Julia Herdman's Blog: Julia Herdman Books

Introduction The dog catacombs at Saqqara at part of the World Heritage site at Saqqara, an ancient Egyptian burial site located in the desert west of the Nile, near Memphis. The dog catacombs, as they are known, date to 747-730 B.C.   Saqqara is the location of the Step Pyramid of Djoser, the oldest surviving […]

The post The Dog Catacombs at Saqqara appeared first on Julia Herdman Books.

Did Cleopatra Kill Herself? The death of Cleopatra has been a topic of debate for centuries. There are many theories about how she died, but the most popular theory is that she killed herself. There are several reasons why people believe that Cleopatra killed herself. First, she was pregnant with Antony’s child. Second, Cleopatra was […]

The post Did Cleopatra Kill Herself? appeared first on Julia Herdman Books.

 Why Did Cleopatra Kill Herself? Juan Luna de San Pedro y Novicio Ancheta Public Domain. Did Cleopatra wish to be noble in death, or did she fear public humiliation at the hands of Octavius Augustus? The Death of Cleopatra VII, the last ruler of Ptolemaic Egypt, took place on the 10th or 12th August, 30 […]

The post Questions in Egyptology 9: Why Did Cleopatra Kill Herself? appeared first on Julia Herdman Books.

Babi the Baboon God of Ancient Egypt Babi, also Baba in ancient Egyptian religion, was a deified baboon. For that reason, his name is usually translated as “bull of the baboons”. In other words, he was the “chief of the baboons”. Without a doubt, the ancient Egyptians worshipped across the whole of Egypt but the […]

The post Babi God of Ancient Egypt appeared first on Julia Herdman Books.

Who was Babi or Baba? Babi or Baba, the ‘Bull of the Baboons’ was an early version of Thoth. The earliest evidence of the worship of Babi and baboons comes from Early Dynastic ivory tags. He is depicted as a white-backed baboon. Ivory label of Semerkhet, Dynasty One, Abydos. Image of Babi the Baboon seated […]

The post Questions in Egyptology 8: Who was Babi / Baba? appeared first on Julia Herdman Books.

The Ancient Egyptians may be best known for building pyramids and for their river boats but were they also good sailors? Did the ancient Egyptians build ships for sea trade and did they go to sea? Plutarch tells us that the ancient Egyptians equated the seas with Typhon, the Greek version of the Egyptian god […]

The post Ancient Egyptian Sea Trade appeared first on Julia Herdman Books.

Advertisement – New Mini-history of Champollion by Julia Herdman           Did the Ancient Egyptians go to Sea? Plutarch tells us that the ancient Egyptians equated the seas with Typhon, the Greek version of the Egyptian god of chaos Seth. Having said that, some ancient Egyptian mariners must have sailed along the […]

The post Questions in Egyptology 7: Did the Ancient Egyptians go to Sea? appeared first on Julia Herdman Books.

Did Anubis have a magic eye? In popular and media culture, Anubis is often falsely portrayed as the sinister god of the dead. This version of Anubis gained popularity during the 20th and 21st centuries through books, video games, and movies. Artists gave him evil powers, including an evil eye, and a dangerous army. Despite […]

The post Questions in Egyptology 6: Did Anubis Have a Magic Eye? appeared first on Julia Herdman Books.

Questions in Egyptology No. 5   What was the punishment for tomb-robbing? The answer to this question rather depended on who was doing the tomb robbing.   The Pharaheos Pharaohs robbed the graves of their long-dead ancestors for treasure in much the same way the Vikings robbed the Bronze Age barrows of the Boyne in […]

The post What was the punishment for tomb robbing? appeared first on Julia Herdman Books.

New Book by Julia Herdman – Champollion – The Rosetta Stone What was the punishment for Ancient Egyptians if they were caught robbing tombs? Well, it rather depended on who was doing the robbing. Pharaohs robbed the graves of their long-dead ancestors for treasure in much the same way the Vikings robbed the Bronze Age […]

The post Questions in Egyptology 5: What was the punishment for Ancient Egyptians if caught tomb-robbing? appeared first on Julia Herdman Books.