Herodotus' Words: Cambyses' Maddness

The Histories by Herodotus painted the most fascinating, colorful and BS stories considering his work meant to be non-fiction. Herodotus diagnosed Cambyses with madness and in his work Histories, he wrote events which supported his claim.

Cambyses in Vigor Boucquet's
The judgement of Cambyses

Herodotus' Words: Cambyses II in Egypt

The Histories by Herodotus painted the most fascinating, colorful and BS stories considering his work meant to be non-fiction. Herodotus’ account of Cambyses invasion of Egypt was already filled with gossip and stories, but his stay in Egypt continued this flair.

Image of Cambyses with prisoners

Herodotus' Words: Cambyses II and His Conquest of Egypt

The Histories by Herodotus painted the most fascinating, colorful and BS stories considering his work meant to be non-fiction. Nevertheless, it continued to serve as a source for many historical events and personalities, from Greeks, Scythians, and Persians albeit taking them with a handful of salt. His description of the reign of Cambyses certainly tells numerous interesting stories.

Cambyses II and his retinue in Egypt in a scene by Jean-Adrien Guignet

What was the Urabi Revolt?

Urabi Revolt displayed a resolved of a people to resist against economic and political incursion of a foreign power.

Who was Ismail Pasha?

A visionary desiring to transform Egypt into a beacon of modernization in North Africa, but Ismail Pasha left a legacy of debt that brought his country to the hands of imperial powers.

Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: Great Pyramid of Giza

19th century stereopticon depicting the Great Pyramid

Known as the Horizon of Khufu, the Great Pyramid of Giza is the last remaining Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It served as a tomb of the Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt. It mobilized thousands of men and resources in order to attain such a gargantuan monument. A monument that served as the testament to the wealth and power as well as ingenuity of Ancient Egyptians.

Papyrus: Foundation of Modern Paper

Example of a papyrus (source: Wikimedia, public domain)

Paper had been and has been an essential part of mankind. It allows improvement it recording, writing, and communication. Many civilization tried to create a form of medium for writing, from Americas to China. But the Egyptians were among the first, if not the first, to develop a material that would lead to creation of paper. From the stems of a plant, the Egyptian created the papyrus.

Beer and Ancient Egypt

Other than the Sumerians, there was another ancient civilization capable of producing and consuming beer. The Sumerians were known as beer consumers. They produced it from the barley that grew in the fertile lands of the Tigris and the Euphrates River. Women had the monopoly of the beer brewing industry with the female goddess Ninkasi as the testament to this dominance. However, the Sumerians were not just the drunkards of beer in the ancient world. Just at the southwest of region of Mesopotamia, another civilization flourish and proved to be another beer drinking civilization. The Egyptians flourish for thousands of years. Its fertile lands were fit to cultivate barley which was used to produce beer or what they called heneket or booza.

Khafre: The Builder of the Sphinx

The Great Sphinx of Giza in 1870's. The face is said to be modeled from Pharaoh Khafre

Egypt – land of the Pharaohs and pyramids. Its tombs and monuments fascinated both tourist and intellects alike. In the Giza Plateau, the staggering Great Pyramid of Pharaoh Khufu stands as the testament of the power, wealth, and eternal life of the pharaoh. Next to the Great Pyramid of Khufu lies another monumental pyramid. And near to the plateau stands on guard a giant structure depicting a sitting lion with a head of a human known to all as the sphinx. This two iconic structures were the result of the reign of the Pharaoh Khafre.

Symbol of Lebanon in the Ancient World

Lebanese Flag

Lebanon is a country located in the Middle East. It is surrounded by Syria to the north and east; by Israel to the south; and the vast expanse of the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Its flag has three horizontal stripes, two red stripes with a white stripe in the middle. At the center of the flag lies a cedar tree. But why a cedar tree placed in the middle of the flag of this Middle Eastern country?

Khufu: Pharaoh Who Built a Wonder

Pharaoh Khufu

Egypt is a land of desert sands. Even though the desert sands were inhospitable, Egypt became a cradle of civilization because of the River Nile provided food and water to sustain life. Thus Egyptian contributed many of its knowledge to the creation of the modern word. Great monuments to the glory that was Ancient Egypt can be seen across its lands. These monuments became tourist destination and site for archaeologists to study. Among the great monuments was the Great Pyramid of Giza which was synonymous to name to man who laid buried in it, the Pharaoh Khufu.