Egyptian secrets. Ancient Egypt. Unsolved mysteries. Mummy wrapped in a foreign book

Studying Ancient Egypt is one of the most interesting things to do in the world. From early childhood, we have heard tales of mummy curses, that the ancient pyramids were built by aliens, and that the ancient Egyptians knew how to conjure. Perhaps much of this remains just legends, but Ancient Egypt left behind a lot of interesting things.

10) Pregnancy test

Not everyone has heard that the first pregnancy tests appeared in ancient Egypt. There were many ways to tell if a woman was pregnant or not. All these methods were described in a document called "Berlin Medical Papyrus".

For example, a woman was given a special drink to drink, which included beer and dates. Pregnancy was somehow determined after the amount of her vomit was analyzed. Most likely, the pregnant woman simply had a greater sensitivity to smells.

Another test suggested that a woman should urinate on two bags - one with barley and wheat, the other with dates and sand. If the grains in both bags germinate, then the woman is pregnant.

Not so long ago, modern scientists decided to check how true the last test is. As it turned out, the test did in most cases indicate pregnant women, but some of them received a negative result.

The ancient Egyptians also knew how to determine the sex of an unborn child, but the researchers found that this method only works half the time, that is, it is based on chance alone.

9) Curse of the Mummies

As we all know, the Titanic was a gigantic ship built by fools who thought they had built an unsinkable ship. Their pride led to a huge tragedy that claimed hundreds of lives. Although it is believed that the sinking of the Titanic was an accident, many do not want to believe it.

There are legends about the cursed mummy of the priestess of Amon, who was brought to England. This mummy allegedly knew how to break nearby objects and cause misfortune with the help of black magic. It was this mummy that sank the Titanic, as it was taken aboard the ship.

Rumors of a mysterious Egyptian mummy are due to the Englishman William Stead, who claimed to own a mummy he took with him on his travels that had incredible magical powers. However, in reality, he made it all up.

8) Love drinks

The ancient Egyptians loved to conjure and naturally knew a lot about love, so they knew how to brew love potions. These drinks were made depending on the situation, for example, there were love potions that helped make a woman fall in love with a certain man, arouse passions in her, or vice versa, lapel drinks that help destroy a marriage.

The recipes for these love drinks have survived to this day, but we can consider them simply insane. For example, according to one recipe, a man needs to mix the dandruff of a murdered person with barley, apple seeds, blood taken from a bug that bit a black dog, his own blood and semen. This mixture was to be added to the drink of his beloved and ensured that no one else drank it.

7) Prophetic dreams

In ancient Egypt, close attention was paid to dreams. Today we know that dreams are just a jumble of images, but the Egyptians were convinced that everything they saw in a dream was important.

People paid money to priests who were good at interpreting dreams and were the owners of special books - dream books, so that they would explain the meaning of a particular dream. Some even stayed in temples to sleep in order to be closer to the gods, in order to see something very important in a dream.

The ancient Egyptians were not particularly worried about the specific things that they saw in a dream, but they paid great attention to the details that they described in their dream books. For example, to see a large cat in a dream means that the future harvest will be very generous, and to see a dwarf in a dream means that half of your life is already behind you.

6) Mentions of Christ

Not so long ago, an ancient Egyptian text was discovered in which there are new details from the life of Christ. Although researchers have accepted this text as genuine, they cannot claim that the information it contains is correct. At least the person who wrote this document believed what he described.

Many things were mentioned in the text, among other things, for example, it was said that Jesus could change his appearance. He, of course, could not turn into any animal, but he could change facial features, disguise himself as an old man or become a small child. Christ used this ability to hide from his pursuers, who intended to arrest him.

The Last Supper is known to have taken place on a Thursday, but the text says that it actually took place on a Tuesday. It has also been claimed that before Jesus was executed, Pontius Pilate interacted with Jesus, shared bread with him, and even offered to kill his son in his stead. Jesus allegedly politely declined and thanked Pilate for his kindness and showed him that he could leave at any time if he wished.

5) Revenge

The ancient Egyptians knew all kinds of witchcraft and knew how to use it in the most diverse form in order to take revenge on someone. The most famous use of witchcraft is the curse of mummies. The pharaohs knew some magic spells that were written in their tombs, so anyone who disturbed their peace paid for it with their own lives.

Naturally, the existence of any of these curses has not been scientifically proven, it is just a theory that is based on random events. Scientists nevertheless became interested in this issue and decided to find out, maybe the "curses" can be explained in some other way.

After examining the substances that were present in the tombs, scientists found dangerous molds that grew on the walls and could lead to lung problems in those who inhaled their spores.

By the way, the myth of a magical ancient Egyptian statue was recently debunked. In the British Museum, a video was filmed of how she spontaneously turns. Magic again? Not at all. After careful research, it turned out that the statue turned due to the vibrations of the floor, which were caused by the feet of museum visitors while walking.

4) Resurrection of the dead

Magic was not just popular in ancient Egypt, it was used for a variety of things, and in society it occupied a special place and was officially recognized. The high priests used sorcery for various performances, in which everyone unconditionally believed.

According to legend, one ancient Egyptian priest was once able to part the waters of the lake, just as Moses parted the Red Sea in order to take some trinket lying there from the bottom. Also, the priests allegedly knew how to resurrect dead animals and even people. Usually resurrection was used in special cases, when, for example, it was necessary to testify at a trial.

Resurrection was an important part of the life of the Egyptians. The idea of ​​death and rebirth to new life was the main tenet of their religion. The Egyptians believed that, like the sun that rose every time, they would eventually begin to live a completely new life.

That is why they carefully preserved the remains of the dead in order to prepare them for a new life. If a person died, he had to appear before the highest judge. He started a new life only if his deeds were properly evaluated.

3) Trained monkeys

Most people associate cats with ancient Egypt, but baboons also held an important place in Egyptian culture and society. In addition, primates are much easier to train than cats, and these animals have been used for practical purposes. For example, they could easily be taught to get fruits, nuts, dates from tall trees. By the way, this method of harvesting is used in some countries today.

According to historians, baboons were considered sacred animals in Egypt. They make loud unpleasant sounds at sunrise, so they were associated with the Sun God. One of the pharaohs - Amenhotep III - even ordered the installation of four huge statues of monkeys. The Egyptians also believed that baboons had a connection with the God of the Nile, Hapi, who was the offspring of the great Egyptian God Horus.

2) Amulets

The Egyptians were the first to use amulets, as they were very superstitious. They believed that if you wear certain items with special properties, you can protect yourself. Most of us think this is just stupid, but how often before an important event do we, for example, put on a “lucky” shirt, take a “lucky” pen with us, or some other object with which we think we more lucky.

Ancient Egyptian amulets were mostly jewelry made in the shape of some kind of animal or symbol. These gizmos could be made of anything, but they had great magical power. How this or that amulet "worked" depended on what it was made of, what shape it had, what it looked like and, of course, what kind of spell was put into it.

1) Healing the sick

Perhaps the most famous fact related to magic is the use of sorcery by the Egyptians to heal the sick. Perhaps they managed to do something, but most of the stories that have come down to us are nothing more than fiction.

It was believed that ancient Egyptian medicine was largely based on witchcraft, but recent research has shown that magic did not play too much of a role. Many rituals were based on the use of witchcraft, but this does not mean that the ancient Egyptians did not use traditional methods in medicine.

The Egyptians, for example, were excellent at surgery, and there is evidence that they even made prosthetic toes. The researchers found that in Egyptian society, everyone could equally receive medical care, regardless of status.

“In Egypt in ancient times there was electricity! In 1937, during excavations near Baghdad, the German archaeologist Wilhelm Koenig discovered

Clay jars with copper cylinders inside. These cylinders were fixed at the bottom of clay vessels with a layer of resin. Koenig did not attach any importance to this, but after the war, excavations in Iraq resumed. And near the ancient Sumerian city of Seoevkia, scientists again discovered glazed clay vessels resembling flower vases.

These were galvanic cells. Scientists filled these vases with lemon juice and found a potential difference of half a volt between an iron rod and a copper cylinder. The electric current has gone! These vases turned out to be electric batteries. They were discovered in Iraq in the early 1980s. Then images of similar vases-batteries were found on the walls of Egyptian houses. In the same years, Reinhard Habek, in the Egyptian temple of Hathor in Dendera, five hundred kilometers south of the Giza plateau and 50 kilometers north of Thebes, discovered wall images of pear-shaped objects with wavy lines in the form of snakes inside. From them came the cable and hoses. And they were strengthened on racks. It has been proven that pear-shaped objects with wavy lines inside are lamps of electric lamps, and racks are high-voltage insulators.

They were found under the oldest pyramid - Saqqara and under the pyramid of Djoser.

Egyptologists do not have a common opinion about the purpose of these columns (racks). Peter Krasa and Ron Hubard published a book on electricity in antiquity, Light of the Pharaohs, and they see columns as mere insulators. Then samples were found on which copper wires hung.

Apparently, this underground chamber in the foundations of the Temple of Hathor in Dendera was a mini-power plant, and here they depicted the secret science of electricity, which was transmitted only to initiates.
There are no traces of soot from torches on the walls and ceilings of the temples and pyramids of Egypt - they were illuminated by electricity. This idea was confirmed by the Mahatmas and E. Blavatsky.

The headdresses of the pharaohs were also accumulators of electrical or electromagnetic energy. On the front of their tall hats was an image of a cobra - a symbol of danger and strength. Maybe she hit enemies with electric current and subjects who did not want to obey the will of the pharaoh? D. Myers believes that the hat of Valdark, which the pharaohs of Egypt adopted from the alien representatives of Nibiru and Mars, in itself concentrated spiritual energy. But, probably, these hats were also equipped with electric batteries.

Recently, in the Valley of the Kings, scientists found a golden disk, or a coin, one and a half kilometers from the pyramid of Tutankhamun, which depicts a face very similar to the Martian sphinx of Kydonia, photographed by the American Viking-1 spacecraft in 1976. The archaeologists were also puzzled by the inscription carved on the disk. The letters are completely different from Egyptian hieroglyphs. Copies of this inscription have been sent to authoritative specialists from different countries, but no answer has yet been found.”

The secret of the Egyptian pyramids

It is generally accepted that the construction of the Egyptian pyramids was carried out by tens of thousands of people who worked in quarries, moved giant stone blocks to the construction site, dragged them up through the scaffolding, installed and fastened them. But is it?

Speaking at the Archaeometry Symposium, which brought together scientists from various disciplines, in Washington last May, polymer chemist Joseph Davidovich of Barry University painted a completely different picture, backing up his arguments with scientific research. He carried out a chemical analysis of stone samples that were used to build three pyramids. Comparing them with the rocks found in the nearby limestone quarries of Turaha and Mokhatama, from which, obviously, the material for these structures was taken, he found that the composition of the facing blocks of building stone contains substances that are absent in the quarries. But in this layer there are thirteen different substances, which, according to J. Davidovits, were “geopolymers” and played the role of a binder. Therefore, the scientist believes that the ancient Egyptians built pyramids not from natural stone, but from artificially made materials by crushing limestone, making mortar from it and pouring it, together with a special binder, into wooden formwork. Within a few hours, the material hardened, forming blocks indistinguishable from natural stone. Such a technology, of course, took less time and required not so many hands. In favor of this assumption is microscopy of rock samples, showing that the limestone from the quarries is almost entirely formed by closely "packed" calcite crystals, which give it a uniform density. The facing stone, found on the spot, as part of the pyramids, has a lower density and is replete with airy “bubble” voids. If this stone is of natural origin, then we can assume the places where it could be developed by the ancients. But such developments are unknown to Egyptologists.

Apparently, sodium carbonate, various phosphates (they could have been obtained from bones or from guano), quartz and silt from the Nile served as a binder - all this was quite accessible to the Egyptians. In addition, the facing stone is covered with a millimeter layer of a substance, which almost entirely consists of these components.

Among other things, the new hypothesis allows us to answer the age-old question: how did the ancient builders manage to fit stone blocks with such accuracy? The proposed construction technology, in which the sidewalls of previously "cast" blocks can serve as a formwork for casting a new block between them, makes it possible to adjust them with almost no space between them.

Secrets of the Egyptian Priests Of course, it would be logical to start the section with Ancient Egypt, and not with European alchemy, but is it logical to talk about alchemy after Egypt? Therefore, in order to at least say something about it, I placed it at the beginning. So, let's see how things were with

AROUND THE PYRAMIDS It seems that everything is already known about them. Scientists believe that the ancient Egyptian pharaohs built these stone masses with the hands of their slaves in order to find their last refuge in them. This construction took many decades. And so every pharaoh

On the Egyptian Mysteries / Per. from ancient Greek, introductory article by L. Yu. Lukomsky. Comments by R. V. Svetlov and L. Yu. Lukomsky. - M .: Publishing house of JSC “Kh. G.S., 1995.- 288

The Messiahship of the Pyramids No matter how often the image of Osiris appears in the symbolism of the pyramid of Cheops, after studying the texts, no one can doubt anymore that the deity designated under the name "Lord of the Pyramid and Lord of the Year" is correlated with the magnitude of the rotation cycle

PRACTICE OF THE PYRAMIDS HOME PYRAMIDS AND WORKING WITH THEM In order to gain knowledge of the Divine Majesty, you need to join the society of saints and step on the spiritual path, chanting the name of God and practicing meditation. Home pyramids are small in size, their square

2.4. The curse of the Egyptian pyramids Humanity has been struggling to unravel the mysteries of the Egyptian pyramids alone for several millennia, but structures like them have now been found in almost all corners of the globe: in the Crimea, in Mexico, in India, China, Japan ... Written

Appointment of the Pyramids So, "the unanimous opinion of Egyptologists" is that the pyramids were built as the tombs of the pharaohs of the IV dynasty Cheops (Khufu), Khafre (Khafre) and Mykerin (Menkaur). The fact that these are tombs is substantiated by an analogy with the so-called "small

Secrets of the Egyptian pyramids The Egyptian pyramids keep a huge number of secrets and mysteries. The pyramid field of Lower Egypt stretches through Giza, Abu Sir and Saqqara almost to Dashur. Neither in former times, nor in our days, people could understand for whom and for what purpose

The Seven Pyramids All the facts indicate that the pharaohs had nothing to do with the creation of a whole series of pyramids! ... And as already mentioned, if the facts contradict the theory, then the theory should be thrown out, not the facts. This is the basic principle of normal

Secrets of Egyptian structures Who built the pyramids? Most historians call Thoth (Hermes) or the antediluvian kings the builder of the pyramids. Arab Herodotus was called the founder of Arabic historiography al-Masudi (IX century). He cites historical information about the pyramids in

MYSTERIES OF THE EGYPTIAN PYRAMIDS Thousands of books have been written about Egypt, but, in fact, we know very little about it. The ancient Egyptians themselves left us a huge priceless legacy in the form of hieroglyphic texts (In the city of Edfu, for example, there is a temple, all the walls and columns of which are completely

ENERGY OF THE PYRAMIDS We will not prove the correctness of this point of view or criticize it. It is quite possible that Ancient Egypt is a single cemetery of the empire. But many experts believe that the pyramids were built for other purposes. With what? There are assumptions - with the goals of communication

The influence of Egyptian theogony and cosmogony Even the ancients clearly imagined the significant contribution that the Egyptians made to Greco-Roman mythology and theogony. According to numerous myths, the cult of Athena was brought to Hellas by Danai and the Danaids who fled from Egypt. special

Place of departure of Egyptian religious rites With regard to the pyramid, there were two opposing opinions. While some believed that the pyramid was intended to serve for the performance of secret rites associated with the ancient faith, others believed that the pyramid,

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The Egyptian pyramids are those wonders of the world that have riveted the attention of man for many centuries. Mysterious structures, the construction of which no one can explain exactly. One of the more interesting is the mystery of the Egyptian pyramids.

It is known that Napoleon in the XVIII century. not yet being the emperor of France wanted to visit inside. He was attracted during the Egyptian campaign by mystical tales. He stayed inside for about 20 minutes. And then he went out very puzzled and even a little scared, silently, with difficulty, sitting on his horse, he returned to his headquarters. However, until now no one knows what struck Napoleon then, he took this secret with him.

And for a long time now, scientists, Egyptologists and simple daredevils have been trying to understand the main function. But even now the pyramids are a big mystery that our ancestors left us. No one can say how they were built and what they were intended for.

Mystery of the Pyramids of Ancient Egypt

Over the past 20-30 years, interest in the pyramids of Egypt has greatly increased. But it is still not known exactly what their purpose was. There were a lot of Egyptologists who did not see only the tombs of the pharaohs in the pyramids. On the contrary, many scientists put forward other versions, and some of them are able to change the idea of ​​modern man about ancient civilizations. remain a great mystery to man, it is very difficult to imagine that such structures were built just to bury the pharaoh. Their construction was already very grandiose, and a lot of effort was expended.

One of the Arab historians who lived in the XIV century. wrote about the pyramid of Cheops. In his opinion, it was built by order of the mythical sage Hermes Trismegistus. He ordered the construction of 30 treasure vaults, which were filled with jewels and various tools. Another Arab traveler who lived in the same century claimed that the pyramids were erected before the flood. They were built to store books and other valuable items.

In ancient Egypt, powerful pharaohs ruled, crowds of slaves were in their submission. Pharaohs Khufu, Khafra and Menkaur are known as the most important. But the problem is that in these three pyramids there is no confirmation in the form of hieroglyphic inscriptions or mummies indicating that these are their pyramids.

On September 17, 2002, a message appeared in the media that several researchers intend to visit the cache, which was discovered in. They were going to do this with the help of a special robot. It was equipped with a camera. Everyone was waiting for the secret of the pyramid to be revealed. But disappointment awaited all x, it was not possible to penetrate far. It has to do with the design of the pyramids. After some stage of construction, it is no longer possible to enter some rooms.

The secret of the inner contents of the pyramids

In 1872, the British scientist Dixon tapped one of the chambers, the so-called queen's chamber. When tapping, he found voids, then with a pick he destroyed the thin wall of the cladding. He managed to find two holes of equal size, 20 cm each. Dixon and his associates decided that these were adits for ventilation.

Already in 1986, French specialists used a special apparatus and, with the help of technology, they also discovered cavities that were thicker than other stone masonry. Then specialists from Japan used special modern electronic devices. They enlightened the whole and the rest of the area to the Sphinx. Studies have shown many voids in the form of labyrinths, but it was not possible to get there. And those rooms that scientists could explore did not give results. No mummy was found there, or even any remnants of material culture.

So the question arises - where did all the contents go - a sarcophagus or jewelry. Maybe the Egyptologists correctly put forward the version that after a few centuries robbers visited the pyramid and took everything with them. But now many people think that the tombs were empty from the beginning, even before the entrance to it was walled up.

The Caliph's Entry into the Egyptian Pyramid

In proof of the theory that it was initially empty, one historical fact can be cited. In IX, Caliph Abdullah al-Mamun with his detachment penetrated into. When they got inside the king's chamber, they were supposed to find treasures there, which, according to legend, were buried with the pharaoh. But nothing was found there. Everything seemed to have been cleaned up, clean walls and floors and empty sarcophagi appeared before the caliph.

This applies not only to these pyramids in Giza, but to all built by the III and IV dynasties. In these pyramids, neither the body of the pharaoh, nor any signs of burial were ever found. Some didn't even have sarcophagi. This is also another secret.

In Saqqara, a stepped one was opened in 1954. It contained a sarcophagus. When scientists found it, it was still sealed, which means that the robbers were not there. So in the end it was empty. There is a hypothesis that the pyramids are a special place that was sacralized. There is an opinion that a person entered one of the chambers of the pyramid, and then came out already deified. However, this does not seem like a rational assumption. Most of all, faith is caused by the assumption that Mamun found maps in the pyramid that were compiled by representatives of a highly developed civilization.

This can be confirmed by the following event. After returning from Egypt, the caliph creates maps of the earth's surface and the most accurate catalog of stars for that period of time - the Damascus Tables. Based on this, it can be assumed that some secret knowledge was stored in the bowels of the pyramid, which later ended up in the hands of Mamun. He takes them with him to Bogdad.

An Alternative Approach to the Study of the Egyptian Pyramids

There is another approach to studying the mystery of the pyramids. According to geologists' research, a pyramid is a clot of specific pyramidal energy. Due to its shape, the pyramid can store this energy. Such research is still quite young, but many people are engaged in it. Such studies have been carried out only since the 1960s. There are even facts allegedly that the razor blades that were inside the pyramid became sharp again for some time.

It is believed that the pyramid has become a place for processing energy into another more convenient energy. Then it was used for some other things.

This theory goes far beyond the boundaries of official science. However, it still exists and it has its followers. Different scientists are trying to discover the secrets of these structures in different ways. Many ambiguities remain. Even elementary - how such massive structures have been preserved for thousands of years. Their construction looks so reliable that it forces many to think about the secret meaning of the pyramids.

It is already a proven fact that most of the buildings of other ancient civilizations have long since collapsed. Archaeologists are making great efforts to find them and somehow restore them. But only the top lining fell off the pyramids. The rest of their design symbolizes reliability.

The secret of the construction of the Egyptian pyramids.

Since the 19th century many Egyptologists study the structure of the pyramids. And they came to amazing conclusions. No one can reveal the secret of the construction of Egyptian tombs. However, it has been proven that the size of the plates is matched to the nearest millimeter. Each plate has the same size as the previous one. And the joints between them are so correctly made that it does not allow even a blade to be inserted there. It's just incredible. How the inhabitants of that distant time could build so correctly, without having any technical innovations.

The width between granite blocks is calculated as 0.5 mm. This is ingenious and incomprehensible. This is the accuracy that modern instruments have. But this is by no means the only secret in construction. Still striking are the right angles and the exact symmetry between the four sides. But an even more important mystery is who nevertheless brought several stone blocks to such a great height. The main version is that they built the pyramids. But there is a problem with the evidence base. Some nuances do not fit into this version. It is not clear how, with those technical and mechanical solutions, it was possible to build such massive structures.

The secret of the construction technology of the Egyptian pyramids

Assumptions are made that simply a modern person does not even know what construction technologies were used. But it is impossible to build what has been built without modern jacks and other tools.

Sometimes versions are put forward that are simply absurd at first glance - what kind of technologies were they, maybe they were brought here by some alien civilizations. Even with all the achievements of modern man, it would be difficult for a crane to repeat such construction. This could be done, but the construction itself was difficult. And here is another mystery that the pyramids carry with them.

Those pyramids that are located in Giza also contain the Sphinx and the Valleys, and here's another secret for you. During their construction, slabs weighing almost 200 tons were used. And here it becomes unclear how the blocks were moved to the right place. Yes, and 200 tons is not the limit of the Egyptians. On the territory of Egypt there are architectural structures weighing 800 tons.

It is also interesting that no even hints were found around the complex that such blocks were dragged from somewhere or moved to the construction site. Nothing found. Hence the assumption about the levitation technique is put forward. Based on the myths and traditions of the ancient peoples, you can extract a lot of useful information in this regard. Some of them directly or indirectly indicate the existence of such a technique. You can even spot images that look like a tank or a helicopter. In principle, for those who adhere to an alternative version of the construction of the pyramids, such a theory explains a lot.

Egyptian pyramids and mysteries around them

Of course, even alternative versions, if we are to be objective, cannot be discounted. Every scientist or ordinary person can go and see for himself what kind of structures these are. It immediately becomes clear that this is not a primitive construction of some kind of slaves. This is not even construction exclusively by hand. If you follow the logic, then there must be some unknown construction system, and again not a simple one. An example is the construction of massive and reliable structures using special technologies that have not yet been disclosed by modern researchers.

Now there are about three dozen different hypotheses that are trying to uncover the secrets of the pyramids. Most Egyptologists are of the opinion about the use of inclined planes, but still historians are not architects. But they then put forward other versions. They accurately determined that in order to lay an inclined plane to, then an inscription with a length of more than 1.5 km would be needed. Moreover, the volume of the inscription itself would be three times the volume of the pyramid itself. There is also the question of what to build. It would be impossible to build with simple soil, as they would begin to settle over time and under the weight of the blocks.

Another mystery is what tools were used to build the blocks. Yes, and generally built as a whole. One way or another, now it is impossible to adhere to an unambiguous version in this matter. There are many mysteries still inaccessible to man. Here were given both rational versions and, for some, absurd ones. However, there are such versions, and history is an objective thing. And so such alternative versions also have the right to exist.

The mystery of the Egyptian pyramids video

The famous ancient Greek historian Herodotus was one of the first people who indirectly shed light on the question of the appearance of the ancient Egyptians. Even more than 100 years before the conquest of Egypt by the commander Alexander the Great, Herodotus wrote that the inhabitants of Colchis (a historical region located along the eastern shores of the Black Sea, occupying the Colchis lowland and nearby areas) had Egyptian roots. Their skin was dark, and their hair was thick and curly. In addition, members of both ethnic groups practiced circumcision and made cloth in a similar way.

The laconic description of Herodotus caused endless debate. The most controversial were the words melanchroes ("dark or black skin") and andoulotriches ("curly or curly curls"). Some scholars claim that the word melanchroes meant any person whose skin was darker than that of the Greeks. In addition, Herodotus wrote that the appearance of the inhabitants of Colchis "cannot prove anything, because representatives of other peoples had similar features." What did he mean? Maybe the fact that the inhabitants of this region in appearance did not differ much from other Asians?

In the 19th century, proponents of slavery began to argue that the ancestors of modern Egyptians were so advanced only because they were of Caucasian origin. They suggested that the rulers and priests in ancient Egypt had white skin, and their slaves were dark-skinned. At the same time, Afrocentric historians assured everyone of the African origin of the ancient Egyptian civilization. In their opinion, the ancient Egyptians were representatives of the Negroid race. The truth is most likely somewhere in the middle.

This is interesting: In 1881, the mummy of Ramesses II (an ancient Egyptian pharaoh who ruled around the 13th century BC) was discovered. Almost 100 years passed before French researchers decided to study it in detail. The results of the analyzes showed that the pharaoh had red hair. Is it worth reminding that dark-skinned Africans do not have this hair color? It is believed that Ramesses II had Libyan roots. If so, then he was fair-skinned.

Modern depictions of one of the most famous ancient Egyptian pharaohs, Tutankhamun, are causing serious controversy among scholars.

This is interesting: Tutankhamun became the ruler of Egypt at the age of 9 years. It happened around 1330 BC.

Many Afrocentric scholars believe that the depiction of Pharaoh Tutankhamen as white is racist and inaccurate. But even more passions flared when modern Egyptian scientists deciphered the genetic code of Tutankhamen.

Despite the fact that the researchers who analyzed Tutankhamun's DNA did not provide any information regarding his belonging to any race, representatives of various neo-Nazi organizations began to claim that Tutankhamun had fair skin. Moreover, according to them, the pharaoh was of Scandinavian origin.

At the same time, the Egyptian government was recently accused of concealing the fact that Tutankhamun was in fact a Jew. And who to believe?

kmt

The inhabitants of Ancient Egypt called their state Kmt (pronounced "Kemet"), which means "black". But why did the Egyptians use such a name? Some scholars believe that the expression "the land of the black people" was meant. Others claim that it was related to the "black earth".

Modern linguists are inclined to the second option. According to them, the annual floods of the Nile turned the dry desert territory into a blooming oasis rich in fertile black soil. The chernozems contrasted with the sand-covered lands that the Egyptians called dsrt (translated as “red earth”).

Egyptologists believe that Cleopatra had Greek-Macedonian roots. But it is not known for certain who Cleopatra's mother was and where she came from.

Historians argue that for political reasons, the great ancient Egyptian queen ordered the death of her half-sister (probably having the same father as Cleopatra, but a different mother) Arsinoe IV.

It is known that Arsinoe was half African. Therefore, Cleopatra's mother, like the queen herself, could also be of African origin. In the nineties of the last century, archaeologists announced that they had found the tomb of Arsinoe IV. Unfortunately, DNA analysis of the skeleton found in it turned out to be useless.

The classics prefer not to discuss the race of Cleopatra at all. They believe that we should only evaluate her great deeds, ignoring such insignificant things as skin color or origin.

In the ancient Egyptian temples that have survived to our times, statues, papyri, numerous wall paintings and other artifacts are stored, allowing us to get a more or less complete picture of how their creators saw themselves.

The ancient Egyptians depicted their contemporaries with different skin colors - from light brown to red, yellow or black. Moreover, the skin of men was usually darker than that of women. This difference, most likely, was due to the fact that the representatives of the stronger sex most of the time worked on the street. Unfortunately, the works of art created by representatives of the ancient Egyptian civilization were not particularly realistic. It is quite possible that the color of the skin of the people depicted in the drawings had a symbolic character.

For example, the image of people with red faces or hair meant that they were in the power of the god Set, the lord of the desert. Some researchers suggest that the Egyptians, when creating their works, could deliberately depict themselves with reddish or copper skin in order to differ from the Sudanese, the Nubians, who have black skin in the drawings.

The statue of the Great Sphinx at Giza was built around 2.5 thousand years BC. Many Egyptologists believe that the face of the Sphinx belongs to the pharaoh Khafre, but there is no absolute certainty about this.

In 1780, the historian François Volney, after visiting Giza, wrote that the Sphinx "has facial features characteristic of the Negroid race." In other words, the inhabitants of Ancient Egypt were dark-skinned. But modern scholars dispute this assumption, arguing that it is almost impossible to solve the riddle of ethnicity from the face of the statue. The fact is that for several millennia, rains, wind, heat and other weather phenomena have greatly spoiled the appearance of the Sphinx.

This did not prevent forensic expert Frank Domingo from measuring the face of the Sphinx in the early nineties of the last century and, based on the data obtained, concluded that it definitely did not belong to Pharaoh Khafre. According to Domingo, the statue most likely depicts a person belonging to the Negroid race.

At the end of the 19th century, the British scientist William Matthew Flinders Petrie became seriously interested in ancient Egyptian artifacts.

This is interesting: Petrie made a significant contribution to Egyptology, because it was he who first discovered the prehistoric culture that preceded Ancient Egypt.

But many of the other ideas that William put forward were quite controversial. For example, he argued that the civilization of early Egypt appeared as a result of the invasion of the "New Race", who managed to conquer "a decadent prehistoric civilization." The scientist argued that the Egyptian artifacts of the prehistoric period have nothing to do with their later counterparts. That is, the "New Race" probably destroyed or expelled to other territories the entire population of prehistoric Egypt. Petrie suggested that the representatives of the "New Race" could be of Libyan or Persian origin.

In 2002, Egyptologist Toby Wilkinson presented to the public the results of a study of rock art found in the so-called Eastern Desert (the Sahara region stretching from the Red Sea to the Nile Valley). Rock paintings dating from about 4000 BC show a typical Nile River valley with boats, fishermen, crocodiles, hippos, etc. Similar images are also found in later paintings dating back to the dynastic period of Egyptian history. This similarity led Wilkinson to suggest that the ancient Egyptians came from the Eastern Desert.

The scientist is sure that their ancestors were semi-nomadic pastoralists who moved between the banks of the rivers and the arid territories of the Eastern Desert. It covered the lands of modern Egypt, eastern Sudan and Ethiopia.

This is interesting: A study of almost a thousand skeletons of ancient Egyptians, conducted in 2006, showed that their teeth were the same regardless of the age of the remains. Representatives of the modern peoples of the North African region have the same structure of the jaw. The teeth of Europeans and the inhabitants of the Middle East are fundamentally different from those studied.

The author of the research team, Joel Irish, suggested that the ancient Egyptians were of mixed origin (they had Nilotic, Levantine, Libyan and other roots). According to Irish, the mixing of peoples occurred long before the dynastic period - the "Golden Age" of Ancient Egypt.

As you can see, even reputable scientists armed with modern equipment cannot come to a common opinion about what the ancient Egyptians looked like. But is this mystery really that important? Maybe we should just be proud of the legacy left by the ancient Egyptian civilization and not ask unnecessary questions?