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Five Years

It’s been five years since my Nonno passed away and I still have no words to describe how much I miss my Nonno. The pain I felt on this day five years ago is still ever present and is something that will probably never go away. 

My Nonno was such a big part of my life and everything reminds me of him. The most obvious one, ancient Egypt, reminds me the most of him. My apartment is littered with not only his ancient Egyptian trinkets but also his books. My brain is full of all the wonderful things he taught me. My soul is filled with the passion for ancient history that he instilled in me. 

But it’s not only ancient Egypt – it’s Disney World, anything Italian, even my vacuum cleaner (because he gave it to me). I can’t even clean without a reminder that he isn’t here with us anymore. I can’t ride the Haunted Mansion, Tower of Terror, and the Peoplemover without remembering how much he loved those rides and how much I wish he could be here in Florida with me to enjoy them. 

β€œBut what is grief if not love persevering?” is a quote from WandaVision that I think about frequently and I feel accurately describes my emotions. My grief/love will always be present – and I think that’s the curse of being so lucky. I was so lucky to have my Nonno and to be his granddaughter. 

Five Years
One of my selves dedicated to my Nonno – the Hatshepsut Stela from the Vatican he gave me, the picture frame is his, and in the picture frame is my favorite picture of us from our trip to Pompeii in July of 2024.

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost. 

Follow me @ancientegyptblogΒ onΒ InstagramΒ andΒ TikTokΒ to learn all about ancient Egypt, hieroglyphs, mythology, culture and most importantly, my Nonno!

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Trilobites – Fossil Friday!

Trilobites have been my favorite fossils for as long as I can remember and they are probably my favorite because they look like scarabs 𓐍π“Šͺ𓂋𓂋𓆣π“ͺ! Everything always comes back to ancient Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š– for me! While trilobites and the dung beetle (the real animal that scarabs 𓆣𓆣𓆣 were inspired by) look similar to each other, they do not have many similarities besides that – they were never even on Earth at the same time! 

Trilobites
A plate of trilobites at the AMNH!

Trilobites first evolved during the Cambrian Period around 521 million years ago (mya) . They are classified as an arthropod which means that they have an exoskeleton, and that exoskeleton is what allowed them to fossilize so well. Trilobites lived at the bottom of seas and crawled around scavenging for food! There are over 20,000 different species of trilobites that have been discovered, and they were a very abundant species until they went extinct around 252 mya at the end of the Permian Period – right before the evolution of the dinosaurs. 

William the Hippo with the trilobites at the AMNH.

While trilobites have no religious significance in ancient Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š–, the scarab 𓆣 does! The scarab 𓐍π“Šͺ𓂋𓂋𓆣 is the personification is the god π“ŠΉ Khepri 𓆣𓂋𓇋𓁛. Khepri 𓆣𓂋𓇋𓁛 was considered to be the god π“ŠΉ of the morning/rising sun 𓇳𓏺, and was usually depicted as a scarab 𓐍π“Šͺ𓂋𓂋𓆣, or as a human body with a scarab 𓆣 for a head 𓁢𓏺!

The god π“ŠΉ Khepri 𓆣𓂋𓇋𓁛 symbolizes the β€œlife cycle” – birth π“„Ÿ, death 𓅓𓏏𓏱, and then rebirth π“„Ÿπ“Ώπ“…± in the afterlife 𓇼𓄿𓏏𓉐. This cycle was essential to Egyptian religious beliefs, as Egyptians π“†Žπ“π“€€π“π“ͺ spent their lives preparing for death 𓅓𓏏𓏱 and entering the Duat 𓇼𓄿𓏏𓉐.

The trilobite display at the AMNH.

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost. 

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The End

If you don’t know, I am a middle and high school science teacher and I have been working at my current school for ten π“Ž† years now. Earlier this month was my last day at my school – I mentioned a couple of posts ago that I am making some transitions/changes in my life π“‹Ή and this is one of them! I’m so grateful for the time I spent at my school and all of the wonderful students I got to teach over the past ten π“Ž† years.Β 

End
William and I with a geode at the American Museum of Natural History in NYC.

William and I are standing with a geode π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“‚‹π“ˆ™, which started forming approximately 135 million years ago! While the size of this geode π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“‚‹π“ˆ™ is awe-inspiring, when I was looking back on the pictures 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓏦, to me geode π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“‚‹π“ˆ™ looks like the Hubble Space Telescope images 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓏦 of space. 

Nut π“Œπ“π“‡―π“€­ was the Egyptian goddess π“ŠΉπ“ of the night π“ŽΌπ“‚‹π“Ž›π“„› sky π“Šͺ𓏏𓇯 and the cosmos. Since my brain relates everything to ancient Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š–, this reminded me of her and ancient Egyptian mythology surrounding Nut π“Œπ“π“‡―π“€­ and the cosmos. 

In Middle Egyptian, the words for β€œnight π“ŽΌπ“‚‹π“Ž›π“„›β€ and β€œend π“ŽΌπ“‚‹π“Ž›π“‚π“›β€ are very similar words which I find very fitting for today π“‡π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“‡³. The night π“ŽΌπ“‚‹π“Ž›π“„› is the end π“ŽΌπ“‚‹π“Ž›π“‚π“› of the day and the end π“ŽΌπ“‚‹π“Ž›π“‚π“› of Ra’s 𓇳𓏺𓁛 journey across the daytime sky π“Šͺ𓏏𓇯, but it is also the start of his 12 hour journey into the Duat 𓇼𓄿𓏏𓉐. I’ve always loved the words in the Book of the Dead 𓉐𓂋𓏏𓂻𓅓𓉔𓂋𓏲𓇳𓏺𓍼𓏺 and the Amduat 𓇋𓏢𓅓𓏭𓇼𓄿𓏏𓉐 so I don’t see this change as an end π“ŽΌπ“‚‹π“Ž›π“‚π“› right now…

…I will end this with a quote from one of my favorite Taylor Swift songs which is so fitting for me today; β€œIt was the end of a decade, but the start of an age.” 

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost. 

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Turtle Fossil

While ancient Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š– is my first love, geology is my second! β€œGeology” in a very broad term that means the study of the Earth’s structure, makeup and history! Geology isn’t just the study of rocks π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“‚‹π“ˆ™π“¦ (that is petrology) but paleontology (the study of past life on Earth) falls into that category!Β I love when I am able to combine my love of geology with ancient Egypt! Read below

Turtle Fossil
William and I with the Turtle Fossil on display at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH)

William and I are standing with an extinct land tortoise called a β€œMegalochelys atlas” (it used to be referred to as the β€œGeochelone atlas”) and I always lovingly refer to this fossil as the β€œSmiling Turtle” because it looks like it is very happy! This big guy lived during the late Pliocene Epoch which was about two million years ago and is the largest land tortoise to ever exist!

In ancient Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š–, turtles π“ˆ™π“π“„Ώπ“†‰π“¦ were seen as an ambiguous force because they were creatures of both land 𓇾 and water π“ˆ—. Turtles π“ˆ™π“π“„Ώπ“†‰π“¦ were also seen as the enemy of Ra 𓇳𓏺𓁛, and in chapter 162 of the Book of the Dead, it is stated that β€œMay Ra live, and may the turtle die.” The turtles π“ˆ™π“π“„Ώπ“†‰π“¦ that lived in the Nile π“‡‹π“π“‚‹π“…±π“ˆ—π“ˆ˜π“ˆ‡π“Ί were mostly nocturnal (and definitely not as large as this one), which is probably why they were considered to be Ra’s 𓇳𓏺𓁛 enemy.Β 

Turtle Fossil
The very large Turtle Fossil on display at the American Museum of Natural History

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost. 

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Hatshepsut Brochure

My Nonno was the type of person to keep brochures of the places he visited, and I have always done the same because he always told me to! Looking back, I’m so glad he always told me to keep stuff because I love looking back and remembering the fun things we got to do!

Hatshepsut Brochure
Hatshepsut Brochure

I was going through some of my old stuff yesterday, and I found this wonderful little Hatshepsut Brochure! While this is just a piece of paper to most, I picked up this little audio guide ad while at the β€œHatshepsut: From Queen to Pharaoh” exhibit that the MET put on in 2006! I remember loving it because it has a picture of my absolute favorite Egyptian antiquity on it! The white limestone statue of Hatshepsut will always be my absolute favorite piece!

My whole family came with me for my birthday and we had such an incredible day at that exhibit. The memories of that day are something that I will cherish forever. Finding this also made me really miss my Nonno; while I miss him so much every single day, finding this made it even more prevalent and I’m still feeling it this morning as I write this out.Β 

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost. 

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William Visits The Tree of Life at Animal Kingdom

Did you know that the first mention of any β€œTree of Life π“‡‹π“Ž”π“‚§π“†­β€ is actually from ancient Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š–?! The β€œTree of Life π“‡‹π“Ž”π“‚§π“†­β€ appears in some versions of the creation myth and is said to have grown out of the primordial mound!Β The Tree of Life π“‡‹π“Ž”π“‚§π“†­ is an idea that is still around today and one is located in the Happiest Place on Earth – Disney World!

Tree of Life
William the Hippo with the Tree of Life at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Disney’s Animal Kingdom is an incredibly beautiful 𓄀𓆑𓂋 park and I love it there – the atmosphere and theming is incredible! The symbol for the park is the Tree of Life π“‡‹π“Ž”π“‚§π“†­ and I think all of the different animals carved into the wood 𓆱𓏏𓏺 on the trunk of the tree 𓆭𓅓𓆭 is so cool! I feel like I see something new every time I go! Can you spot William in the picture with the rhinoceros π“†·π“ˆŽπ“ƒ€π“„›?Β 

Tree of Life
Can you spot William on the rhino?

In ancient Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š–, due to the climate, trees 𓆭𓅓𓆭π“ͺ were a rare commodity! Certain trees 𓆭𓅓𓆭π“ͺ were also associated with different deities! There are many tomb paintings where the goddesses π“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“ Hathor 𓉑 or Nut π“Œπ“π“‡―π“€­ are shown emerging from trees 𓆭𓅓𓆭π“ͺ to give the deceased food 𓇬𓀁𓅱𓏔π“₯ and water π“ˆ—. 

The Sycamore Tree π“ˆ–π“‰”π“π“†­ and the Acacia Tree π“ˆ™π“ˆ–π“†“π“†­ are the two trees 𓆭𓅓𓆭π“ͺ that pop up the most in Egyptian mythology. The Sycamore Tree π“ˆ–π“‰”π“π“†­ is usually associated with the goddess π“ŠΉπ“ Hathor 𓉑 and she even has the title β€œLady of the Sycamore,” however, Nut π“Œπ“π“‡―π“€­ and Isis π“Š¨π“π“†‡ will sometimes have that title too! 

Ra’s solar barge 𓂧π“Šͺπ“π“Šž was said to be made of wood 𓆱𓏏𓏺 from the Acacia Tree π“ˆ™π“ˆ–π“†“π“†­, and two Acacia Trees π“ˆ™π“ˆ–π“†“π“†­π“ͺ could also serve as a gateway to the Netherworld which is why they are a symbol of life π“‹Ή and rebirth π“„Ÿπ“Ώπ“…±!

I hope you enjoyed this post about Ancient Egypt in Disney! Be sure to check out my other posts!

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost. 

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The Tower of Terror

The Tower of Terror was one of my Nonno’s absolute favorite rides at Disney World and he was always the oldest person on the ride! The queue for the ride is incredible as are the pre-show rooms because there’s so many cool things to look at, including ancient Egyptian themed things!Β 

Tower of Terror

Do you spot some familiar statues 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾𓏦? William and I found our friend Tutu 𓏏𓏲𓏏𓏲! I was honestly so surprised to see a replica of this statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾 from the MET in the pre-show room (this was the room on the left) because not only is Tutu 𓏏𓏲𓏏𓏲 an obscure deity, but this isn’t a popular or well-known statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾! Tutu 𓏏𓏲𓏏𓏲 was thought to be the god π“ŠΉ of human fate and fortune and the slayer of demons.

Next to Tutu 𓏏𓏲𓏏𓏲 is a replica statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾 of the goddess Bastet π“Ž―π“π“π“ (you can also find one like this at the MET). When Bastet π“Ž―π“π“π“ was depicted with the body of a woman 𓂑𓏏𓁐 (like in this statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾), she was usually holding a sistrum π“Šƒπ“ˆ™π“ˆ™π“π“£ in one hand!

We also found replica statues 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾𓏦 of Isis π“Š¨π“π“₯ and Anubis π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“Šͺ𓅱𓃣!Β 

Tower of Terror

Isis π“Š¨π“π“₯ was thought to be the mother 𓄿𓏏𓁐 of the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻, and was often associated with motherhood, the protection of women π“Šƒπ“π“‚‘π“π“, and a user of magic π“Ž›π“‚“π“„Ώπ“œ.  As Isis π“Š¨π“π“₯ became a more popular religious figure, she was associated with cosmological order and was considered to be the embodiment of fate by the Romans.

Anubis π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“Šͺ𓅱𓃣 (my favorite) was the god π“ŠΉ of mummification π“‹΄π“‚§π“π“…±π“Ž, cemeteries/tombs, and was charged with protecting π“…“π“‚π“Ž‘π“€œ the deceased 𓅓𓏏𓏱.

I hope you enjoyed this post about Ancient Egypt in Disney! Be sure to check out my other posts!

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost. 

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Flowers in Ancient Egypt and Disney!

William and I were lucky enough to attend the Flower and Garden Festival at EPCOT where we got to see all of the beautiful 𓄀𓆑𓂋 flowers 𓆼𓅱𓆰𓏦 and topiaries! The pictures I am posting are some of my favorites that we saw!Β We are also going to use this as an opportunity to examine the significance of flowers 𓆼𓅱𓆰𓏦 in ancient Egypt!

Flowers
William with the Winnie the Pooh topiary at EPCOT!

When we envision Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š–, we usually think of an arid and desert π“ˆŠπ“π“Ί environment. However, flowers 𓆼𓅱𓆰𓏦 were very popular in ancient Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š– and it did have its own beautiful 𓄀𓆑𓂋 plants 𓆾𓆰𓆰𓆰 that were definitely appreciated by the ancient Egyptians π“†Žπ“π“€€π“π“ͺ!

Flowers
William with the Tigger, Piglet, and Eeyore topiaries at EPCOT!

If you look at lists of hieroglyphic symbols, there are 44 individual hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ that represent plants 𓆾𓆰𓆰𓆰! For example, the phonogram/ideogram for the Nile Valley/Upper Egypt is 𓇗 – which represents a flowering plant.

Plants 𓆾𓆰𓆰𓆰 were used for food 𓇬𓀁𓅱𓏔π“₯ and medicine π“‡‹π“…±π“ˆŽπ“π“†°π“¦, so they were vital in that respect. Plants 𓆾𓆰𓆰𓆰 were considered to be so important that Hatshepsut π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ actually sent out an expedition of people to go and look for new plants 𓆾𓆰𓆰𓆰 that could be used for food 𓇬𓀁𓅱𓏔π“₯ or medicine π“‡‹π“…±π“ˆŽπ“π“†°π“¦! The word for β€œmedicine π“‡‹π“…±π“ˆŽπ“π“†°π“¦β€ in Middle Egyptian even has one of the plant hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ in it!Β 

Flowers
William with the Elsa and Anna topiaries at EPCOT!

We still appreciate plants 𓆾𓆰𓆰𓆰 for their beauty 𓄀𓆑𓂋 and usefulness to us even today!

Here is some flower-related vocabulary! 

𓇐𓅓𓆰 – plant (noun)

𓆾𓆰𓆰𓆰 – plants

𓆼𓅱𓆰𓏦 – flowers

𓁷𓂋𓂋𓏏𓆰 – flower

𓍯𓇅 / 𓇅𓆰 – papyrus

𓇆𓆰π“₯ – vegetation

Flowers
William with the Princess Tiana topiary at EPCOT!

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost.Β 

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In Memory of Nonno

February 12th is an extremely difficult day for me, as it has been four years since my Nonno passed away. Everything I do is in memory of Nonno. Below is an excerpt of a speech I gave honoring my Nonno at one of his services:Β 

I have always told people that my Nonno is my favorite person and my favorite teacher.Β  I’ll tell everyone I meet how much I love my Nonno and Nonna.Β  Nonno and I shared a love of ancient Egyptian history and this common interest created such a bond between us. My best childhood memories are the two of us looking through one of his hundreds of books in the basement while we sat at his desk or on the couch.Β  Half of the books in my own collection are actually his. Either because he gave them to me, or because I just took them.

In Memory of Nonno
Nonno and I in September 2013

The best day of my life was when we finally got to walk the streets of Pompeii together.Β  I had been waiting my whole life for those couple of hours. My sister said to me β€œhe had been waiting his whole life for someone to care about that stuff as much as him” and she was so right.Β 

In Memory of Nonno
Nonno and I walking the streets of Pompeii together. This is my favorite picture of us.

My cousin said to me β€œeravete – e sempre sarete un team bellissimo.” You have been and always will be the most beautiful team. And we are. We are the book hoarding, history loving, rock collecting, Italian speaking, Pompeii exploring, drive the rest of the family crazy in museums team. And we always will be.

In Memory of Nonno
Nonno and I outside of Circus Maximus in Rome. My Nonno loved Roman chariots and chariot races!

While there are no words to describe my Nonno, I want to share something I wrote over 25 years ago, that he still has proudly displayed: 

My Nonno

My Nonno is so funny

He is very very silly

I love my Nonno very much

In Memory of Nonno
A poem I wrote about my Nonno on his cabinet.

β€”β€”

I’ve been listening to the song β€œIl tuo sguardo manca” by Il Volo a lot leading up to today because the song really describes a lot of my emotions about my Nonno’s death. This line in particular: β€œma non passa un attimo, che il tuo sguardo manca in ogni strada, ogni cittΓ , dovunque vado” hits especially hard because it is so true.

This whole website, my Instagram page, and everything I do is in memory of Nonno.

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Revenge of the Mummy

I found this picture 𓏏𓅱𓏏 from 2004 and it was too good to not share!! As everyone knows, my absolute favorite movie is The Mummy and it was so exciting when the Revenge of the Mummy ride opened at Universal Studios!! One of the ways the ride was promoted was a Statue of Anubis π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“Šͺ𓅱𓃣 at City Walk!!Β 

Revenge of the Mummy
Me standing in front of the Statue of Anubis at Universal Studios Orlando to celebrate the opening of the Revenge of the Mummy ride.

I was about 12 years old in this picture (can you believe I was reading hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ) and finding this picture 𓏏𓅱𓏏 brought back the memories of how excited I was to see the Statue of Anubis π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“Šͺ𓅱𓃣 because it was exactly like the one in the movie! I wish this statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾 was still at Universal Studios! 

Here is some hieroglyphic vocabulary that is associated with β€œThe Mummy”:

π“‡π“…“π“Š΅π“π“Šͺ – Imhotep

π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“Šͺ𓅱𓃣 – Anubis

𓉐𓂋𓏏𓂻𓅓𓉔𓂋𓏲𓇳𓏺𓍼𓏺 – Book of the Dead

𓇋𓁹𓅱𓀾 – Mummy

π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“‡³π“Ί – Amun-Ra

𓐍π“Šͺ𓂋𓂋𓆣 – Scarab

I wish this statue was still there – I still don’t know why they would remove such an incredible recreation of a beloved movie prop!

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost.Β 

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