<i></i> <i></i> <i></i> 0<p>What comes to mind when you think of Ancient Egypt? Majestic pyramids, regal pharaohs, sacred hieroglyphs and tombs lined with gold and riches. The ancient Egyptian civilization, spanning from 3100 BC to 332 BC, was so tightly intertwined with tales of mysterious gods and magic that it is difficult to tell where fiction ends and reality begins. From stories of Tutankhamun’s rise to power at the tender age of 9 to the process of mummification to the the beauty regimens of the lovely Cleopatra – these are common knowledge for many. But what if we were to tell you that there is much, much more that you probably didn’t know about the ancient civilization?</p> <h2>10. Who built the Pyramids?</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-795.jpeg"/>shutterstock <p>One of the things that has puzzled Egyptologists for decades is the incredible feat of precise engineering that is the pyramids of Egypt. Pharaohs would order their own personal pyramid, which would be built over the time of their lifespan. But at a time when there was no heavy equipment or machinery, how did they amass such a large labour force needed to complete these awe-inspiring structures? The truth of the matter is quite interesting. Contradictory to the popular myth that Israeli slaves were used like animals, researchers have discovered that the labourers were all poor local Egyptians. Analysis of animal remains found on the site of the Pyramids of Giza has revealed that plenty of livestock were sacrificed daily to satisfy the hunger of around 10,000 workers. In fact, these workers were treated with considerable respect and honour, rather than being whipped and worked to the bone under the sweltering sun like most fiction novels and movies would have you believe. If a worker died during construction, they would be given the honour of being buried in the proximity of the pyramids, which were considered holy and sacred. So, we can see how being a worker for these sacred pyramids seemed like such an incentive for Egyptians from poor, starving villages.</p> <h2>9. Medicine</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-796.jpeg"/>Shutterstock <p>The art of the physicians of Ancient Egypt was renowned throughout the world. They would primarily serve only the pharaohs but would even sometimes be summoned to treat royalty of other great civilizations. The confidence in their practice came from their extensive knowledge of medicinal plants and herbs as well as the way they incorporated magic into their healings. An excerpt from the Ebers papyrus reads, “<em>Magic is effective together with medicine. Medicine is effective together with magic.” </em>Illnesses were associated with bad spirits and exorcisms were commonly performed. The herbs would be used to control pain and other symptoms while magic was the primary cure. Surgery and amputations were also performed but rarely, due to the risks involved.</p> <h2>8. Shapeshifting Jesus</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-797.jpeg"/>Shutterstock <p>The story of Pontius Pilate, a prefect for the Roman empire during the time of Jesus’s trial and execution, has long been a strange one. He had a passive sort of role in the whole thing, as told by the Gospels. At first, he was against Jesus’s execution but eventually gave in when the crowd became rowdy and reminded him that Jesus’s claim to be king was a threat to the Roman empire. However, an ancient Egyptian text, dating back 1200 years and deciphered in 2013, says that Jesus’s last meal was not with his disciples but with Pontius himself. He also offered to sacrifice his son in Jesus’s place, showing that perhaps he was not as submissive to the wishes of the people as previously thought. Another eye-opening claim in this text is that Jesus had the ability to change shape at will. In the Bible, Judas betrays Jesus by bestowing him a kiss, allowing the Jews to identify and arrest Jesus. They are aware that Jesus is a shapeshifter, which is why Judas decides to show them who it is instead of explaining his outward appearance. Historians are still unsure which side to believe in this but it is clear that these tales were popular amongst the Egyptian Christians at the time.</p> <h2>7. Heb-Sed</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-798.jpeg"/>Shutterstock <p>Heb-Sed, named after the wolf god Sed, was a ritual performed by the ruling pharaoh after completing 30 years on the throne and is then repeated after every 3 years till their death. The purpose was to re-enact the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt and prove the health and wellness of the current pharaoh. It would begin by the pharaoh presenting offerings to various gods and then adorning a short kilt with an animal’s tail at the back to run a ritual course 4 times. If they are unable to do this, they are deemed unfit to rule, executed and replaced. After successfully finishing the course, the pharaoh would take a tour of all the temples of the gods one by one.</p> <h2>6. White Pyramids</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-799.jpeg"/>durindasworld <p>Fans of the Great Pyramids of Giza would be shocked to know that these structures are just shadows of their former selves. Originally, they were covered in hand-carved and polished limestone. Meant to serve as a protective outer layer, this layer eventually eroded away due to the forces of nature. Egyptologists believe the limestone layer would have made the pyramids glisten like jewels under the sunlight. Perhaps this is the reason many at the time considered Giza to be a magical and ethereal city. In 1301 CE, a huge earthquake struck the area and damaged much of the outer layer of the pyramids. The king at the time decided to recycle the loosened limestone and build new mosques in Cairo, whose grandeur almost rivals that of the pyramids. With or without the limestone layer, the Great Pyramids remain a one-of-a-kind architectural masterpiece.</p> <h2>5. The female Pharaoh</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-800.jpeg"/>Shutterstock <p>14 centuries before the era of the great and infamous Cleopatra was a female Pharaoh whose existence is largely erased from history. It was only till the 19th Century that archaeologists uncovered relics of Queen Hatsheput, who rose to power in 1473 BC. She was the third woman to become Pharaoh in 3000 years and the first to gain full authority. It was difficult for historians to identify her mainly because she ordered herself to be depicted in images as a male. The reasons for this vary but the main one is probably the fact that she felt threatened by many who disapproved of her becoming ruler of the land and thus wanted to demonstrate authority and leadership. She carried out many ambitious construction projects, the most prominent being the Deir Al-Bahri, a temple known as one of the architectural wonders of Ancient Egypt. Hatsheput also established an important trading route to modern day Eritrea. Her mainly peaceful and productive rule ended in 1458 BC and her successor, Thutmose III, had all the evidence of her removed from the temples she had built. This is another reason why her existence had eluded so many until her mummified body was discovered in 2007.</p> <h2>4. Sunken Cities</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-801.jpeg"/>Shutterstock <p>You’ve probably heard of the tale of the lost city of Atlantis but did you know that there exists another city that was lost under the sea until very recently? The city of Thonis-Heracleion existed in both Egyptian and Greek texts but was mentioned very rarely. Founded in 8th Century BC, it served as an important port city for the ships travelling between Greece and Egypt and had certain religious importance as it housed the temple of Amun, the king of the gods. It also contained depictions and statues of both Egyptian and Greek gods. Ancient Greek scholars mention Heracleion as the city the famous hero Herakles entered to go to Egypt and the place Helen of Troy visited with her lover Paris before the Trojan War. The city sunk into the sea at around 8th Century AD due to various natural disasters. It was eventually discovered in 2000 in Abu Qir Bay, some 10m below the water.</p> <h2>3. Masturbation Rituals</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-802.jpeg"/>noharmm.org <p>According to Ancient Egyptian mythology, Atum created the gods through his bodily secretions. Some earlier myths say he created Shu and Tefnut through his spit and later versions say he created them through masturbation alone. Shu and Tefnet then gave birth to the other gods. Atum was considered both the creator and father of the king of Egypt. In fact, an alternative title for the Pharaoh was ‘son of Atum’. Atum was closely associated with royalty and would play an important role in annual rituals reconfirming the king and coronation rites in which a new king would be crowned. One of these rituals comprised of the king, being the closest representative of Atum, masturbating to re-enact the creation of the world and ensure a bountiful and blessed year for the people of his kingdom.</p> <h2>2. Biblical Plagues</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-803.jpeg"/>Shutterstock <p>The Old Testament mentions a plague that struck the Ancient Egyptians and scientists have discovered that how and why it occurred. The Hebrew Bible book of Exodus also mentions the Pharaoh’s kingdom being struck by 10 plagues after he refuses to accept that there is one God. The plague of blood, which turned the waters of the River Nile red, is thought to be caused by the bacterium Burgundy Blood Algae, which exhibits this property of changing the colour of the water. Another hypothesis says that torrential rainfall washed down red mud from the Ethiopian highlands, flooding the Nile with red water and choking out the fish. This could have caused the fish to be infected with anthrax and die. The algae could have attracted many frogs, lice and fleas, thus infecting and killing livestock and causing boils to arise on people. Another theory is that the frogs collected in homes and houses because they were trying to escape the red flood but also contracted anthrax and died. Fleas and lice swarmed around the dead frogs. The cattle died because their fields also got infected by the disease. The boils could have also been caused by the same infection. Hailstorms are rarely known to occur in the region but sometimes do, which explains how such a violent hailstorm struck the Egyptian people. Locust swarms are commonly seen and are especially prevalent after the rainy season. Lastly, there are two hypothesises for what plunged Egypt into darkness: a dust storm that blew from neighbouring Libya and a volcano eruption in Mount Santorini, some 600 km away, which threw dust into the air as far away as Egypt.</p> <h2>1. Incest</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-804.jpeg"/>discovery-zone.com <p>Incestual relations were a commonly occurring theme in the Ancient Egypt. While not that common in ordinary citizens, it was prevalent in the royal family. This is probably because of the continuity of the royal family line. The rulers of the ancient civilization believed that they were descendants of the gods. In fact, incest was also portrayed in the tales and images of various gods. It was generally acceptable that the pharaohs would wish to preserve their sacred bloodline. Researchers compared the heights of over 100 successive pharaohs and compared them to the heights of ordinary Egyptians at the time. Not surprisingly, they discovered that there wasn’t much variation in the heights of the royals – a clear indication of incestual relations. The most obvious examples are that of King Amenhotep I and King Tutankhamun. Tutankhamun, himself married to his half-sister, suffered from a range of genetic diseases and body malformations which lead to his death at the age of 19. This would continue for many generations until the consequences of these actions would finally manifest. King Tut, the last of the great dynasty of pharaohs, had a genetic bone disease after 4 generations of inbreeding.</p> <i></i>