American writers misleadingly interpreted Egypt's past to argue that slavery was a divinely sanctioned institution ...

A relief depicting a row of captives, carved into the Sun Temple at Abu Simbel in Egypt. Richard Maschmeyer/ Design Pics via Getty Images As someone who researches slavery in the ancient Mediterranean ...

In the American South, ancient Egypt and its pharaohs became a way to justify slavery. Stefano Bianchetti/Corbis via Getty Images When Napoleon embarked upon a military expedition into Egypt in 1798, ...

When Napoleon embarked upon a military expedition into Egypt in 1798, he brought with him a team of scholars, scientists and artists. Together, they produced the monumental “Description de l’Égypte,” ...

In the slaveholding South, ancient Egypt and its pharaohs became a way to justify slavery. For abolitionists and African Americans, biblical Egypt served as a symbol of bondage and liberation.