I figured that, since I've been writing so much about Hypatia of Alexandria lately, it might be a good idea to give you more information on the establishment where she taught and studied: the Library of Alexandria! The Library of Alexandria was the largest institution of its kind in the ancient world, containing 500,000 written works (some accounts even put this figure higher, at around a million volumes!). Ptolemaic rulers added to its collection by borrowing scrolls from th

Welcome to the first #ThutmoseTuesday! Each Tuesday, in honor of my favorite pharaonic family, I'll be posting about some aspect of Egyptian history or culture pertaining to the 18th Dynasty and/or the Thutmoside pharaohs. This week, I've got an intriguing and oft-overlooked episode from the middle of the 18th Dynasty, involving Thutmose IV, the Sphinx, and a whole lot of sand. Thutmose IV was the eighth king of the 18th Dynasty; he was preceded by Amenhotep II, succeeded by

Before you can engage in any kind of in-depth exploration of ancient Egyptian history and culture, it's vital that you have an understanding of how Egyptologists divide and categorize Egypt's history. In my posts you'll probably see me throwing around terms like "New Kingdom" or "Second Intermediate Period." Don't worry if you don't recognize these names yet... you will! OUTLINE A post about the intricacies of dating and organizing ancient Egyptian history could get really co

What better way to start off The Egypt Geek than with a profile of one of the most interesting, powerful, and inspiring figures in Egyptian history: the female pharaoh Maatake Hatshepsut. Hatshepsut was the daughter of a pharaoh, the wife of a pharaoh, and the stepmother of a pharaoh before becoming one herself. She was born in the 16th century B.C.E., to Pharaoh Thutmose I and Queen Ahmes, hundreds of years before Nefertiti and Tutankhamun, and more than a thousand years be

When I tell people that I'm majoring in egyptology, one of the most common follow-up questions I get is: "So, what is that, exactly?" While I recognize that there are many people out there familiar with the field of egyptology and everything it entails, I've gotten the impression that most of the general public is unaware of the finer details of the discipline and what being an egyptologist truly means. So here we go! First thing's first: mummies. This seems to the be point t