Question Details

As we wind down our study of the Mediterranean world from ancient Egypt to Hellenistic Greece, let's look at the myths and legends that have been handed down from those eras. Your book touches on some of these topics, but I'd like to see what you come up with.

For this discussion, you'll do some internet-sleuthing. I am neither supporting nor refuting any of the theories suggested. They're just interesting and might be fun to discuss. I will only list the topics; I won't give any further hints about what they mean or what they might entail. That's for you to discover, so happy hunting!

Look up one of the topics below, or another of your choosing that is related to ancient Egypt, the Aegean, or Greece, and share with us a theory on it.

The curse of Tutankhamun's tomb
Akhenaten's medical diagnosis
The Queen of Punt's unusual physique in art
What is below the Great Sphinx?
What kind of erosion is on the Great Sphinx?
The Mars-Sphinx connection
Napoleon, a cannon, and the Sphinx's nose
Were the great pyramids built by slaves?
Were the great pyramids built by aliens?
Sekhemkhet's pyramid
E.T. at Saqqara
Who was the Pharaoh of the biblical Exodus?
Ancient Egypt in the Grand Canyon
Are the Egyptian pyramids and New World (Mayan, Aztec, etc.) pyramids related?
Who were the peoples of the ancient Aegean (Mycenae, Crete, etc.)?
Where did they come from?
Where did they go?
Why did they disappear?
What were the effects of the eruption at Thera (now Santorini)?
How did it affect the balance of power in the Mediterranean?
Who was Helen of Troy? Did she really exist?
Was there really a Trojan War?
Who were the Achaeans mentioned in the Iliad and Odyssey?
Was there a real King Minos?
Was there really a minotaur? If not, what might have inspired the legend?
Instructions:

State the mystery or legend you researched.
 Include a link to any sites you refer to. Use descriptive links for accessibility.
Assess the site you used: how reliable is it?
Who sponsored the site, and what is their expertise? Motivation?
Is the site well-written? Does it contain an excessive amount of ads and sponsored links?
Finally, discuss with your classmates what you think is plausible or not-so-plausible about each theory.