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The Papyrus of Ani is an ancient Egyptian funerary manuscript created around 1250 BCE during the Nineteenth Dynasty for Ani, a Theban scribe. Written in hieroglyphs and richly illustrated, it contains spells and declarations from the collection now called the Book of the Dead, intended to guide the...
The Madrid Codex, also known as the Tro-Cortesianus Codex, is one of the few surviving pre-Columbian Maya screenfold manuscripts. Written and painted on a long strip of bark paper coated with a prepared white surface, it is the longest of the surviving Maya codices. Its hieroglyphic texts and images...
The Pyramid Texts of Unas represent some of the oldest surviving religious texts from Ancient Egypt. Dating to the Old Kingdom, these inscriptions were originally carved into the walls of King Unas’s pyramid at Saqqara. They contain spells intended to aid the deceased in the afterlife offering insig...
The Copán Hieroglyphic Stairway is a monumental limestone structure in Honduras featuring intricately carved Mayan glyphs. Constructed around 800 AD, it represents one of the longest continuous inscriptions ever discovered. The stairway provides invaluable insight into the history, politics, and rel...
The Medinet Habu Sea Peoples Inscriptions are a series of extensive Egyptian reliefs dating to the New Kingdom period. These carvings document the pharaoh Ramesses III's campaigns against the Sea Peoples, a diverse group of raiders who threatened Egypt’s stability. The inscriptions provide invaluabl...
The Yaxchilan Lintel 24 is a stone inscription carved by the Maya during the Classic period. It depicts Lady Xoc, a high-ranking noblewoman, engaged in a bloodletting ritual – a common practice signifying connection with the gods and demonstrating royal power. The intricate hieroglyphic carving offe...
Yaxchilan Lintel 25 is a carved stone inscription dating to the 8th century CE. It depicts Lady Xoc, a ruler of the Maya city-state of Yaxchilan, performing a ritual involving a vision serpent figure. The intricate hieroglyphic text provides valuable insight into Mayan religious beliefs and royal ic...
The Grolier Codex, officially renamed the Maya Codex of Mexico, is a pre-Columbian Maya screenfold manuscript generally dated to the 13th century. Its surviving pages pair painted figures with calendrical signs connected to the cycles of Venus. Long disputed because of its unusual discovery history,...
The Saqqara Pyramid Texts of Teti represent a significant collection of Old Kingdom Egyptian hieroglyphic inscriptions. Carved into the walls of King Teti’s pyramid complex in Saqqara, these texts are among the earliest known examples of funerary literature. They provide invaluable insight into anci...
The Paris Codex, also called Codex Peresianus, is one of the few surviving screenfold books attributed to the pre-Columbian Maya. Written and painted on prepared bark paper, it contains hieroglyphic texts, calendrical material, ritual almanacs, deity figures, and a sequence often interpreted as a Ma...
Piedras Negras Panel 3 is a carved Maya limestone from 8th-century CE Guatemala depicting a bloodletting ritual, notable for its exceptional artistic detail and historical context.
The Palenque Palace Tablet is a Classic Maya limestone monument originally located within the Palace complex of the ancient city of Palenque in Chiapas, Mexico. The intricately carved artifact is renowned for its extensive hieroglyphic text, which documents the royal lineage and political history of...
The Dos Pilas Hieroglyphic Stairway is a Classic period Maya monument located at the archaeological site of Dos Pilas in the Petén region of Guatemala. Dating to the 7th century CE, the stairway is inscribed with extensive hieroglyphic texts that chronicle the dynastic history of the city. The carvi...
Quiriguá Stele C is a sandstone monument located at the ancient Maya archaeological site of Quiriguá in Guatemala. Erected in 775 CE by the Maya ruler K'ak' Tiliw Chan Yopaat, the stele bears intricate hieroglyphic inscriptions. It is particularly notable for containing one of the earliest precisely...
Dating to approximately 727 BCE, the Piye Victory Stele is a granite monument from the Nubian Kingdom of Kush that records King Piye's military conquest of Egypt. Discovered at the temple of Amun in Gebel Barkal, the artifact contains over 150 lines of hieroglyphic text. This makes it the longest kn...
The Scorpion Macehead is a decorated limestone macehead from late Predynastic Egypt, generally dated to around 3100 BC. Its surviving relief shows a ruler commonly called Scorpion II wearing the White Crown and holding a hoe beside a watercourse, an image often interpreted as an agricultural or irri...
The Libyan Palette, also known as the Towns Palette, is a shield-shaped stone artifact from Predynastic Egypt, dating to around 3100-3000 BC. Carved from schist, it depicts scenes of animals and stylized fortified settlements, along with early hieroglyphic signs. Unlike ceremonial palettes designed...
Tonina Monument 101 is a carved Maya stone monument from the late classic period, discovered at the archaeological site of Toniná in Chiapas, Mexico. Dating to the 8th century, the sculpture vividly depicts the capture of K'inich Kan Joy Chitam, a prominent ruler of the rival city-state of Palenque....
The Satrap Stele is a 311 BC Egyptian monument detailing the conflict between Ptolemy I and Antigonus, notable for its political and historical record of early Hellenistic Egypt.
