Emily Chan
In October 2023, Egyptian archaeologists uncovered a collection of treasures from a New Kingdom cemetery in Minya, a city on the western bank of the Nile River.
The most notable artifact happened to be a 3,500-year-old sarcophagus lid painted with an image of a figure that resembles Marge Simpson, the family matriarch from the popular television show The Simpsons.
The resemblance between the cartoon character and the ancient illustration is uncanny. In the drawing, the figure had a tall, blue rectangle on her head and appeared to be wearing a full-length, strapless green outfit, much like Marge’s signature look.
However, the similarities are nothing more than a coincidence, as the show first aired in 1989, while the painting dates back to the New Kingdom period, which spanned from 1539 to 1075 B.C.E.
Unless the creator of The Simpsons is a time traveler, as some conspiracists have proposed, the ancient illustration has zero relation to Marge.
The portrait of the figure was also surrounded by 12 other depictions of her in different positions. They represent the 12 hours.
The discovery of the “Marge Simpson” sarcophagus was announced in October 2023, but news of the find didn’t take off until June 2024, when a photograph of the sarcophagus lid went viral.
Last year, Dr. Mostafa Waziry from the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities shared the discoveries that archaeologists have made in Tuna El-Gebel over the past few years.
Among the finds were ancient pottery, several Ushabti funerary figurines, and the sarcophagus. The sarcophagus contained the remains of a woman named Tada Ist, according to Waziry. She was the daughter of Irt-Heru, the high priest of Djehuty in Hermopolis.
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