Egyptology

ancient history · archaeology · languages

Decoding hieroglyphics. Egyptologists learned to read ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, a picture-based writing system, by studying the Rosetta Stone, a rock with the same text written in three different scripts.

Amazing architecture. Experts study towering pyramids, grand temples, and elaborate tombs to understand how ancient Egyptians engineered these structures and what they reveal about their beliefs and rulers.

Stories and spells. Egyptologists read ancient Egyptian literature, poems, love songs, and magical spells written on papyrus scrolls to learn what people thought about, feared, and valued.

Mummies tell tales. By carefully examining mummified remains and burial objects, scientists discover what ancient Egyptians ate, what diseases they had, and how they prepared for the afterlife.

Thousands of years. Egyptology covers over 3,000 years of civilization, from around 3000 BC until about 300 AD, when ancient Egyptian religious practices finally faded away.