From alien theories to the rights of Egyptian women, we count 15 of the surprising and myth-breaking facts about Ancient Egypt only discovered these last few decades.
15 – A lot of Pharaohs were fat
- Art and statues of the ancient Pharaohs we find today depict them as thin and fit
- In reality though? Most were unhealthy, overweight, some even with diabetes
- This mostly comes from their luxurious lifestyle, their diet of bread, beer and wine
- Queen Hatshepsut was even morbidly obese and balding, whereas her sarcophagus tried to suggest she was thin and fit
14 – Egyptians used anti-biotics and didn’t even know it
- This one is pure, blind luck born from pattern recognition over the ages
- The Egyptians found that when mouldy bread or soil were placed on wounds, it actually made them heal faster
- Whereas today we know now that anti-biotics born from this mould is what can cure you of potentially fatal illnesses, and they come in convenient little pills
13 – Brains were scooped out with a tiny hook
- The mummification process has changed over the centuries, but back in the glory days of Egypt it was a battle against decaying internal body parts
- Their solution was to cut out the lungs, stomach, liver and intestines – but instead of making an incision to remove the brain, they used a wire hook to scoop it out piece by piece
- This didn’t always happen though – there’ve been plenty of examples where Egyptians instead elected to keep their brain intact; though, inevitably, it turned to mush
12 – Egyptians were never in contact with aliens
- It’s a common myth that, due to how much the ancient Egyptians accomplished; the pyramids, the architecture and their unwavering faith in a complex afterlife that they must’ve been in contact with advanced lifeforms – as shown in some hieroglyphics
- Some people even use said stone engravings as prove they must have, but all signs point to logical, scientific explanations
- The pyramids, for instance: it wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility that scholars and architects could’ve built them at the time
11 – Pyramids were NOT, in fact, built by slaves
- Most media depict Egyptians toiling tons of rocks at the whip of their Pharaoh masters – but evidence disproves this in a number of ways
- For instance, villages were set up for the workers and their family – they were provided good pay and their corpse chambers left untouched for thousands of years revealed they were quite well off with luxurious perfumes, golden rewards from the Pharaohs and all manner of food
- The slave rumour was started around 400 B.C but the reality is, like the Death Star, contractors were hired to do the job despite the risks involved – the difference being Luke Skywalker did not blow up the Pyramids
I saw the same exhibit when it was in Chicago a few years ago, and I had the exact same reaticon. I would have loved the exhibit if I had had an honest idea of what to expect. But they used images of the big gold pieces to advertise it, and I left feeling pretty bitterly disappointed. November 9, 2012
“In Greece women were basically owned by their husbands” That was a fact till the 5th century. After the end of the battles, Greek women were political and social activ in the society.
Although, in ancient Egypt till 2800, the woman was killed and buried with her husband, so she could keep serving him in the afterlife. That stoped for financial reasons only.
Oh yea, they were black