In its entirety the relief showed Ay kneeling in worship with his family and surrounded by a long prayer inscribed in hieroglyphs. The style of Ay’s portrait is typical of the Amarna period in its naturalistic depiction of the narrow and bony face, long nose, and small, squinty eyes- features common to other surviving representations...
Musicians perform as the seminary priest offers libation. A harpist, flute and lute player can be seen performing a Harper’s Song. Interestingly, the Harper’s Song accompanying this scene within the Chapel of Pa-Aten-Em-Heb, has a somewhat agnostic lyric, telling the listener through song, that lamenting and worrying about an Afterlife is seldom constructive, and one...
This stele was colored with a mixture of pigment and tempera. First, however, it was sculpted in raised and sunken relief; only later were some of its surfaces embellished with black, brown, green, yellow, and white paint. The stele commemorates for all eternity a man named Amenemhat and his wife, Hemet. Before them are two...
“Egypt Carrying the Light to Asia”, also known as “Progress”, was the proposal of erecting a neoclassical colossal statue at the Suez Canal entryway in Port Said, Egypt. Designed in the late 1860s by French artist Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, the statue was planned to be that of a robed female named “Saeid Misr” or “Upper...
This stele is known in Egyptian art as a cippus (pl. cippi) or magical stele. The instructions found on some cippi indicate that they were used to heal afflictions caused by snake or scorpion venom. Specifically, Egyptians believed that the water poured over these cippi would be transformed into a curative remedy that the afflicted...
This limestone fragment was once a part of a full scene that appears to be depicting the king’s procession (almost certainly, king Akhenaten) as he arrived at the temple. On the far left of the fragment, you can see the elbow and arm of a trumpeter, who blows his horn as women in translucent linens...
A menat necklace was created out of a substantial keyhole-shaped counterpoise and an assortment of beaded strands. Despite its title of necklace, the menat necklace is seldom depicted being worn, but was most commonly carried by females engaging in sacred ceremonies and rituals. The necklace served as a percussion instrument, shaken to produce a calming...
This head of a priest, called the Boston Green Head, is the best portrait sculpture known from the Late Period. The face is wonderfully lifelike and individual. Light wavy lines indicate the furrows of his brow, and crow’s feet radiate from the outer corners of his eyes. The top of his nose has a pronounced...
Antinoüs (Antinous. Antinoös. Greek: Ἀντίνοος) was a Greek youth, born in Claudiopolis (present day Bolu, Turkey), in the Roman province of Bithynia et Pontus. By 128 A.D., he had become the Roman Emperor Hadrian’s favourite and lover. Little is known about Antinoüs other than his connection to Hadrian, however, he became a legend after his...
This unique stele commemorates the deceased ruler Ahmose (1539-1515 BC), who inaugurated the 18th Dynasty in the New Kingdom. The relief style places the stele’s manufacture later in the reign of Tutankhamun (1332–1323 BC). At this time, royal cults were reinstated after the reign of Akhenaten, who wiped out the cults of other gods in...
This fragment of a statue base shows a Syrian man’s head and shoulders. He wears a fringed robe embroidered with rosettes and has long hair and a headband. He also has a beard and a moustache, something that Syrians were usually depicted with. The man’s complete figure was positioned flat on his belly, his back...
This wig made of human hair, also referred to as a “double/duplex wig” due to the two contrasting styles in one piece, would have been worn by a male of elite status in New Kingdom Egyptian society and was discovered in Thebes. The wig is made of real human hair, plaited and tousled, and its...
Made of glazed steatite, often known as soapstone, and at 29cm tall, this figurine shows Queen Tiye in full royal regalia. She is pictured wearing the double-plume crown, with a triple uraeus upon a falcon-winged headpiece cascading over her extravagant and expansive wig. A finely detailed usekh collar is worn around her neck and rests...
