Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Steaming Tender Restaurant
Tiptree Jam Museum entrance.
Tiptree Jam Museum
The Reading Room blends the intimacy of an inviting bar with the inviting solace of a good bookstore.
The Reading Room
Building
The Mountain House
The pond.
Jolly's Mill Pond
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Profile image for Nicky Nielsen

Nicky Nielsen

Joined Atlas Obscura in 2023

I'm a Senior Lecturer in Egyptology at the University of Manchester specialising in the study of New Kingdom and Late Period material culture as well ancient Egyptian society.
research.manchester.ac.uk/en/persons/nicky.nielsen

0 Followers · 0 Following

Follow travelers to discover remarkable places through their journeys.

My Travel Badges

You haven't earned any badges yet.

Articles by Nicky Nielsen

  • Been
  • Want to Go
  • Recommendations
  • Stories
  • Countries
  • US States
  • Added
  • Edited
  • Lists
  • Tried
  • Want to Try
13

Stories

Stories shared by this traveler.

Some of the golden artifacts found in the mausoleum of Thracian King Seuthes III.

tombs

In Ancient Bulgaria, the Tombs of the Elite Were Filled With Golden Treasures

Maybe you can take it with you.

By Nicky Nielsen
The shallow waters of Windover Pond yielded rich archaeological finds from Florida's Early Archaic Period.

bog bodies

Bog Bodies Lay Hidden in a Florida Pond for More Than 7,000 Years

In the 1980s, archaeologists uncovered 168 ancient skeletons from the peat at the bottom of Windover Pond.

By Nicky Nielsen
At Alken Enge in Denmark, excavations over the past six decades have uncovered the remains of nearly 400 people.

military history

In Denmark, an Ancient Army Met a Mysterious End in a Lake

Archaeologists have found the remains of hundreds of Iron Age fighters at Alken Enge—but they didn't die there.

By Nicky Nielsen
The snow-laden, misty entrance of Iceland's Rauðfeldsgjá Gorge resembles the entrance to Helheim, the realm of the dead who did not make it into Valhalla.

vikings

Viking Hell Is Just as Metal as You'd Expect

Judged unworthy of Valhalla? Welcome to Helheim.

By Nicky Nielsen
Bali's Massive Stone Sarcophagi Included Global Grave Goods

death

Bali's Massive Stone Sarcophagi Included Global Grave Goods

Mirrors from China, glass beads from Roman Egypt, and other treasures from far-flung places accompanied ancient Balinese elites to the afterworld.

By Nicky Nielsen
Remains of whalers' wooden coffins and gravestones at Smeerenburg, in the northwest region of the Svalbard Archipelago.

cemeteries

Svalbard's Lonely Whaler Graves Included Burial Kits With Pieces of Distant Homes

For centuries, the cruel industry decimated entire whale species—and claimed countless human lives. Whalers arrived prepared for their own deaths.

By Nicky Nielsen
An overhead view of modern excavations at Tell el-Retaba, an ancient fortress that was part of Egypt's Ways of Horus military route. Teams digging here have unearthed human remains interred in ceramic jars, or pots.

archaeology

In Ancient Egypt, Jar Burials May Have Helped the Dead Be Reborn in the Afterlife

First found at the ancient fortress of Tell el-Retaba, child burials in ceramic jars perplexed early archaeologists.

By Nicky Nielsen
An Arctic tern in flight; the seabirds were a critical source of food for the Beothuk people of Newfoundland, and also likely inspired some of their funerary traditions.

islands

In Newfoundland, a Bird Spirit May Have Guided a Lost Culture's Dead

For centuries, the Beothuk people relied on seabirds to survive—and likely to find their way to the afterlife.

By Nicky Nielsen
A detail from a third-century mosaic depicting two gladiators in combat from the House of Gladiators on Cyprus.

ancient

The Surprising Roots of Ancient Rome's Gladiator Fights

The quintessential Roman spectacle, originally a way to honor the dead, was not Roman in origin.

By Nicky Nielsen
After death, an individual's heart was weighed; hearts heavy with sin were devoured by the terrifying Ammit, a chimera of ancient Egypt's most feared predators: crocodile, lion, and hippopotamus.

mummies

In Ancient Egypt, Judgement of the Dead Was Severe

To enter the realm of Osiris, the dead had to complete a long to-do list—and face a terrifying devourer of souls.

By Nicky Nielsen
By the New Kingdom (1550-1069 BC), both royals and non-royals were buried with dozens of figurines known as shabti, which would serve them in the afterlife.

ancient

In Ancient Egypt, Human Sacrifice and Shabti Figures Ensured an Afterlife of Servitude

Clay figurines and murdered retainers provided plenty of company—and a workforce—for the dead.

By Nicky Nielsen
Elaborately inscribed false doors in tombs of the elite allowed family and friends to leave offerings that ensured the dead would want for nothing in the afterlife.

ancient

In Ancient Egypt, Soul Houses and False Doors Connected the Living and the Dead

Rich or poor, you could reach out to friends and family in the afterlife—and communication went both ways.

By Nicky Nielsen
Each night during his journey across the netherworld, the sun god Ra's barque crosses the desert Rostau, realm of the falcon god Sokar, borne by snakes.

maps

In Ancient Egypt, the Duat Was a Netherworld of Gods and Monsters

A guide called the Amduat helped pharaohs navigate the complex afterlife.

By Nicky Nielsen

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2026 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.