Mysteries of Ancient Egypt We Never Knew About

Image Source: History.com

Ancient Egypt was a civilization of ancient North Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River, situated in the place that is now the country Egypt. Ancient Egyptian civilization followed prehistoric Egypt and coalesced around 3100 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under Menes. The history of ancient Egypt occurred as a series of stable kingdoms, separated by periods of relative instability is known as Intermediate Periods: the Old Kingdom of the Early Bronze Age, the Middle Kingdom of the Middle Bronze Age, and the New Kingdom of the Late Bronze Age.

Technology, medicine, and mathematics

In technology, medicine, and mathematics, ancient Egypt achieved a relatively high standard of productivity and sophistication. Traditional empiricism, as evidenced by Edwin Smith and Ebers papyri (c. 1600 BC), is first credited to Egypt. The Egyptians created their alphabet and decimal system.

7 facts you may not know about the ancient Egyptian pyramids?

•  They weren’t all pointed
•  Most pyramids were built west of the Nile
•  The Egyptians used astronomy to guide construction
• We’re still figuring out how they were built
•  They weren’t built by slaves
•  The great pyramid can tell time
• Archaeologists are still uncovering the mysteries of the pyramids

Image Source: The New York Times

The Mystery begins

• Hidden rooms in the Great Pyramid of Giza: It is believed to have been built around 4,500 years ago. Over the years, various archaeological teams have explored the pyramid, reaching what is known as the Queen's Chamber? Those archaeological digs found, hidden behind a false wall, a narrow shaft that climbed at a 40-degree angle up into the pyramid.

• In 1993, the crawler robot Upuaut 2 discovered a small door in the southern shaft of the pyramid, behind which space and another door were later found. In 2010, the modernized robot Djedi took photos from beyond the first door that showed copper handles and red ocher paintings.

• What’s the real age of the Great Pyramid?: The Inventory Stela found in Giza in the 19^th century says that Khufu ordered the Sphinx to be restored, not built. That, along with the furrows on its body which are the result of erosion that took about 8,000 years, places doubt on the age of the Great Pyramid: the Sphinx is considered a younger monument.

• Thermal mystery of the Great Pyramid: Infrared thermographic research of 2016 showed inexplicable hollows underneath the Great Pyramid as well as near the top of it. The lower hollows are supposed to be either some yet unfound chamber or an underground passage. The Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities hasn’t given any comments yet.

• Pyramid construction technology: Chemist Joseph Davidovits states the blocks were made right on top of one another, and this would explain their weight and the lack of gaps between them. However, geologists and paleontologists argue that the blocks are processed sedimentary rocks, thus refuting Davidovits's theory. There's still no single hypothesis.

• The curse of Tutankhamun’s tomb: Studying the tomb in 1922, Howard Carter and his expedition found a plaque with text about a dire punishment that would follow opening the sealed tomb. Carter didn't believe it himself, but by 1930, there were reports of 22 deaths among those who'd been present when the tomb was opened, as well as their family members.  There's still no confirmed explanation of the "curse," the only theory being that of poison on the walls of the tomb and the sarcophagus.

Written By - Violet Priscilla S

Edited By - Anamika Malik