My Egyptian Home.. (Cortina)

When most people think of a home, they think of it being constructed out of wood or stone brick. Wood was very scare in ancient Egypt, so most homes were made of mud brick. This type of construction only lasted a few years, mainly due to corrosion and crumbling. Mud brick homes were constructed for people who were of low social status.
My home was an extravagant home on an estate in the countryside. Our home was made from stone, taken from stone quarries. Stone is much more sturdier and lasts a lot longer than mud brick. Our home had high ceilings with pillars. The walls were lavishly decorated with painted scenery, and we had beautifully tiled floors. Outdoors we had secluded gardens and courtyards with palm trees to protect us from the hot sun and provide us with some privacy. Our pool was stocked with exotic fish from the Nile river. We also had servant quarters, a stable, and a shrine room for worship.
Almost all homes constructed in Egypt during my time had a stairway that led to a flat roof. This is where many Egyptians spent a lot of their time, and it helped with the sweltering Egyptian heat. Nearly all Egyptian homes had hearths, but they were not primarily for warmth, they were used for cooking. The majority of Egyptian homes did not have much furniture, due to the lack of wood.  When we had mealtimes, the servants would bring us our food and we would sit on cushions and eat from a low table. During the evening times the servants would light lamps stands made from papyrus plants.  

A Day in My Life (Teresa)

It was expected that I be married at a young age.  I, like most other princesses of my day, got married in my early teens.  It was expected that we would marry the next Pharaoh in line for the throne.  Most of the time, it was our own brother we were married to.  In my case, I was married to my father before my brother.  In all, I had four husbands, including my grandfather.

Pharaohs were expected to marry a number of wives.  I, being my husband’s sister, was the chief wife.  I was known as my kings 'Great Royal Wife.’  Some princesses of my time would be married to Egyptian noblemen.  Pharaohs never allowed their daughters to marry foreign royalty.  After my third husband's death - and going against this tradition - I reached out to a neighboring king to marry one of his sons.  Unfortunately, subjects in my kingdom murdered my husband-to-be because they did not want a foreigner to be king.

I actually received a good education and I knew how to write.  Usually, Egyptian girls were not given an education and instead were taught things like spinning and weaving.  These domestic skills were things I did not need to learn.

I loved music and dancing.  I played games with my sisters and brothers and even with my ladies in waiting.  My favorite game was a dancing game called the 'Hathor Dance' where we danced in a ring while holding mirrors and sistrums - this was a rattle sacred to Hathor.  'Pressing the Grapes' was my favorite game along with playing with balls.  Another pastime I enjoyed was swimming.  We actually had our own swimming pool in our palace.

I had servants for everything and was pampered with the finest fruits, foods, and wines.  I had the finest clothes.

Imhotep and Ankhesenamun (Teresa)

Me & Imhotep in Movie Poster

In the movie series "The Mummy" I was very impressed the makers of these films chose to use actual historical figures.  Unfortunately, I was disappointed at how they portrayed Imhotep.  In the movie, Imhotep was high priest in 1290 BCE under the rule of Pharaoh Seti I.  He began an affair with Pharaoh Seti's mistress, Ankhesenamun, and they murder the Pharaoh when he discovers it.  After doing so, they are discovered and Ankhesenamun commits suicide with the intention of having Imhotep resurrect her.  He attempts to do so but is captured at Hamunaptra, and is punished by enduring the Curse of Hom Dai, a ritual that involved cutting out his tongue and mummifying Imhotep alive with his sarcophagus filled with carnivorous scarab beetles.  As a result of the curse, Imhotep was made an undead fiend with control over sand and other elements. 

The real Imhotep

OK - now to set the record straight.  To begin with, I never met Imhotep.  He was born approximately 1,000 years before me and lived during the reign of King Djoser, of the Third Dynasty.  He is most famous for having designed Djoser's Step Pyramid which is the first known true pyramid in Ancient Egypt.  His responsibilities included being the High Priest and Chief Architect of Heliopolis.  He was also a physician.  Imhotep diagnosed and treated over 200 diseases, 15 diseases of the abdomen, 11 of the bladder, 10 of the rectum, 29 of the eyes, and 18 of the skin, hair, nails and tongue.  Imhotep treated tuberculosis, gallstones, appendicitis, gout and arthritis.  He also performed surgery and practiced some dentistry.  Far from being cursed, Imhotep was actually revered.  He was deified as a god of wisdom and learning and we all believed he was son of the god Ptah.  There is a temple dedicated to him at Philae.  I do not know where he is buried, but he did live to be an old man.

In addition to the facts about Imhotep, I have to tell you I have never heard of the place called  Hamunaptra.  Plus, we have never had any pyramids at Thebes and there are no such thing as flesh-eating scarabs.  Scarabs eat dung and do not move very fast.  I am very grateful this part of the movie is not historically accurate!

Some History... (Cortina)

I was born in Waset (now known as Thebes) but I grew up in the city named after my father, Akehenaten (now known as Amarna). Life for an Egyptian Princess was not always easy. Around the time I was born, there was much controversy surrounding my father, Akehenaten, who was King at the time. His ideas of monotheism created much of the controversy. He decided that all of Egypt should  worship one God, being the most important God above all others, rather than worshiping many Gods, as had been the tradition for a very long time. My father made Aten (god of the sun disk) the most supreme of all of the Gods. He even built a huge palace between the political capital at Memphis and the religious center at Thebes. He named this new palace, Akehenaten, meaning, Place of the Sun Disk's Power.  In the palace he commissioned a stone carving of myself, my sister's, our mother, Queen Nefertiti, and himself. Our life during the time of my early childhood, despite the religious controversy, can be described for the most part as tranquil, and not as formal as the families of the pharaohs that had preceded us. We enjoyed a lavish lifestyle, while the peasants ate a very limited diet, we benefited from a large variety of vegetables, fruits, meats, grains, nuts and wine.   

Initial Post (Teresa & Cortina)

My name is Ankhesenamun although I was born as Ankhesenpaaten.  I was the third of six known daughters of the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten and his Great Royal Wife Nefertiti.  During the Armana period, I grew to become the Great Royal Wife of my half-brother Tutankhamun.  I was 13 years old when I married Tutankhamun, and he was around 8 years old.  Throughout our rule during the span of ten years, we had two daughters. Both girls were born prematurely and unfortunately, passed away immediately.  My Grandfather, Ay, was my husband's official advisor.  My Grandfather was very influential during our reign due to our young age at the time.

Please enjoy reading my blog!