Ancient Egyptians Were First to Hire Mayors, New Study Says

Reproduction of a papyrus depicting the reign of Ramses III on display in Venice, Italy, in 2003. PHOTO: AFP
Reproduction of a papyrus depicting the reign of Ramses III on display in Venice, Italy, in 2003. PHOTO: AFP
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Ancient Egyptians Were First to Hire Mayors, New Study Says

Reproduction of a papyrus depicting the reign of Ramses III on display in Venice, Italy, in 2003. PHOTO: AFP
Reproduction of a papyrus depicting the reign of Ramses III on display in Venice, Italy, in 2003. PHOTO: AFP

A recent study that examined a limestone block found in a village in Monufia Governorate (Egyptian Delta) has revealed that ancient Egyptians were the first to hire mayors in the New Kingdom.

According to the study published in the journal Union of Arab Archeologists, this block, found coincidentally at the Ashmoun center, has a remarkable cultural value because it features engravings that highlight major titles used in the local administration in the New Kingdom, like the "Mayor" or supervisor of the Khenti Nefret city.

The limestone is currently preserved at a museum storehouse in the Jewish Hill, in Kafr al-Shoubak region, Qalyubia Governorate, north of Cairo.

The study, led by Tamer Shaafa, Egyptology professor at the Monufia University's Literature School, explained that this city was located in what is known today as the "Shenbary" village, to the east of Giza Provence, which indicates the origin of the limestone before being moved later to Monufia, where it was unearthed.

Shaafa provided a detailed description of the block featuring nine horizontal lines of engraved hieroglyphic writings, copies of the hieroglyphic texts and their translations.

He also interpreted the used language and font, and identified the stone nature, suggesting it could be a part of a plate displaying a donation or grant of an agricultural field introduced by Ramesses III to the department of God Ra in the Delta.

In addition to the new information provided by the stone, it uncovers the historic value of the fourth district of Lower Egypt, which covered large parts of the Monufia, said the professor. "Although Ramesses III left myriad of belongings in the Delta, few have been discovered so far," he added.



UK Farm Swaps Milk for Cow Cuddles

Visitor Jess Tinton embraces a cow during a "Cow Cuddling" experience at Dumble Farm in Arram, Britain, June 17, 2025. REUTERS/Phil Noble
Visitor Jess Tinton embraces a cow during a "Cow Cuddling" experience at Dumble Farm in Arram, Britain, June 17, 2025. REUTERS/Phil Noble
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UK Farm Swaps Milk for Cow Cuddles

Visitor Jess Tinton embraces a cow during a "Cow Cuddling" experience at Dumble Farm in Arram, Britain, June 17, 2025. REUTERS/Phil Noble
Visitor Jess Tinton embraces a cow during a "Cow Cuddling" experience at Dumble Farm in Arram, Britain, June 17, 2025. REUTERS/Phil Noble

Years of floods and low food prices have driven a dairy farm in England's northeast to stop milking its cows and instead charge visitors to cuddle them.

Dumble Farm started as a dairy farm in the 1970s, but in recent years flooding washed out crops and killed off the type of grass the cows like to eat, while milk prices below cost of production proved an insurmountable challenge, Reuters reported.

"The amount of flooding and the pressures on our land were just making it unsustainable for us to carry on," said Fiona Wilson, co-owner of the farm.

Agriculture is one of the sectors worst-affected by climate change, with farmers in Europe and elsewhere suffering under increasing heat, drought and flooding.

In 2022, Dumble Farm sold all but a few of its dairy cows and, in a scramble to reinvent itself, began offering "cow cuddling" experiences to fund a wildlife conservation scheme.

For 95 pounds ($127.80), visitors can cuddle, brush and stroke the cows as they lie down on a straw-covered enclosure inside a barn. The experience includes a safari to see Highland cattle.

"It's been so worth it, just to get so close to the cows, and they are so loving and gentle," guest Emma Hutton, 25, said after she spent some time cuddling one of the cows.

It took over a year to train the cows to feel comfortable with cuddling, but now the animals have fully adjusted, farmer James McCune said.

"They like being pampered. They are like big dogs... It's more of a spa day for the cows," McCune said. The farm uses the proceeds to create habitats to protect wildlife and support declining species, such as lapwing birds.

"It's great that we can fund the conservation scheme by having visitors to the farm, and that's really the bigger picture," Wilson said.