Most of us celebrate the New Year by staying up late and having fun with friends. For the ancient Egyptians it was a time of fear and dread.Why? Because no one knew exactly when the New Year would arrive. It all depended on when the Nile River began its annual flooding. To make matters worse, no one knew exactly how it would flood either. The stakes were high: if the … [Read more...] about How the Ancient Egyptians Celebrated New Year’s
Ancient Egypt
“Do Mummies Walk Around at Night?”
At the Savannah Children's Book Festival this weekend, I told lots of stories about mummies and myths. At least once a storytelling session, a younger child would ask, "Do the mummies get up and walk around at night?"I always answered, "Nope, but do you want to know why people used to think they did?"Even the older kids who had smiled indulgently at the question, nodded their … [Read more...] about “Do Mummies Walk Around at Night?”
Did Cleopatra Wear a Wig?
Cleopatra was Greek, so no surpriseher busts depicted her in theHellenistic fashion of the day. According to busts carved during her lifetime, Cleopatra wore her hair in the Greek fashion—long hair wound up in a bun in the back. She was, of course, the last in her dynasty of Greek rulers, so it’s not surprising she preferred to emphasize her Greek … [Read more...] about Did Cleopatra Wear a Wig?
Did She Or Didn’t She?
One of the more fascinating legends about Cleopatra involves a very big pearl and a swig of wine. According to Pliny, Cleopatra bet Mark Antony that she could outspend him on a party. Game on! Antony went all-out for his shin-ding. When it was her turn, the queen held an ordinary banquet. Thinking he’d won, Mark Antony began to gloat. Until Cleopatra took off an oversized … [Read more...] about Did She Or Didn’t She?
The Ancients where ‘Whizzes’ at Bleaching Teeth
The earliest Egyptians cleaned their teeth with powdered ox hooves, myrrh, eggshells and pumice. How they applied such a yummy mix of flavors and textures to their teeth is unknown. Ancient Romans scrubbed their choppers with a toothpaste made of rock salt and nettle (a variety which the Romans used to polish glass). They probably threw in a fragrant flower or two to make … [Read more...] about The Ancients where ‘Whizzes’ at Bleaching Teeth
