Author
Garry Shaw
is an Egyptologist, writer and editor. He holds a PhD in Egyptology from the University of Liverpool, where he studied the pharaoh’s role in day-to-day political affairs. This was also the subject of his first book, published in 2008. He has undertaken archaeological fieldwork in the UK, Turkey and Egypt; worked with various world museums; and has taught Egyptology at the American University in Cairo and the University of Liverpool.
Articles by this author
The ancient Egyptians adorned themselves with eye-makeup from at least 4400 BC, and used stone palettes, carved in elaborate shapes, to grind the pigments. These cosmetic palettes were so cherished that they were hung in the home and even taken to the grave.
The pharaohs are often presented as wise leaders, great warriors, and perfect priests, but such presentations are based on ideological propaganda, and might be far removed from reality. In this article, we delve into the human side of the pharaoh, recreating a typical day in the life of a New Kingdom ruler.
Of all the mummies at the museum in Cairo, the sight of this one will make you shudder. Seqenenre Tao’s face, twisted from suffering excruciating pain, has been frozen in that state for almost three thousand years. The story of his death is not for the faint of heart.
When Ramses II built his new capital of Pi-Ramses in the northeast Delta, he filled it with luxurious palaces, temples and mansions. As the New Kingdom neared its end, and the local canal dried up, much of the stonework was transported northwards to the new capital city of Tanis. The modern visitor to Tanis will discover a random array of statues, disembodied stone limbs and royal tombs.
Akhenaten is for many Egyptians something of a hero, a rebel with a distinct religious vision. In his lifetime, however, he was reviled by many as a megalomaniac and troublemaker. We take a day trip to the king’s purpose-built capital city, Tell al-Amarna.