6 Bronze Age Board Game of “Hounds and Jackals”

An ancient game existing with the modern name “Hounds and Jackals” was uncovered in 1910 near a tomb of an ancient Egyptian pharaoh that dates to the 12th Dynasty. Also known as “58 holes,” the game gained great popularity in the Middle Kingdom.

In 1910, British archeologist Howard Carter excavated a complete gaming set which is today called “Hounds and Jackals” from the Egyptian city of Thebes. The game emerged from the tomb of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Amenemhat IV who reigned during the 12th Dynasty.

The board has an ax-blade-like shape and features a large palm tree on its upper surface. Around the tree are 58 holes constructed evenly around the edges. The board rests on four legs and also contains a drawer to store the game pieces that include five pins with hounds’ heads and five pins with jackals’ heads. 

The rules of this ancient game are simple. The game has two players. One player takes hounds heads and the other takes jackal heads. The goal of the game is to begin from one point on the board, move with the assigned figures, and reach another point on the board. (Source)

7 Canopic Jars

Excavators at a tomb on Luxor’s west bank in Egypt discovered four well-preserved canopic jars in 2018. The jars are from the 26th Dynasty and belonged to the “Lady of the House Amenirdis.”

In 2018, a set of well-preserved canopic jars surfaced from Karabasken’s tomb resting on the West Bank of Luxor in Egypt. The discovery was a part of the South Asasif Conservation project founded in 2006 to restore and reconstruct the tombs of Karabasaken and also Karakhamun and Irtieru. According to the findings of the project, the jars belonged to the “Lady of the House Amenirdis” from the 26th Dynasty.

The jars emerged from the 50-centimeter-deep ground and possess sides of varying sizes, between 35.5 to 39.4 centimeters. Their lids also feature various shapes, including that of a balloon, falcon, a man, and jackal. The jars feature Egyptian alabaster construction and probably held viscera. The conservation team also recovered a large amount of resin from these jars. (Source)

8 3,000-Year-Old Egyptian Painter’s Palette with Pigments Intact

The Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibits a tool of an Egyptian painter that dates back to 1390-1352 BCE. The palette made from a single ivory piece has cakes of black, red, blue, brown, green, and yellow pigments. The artist’s tool contains inscriptions featuring the throne name of Amenhotep III and the epithet “Beloved of Re.”

The Metropolitan Museum of Art holds a paint palette that probably belongs to Amenhotep III of the 18th Dynasty. The palette discovered is carved from a single piece of ivory. It has oval wells that contain remnants of pigments of red, black, yellow, blue, green, and brown.

Also, the end of the palette holds an inscription of the ancient pharaoh in hieroglyphs. Furthermore, the cartouche at the end also encircles the epithet “Beloved of Re” and the throne name of ancient ruler Nebmaatre. The year of one of the most interesting Egyptian archaeological discoveries is not known. (1, 2)

9 The World’s Only Intact Fossil of a Whale

Basilosaurus, an 18-meter-long fossil of a whale dating about 40 million years ago, was found at Wadi Al-Hitan in 1905. The world’s first complete fossil of its kind discovered to date includes the remains of other sea creatures inside the giant whale’s stomach.

In 2015, the Egyptian Ministry of Environment announced one of the most enthralling Egypt archaeological discoveries – the world’s first intact fossil of a prehistoric whale. The fossil emerged during excavation work done at the World Heritage Site, Wadi Al-Hitan, situated in the Western Desert of Egypt.

The fossil that goes by the name “Basilosaurus” was first discovered onsite in 1905. The 18-meter long Basilosaurus dates about 40 million years ago and is the only fully complete fossil of its kind. 

The fossil reveals the whale’s complete skeleton along with remains of sea creatures inside the creature’s stomach. The remains of other sea creatures include a small whale, a crab, and a sawfish. The team of scientists studying the fossil also discovered sets of shark teeth. These findings eventually indicated how the whale met its fate.

As per current reports, Basilosaurus resides as a main figure at the Fossil and Climate Change Museum in Wadi Al-Hitan. (1, 2)

10 Ushabti, aka Small Model Figurines

Ushabti or shabti dolls, aka funerary figures, appeared by the time of the New Kingdom (1570-1069 BCE). These Egyptian archaeological discoveries shaped in the form of adult mummies were made of wood and stone. Ancient texts suggest that these figurines represented anonymous workers who accompanied the deceased to the afterlife.

The ushabti or shabti refers to small model figurines buried in the tombs of the people in Ancient Egypt. Designed in the form of adult mummies, they appeared in tombs by the time of the New Kingdom (1570-1069 BCE). 

The wooden dolls or figurines were placed in the grave to act as a workforce for the dead in the afterlife. Their name may derive from Egyptian “swb” which corresponds to “answer,” asserting that they were “responders” to the Gods’ summons to work. Each doll also carried an inscription that specified the role of that particular figure. (1, 2, 3)