Sofia Aziz

It was so lovely to get together in Cairo with Dr Hawass, Curtis and Lamey.

Stepping into the Mastaba of Mereruka at Saqqara feels less like entering a tomb and more like walking into a living archive of the 6th Dynasty. For anyone interested in the relationship between environment, labour, and the human body, Mereruka’s monument is exceptionally rich. The complex contains over thirty chambers, with roughly eighteen decorated rooms, and each one contributes to a visual dataset of daily activity, resource management, and social identity.

Diet and the Marshlands

The reliefs provide a detailed look at the Old Kingdom food economy. Scenes of animal management, including the force feeding of hyenas and geese, appear alongside papyrus harvesting, fishing, and grain processing. They illustrate the labour systems and environmental conditions that shaped the nutritional landscape of the period.

Seshseshet Waatetkhethor

A dedicated suite of rooms belongs to Mereruka’s wife, Princess Seshseshet Waatetkhethor, daughter of King Teti. Her presence confirms the political and familial link between the vizierate and the royal household. The scenes in her chambers, which include music, cosmetics, pets, and domestic attendants, offer a rare gendered perspective on the lived environment of elite women in the late Old Kingdom.

Titles

Among Mereruka’s many titles, one is uniquely revealing. He held the title imy‑r geswy depet swnw per aa, which translates literally as overseer of the two sides of the boat of the doctors of the Great House. This title is rare and suggests responsibility for coordinating or supervising the royal medical corps, which was associated with the palace and its ritual and practical care.

What makes Mereruka’s mastaba so compelling today is not only its scale or its wealth. It is the depiction of bodies at work. Oarsmen strain, metalworkers lean into their craft, and agricultural labourers bend, lift, and haul. These scenes provide a baseline for understanding occupational stress, repetitive movement, and the physical demands placed on the people who sustained the Old Kingdom state.

The Nefertari documentary premiered at the Firenze Archaeological Film Festival, and although I couldn’t attend, I’m grateful to producer Curtis Ryan Woodside for sharing a moment from the event. This project remains deeply meaningful to me, and it’s an honour to see it recognised.

Firenze has long been one of the cities I love: its ambience, its colours, the quiet poetry of its streets. There’s a depth to its beauty that always stays with me, and this year, its timeless atmosphere provides the perfect backdrop to step back even further into the world of ancient Egypt.

On 14 March 2026, the city will welcome the premiere of Nefertari: The Great Queen of Ancient Egypt, at the Firenze Archaeological Film Festival.  This new documentary directed and produced by my friend Curtis Ryan Woodside brings Nefertari’s world to life with a fresh, detailed perspective exploring her political influence, her remarkable education, and the luminous artistry of her tomb.

The documentary features expert insight from Dr Zahi Hawass, one of the world’s leading Egyptologists, and from me, Sofia Aziz, as we explore not only Nefertari’s legacy but also what we can understand about her age at death and her health. Together, these perspectives offer a rich, layered portrait of Ramses ll’s most beloved queen.

This article presents my research into ancient Egyptian mummification, challenging long-standing assumptions about canopic jars and the role of the Sons of Horus. By re-examining nineteenth-century interpretations alongside textual evidence and modern CT imaging, I argue that these deities protected the entire body cavity rather than specific organs. The findings call for a reassessment of how the ancient Egyptians understood the body, preservation, and the afterlife. A huge thank you to Nile Magazine.

I recently had the pleasure of joining International Lounge Podcast as a guest, alongside my friend filmmaker Curtis Ryan Woodside, for a fascinating conversation about one of ancient Egypt’s most controversial rulers, Pharaoh Akhenaten.

Together we explored not only his revolutionary vision and the glittering city he built at Amarna, but also the darker side of his reign– the suffering endured by those who laboured to create his utopian vision. Our discussion explores the contrast between Akhenaten’s radiant art and worship of the Aten, and the human cost behind his grand experiment.

Listen to the full episode here:

I’m delighted to share that I took part in the new documentary Akhenaten’s Afterlife, produced by my talented friend Curtis Ryan Woodside.

When we think of ancient Egypt, we picture gold, glory and gods. But beneath the radiant sun of Akhenaten’s Amarna lay a very different reality, one carved not in stone but atop fragile bones.

This film peels back the glittering facade of the pharaoh’s “city of light” to reveal a civilisation crumbling under hunger, toil and disease. Excavations of Amarna’s pit-grave cemeteries tell the story of young labourers buried without honour, their bodies marked by brutal work, malnutrition and infection.

At the same time, Akhenaten was rewriting Egypt’s faith, turning away from the gods of his ancestors towards monolatry and devotion to a single deity: the Aten. In doing so, he made himself the only channel between heaven and earth. Was this the result of divine inspiration, political strategy or a troubled, extraordinary mind?

Through science and archaeology, this documentary exposes the haunting truth behind the utopia: a paradise built on human suffering, divine obsession and one of the first recorded instances of power fused with faith.

It was an honour to present my research on “The Function and Importance of the Human Brain in Ancient Egypt” at the 11th World Congress on Mummy Studies in Cusco, 2025 (Abstract Below).

Grateful to the organising committee in Peru for their dedication, hospitality and tireless work behind the scenes. Thank you for a truly inspiring conference.

I’m delighted to share that I’ve been invited by the ‘Hapy Egyptology Society’ to give a public lecture on 7th June at 4:15 PM, at ‘The Cooper Gallery’.  

In this talk, I’ll present my research, which re-evaluates what ancient Egyptian physicians understood about the brain’s functions, offering fresh insights into their medical knowledge. I’ll also explore new perspectives on mummification methods and ancient Egyptian medicine, shedding light on their remarkable practices.  

I hope to see you there!

2025-03 The Human Brain in Ancient Egypt

Catch Me Today on Egypt’s Unexplained Files on Sky History

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This fascinating series delves into the mysteries of Ancient Egypt, combining cutting-edge science with historical expertise to uncover secrets hidden for millennia. From decoding ancient texts to exploring the lives of pharaohs, the show offers a captivating journey into one of history’s most intriguing civilisations.

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This lecture was recorded for Dream Palace Athens 2023.