Itโs 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 itโs not only ancient Egypt – itโs Disney World, anything Italian, even my vacuum cleaner (because he gave it to me). I canโt even clean without a reminder that he isnโt here with us anymore. I canโt 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.
โBut what is grief if not love persevering?โ 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 thatโs the curse of being so lucky. I was so lucky to have my Nonno and to be his granddaughter.
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.
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If you donโt know, I am a middle and high school science teacher and I have been working at my current school for ten ๐ 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 ๐น and this is one of them! Iโm so grateful for the time I spent at my school and all of the wonderful students I got to teach over the past ten ๐ years.ย
William and I with a geode at the American Museum of Natural History in NYC.
William and I are standing with a geode ๐๐๐๐, which started forming approximately 135 million years ago! While the size of this geode ๐๐๐๐ is awe-inspiring, when I was looking back on the pictures ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ฆ, to me geode ๐๐๐๐ looks like the Hubble Space Telescope images ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ฆ of space.
Nut ๐๐๐ฏ๐ญ was the Egyptian goddess ๐น๐ of the night ๐ผ๐๐๐ sky ๐ช๐๐ฏ and the cosmos. Since my brain relates everything to ancient Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐, this reminded me of her and ancient Egyptian mythology surrounding Nut ๐๐๐ฏ๐ญ and the cosmos.
In Middle Egyptian, the words for โnight ๐ผ๐๐๐โ and โend ๐ผ๐๐๐๐โ are very similar words which I find very fitting for today ๐๐๐๐ณ. The night ๐ผ๐๐๐ is the end ๐ผ๐๐๐๐ of the day and the end ๐ผ๐๐๐๐ of Raโs ๐ณ๐บ๐ journey across the daytime sky ๐ช๐๐ฏ, but it is also the start of his 12 hour journey into the Duat ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐. Iโve always loved the words in the Book of the Dead ๐๐๐๐ป๐ ๐๐๐ฒ๐ณ๐บ๐ผ๐บ and the Amduat ๐๐ถ๐ ๐ญ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ so I donโt see this change as an end ๐ผ๐๐๐๐ right nowโฆ
โฆI will end this with a quote from one of my favorite Taylor Swift songs which is so fitting for me today; โIt was the end of a decade, but the start of an age.โย
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While ancient Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐ is my first love, geology is my second! โGeologyโ in a very broad term that means the study of the Earthโs structure, makeup and history! Geology isnโt just the study of rocks ๐๐๐๐๐ฆ (that is petrology) but paleontology (the study of past life on Earth) falls into that category!ย I love when I am able to combine my love of geology with ancient Egypt! Read below
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 โMegalochelys atlasโ (it used to be referred to as the โGeochelone atlasโ) and I always lovingly refer to this fossil as the โSmiling Turtleโ 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 ๐๐ ๐๐, turtles ๐๐๐ฟ๐๐ฆ were seen as an ambiguous force because they were creatures of both land ๐พ and water ๐. Turtles ๐๐๐ฟ๐๐ฆ were also seen as the enemy of Ra ๐ณ๐บ๐, and in chapter 162 of the Book of the Dead, it is stated that โMay Ra live, and may the turtle die.โ The turtles ๐๐๐ฟ๐๐ฆ that lived in the Nile ๐๐๐๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐บ were mostly nocturnal (and definitely not as large as this one), which is probably why they were considered to be Raโs ๐ณ๐บ๐ enemy.ย
The very large Turtle Fossil on display at the American Museum of Natural History
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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, Iโm 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
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 โHatshepsut: From Queen to Pharaohโ 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 Iโm still feeling it this morning as I write this out.ย
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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:ย
I have always told people that my Nonno is my favorite person and my favorite teacher.ย Iโll tell everyone I meet how much I love my Nonno and Nonna.ย 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.ย Half of the books in my own collection are actually his. Either because he gave them to me, or because I just took them.
Nonno and I in September 2013
The best day of my life was when we finally got to walk the streets of Pompeii together.ย I had been waiting my whole life for those couple of hours. My sister said to me โhe had been waiting his whole life for someone to care about that stuff as much as himโ and she was so right.ย
Nonno and I walking the streets of Pompeii together. This is my favorite picture of us.
My cousin said to me โeravete โ e sempre sarete un team bellissimo.โ 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.
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
A poem I wrote about my Nonno on his cabinet.
โโ
Iโve been listening to the song โIl tuo sguardo mancaโ by Il Volo a lot leading up to today because the song really describes a lot of my emotions about my Nonnoโs death. This line in particular: โma non passa un attimo, che il tuo sguardo manca in ogni strada, ogni cittร , dovunque vadoโ hits especially hard because it is so true.
This whole website, my Instagram page, and everything I do is in memory of Nonno.
I found this picture ๐๐ ฑ๐ 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 ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ at City Walk!!ย
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 ๐น๐๐ช) and finding this picture ๐๐ ฑ๐ brought back the memories of how excited I was to see the Statue of Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ because it was exactly like the one in the movie! I wish this statue ๐๐ ฑ๐๐พ was still at Universal Studios!
Here is some hieroglyphic vocabulary that is associated with โThe Mummyโ:
๐๐ ๐ต๐๐ช – Imhotep
๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ – Anubis
๐๐๐๐ป๐ ๐๐๐ฒ๐ณ๐บ๐ผ๐บ – Book of the Dead
๐๐น๐ ฑ๐พ – Mummy
๐๐ ๐๐ณ๐บ – Amun-Ra
๐๐ช๐๐๐ฃ – 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.ย
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Story behind this picture: I was having such bad abdominal pain at the museum that I had to sit on the floor in front of the Temple of Dendur and was trying to distract myself by taking selfies.ย
Iโm Nicole and you know me as @ancientegyptblog and the girl that can read hieroglyphs! What most people do not know is that Iโve been suffering with horrible abdominal pain for over 15 years caused by MALS, an anatomical abnormality I was born with and is caused by a genetic condition that I have.ย
MALS (also known as Celiac Artery Compression Syndrome) is a rare vascular compression disorder that affects about 1 in 100,000 people. It is so rare that most doctors do not know about it, and as a result, do not investigate it as a cause for abdominal pain.
The pain I experience daily is horrific. I can only describe my pain as โfeeling like someoneโs fingernails are scratching the insides of my digestive system,โ โhot lava in my intestines,โ and โrocks in my abdomen.โ I feel this pain all day every day and no medication/diet/treatment has offered any kind of relief from the pain. The pain that MALS causes is the EQUIVALENT of the pain experienced by end stage pancreatic cancer patients. The pain with MALS is caused by the diaphragm rubbing against the celiac nerves and the compression of the celiac artery.ย
This may be TMI for some, but Iโm not going to sugar coat my experience; my suffering needs to be known so maybe others experiencing similar issues can be helped faster than I was.
My main symptoms with MALS are horrible abdominal pain triggered by eating, but it can also be triggered by drinking too much, standing or walking for too long, exercise, deep breathing, and long car rides. I also suffer with other bowel issues such as extreme bloating, malabsorption, nausea, and constipation so bad I have to drink a colonoscopy prep every single night and take prescription laxative pills each morning. I am also malnourished due to the pain I experience when eating. I basically have to choose: do I eat or stay hydrated because both eating and drinking enough is impossible.
The only treatment for MALS is major abdominal surgery that involved the resection of the diaphragm/median arcuate ligament and a neurectomy of the celiac ganglion nerves. I will be undergoing this surgery on 10/18 (at the time this post is posted, I will have undergone the surgery already), which has a 90% chance of completely relieving me of my abdominal pain and hopefully restoring me of my ability to eat.ย
The suffering I have faced is unimaginable. And most people donโt take me seriously because I โdonโt look sickโ and I hide my immense pain really wellโฆuntil I canโt. MALS is also incredibly isolating because NO ONE believes the pain is real and it can take an incredibly long time to get an accurate diagnosis.ย
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Did you know you can find Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ all over Hollywood Studios in Disney World? Well, now you do!
There used to be a ride called โThe Great Movie Rideโ and there was an entire room dedicated to Indiana Jones! Since it was modeled after โRaiders of the Lost Arc,โ there was a lot of ancient Egyptian stuff going on! โThe Great Movie Rideโ no longer exists, however, the Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ statues have been repurposed and you can find pieces of them in the park!
Me in Galaxy’s Edge with the foot that belonged to an Anubis statue!
The picture ๐๐ ฑ๐ above is in Galaxyโs Edge and Iโm am with Anubisโ ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ foot! Anubisโ ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ foot is hidden amongst the Jedi statues outside one of the stores! Itโs so cool to have some ancient Egypt in a Galaxy Far, Far Away!
The ๐๐ ฑ๐ above is in a little shop and itโs Anubisโ ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ head from the Great Movie Ride! I was very excited by this find!
Itโs so much fun to find little pieces of ancient Egypt everywhere I go! Next time you’re in Disney World make sure you look for Anubis in Hollywood Studios!
Leave it to me to find ushabtis ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ๐ช, a papyrus ๐ ๐๐๐ replica of a relief from Hatshepsutโs ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ temple and a Sphinx ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ๐ค at the Magic Kingdom! While these are all replica pieces, itโs still such a fun find – you all know just how much me (and Nonno) loved ushabtis ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ๐ช! These can all be found at the โJungle Navigation Skipper Canteenโ restaurant!ย
Replica ushabtis at the Magic Kingdom in the Jungle Navigation Skipper Canteenโ restaurant with the papyrus which contains an image from Hatshepsut’s temple!
The ushabtis ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ served as substitutes for the deceased ๐ ๐๐ฑ and would perform labor or jobs for them in the afterlife ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐. There are two ๐ป common ways to write ushabti in hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช:
๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ – ลกwbtj – the earlier word that was used in Egypt and derived from the word for โstick ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ฑ.โ This is where the term โshabtiโ most likely came from!
๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ – wลกbtj – the โnewerโ form of the word used from the 21st Dynasty onward. This is where the term โushabtiโ most likely originated from! My Nonno always said โUshabti ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พโ so that is what I tend to say as well!
The papyrus ๐ ๐๐๐ is a replica of a relief from Hatshepsutโs ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ temple at Deir el-Bahri ๐ฆ๐๐ฆ๐ฅ๐! This was originally meant to show Hatshepsutโs ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ famed expedition to Punt ๐ช๐บ๐๐๐!ย
Me with a sphinx outside the entrance to the Jungle Navigation Skipper Canteenโ restaurant at the Magic Kingdom!
This sphinx ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ is in a crouching position, which to the Egyptians ๐๐๐๐๐ช meant that it was a guardian of a sacred place, such as a temple ๐๐๐ or an important building. In this case, the โimportant buildingโ is the entrance to the โJungle Navigation Skipper Canteenโ restaurant!
Hippos ๐๐๐ฏ๐ฆ are one of my favorite animals and I was so excited to see them so close on the animal trails at Disneyโs Animal Kingdom!ย Hippos ๐๐๐ฏ๐ฆ are on of my favorite animals not only because of ancient Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐, but also because of the blue hippo ๐๐๐ฏ on “It’s a Small World.”
Fun fact: hippos ๐๐๐ฏ๐ฆ actually donโt swim much in the water ๐ – they like to walk along the bottom of bodies of water ๐! Why? Swimming expends too much energy!ย
A Hippo at Animal Kingdom!
The hippopotamus ๐๐๐ฏ is one of the animals that appears frequently in Egyptian imagery ๐๐ ฑ๐ starting from the predynastic period! This is because the people of the Nile ๐๐๐๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐บ needed to always be on their guard in regards to hippos ๐๐๐ฏ๐ฆ since they could dominate both the land ๐พ๐พ and the water ๐.
Hippos ๐ง๐๐ฏ๐ฆ are indigenous to the Nile River ๐๐๐๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐บ, unfortunately though, they are now extinct in Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐. Just like animal species today, human expansion into habitats also played a role in population decline during ancient times.
Even as ancient Egyptian culture evolved over thousands ๐ผ๐ผ๐ผ of years, Egyptians ๐๐๐๐๐ช both feared and revered ๐๐ด๐ช hippos ๐๐๐ฏ๐ฆ due to their strength ๐๐๐๐ญ and power. While hippos ๐ง๐๐ฏ๐ฆ were the most feared animals along the Nile ๐๐๐๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐บ, images ๐ ฑ๐๐ ฑ๐ช of them could offer protection ๐ ๐๐ก๐, such as in the form of amulets ๐๐ช๐ ๐ช!ย
A Hippo at Animal Kingdom!
Taweret ๐๐ฟ๐ ฉ๐๐๐ is a fierce Egyptian goddess ๐น๐ who is associated with childbirth. Taweret ๐๐ฟ๐ ฉ๐๐๐ is always represented as a pregnant hippopotamus ๐ง๐๐๐ฏ and was a household deity – she didnโt have any temples ๐๐๐๐ช dedicated to her specifically!
Here are some ways you can write hippopotamus in hieroglyphs:
๐๐๐ฏ
๐๐๐ฏ
๐ง๐๐ฏ
๐ง๐๐๐ฏ
๐ฏ๐บ
I hope youโre enjoying my โAncient Egypt in Disneyโ series! Next time you’re in Disney, be sure to check out the Hippos at Animal Kingdom! They can be found on the animal trails and also on the ride Kilimanjaro Safari!
This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost.
