Today, we're diving right into the core of Thutmose Tuesday itself: the name "Thutmose". For the ancient Egyptians, names held tremendous power. If your name lived on in the memories of your family (or, if you were a pharaoh, in the hearts and minds of your subjects), then your spirit would endure forever in the afterlife. This was primarily why Egyptian kings built such extravagant tombs and mortuary temples, so they would be remembered and worshipped for generations to come

One of the most recognizable elements of ancient Egyptian culture is the distinctive writing style known as "hieroglyphics." Hieroglyphics are "pictographs," symbols/images that represent a certain word or phrase. Egyptian hieroglyphics are very ancient, dating back to the dawn of the dynastic period; however, they are not the oldest known form of writing, being predated by Sumerian cuneiform from Mesopotamia (Iraq). Like any language, over the centuries hieroglyphics changed

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