Ancient Egypt – Pharaohs, Gods, Tombs & Temples

The more time I spend exploring Ancient Egypt, the more I realise just how much there is beyond the familiar names of Tutankhamun, Ramses and Cleopatra.  Behind the monuments and royal tombs are stories of ambition, rivalry, love, betrayal, religious upheaval, strange beliefs and people whose lives are every bit as fascinating as those of the Pharaohs.

Some of these stories are rooted in archaeological discoveries, others in ancient texts, inscriptions and traditions.  Some raise questions that still have no easy answers.  I’ve collected them here, covering everything from royal dynasties and forgotten rulers to the gods, priests, burial customs and mysteries of the ancient world.

Alexandria – The Search for Cleopatra’s Lost Tomb

Could one of Egypt’s greatest archaeological mysteries finally lead us to Cleopatra?

Alexandria was once the seat of one of the most fascinating royal dynasties in Egyptian history, and its most famous queen continues to capture the imagination more than 2,000 years after her death.  But where was Cleopatra buried?  The search has led archaeologists away from the ancient royal city and towards Taposiris Magna, a temple complex west of Alexandria, where excavations have uncovered intriguing clues and fuelled speculation that her tomb may lie somewhere nearby.

Cleopatra’s disappearance from history has always left room for imagination.  What if the clues at Taposiris Magna really do lead somewhere?  I’ve taken the known history, the archaeological theories and a little creative licence to explore the possibilities in this series of stories.  The result is my own take on one of Egypt’s most intriguing unsolved mysteries.

Cairo – Pyramids, Ancient Mysteries & Forgotten Pharaohs

Some of Egypt’s greatest questions are still being asked thousands of years later.

Cairo is the gateway to the Giza Pyramids, but there is far more to their story than most visitors ever get to hear. Who really built the Great Pyramid, what was its purpose, and how much do we actually know about the people behind its construction? I’ve explored some of these questions in my own writing, including a rather different take on the possible involvement of Thoth. I’ve also ventured beyond the Old Kingdom to tell the story of Psusennes I, the remarkable ruler whose silver coffin and extraordinary burial treasures earned him the title of the Silver King.

These are stories that invite you to look again at familiar monuments and forgotten rulers, and perhaps question a few things you thought you knew.

Luxor

Luxor Temple: The Temple Within

What if Luxor Temple was designed to be experienced as more than a monument?

Luxor Temple has always fascinated me, not simply for its history and architecture, but for the ideas and symbolism that may lie beneath its physical form.  There are interpretations of the temple that look beyond its role as a place of worship and consider its relationship with the human body, consciousness and spiritual transformation.

In these two stories, we explore the idea of Luxor Temple as a representation of man himself, and take that further with a journey through the temple’s symbolism and the concept of awakening the five bodies and seven chakras.  These are explorations of ancient symbolism and spiritual interpretation, rather than conventional archaeological accounts – and they offer a very different way of looking at one of Luxor’s most remarkable monuments.

Karnak Temple – Gods, Power & the Secrets of the Temple

There is far more to Karnak than its towering columns and monumental gateways.

Karnak is one of those places where the more you explore, the more layers seem to reveal themselves.  It was not built in a day, or even in a century, but expanded and altered by generations of Pharaohs, each adding their own mark to a vast sacred landscape.  It was the great religious centre of Amun, but its stories reach well beyond the familiar history of kings and priests.

Some of these stories explore the temple as a place of knowledge and transformation; others take us into the hidden sanctuary of Sekhmet, the fierce goddess whose presence still seems to command attention.  There are also the stories of Sekhmet herself and Amun, the god whose influence grew alongside the power of the Egyptian empire.

If you think you know Karnak, you may find there is another side of it worth discovering.

West Bank of Luxor – Pharaohs, Power, Intrigue & the Valley of the Kings

Behind the great tombs and temples are some of the most extraordinary human stories in Egyptian history.

The West Bank of Luxor is often thought of as the great burial ground of the Pharaohs, but its history is about much more than death and the afterlife.  This was a landscape of royal ambition, military campaigns, family rivalries, political conspiracies and sometimes downright strange happenings.  The people buried here had lives full of drama, and some of their stories are every bit as compelling as the monuments they left behind.

I’ve collected stories that take us from Hatshepsut, a woman who dared to rule as Pharaoh, and Thutmose III’s military triumphs, to the mysterious circumstances surrounding Tutankhamun’s tomb and the darker years of Ramses III.  Medinet Habu deserves a collection of its own, with its stories of a civilisation under strain, palace intrigue, a harem conspiracy and the extraordinary mummy known as the Screaming Mummy.

And then there are the questions that refuse to go away: could Yuya have been Joseph from the Bible?  What really happened after the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb?  And would you be brave enough to sit alone with a mummy?

These are not simply stories about ancient kings and their monuments.  They are stories about the people, ambitions, fears and mysteries that make the West Bank such a fascinating place to explore.

Abydos & Dendera – The Seeker’s Path: The Seven Keys

Some places invite you to look.  Others seem to ask you to look deeper.

Abydos and Dendera are two temples that have always held a particular fascination for me.  They are very different in character, yet both seem to invite questions that go well beyond the usual explanations of ancient Egyptian religion and architecture.

My connection with these places has developed into a seven-part journey, which I call The Seeker’s Path – The Seven Keys.  It is a personal exploration of discovery, devotion, mystery, ancient knowledge and the possibility that there is more to these remarkable places than meets the eye.

From the extraordinary story of Omm Sety and her connection with the Temple of Sety I, to the enigmatic carvings at Abydos and the celestial imagery of Dendera, each key opens another door.  This is not a conventional archaeological account, but a journey through history, interpretation, personal experience and some rather intriguing questions.

Seven keys, seven stories, and two very special places.

  1. Key of Invitation: The Seeker’s Path
  2. Key of Connection: How the Stones Found Me
  3. Key of Devotion: Omm Sety – Dorothy Eady & Pharaoh Sety I
  4. Key of Mystery: Return of the Djedi?
  5. Key of Revelation: The Maker’s Hand – Unseen Genius at Abydos
  6. Key of Ritual: Beyond the Cartouches – The Priests Who Kept the Heartbeat of Abydos
  7. Key of Cosmos: The Celestial Secrets of Dendera Temple

Temple at ESNA

Sometimes a place leaves you with more questions than answers.

Esna Temple may not have the scale or fame of Karnak or Luxor Temple, but it has something that makes it particularly intriguing.  Hidden below the level of the modern town for centuries, its beautifully decorated hypostyle hall has gradually emerged from the layers of accumulated earth and everyday life.  Yet it is not simply the carvings and colours that make Esna interesting.  There are details here that invite a closer look and questions that deserve a little more thought.

Aswan – Gods, Creation & the Legacy of Ramses II

Where ancient beliefs, royal ambition and the stories of the gods meet the timeless landscape of the Nile.

Aswan and the lands to its south have a special place in the story of ancient Egypt.  Here, the Nile, the islands and the great temples are woven into some of the oldest stories of creation, the gods and the Pharaohs.  The story of Isis and Osiris, the mysteries of the island of Philae and the ancient Egyptian understanding of how the world began all find a natural home in this part of Egypt.

I’ve also included several stories about Ramses II, whose ambitions stretched far beyond the borders of Egypt.  From his military campaign towards Kadesh to his relationship with Nefertari and the extraordinary legacy he left at Abu Simbel, these stories offer a glimpse of a Pharaoh who was determined to make his name last for eternity.

There is history here, but also mythology, love, power and a remarkable understanding of how to leave a mark on the world.

Beyond the Pharaohs – Ancient Knowledge, Symbols & Forgotten Connections

Some stories don’t belong to a particular place or period.  They reach across centuries, cultures and ideas.

Not everything I find fascinating about ancient Egypt can be pinned to a temple, a tomb or a particular Pharaoh.  Some subjects take us into the world of ancient beliefs and knowledge; others explore symbols whose meanings may have been lost or forgotten, or connections between Egypt and places far beyond its borders.

Here I’ve brought together a few of those wider explorations.  From the Narmer Palette and the role of Heka in ancient Egyptian thought, to the possibility of rediscovering ancient knowledge through BioGeometry, these stories invite us to look beyond the conventional accounts.  There is also the intriguing Irish connection of Scota, traditionally described as an ancestor of the kings of Ireland.

Some of these subjects are firmly rooted in historical evidence, others involve interpretation, tradition or theories that remain open to debate.  I find that part of their appeal.  They raise questions, challenge familiar ideas and sometimes take us in unexpected directions.

There are many more chapters to explore, from Egypt’s medieval dynasties and royal families to its more recent history, remarkable characters and enduring legends.  Return to my Egyptian History & Culture Stories cornerstone collection to discover them.