Artifacts

Lady Sati (Ushabti). Brooklyn Museum. 37.123E

Ushabti of Lady Sati

Made from polychrome faïence, these Ushabti figures of a woman named Lady Sati, were found in Saqqara, and date from the reign of Amenhotep III, c. 1390-1352 B.C. They are currently on display at the Brooklyn Museum, New York City. Lady Sati was given the title, “mistress of the house”, a title which was often...

Is this the face of Queen Kiya?

Egyptian Alabaster Canopic jar of a queen

Egyptian-Alabaster Canopic jar of an 18th Dynasty queen, found within tomb KV55. New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, Amarna Period, c. 1349–1330 B.C. One of four Canopic jars believed to have belonged to Akhenaten’s secondary wife, Queen Kiya. Despite being associated with Kiya, the image of the beautifully carved wig adorned royal upon the jar lids has...

Edwin Smith Medical papyrus

The Edwin Smith medical papyrus is undoubtedly one of the most important of the medical papyri. It was sold by Mustafa Agha, an Egyptian merchant, dealer and Consular Agent in Luxor to the American, Edwin Smith, a resident in Luxor 1858-1876. Unusually for his time, he had an extensive knowledge of hieratic, which enabled him...

Amethyst bottle

Amethyst bottle

This small bottle made of beautifully veined amethyst would have been a luxury item, most probably filled with an expensive, fragrant oil. The container would have had a stopper. Since the base is rounded and does not sit flat, the container would probably have been placed in a box or ring stand to remain upright.⁣⁣This...

Cambyses II of Persia defeats Psamtik III of Egypt

Cambyses II of Persia defeats Psamtik III of Egypt

This is a scene you are used to seeing from Ancient Egypt; a triumphant, dominating king, with a pleading & subdued enemy. But here, the tables have turned. Here the king of Egypt is the pleading subdued one, as the “Achaemenid King of Kings” holds the power. The king of Egypt pleading with the Achaemenian...

Granodiorite Statue of the goddess Sekhmet

Granodiorite Statue of the goddess Sekhmet

Granodiorite statue of the goddess sekhmet, the avenging lion-headed goddess. Like the combative fire spitting goddess the king vanquished Egypt’s enemies. Through her fire Sekhmet was associated with the royal uraeus cobra and the eye of the sun god Re. As the city of Thebes gained power, the priests gave Mut, consort of the God...

Bronze statuette of Harpocrates

Silver Statuette of Harpocrates

Silver statuette of Harpocrates, with gold chain and ring. The god is shown as a chubby Graeco-Roman Cupid with wings and a heavy garland of fruit and leaves crowning his curly head. The left hand is empty, but the right is raised to the chin. A gold chain with a god ring attached to it...

Female Mourners from the Papyrus of Ani

Ani, held numerous titles including, “True Scribe of the King; His Beloved Scribe”, as well as “Overseer of the Double Granary of the Lord of Tawer”. Ani’s famous papyrus is one of the best preserved documents from Ancient Egypt, and is known as the Book of the Dead. A Book of the Dead is a...

Detail of the goddess Hathor from the Tomb of Seti I (KV17)

Goddess Hathor from the Tomb of Seti I (KV17)

Detail of the face of Goddess Hathor, with cobra earring, who, in this full relief, is seen welcoming Seti I to the afterlife with a protective menat necklace. The relief was taken from Seti I’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings, by Champollion. However, this may not have been an act of “treasure hunting”,...

Mummy of Cleopatra. British Museum. EA6707

Mummy of Cleopatra

This is the mummy of a 17-year-old young woman called Cleopatra, who lived during the Roman Period of Ancient Egypt, c. 100-120. She is cited as the daughter of Candace, a member of the Cornelius Pollius family, the Archon of Thebes, under the rule of Emperor Trajan. The inscriptions state that Cleopatra died at age...