Ancient Egypt has fascinated our imagination ever since we shook the sand from the paws of the Great Sphinx. It has been the obsession of many archaeologists and historians for the past two centuries. This is a land whose mysteries have been spent many years unraveling.
However, even after that there is still much that we do not know. Some of the greatest relics of the ancient world still lie beneath the sands of Egypt, waiting to be found. But more often than not, such finds only create more mysteries and give rise to even more questions.
Lost Labyrinth of Egypt
2,500 years ago, there was a huge labyrinth in Egypt, which, according to one of those who saw it, "even surpassed the pyramids."
It was a massive building two stories high. There were 3,000 different rooms inside, and they were all connected by a winding maze of passages so complex that no one could find their way out without a guide. Below was an underground level that served as a tomb for the kings, and the building was crowned with a massive roof made of a single giant stone.
Many ancient writers said that they personally saw the labyrinth, but now, after 2500 years, we do not even know where it was located. There is a massive stone plateau 300 meters wide, and there is speculation that it was the foundation of the labyrinth. If so, then the upper floors have been completely destroyed by time.
In 2008, a group of geolocation specialists surveyed the plateau and discovered that there was an underground labyrinth under it, as described by one of the writers of antiquity. However, at the moment no one has tried to dig it out. Until someone gets into the labyrinth, we can't say for sure if Egypt's greatest archaeological wonder has actually been found.
Unknown Queen of Egypt
In 2015, archaeologists stumbled upon a woman's tomb nestled among the great pyramids of the Old Kingdom. The inscriptions on the tomb indicate that the woman was "the king's wife" and "the king's mother". During her lifetime (4500 years ago), this woman was one of the most important people on the planet. She had more power than any other woman in the country. However, no one knows who it is.
Historians dubbed her Khentakavess III, based on the assumption that she was the daughter of Queen Khentakavess II. It is possible that she was the wife of the pharaoh Neferefre and the mother of the pharaoh Menkauhor, but this is only an assumption.
If her name was indeed Khentakavess III, then there is no other mention of her. Whoever she was and what power she would have, for us she remains a great mystery.
Sphinx in Israel
In 2013, on the biblical hill of Tel Hazor, which is located in Israel, archaeologists discovered a find that no one expected to see so far from Egypt: a 4,000-year-old Egyptian sphinx. More precisely, these were fragments of a sphinx, in particular, paws resting on a pedestal. It is believed that all other parts were deliberately destroyed thousands of years ago. However, before someone broke the sphinx, it was 1 meter high and weighed about half a ton.
No one knows how the Egyptian statue ended up in Israel. The only clue is the inscription on the pedestal, on which you can make out the name of Pharaoh Mycerinus, who ruled Egypt around 2500 BC.
The likelihood that Tel Hazor was conquered by the Egyptians is extremely small. During the reign of Menkaure, Tel Hazor was a trading center in Canaan, halfway between Egypt and Babylon. It was vital to the economies of the two major powers of the day.
Most likely, the statue was a gift. But in this case, it is not clear to whom and why King Mikerin sent it and who was so angry that he broke this statue. The only thing we know for sure is that for some unknown reason, the statue of the sphinx was at a distance of 1000 kilometers from the Great Sphinx of Giza.
The mysterious death of Pharaoh Tutankhamun
At the time of his death, Tutankhamun was only 19 years old, and no one knows exactly what happened to him. His death is an absolute mystery, and not only because it happened in the prime of life. The main mystery is that the pharaoh had so many diseases that it is impossible to understand which of them turned out to be fatal.
Pharaoh Tutankhamen had terrible health. He had malaria, a broken leg, and was born with so many genetic defects that historians are convinced his parents must have been siblings. Genetic abnormalities were so critical that, according to many, his early death was predetermined.
In addition, his skull was fractured, and archaeologists have long believed that this was the cause of death. Today it is believed that the skull was damaged during the embalming process, but the possibility of murder is also not excluded.
Shortly before his death, the pharaoh broke his leg, so there was a theory that he died as a result of a fall from a chariot. But if this is so, then it is not clear how he even climbed onto the chariot. His body was so deformed that he couldn't even stand up without assistance.
The cause of death could be a combination of all these factors. The only thing we know for sure is that the last month of Tutankhamun's life was not very successful for him.
The Secret Chamber of the Great Pyramid
The largest pyramid was built 4500 years ago for Pharaoh Cheops. This massive structure, almost 150 meters high, is made up of more than 2.3 million stone blocks. Until recently, it was believed that there were three chambers inside the pyramid.
If it seems to you that this is too small for such a huge structure, then you are not alone in this. There was a team of scientists who, in November 2017, decided to once again check the pyramid and make sure that no one missed anything. Above the Great Pyramid Gallery, they found signs that there may be another hidden chamber, about the size of the largest chamber yet found.
It seems strange that the Egyptians could have deliberately built a hidden chamber and made it completely inaccessible. No corridors or galleries lead to it. To put something inside such a chamber, it was necessary to do it at the construction stage.
Haven't gotten to the camera yet. But whatever it is, apparently Pharaoh Cheopsne would like it to see the sunlight.
Mummy wrapped in foreign manuscripts
In 1848, a man bought an ancient Egyptian mummy from a shopkeeper in Alexandria. For many years he demonstrated it, not realizing how strange this artifact was. After several layers of bandages were removed from the mummy decades later, scientists discovered something very unusual. The mummy was wrapped in the pages of a manuscript, and it was not written in the language of the Egyptians.
It took years of research to figure out what the language was, but today we know that it was the language of the Etruscans, an ancient civilization that once existed in what is now Italy. This language is poorly understood. The manuscript in which the mummy was wrapped is the longest Etruscan text ever found.
However, many questions remain unanswered. First of all, we still don't know what the text is talking about. We can only make sense of a few words that appear to be dates and names of gods, and besides, we can only speculate about how this manuscript came to be wrapped around a dead body.
We don't even know how an Etruscan book could end up in Egypt. Was the buried Etruscan? If so, what was he doing in Egypt? And what did he want to communicate in his last address to the world?
Light of Dandara
On the wall of the temple in the Egyptian city of Dandara there is a massive bas-relief with a strange pattern. It depicts, according to the generally accepted interpretation, a snake in a large fiery cloud flying out of a lotus flower, on which stands the foot of a man with a weapon.
This picture looks unusual. It is very similar to the model of the Crookes tube, one of the lighting devices invented in the 19th century. It looks so much like a lantern that some people think that this diagram could be instructions for building one.
This theory is rejected by most scientists, but its supporters have strong arguments.
The room in which the bas-relief is located is the only room in the entire temple in which there are no places for lamps. Many traces indicate that the Egyptians lit lamps in all areas of the building, except for this one. And if they didn't have something like a modern flashlight, how could they see anything in this room? And if the room was originally conceived as a dark place, then why was such a complex bas-relief applied to the wall?
ruined pyramid
The top of the pyramid of Djedefra was supposed to rise above the tops of all the other Egyptian pyramids. Pharaoh Djedefre thought so. He lacked the resources to build the tallest pyramid of all, but he found a small workaround: he built his pyramid on a hill.
However, despite the fact that all the other pyramids of Egypt have been standing for thousands of years, it was the Djedefra pyramid that was the only one that was destroyed for unknown reasons. All that's left of it is the foundation.
No one knows exactly what happened, but there are theories. Some scholars believe that Djedefre died before most of the work was completed, which is why the pyramid remained unfinished. Others suggest that 2000 years ago the Romans took stone blocks from the pyramid for their own needs, thus razing the historical monument to the ground. But there is another opinion: the people of Egypt hated Djedefra so much that people could destroy the pyramid simply out of anger.
Disappearance of Queen Nefertiti
Queen Nefertiti became a legend thanks to the fact that she was one of the few women who ruled Egypt. She was the wife of Pharaoh Akhenaten and stepmother of Pharaoh Tutankhamen, but it is believed that all the government of the country was concentrated in her hands. However, although the tombs of other pharaohs still rise above the sands of Egypt, the tomb of Nefertiti remained unfound.
The search for her grave continued for years. Until 2018, archaeologists were almost certain that they had found her grave in a secret chamber hidden in Tutankhamun's tomb. However, in May they carefully examined the wall and found that there was nothing there.
It is curious that in the Egyptian chronicles there is no mention of her death. After twelve years of the reign of her husband Akhenaten, all mention of the queen was discontinued altogether. Some believe that this happened because she herself became a pharaoh and took a different name for herself, but there is no evidence for this.
There is a version that the answer to this riddle is more prosaic than it seems. According to Dr. Joyce Tidzeli, the simplest explanation is that Nefertiti was never the pharaoh's wife. Dr. Tidzeli believes that in the 1920s people began to exaggerate the importance of Nefertiti due to the fact that the sculpture of her face became popular, and people wanted to believe in any myths.
Dr. Tidzeli believes that we do not know anything about the further fate of Nefertiti because she was not at all an important person.
Lost Land Punt
There are many references in ancient Egyptian writings to a country called Punt. It was an ancient African country that had a lot of gold, ivory and exotic animals. All this excited the imagination of the Egyptians, and so much so that they called Punt "Land of the Gods."
There is no doubt that Punt really existed, there are a lot of references to it in ancient scriptures. In one of the old Egyptian temples there is even a portrait of Queen Punta. But, despite all the power and influence of this kingdom, it was not possible to determine its location.
The only traces left of Punt are the artifacts that survived in Egypt. Desperate to find out the location of the kingdom, scientists examined the mummified remains of two baboons that the Egyptians brought from Punt, and determined that the baboons were from the area of \u200b\u200bmodern-day Eritrea or Eastern Ethiopia.
This information gives at least some starting point in the search for Punt, but this area is too huge for archaeological excavations. And if we ever find the ruins of the kingdom of Punt, they will give rise to a new full-fledged series of secrets.
Tutankhamun died at the age of 18. It happened unexpectedly, and his tomb was not yet ready. The young pharaoh had to be buried in a hastily prepared small tomb in the Valley of the Kings. Soon the burial was forgotten, and the builders who built the tomb of Ramesses VI filled up the entrance to it with garbage. not disturbed until 1922, when the British archaeologist Howard Carter and his financial partner Lord Carnarvon made the most exciting find in the history of archeology. After Carter's discovery, crowds of reporters, photographers and tourists rushed into the Valley. 
Meanwhile, Lord Carnarvon, in need of urgent rest, sailed south to enjoy a few days of peace and quiet in Aswan. There he was bitten on the cheek by a mosquito. While shaving, he accidentally cut the bite site and brought the infection. The temperature rose sharply, the fever began, accompanied by chills. Lord went to Cairo for medical help, but on April 5, 1923, he died in a Cairo hotel room.
Finally, journalists have waited for an incident worthy of mention! Carnarvon's death marked the beginning of a series of unexpected deaths. All the dead visited the tomb of Tutankhamen. Newspapers were full of headlines about the revenge of the pharaoh, disturbed in his tomb. 
Soon there was a rumor about an allegedly discovered inscription that cursed everyone who disturbed the peace of the pharaoh, but no one confirmed the existence of such an inscription. Arthur Conan Doyle, author of the Sherlock Holmes stories, opined that Lord Carnarvon was killed by an evil force that the writer called "primordial". The Egyptologist Arthur Wagel published a story that on the day the tomb was opened, Carter's canary was swallowed by a cobra. The cobra is an ancient symbol of royal power in Egypt.
Tales of the curse spread, and people began to worry about Egyptian artifacts—both genuine and fakes—in their private collections. Many simply destroyed objects of Egyptian origin or donated them anonymously to museums. A theory was even put forward that the death of the Titanic passenger liner in 1912 was due to the fact that the mummy of an Egyptian soothsayer from the time of Pharaoh Amenhotep IV was transported on board. 
In 1934, Egyptologist Herbert Chinlock decided to study the fate of everyone who was present at the opening of the tomb of Tutankhamen. He found that six of the 26 people died within ten years, while only two of those present at the opening of the sarcophagus died shortly thereafter. It is curious that the “main culprit”, the first to disturb the peace of the ashes of Tutankhamen, the archaeologist Carter, seems to have been spared the curse of the pharaoh. Carter, who discovered Tutankhamun's tomb and examined the pharaoh's mummy, died of natural causes in 1939 at the age of 66.
Egyptomania has long seemed to us something familiar. Well, who does not know about the Sphinxes, Amenhotep, cat worship and strange hieroglyphs on huge golden tombs? We watch films about the pharaohs, read books about the mysterious Queen Nefertiti and perceive as part of our lives the entire ancient Egyptian culture, which seems so far and so close at the same time.
But it was not always so. To be honest, it wasn't like that even just 100 years ago. Even at the beginning of the 20th century, Egyptology was a rather specific science, which was practiced only by individual British fanatics. Yes, the pyramids stood and attracted sophisticated tourists back in Napoleonic times, but the wide heritage of the Nile civilization, with all its golden splendor and unusual religious traditions, did not interest even those who lived in Egypt.
Excavations and searches for unusual treasures of the ancient world have long been the prerogative of a rather narrow circle of enthusiasts. This continued until one day - November 4, 1922. Then the famous archaeologist Howard Carter, who worked in the Valley of the Kings on the money of patron George Carnarvon, discovered the tomb of Tutankhamen. The opening instantly became the main event of the year. And gave rise to the first wave of Egyptomania. About the history and significance of the discovery - in the material "MIR 24".
How the tomb was opened
The first large-scale research in Egypt began in the 19th century. Archaeologists have explored the ancient culture mainly from tombs. At some point, scientists discovered that the Egyptians had a centuries-old tradition of embalming bodies. According to ancient Egyptian beliefs, the soul of a person "ka" exists even after his death, so the body must be preserved intact, and food and part of his wealth must be left to the deceased. Incense, gold, jewelry, and even entire chariots could be found in the tombs.
By the end of the century, the so-called Valley of the Kings became one of the most popular sites for excavations. It is located near modern Luxor. This is a rather vast territory, where dozens of different burials were found. A huge part of all the Egyptian artifacts that we now see in museums was found there. Thutmose I, Ramesses II, Amenhotep III are just a few of the galaxy of buried pharaohs.
By the 1900s, it already seemed that the Valley of the Kings was completely explored. Large archaeological groups began to gradually leave Luxor, they were drawn to other regions. From 1908 to 1922, not a single major discovery was made in this area. And in 1914, the last great philanthropist, Theodore Davis, refused his concession (permission for excavations from the authorities). True, just a few months later, the document was bought by Lord George Carnarvon. He had been studying Egypt for a long time, but he did not differ from other scientists either in special knowledge or in luck. And there were practically no discoveries on his account.
But one thing still fueled the desire of the businessman. Very long ago, half a century before the events described, he read the work of another Egyptologist about Tutankhamen. This is a completely unknown, not particularly remarkable ruler of the New Kingdom, who died quite early, and descendants tried to erase his name from history. A couple of mentions and a pedigree - that's all Carnarvon had. However, he knew one important thing: all the relatives of Tutankhamen were found in the Valley of the Kings. Except for himself.
The Lord hired an expert on ancient Egyptian art, Howard Carter, gave him a serious sum and told him about Tutankhamun. The archaeologist shared the idea of his patron and also considered it strange that the tomb of the little king, which probably contained untold riches, was never found. After long discussions and preparations, the gentlemen planned to start work in 1917.
The central part of the Valley of the Kings, where the tomb of Tutankhamen was supposed to be, was covered with tons of various debris, sand and rubble over the millennia. In fact, five years (or rather, five winters, because of the scorching sun it was possible to work in Egypt, mainly only from October to March), archaeologists spent only taking out all the extra mound. They even equipped a railway to the excavation site, along which rubble trains left weekly, gradually exposing ancient burials.
Despite the confidence in their rightness, gradually the hands of the philanthropist and the archaeologist began to fall. Five years without even a hint of any tomb. Thousands of pounds thrown into the sand and months of life left near Luxor. The 1922/1923 season was supposed to be the last for the researchers. Either they find the tomb, or they forget about the Valley of the Kings forever. It was at this moment that Carter, who arrived from England, decided to buy a funny canary bird in the local market for the winter. An Arab archaeologist's servant said that yellow birds always bring happiness.
In early November, archaeologists began excavations at the site where they actually wanted to start. But then fellow researchers convinced them that there was definitely nothing in this square and could not be. That's why it was left for last. The area, by the way, was located next to a popular tourist destination - the tomb of Ramses VI. Excavations had to be carried out right in front of onlookers. On the evening of November 2, workers managed to find a stone step. The first traces of a man in the endless desert in Carter's five years of work. She was four meters from the tomb of Ramesses.
Two days later, it became clear that there was a tomb in front of the researchers. Lord Carnarvon was urgently summoned from London. No one dared to continue without him. The patron was able to arrive only after almost three weeks. Together they cleared the door that covered the tomb. On it, in ancient Egyptian, was clearly written: "Nebkheprura." This was the throne name of Tutankhamen.
Who is Tutankhamen?
Around the XIV century BC, already in the time of the New Kingdom, Pharaoh Akhenaten came to power in Egypt. In just 17 years of his reign, he managed to carry out the most difficult reforms for the entire ancient Egyptian society. It was something akin to a war between Catholics and Anglicans in medieval England, only Akhenaten refused the god Ra and ordered all subjects to worship the Aten. Priests of other cults were persecuted and killed. In addition, for a lot of money, the lord rebuilt the city of Akhetaton from scratch and moved the capital there.
Just a few years after the death of Akhenaten, Egypt returned to the old cult. And the pharaoh himself was recognized as a traitor to the state and all references to him and his relatives were erased from history, up to the moment when the right of succession passed to another dynasty. About Akhenaten's family can only be learned from a few rare sources, such as the books of the French scholar Emile Priss. It was he who first said that the unreliable pharaoh had a son who also became the ruler of Egypt, and at only 10 years old. It was Tutankhamun.
The guy himself ascended the throne after the return of the old cult. And he supported him, judging by the name he took, which literally means "Living likeness of Amon." Tutankhamun, together with his regents, managed to move the capital to Memphis and generally pursued a conservative policy. True, he failed to remember anything significant: he suddenly died at the age of 15. Few people knew about the pharaoh, who ruled for only five years, and even serious scientists did not remember him for 70 years - until the discoveries of Carter and Carnarvon.
Significance for culture
It took another three long years to simply select all of Carter's finds from the tomb. It turned out that inside the tomb there is an entrance hall, in which hundreds of gifts to Tutankhamen were collected, a huge burial room with an ark, in which the pharaoh’s sarcophagus was located in nine layers, a separate treasury in which the lord’s jewelry and artifacts were placed, as well as a pantry in which many more objects of ancient culture that Tutankhamun was supposed to use after death.
Further research showed that the tomb had been plundered at least twice before being discovered. True, both crimes were committed thousands of years ago, and the thieves did not touch anything except the simplest jewelry and incense. Then they were considered very valuable. Gold, luxurious dishes and clothes of the pharaoh were not touched.
Due to its rather secretive location, the tomb of Tutankhamen is almost the best preserved in Egypt. As a result, thousands of artifacts have been delivered to museums around the world, many of which are still on display. The view of the tomb of the little pharaoh has become a classic for popular culture. What you imagine with the words "ancient Egyptian ark and sarcophagus" is most likely the tomb of Tutankhamen.
The discovery gave rise to an unprecedented interest in ancient Egyptian culture in the entire previous history. Carter's discoveries were placed on the front pages of all the world's major newspapers, the media fought for the right to cover further excavations. A huge flow of tourists poured into the provincial city of Luxor, which no one really needed, because of which people had to sleep on the streets, because there were not enough hotels.
In addition, even the famous "curse of the pharaoh" is just a fabrication of the media of those times. The thing is that after the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun, Lord Carnarvon died suddenly, either from exacerbation of pneumonia, or from the bite of a malarial mosquito. From this story, journalists inflated the myth of the dark forces that guarded the burial. In addition, according to one of the stories in the newspapers of those times, negligent Arab workers, after opening the sarcophagus, stole the towel with which the pharaoh was covered. A few minutes later, the canvas allegedly disintegrated in their hands, and the men themselves became infected with a mysterious virus and died. Later, sand storms and the invasion of scarabs were added to these legends, with which those researchers who dared to disturb the dead supposedly have to fight.
The very image of ancient Egypt is a derivative of the Egyptomania that swept the whole world after the discoveries of archaeologists in 1922. Whether it was masquerade dressing up as Cleopatra or films about the curse of a mummy, nothing would have happened if it were not for the excavations under the patronage of Lord Carnarvon, who was already ready to turn off the expedition right a few meters from the find.
Tomb of TutankhamenFor more than three thousand years, she kept her secrets in the Egyptian Valley of the Kings. There is hardly an event in the history of archeology comparable in its significance to the discovery of the tomb of this pharaoh, made in 1922 by Howard Carter. Despite the fact that even in ancient times robbers entered the burial chamber, it turned out to be not plundered. A huge number of ancient Egyptian items, countless treasures and an absolutely untouched mummy were found in it. The most valuable exhibits made a revolution in Egyptology.
Tutankhamen was not the most famous person in the history of Egypt, but thanks to this discovery, it was he who became the torch of the culture of a lost civilization. His tomb is the only royal burial that has come down to us intact. Thanks to this, Tutankhamun became one of the most famous rulers of Ancient Egypt.
Due to the early and sudden death of Tutankhamun, he did not have time to build a decent tomb. For this reason, he was buried in a rather modest crypt. Over time, the entrance to it turned out to be hidden under the huts of workers who were building a tomb for Ramesses VI nearby. It is for this reason that the tomb of Tutankhamen was forgotten and stood untouched for more than three thousand years. The tomb consisted of four rooms, the main of which was the burial chamber.
In the first two rooms there were objects of the funeral ritual and symbols denoting royal power, and almost each of them was an outstanding work of ancient Egyptian applied art. There were a lot of figurines and statues of the pharaoh himself and his wife, the royal throne, clothes, ritual vessels, weapons, jewelry, images of gods who would patronize him in the other world, as well as a lot of jewelry made of precious stones, silver and gold. In the burial chamber - the fourth room, in a very large stone sarcophagus of quartzite, there were three magnificently decorated coffins, nested one inside the other and made in the shape of a human body. In the last coffin, which was completely made of gold, lay the royal mummy. On the head of the mummy was a massive gold mask depicting the face of the pharaoh. On the mummy itself, more than one hundred and forty gold objects were placed, wrapped between layers of cloth.
However, the value of such a discovery far exceeds the value of the gold found in the tomb. Thanks to the excavations, people got the opportunity to be convinced of the complexity and splendor of the ancient Egyptian funeral rite, the ideas about the scale of the state cult of the pharaoh and the funeral Egyptian ritual were replenished. The stunning contents of the tomb aroused interest in the life of Tutankhamen and his mysterious death - an interest that has not waned to this day.
For the new time, this tomb became the very grain that provided a chance to feel the possibility of the existence of mysteries and magic. The Egyptians always believed that there are no dead things in nature, that everything living in nature and absolutely any thing can be the place where a living invisible creature exists. These things do not disappear forever, they can only disappear for a while, so that, after waiting for the right moment, they again open their essence. The tomb of Tutankhamen is a very important evidence of how the Egyptians treated death, the afterlife and life itself. The tombs were built so that the soul had the opportunity to gain strength for future trials, break out of the flesh and receive a second birth.
But this story, like any discovery, also has negative sides. These are legends that were born in the course of research. This discovery gave rise to many mysteries and questions. One of these mysteries is the unusual death of two dozen people who took at least some part in the excavations. Already at the first stage of research, a legend about the “curse of the pharaoh” appeared. Some time after the discovery, G. Carter found a clay tablet in the tomb, which said that death would spread its wings over anyone who dared to disturb the peace of the pharaoh. And, as you know, the pharaohs and their priests did not throw words into the wind. At one time, a similar inscription was found in one of the tombs. There, in addition to this message, two bodies were found. The first is a mummy, and the second is a robber. At that moment, when the thief extended his hand to the treasures, a stone fell from the ceiling on him.
Talk about this "curse" appeared after Lord Carnarvon died on April 5, 1923. Other deaths followed, no less mysterious. Soon, one after another, the lord's wife, his half-brother, the woman caring for him, the doctor who did the x-ray of the mummy and other people who had a direct or even indirect relation to the discovery suddenly passed away. By 1930, of all the witnesses, only G. Carter survived. There are still rumors about whether this chain of deaths is random, whether there is a connection between them. The official version of the mysterious deaths, which was expressed by Carter himself, does not seem entirely convincing. According to him, modern people cannot believe in such mystical nonsense as the "curse of the pharaoh." The chain of death, in his opinion, is just an accident. But is it possible to believe that the death, one after another, of twenty-one scientists who explored the tomb with him was just a fatal coincidence?
And this is far from the only mystery of the tomb. The thing is that so far it has not been possible to fully understand the significance of the discovery made by English researchers. One can only guess how many more miracles can be revealed to the world.
In the treasury of the tomb, containers were found on which the god Osiris was depicted. Inside these containers was the sand of the Nile, sown with grain. Germinating, the grain pierces the sprouts from the body of Osiris, which means that death gives birth to life. Perhaps this is a message through the millennia to make it clear that nothing disappears without a trace. Many original objects were also found in the tomb - original even by modern standards. One of these items is a lamp - a gift to the pharaoh from his wife Ankhesenamun. If you light a fire inside this lamp, you can see through the translucent walls of the young ruler and his wife.
Truly unique exhibits were recovered from the tomb of Tutankhamen. This is a stone coffin with traces of sawing, a pharaoh's dagger made of stainless steel and two small pipes. What is unique about these items? The dagger was made of the highest quality alloy - the masters of Ancient Egypt could not know its secret. There is also no doubt that the cut on the tomb was made with a circular saw. But the most amazing exhibit is two pipes, which are made of an alloy of silver and copper. One of these pipes can put thousands of people into a trance at the same time. And the second is able to turn off the electricity. One of the archaeologists in 1954 blew into it, and all electricity was immediately turned off in Cairo. This incident was repeated in 1974. Such finds suggest that at one time Ancient Egypt was visited by representatives of a very civilized world, which, perhaps, was located outside the solar system. And these gifts are from them.
Headboard on the royal couch from the first chamber of Tutankhamun's tomb.
One of the life-size statues of Tutankhamun guarding the door of his tomb.
The world's first photo of the world-famous third sarcophagus of Tutankhamun
A golden burial ark with figurines of the goddess Isis, in which vessels with the entrails of the mummified pharaoh were kept
Ancient Egypt has been haunting the minds of scientists and laymen ever since the Great Sphinx was first cleared of sand. And although archaeologists have already made many discoveries related to Egypt, the land of the pharaohs still holds many secrets under its sands. And sometimes it happens that new finds give rise to even more mysteries and answered questions.
1. The Lost Labyrinth of Egypt
2,500 years ago in Egypt there was a huge labyrinth, which, according to the Egyptian chroniclers, "exceeded even the pyramids." It was a huge building two stories high, inside which were 3,000 different rooms connected by a winding labyrinth of passages so complex that no one could find their way out without an escort. At the bottom was an underground level that served as a tomb for kings, and at the top was a massive roof made from a single giant stone.
Countless ancient authors have described the labyrinth, claiming to have seen it with their own eyes, but 2,500 years later, scientists have no idea where it went. The most similar thing that has been found is a massive 300-meter stone plateau, which some believe was the base of the labyrinth. If so, then history needs to be rewritten.
In 2008, a group of geolocation specialists checked the plateau and found that there was an underground labyrinth under it, as described by one of the ancient writers. At this point, however, no one has even started excavating the site, which could be Egypt's greatest archaeological wonder.
2. Unknown queen of Egypt
In 2015, archaeologists stumbled upon the tomb of a woman who was buried among the great pyramids of the Old Kingdom of Egypt. Her tomb had inscriptions that called her "Pharaoh's wife" and "Pharaoh's mother". 4500 years ago, she was one of the most powerful women on the planet. But no one knows who it is. Historians dubbed her Khentakavess III, based on the assumption that she was the daughter of Pharaoh Neferirkare Kakai and Queen Khentkaus II, as well as the wife of Pharaoh Neferefre and the mother of Pharaoh Menkauhor. But this is just a guess. Whoever she was, she was once an incredibly powerful woman, but today everyone has forgotten about her.
3. Israeli Sphinx
In 2013, in Tel Hazor, Israel, archaeologists discovered something they never expected to find so far from Egypt: a 4,000-year-old Egyptian sphinx. To be more precise, they found the legs of a statue resting on a pedestal. The rest is believed to have been deliberately destroyed thousands of years ago.
Before someone destroyed this sphinx, it was about 1 meter high and weighed half a ton. Nobody knows what the Egyptian statue is doing in Israel. The only clue they could find was the inscription on the pedestal, which read "Pharaoh Menkaure" (a pharaoh who ruled Egypt around 2500 BC). It is very unlikely that Tel Hazor was conquered by the Egyptians. During the reign of Menkaure (or Maenkaur), Tel Hazor was a trading center in Canaan, directly between Egypt and Babylon. It was vital to the economic well-being of the two largest powers in the area. As scientists suggest, it could have been a gift.
4. The mysterious death of Pharaoh Tutankhamen
Pharaoh Tutankhamun was only 19 years old when he died, and no one knows exactly what happened to him. His death is a mystery. Scientists believe that Tutankhamun had a whole bunch of diseases, and it is impossible to say exactly why he died. He had malaria and was also born with so many genetic disorders that historians are convinced his parents must have been siblings. He had a twisted leg and genetic defects that some believe may have made his death nothing more than a matter of time.
The mummy also had a fractured skull, which is why archaeologists for a long time believed that the pharaoh was killed by a blow to the head. But today there is a version that his head was simply damaged during the embalming of the body. Tutankhamun injured his knee shortly before his death, leading to the theory that he died in a chariot accident. But this is also just a theory. In any case, his body was so deformed that the young pharaoh apparently could not even stand without assistance.
5. Hidden camera in the pyramid of Cheops
The largest pyramid was built 4500 years ago for Pharaoh Khufu (Cheops). It is a huge structure almost 150 meters high, built from over 2.3 million stone blocks. Until recently, everyone believed that there were three chambers inside it. If it seems to someone that there is too much free space inside, then he is not alone. That's why a team of researchers checked out the pyramid in November 2017 to see if they had missed anything earlier.
Above the Great Pyramid Gallery, they found signs that there may be a large hidden chamber (the size of the largest chamber found in the entire pyramid). It is strange that the Egyptians deliberately built a hidden chamber, making it completely inaccessible. There are no corridors or other ways to it. The only way to put something inside was to do it at the time the pyramid was built and seal it. No one has yet seen what is inside the hidden camera. But whatever it was, Pharaoh Khufu apparently did not want it to ever see the light of day again.
6The Mummy Wrapped In A Foreign Book
In 1848, a man bought an ancient Egyptian mummy from a shopkeeper in Alexandria. For years, he displayed it as an ordinary exhibit, not realizing how strange the artifact he found was. Only after removing some of the bandages from the mummy a few decades later, scientists discovered something very unusual. The mummy was wrapped in the pages of a book, but this book was not written in Egyptian. It took years of research to figure out what kind of language it was.
Today, scholars know that the book was written in the Etruscan language, which was used by an ancient civilization that once lived in what is now Italy. It is a language that almost no one knows anything about today. The text in which the mummy was wrapped is the longest Etruscan text ever found by explorers. But no one knows what it says. Scholars have been able to figure out a few words that appear to be dates and names of gods, but it remains to be seen why the dead body was wrapped in pages. Moreover, it is not known why the Egyptian mummy was wrapped in an Etruscan book.
7. Light of Dandara
On a temple wall in the Egyptian Dandara there is a huge relief showing a very strange image. It depicts (according to the usual interpretation) a snake in a large ball of fire flying out of a large lotus flower, which is supported by a pillar with human hands. This is a strange picture, but not only because the counter has arms. It's just very similar to the Crookes tube, a type of early light bulb invented in the 19th century. In fact, it looks so much like a light bulb that some people think it might be a diagram showing how to create one.
Although this theory is similar to the ones usually told by pseudo-historians on Youtube, it has some pretty convincing arguments. The room in which the Light of Dandara is depicted is the only room in the entire temple that did not have conventional oil lamps. Archaeologists have found soot, which indicates the use of lamps by the Egyptians, in all parts of the building, with the exception of this room. Therefore, if this room did not have a similar early version of the light bulb, how could anything be seen in it at all.
8. Ruined pyramid
The Pyramid of Djedefre was to be the tallest pyramid in Egypt. Although Djedefre did not have the resources to create the largest pyramid, he used a little trick. He built a pyramid on a hill. But for some reason, although all the other pyramids of Egypt stood for more than one thousand years, the Djedefra pyramid was the only one that was completely destroyed. All that was left of it was the base.
No one knows what happened to the pyramid, there are only theories. Some believe that Djedefra simply died before the pyramid was completed and it was left in ruins. Others believe that the Romans tore it to stone 2000 years ago, destroying the historical monument. Or maybe the people of Egypt hated Djedefre so much that he destroyed the whole pyramid.
9. Disappearance of Queen Nefertiti
Queen Nefertiti entered the legends because she was one of the few women who ruled Egypt. She was the great wife of Pharaoh Akhenaten, and also, probably, the mother of Pharaoh Tutankhamun, and, as scientists believe, she ruled Egypt alone for a certain time. But at the same time, the resting place of Nefertiti is unknown.
The search for her grave continued for years. Until 2018, archaeologists were almost certain that they had found her burial in a secret chamber hidden in the tomb of King Tutankhamun. However, in May they carefully examined the wall and found that there was nothing there. Curiously, there is no mention of her death in Egyptian history. After the twelfth year of the reign of her husband Akhenaten, all mention of her simply disappeared from historical documents. Some believe that this happened because Nefertiti became a pharaoh and took on a different name, but not everyone agrees with this theory. Some believe that the answer is more prosaic. According to Dr. Joyce Tidzeli, Nefertiti was never a pharaoh. One way or another, her fate remains a mystery.
10 Lost Punt
Ancient Egyptian writings are full of references to a country called Punt. It was an ancient African kingdom full of gold, ivory and exotic animals that captured the imagination of the Egyptians. And it must have been extremely powerful. The Egyptians so dubbed this place the "Land of the Gods".
But there is no doubt that Punt really existed. There are numerous references to this in ancient writings. In the ancient Egyptian temple there is even a picture of Queen Punt, but scientists have not been able to find any traces of the existence of this state. The only information containing hints of the existence of Punt are artifacts owned by the Egyptians. Scientists, desperate to find out where this kingdom was located, studied the mummified remains of two baboons that the Egyptians brought from Punt, and determined that the baboons most likely originated approximately from modern Eritrea or Eastern Ethiopia. This at least gives you a starting point on where to look for Punt, but it's actually a huge area for archaeological exploration.
And recently in A startling discovery.
