Thoth is among the most ancient of Egyptian deities. God of wisdom, knowledge, scribes, magic and the moon, he's considered the inventor...

Sistrum (pl sistra) is a ritual music rattle used in ceremony and celebration. Beloved Royal Wife Nefertari of Egypt in the 13th century...

Singing, clapping, dancing and shouting are forms of musical expression used by most early people. From Neolithic Egypt, whistles are...

Seshat is the ancient Egyptian goddess of writing, wisdom and knowledge. As daughter of Thoth the scribe god, she's a scribe and record...

Scribes assume positions of importance and influence in the ancient world. Many speak several languages and are skilled in such diverse...

Garnet is a coveted gemstone since the Bronze Age (c. 3300 BCE). Trade brings this enchanting creation to Egypt, Mesopotamia and other...

Dreaming is an important part of ancient Egyptian spirituality. Dreams and dream interpretation play a role in almost all cultures. In...

From personal hygiene to embalming the dead, ancient Egypt has many uses for natron. It's a naturally forming desert salt easy to harvest...

Bitumen, a natural petroleum product, is a common trade route item in the ancient world. The earliest known use of bitumen dates back to...

Sailing begins in the Sumerian or southern Mesopotamian regions of river deltas and marshes. Boats and rafts at first are made of...

Linen from the flax plant is the most popular textile in ancient Egypt, used in everyday clothing, bedding and funerary shrouds. Hemp is...

Egyptian Blue is a soft smoky blue hue considered the world's first synthetic color. The original formula to create Egyptian blue pigment...

Ebony is a coveted item of trade for thousands of years, in the ancient world still in demand today. A solid black hardwood, ebony is...

Mercenaries, pirates, fugitives and thieves, what better place to plunder than the sunny eastern Mediterranean? With cunning coves and...

The Amorite god Amurru (Akkadian) or Martu (Sumerian) is revered since the third millennium BCE. Strong centers of worship in Babylon and...

Amurru is both a kingdom and a god. In c. 2000 BCE, the Amorite kingdom occupies the northern part of the ancient Levant coast. To the...

Anubis manifests with the body of a man and head of a jackal, a wild canine common to Egypt and the near East. He can also be all animal....

While the mysterious Sea Peoples ransack the Mediterranean c. 1200, they give little sign of their identity and seem to appear out of...