There is no feminism to speak of at this point in history: no preserved understanding on the part of any of these women that their rule could potentially change the patriarchal system going forward.

In the long run, ancient Egypt was no less cruel and oppressive to women than every other complex society on Earth – but, here, they snatched the gift away after graciously bestowing it. So even ancient Egypt – the only state that consistently allowed female rule – suffered a woman leader only when it had to, expunging her from the eyes of her people as soon as possible.

When Women Ruled the World: Six Queens of Egypt – Kara Cooney

Ancient Egyptians discovered Algol’s variability 3,000 years before western astronomers

archaeologicalnews:

An ancient Egyptian papyrus, known as the Cairo Calendar, could be the oldest historical record of a star’s brightness, providing a new perspective on the development of the Algol triple star system over thousands of years.

Known as the Calendar of Lucky and Unlucky Days, the Cairo Calendar, dated from 1244 – 1163 BC, assigns predictions and prognoses to every day of the Egyptian year. These prognoses indicate whether the day, or part of the day, is considered “good” or “bad”. The calendar also contains information regarding the day’s astronomical observations, such as the behaviour of astronomical objects, especially Algol.

Now researchers say that the astronomical symbolism discovered in the two most Ancient Egyptian myths suggest similar clues could be found in other ancient Egyptian texts. Read more.

Unpublished Egyptian texts reveal new insights into ancient medicine

archaeologicalnews:

The University of Copenhagen in Denmark is home to a unique collection of Ancient Egyptian papyrus manuscripts.

A large part of the collection has not yet been translated, leaving researchers in the dark about what they might contain.

“A large part of the texts are still unpublished. Texts about medicine, botany, astronomy, astrology, and other sciences practiced in Ancient Egypt,” says Egyptologist Kim Ryholt, Head of the Carlsberg Papyrus Collection at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

An international team of researchers are now translating the previously unexplored texts, which according to one of the researchers, contain new and exciting insights into Ancient Egypt. Read more.