only by women and children, and Tutankhamun was 19 years old at the time of his death. So, by the standards of the time, he had left childhood long ago.🇧🇷 Second, hieroglyphics bearing the name of the dead pharaoh were engraved on top of another engraving. The researcher believes that, initially, the mask was engraved with the full title of Queen Nefertiti, “the true personification of the sun god, beloved by Akhenaten, the most beautiful of all the beautiful in the solar disk”.

In fact, at birth, Tutankhamun was called Tutancáton. However, after his accession to the throne and the “replacement” of the cult of Aten by the cult of Amun, he adopted a new name. And it is exactly in the return of the cult of Amun that, according to scientists, lies the secret of Nefertiti’s burial: priests tried to erase from history all references to the “past” deity and its main symbols. This undoubtedly included Akhenaten and his beautiful wife.

Currently, the location where Queen Nefertiti was buried is still unknown. However, archaeologists still have hope, as in 2015 analysis of the walls of Tutankhamun’s burial chamber showed the existence of empty areas, possibly made by humans. In the opinion of Nicholas Reeves, in one of them may be another burial chamber, where the famous queen of Egypt would be buried.

According to Reeves’ version, Tutankhamun died suddenly and was placed in the same tomb as Nefertiti, as there was no time for the construction of a separate new shrine.🇧🇷 Corroborating the thesis of the “female” version, it is stated that, at the time of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, to which the young pharaoh belonged, when entering the female tomb, it was necessary to turn to the right and, in the male, to the left. Here, the burial chamber is to the right of the entrance.

It is not yet known when the mystery of the secret rooms will be cleared up. The duration of excavation work in the corridor of the site has not yet been determined and the entire scientific community is waiting for one of the most important discoveries in the history of the study of the pyramids.

Merer’s Diary in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo

It is already known that the place from which the stone blocks with which the Pyramid of Cheops was built were taken was about 800 kilometers from Giza. Thanks to Merer’s Diary, found on the banks of the Nile, scholars have discovered how the Egyptians were able to transport blocks of stone that weighed many tons.

To bring these huge stones closer to the pyramid, the Egyptians created artificial canals, diverting the waters of the Nile so that ships could arrive directly at the construction site. To overcome the remaining distance, the blocks were transported by the builders on carts made especially for this purpose.

In fact, experts found at the foot of the pyramid two hiding places in which the funerary vessels of Cheops were found, which were special ships designed to carry out the journey to the sky, to the side of Ra, the god of the Sun. Thanks to them, it was possible to discover the secrets of shipbuilding in Ancient Egypt and even recreate, according to the model, a boat capable of carrying heavy loads.

One of the most powerful pharaohs of the New Kingdom, Ramses III was assassinated by conspirators after spending 30 years ruling Egypt. The head of the conspiracy was Tiye, one of his wives, who decided to put her own son on the throne. History knows this son as Pentawer. However, he was stripped of his real name during the trial held as a form of punishment.

The assassination of Pharaoh Ramesses III was very violent: initially, the “toe” of his foot was cut off. Then his throat was hit with a dagger, so that even his spine was injured. In fact, the embalmers tried to hide the injuries as much as possible. This becomes clear when looking at the fabric wrapped in several layers around Ramses’ neck.

According to experts, the “screaming” mummy is Pentawer, who was arrested immediately, along with other conspirators, after the murder of his father.🇧🇷 According to one version, he was given the alternative to commit suicide, while the other option was suffocation, as shown by the wounds found on the mummy.

After death, Pentawer’s body was wrapped in dirty fur, probably goat’s fur. The embalming liquid was poured directly into the mouth, and the organs were not extracted. Thus it was believed that he would not enjoy the good eternal life. Regarding the mummy’s open mouth, this does not reflect the agony of suicide, but a natural “behavior” of mummified bodies, which, over time, end up throwing their heads back.

Tiye’s fate remains unknown. Possibly, her name was changed before the execution, getting lost somewhere in the story.

Ancient Egypt has 40 centuries of history, during which one of the most important civilizations developed. It had a great influence on Ancient Rome and, consequently, on the world today. The excavation of pyramids and the new discoveries connected with them occur constantly. Who knows what else will be found in the future? It is important to keep up to date on the topic.