The discovery of a 5,000 year old stone raises a big question about the birth of Christianity

Researchers discovered 5,000-year-old rock art on the ceiling of a cave in the Egyptian Sahara desert. Credit: Marco Morelli

Italian researchers have discovered what might be the oldest nativity scene ever found — 5,000-year-old rock art that depicts a star in the east, a newborn between parents and two animals. The scene, painted in reddish-brown ochre, was found on the ceiling of a small cavity in the Egyptian Sahara desert, during an expedition to sites between the Nile valley and the Gilf Kebir Plateau.

"It's a very evocative scene which indeed resembles the Christmas nativity. But it predates it by some 3,000 years," geologist Marco Morelli, director of the Museum of Planetary Sciences in Prato, near Florence, Italy

Nativity of Jesus - Wikipedia

Morelli found the cave drawing in 2005, but only now his team has decided to reveal the amazing find. "The discovery has several implications as it raises new questions on the iconography of one of the more powerful Christian symbols," Morelli said.

The scene features a man, a woman missing the head because of a painting detachment, and a baby.

"It could have been interpreted as a normal depiction of a family, with the baby between the parents, but other details make this drawing unique," Morelli said.

He noted the newborn is drawn slightly above as if raising to the sky. Such a position, with the baby not yet between the parents, would have meant a birth or a pregnancy.

"As death was associated with Earth in contemporary rock art from the same area, it is likely that birth was linked to the sky," Morelli said.

The scene becomes more symbolically complex if the other figures, two animals and a small circular feature, are taken into consideration

On the upper part is a headless lion, a mythical beast that appears in several rock art drawings from the same area, while below in the scene a baboon or an anthropomorphic monkey can be seen.

In the east, the Neolithic artist drew what appears to be the star.

The researchers called the site the "Cave of the Parents."

"No doubt it's an intriguing drawing," Morelli said. "We didn't find similar scenes until the early Christian age."

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The above post is reprinted from materials provided by Livescience . Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

Creepy assassination of Ramesses III. After thousands of years, Egyptologists reveals how great king was killed

Ramesses III Photo: wikipedia.org

New research reveals that the royal mummy of the pharaoh was killed by multiple assailants who pounced on his group, with various types of weapons.

Besides the plotters have cut his throat, advanced imaging techniques revealed that the thumb of the pharaoh was cut. This would have been kept deliberately secret of Egyptians embalmed.

Ramesses III Mummy Photo: wikipedia.org

A new book written by Egyptologist Zahi Hawass and radiologist Sahar Saleem, from Cairo University, entitled "Scanning Pharaohs Imaging CT royal mummies of the New Kingdom", describes recent findings. Using scanning computed tomography (CT), the team was able to find new evidence of an ancient conspiracy against Ramses III.

Previous research has allowed the team to determine the cause of death. Scientists have discovered the cause of death of Ramesses III - a cut throat with a sharp knife, which has split the trachea and esophagus. This would be killed instantly.

Recent study by the team found the Pharaoh, his death almost time suffered various wounds from weapons being involved revealing more attackers.

Ramesses III Photo: pinterest

"The finger's great Ramesses III was probably cut with an ax," said radiologist Sahar Saleem.

Because plague is in anatomical perspective, away from the wound that caused death and caused by a different weapon scientists believe that this injury would have been caused by another attacker.

While a plotter attacked in front with an ax or a sword, another person attacked from behind with a knife or dagger.

"It is very likely that the Egyptians embalmed pharaoh who try to obscure pharaoh finger assassination," said Saleem Live Science.

Attempts in the late 1800s to unpack mummy could not find his legs, which were linked in thick layers of bandages covered with tar. The body was also "fattening" with packaging materials inserted under the skin to beautify Pharaoh him to the afterlife.

Pharaoh Ramesses III ruled Egypt between 1186-1155 BC

Photo: wikipedia.org

According to Live Science, ancient documents reveal that one of his wives, Tiye, organized the assassination of Pharaoh in order to secure the throne for her son Pentawere.

Pentawere was second after his half-brother, Amun-HER-khepeshef and in a plot involving servants, administrators and other members of the royal family, Tiye organized the assassination of Ramses III and overthrow his successor to appoint Pentawere Pharaoh.

Pharaoh was killed, but the conspirators were judged for their deed and all, including Tiye and Pentawere were executed.After being called pharaoh, Amun-her-khepeshef became Ramses IV.

While details of the ancient papyri were talking about assassination pharaoh Ramesses III, there was no evidence to CT scanning.


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• August 12 is the day the last monarch of Egypt died Cleopatra VII. Her story would be known millennia later

• Ancient mummy of a teenage girl dates to the 17th Dynasty and fine jewelry was discovered in Draa Abul Naga

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The above post is reprinted from materials provided by Mail Online . Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

Strange text written on an Egyptian papyrus. It contains a magical invocation used by ancient Christians

A Greek papyrus dating back some 1,500 years from an ancient Egyptian city refers to Jesus' Last Supper and manna from heaven.

A small Egyptian papyrus discovered John Rylands library Research Institute of the University of Manchester, it contains one of the oldest "chants" which dates from the early Christian period.

Roberta Mazza stated that the document, which was worn as an amulet, containing a reference to the Last Supper and the "manna fallen from heaven".

It is among the few evidence which shows how the magic was used by Christians in Egypt.

Papyrus, which has existed for 1,500 years, contains fragments of Psalms and the Gospel of Matthew.

Here is the translation of the text:

The translated text on the papyrus reads:

"Fear you all who rule over the earth.

Know you nations and peoples that Christ is our God.

For he spoke and they came to being, he commanded and they were created; he put everything under our feet and delivered us from the wish of our enemies.

Our God prepared a sacred table in the desert for the people and gave manna of the new covenant to eat, the Lord's immortal body and the blood of Christ poured for us in remission of sins."

People of the time believed such passages had magical powers, Mazza told Live Science. Supporting that idea, creases can be seen on the fragment, Mazza said, suggesting the papyrus was folded into a rectangular packet measuring 3 by 10.5 centimeters (1.2 by 4.1 inches), and either placed into a box at home or worn around a person's neck.

Mazza says that when Christians believed that these texts have magical powers. She says the papyrus had been packed into a box of just 3/10 cm and was worn on the neck or kept in the house for magical protection.

Religious texts were written on the back of a document that was used to pay a fee for grain. Papyrus belonged to a tax collector Tertembuthis village, located near the town now called El-Ashmunein.

Interestingly, the person who wrote the text copied him but wrote him personally, because there are many grammar and spelling mistakes, Mazza added.

Papyrus is proof that Egyptians Christians of the past have long kept pagan magical practices while wearing and using amulets.


However, even now some Christians carry their images of saints who have written on various prayers behind you good luck.


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• Creepy assassination of Ramesses III. After thousands of years, Egyptologists reveals how great king was killed

• Deciphering the past - 8 writings still unknown

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The above post is reprinted from materials provided by Live Science . Note: Materials may be edited for content and length

3,000 years old mummy discovered in a tomb in Egypt

Spanish archaeologists have discovered an ancient Egyptian mummy that was in very good condition, near Luxor (Egypt).

This one of the best preserved mummies, it looks like the body of a man who was called Amenrenef a servant of a royal house. This is a colorful wooden sarcophagus.

The tomb was discovered near the southern wall of the Temple of Millions of Years, temple which was built on the west bank of the Nile near Luxor by Pharaoh Thutmosis III (1490-1436 BCE). Known as the "Napoleon of Egypt" was the sixth pharaoh of the 18th dynasty, the most popular of all the dynasties of Egypt.

Amenrenef apparently did not live in the time of Thutmosis III, the tomb is dated around 1,000 BCE The casing was covered with a multitude of colorful decorations representing religious symbols, examples of which are solar symbols, goddesses Isis and Nephthys, who open their wings, the four sons of Horus and other religious scenes.




Other articles on the same theme:

• Egypt in the New Kingdom (ca. 1550–1070 B.C.)
• Frightful mysteries of mummies were untied
• Creepy assassination of Ramesses III. After thousands of years, Egyptologists reveals how great king was killed
• August 12 is the day the last monarch of Egypt died Cleopatra VII. Her story would be known millennia later
• Mysterious inscriptions reveals a Dark Egypt during the reign of Pharaoh Ramesses I

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The above post is reprinted from materials provided by Seeker . Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.