5 Facts About Ancient Egypt That Sound Like Science Fiction

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Few civilizations captivate us quite like Ancient Egypt — and every new excavation turns up more surprising details. Here are 5 real facts.

1. Ancient Egyptians used functional prosthetics

Archaeologists found a wooden-and-leather prosthetic big toe, over 3,000 years old, with wear patterns indicating real use — one of the earliest documented functional prosthetics.

2. The pyramids were built by paid workers, not just slaves

Archaeological findings in villages near the Giza pyramids show evidence of organized workers who were fed and even had access to medical care — challenging the popular idea that only slaves built the monuments.

3. History’s first known peace treaty is Egyptian

After the Battle of Kadesh, Egypt and the Hittite Empire signed one of the earliest documented peace treaties in history, around 1259 BCE — a copy of it is still displayed at the United Nations headquarters today.

4. Cleopatra lived closer in time to the invention of the smartphone than to the building of the pyramids

The Great Pyramid of Giza was built around 2560 BCE, while Cleopatra lived around 30 BCE — meaning more time separates the pyramids from Cleopatra than separates Cleopatra from us.

5. Hieroglyphs were only decoded thanks to a single stone

For centuries, no one could read Egyptian hieroglyphs. Decoding them only became possible thanks to the Rosetta Stone, found in 1799, which had the same text in three different scripts — allowing for “cross-translation.”