In this example of a block statue made of granite, Hotep is wearing a smooth, flaring wig with a slight central parting that leaves his protruding ears exposed. In contrast with the modeling of the body the face, with its soft, delicate lines, is carefully finished. The eyes, with the typical eye-paint, are large, the...
This alabaster vase is connected with the Heb Sed festival, during which the king would repeat his coronation rituals by sitting on the thrones of Upper and Lower Egypt – seen here at the base of the handle. These thrones were within a pavilion on a stepped platform that symbolized the primeval mound of creation....
This wooden head is a part of a composite princess statue. The parts of this statue were sculpted separately and then assembled. Small details sometimes provide crucial clues to understanding a sculpture. It is believed to have belonged to a princess or even a queen of the 12th Dynasty, based on the fine depiction of...
This seated scribe statue is considered to be the icon of all scribe statues and one of the most important symbols of sculpture at the Egyptian Museum. It is called the “Cairo Scribe” and is carved in painted limestone. It was unearthed in 1893 at the Saqqara necropolis. The scribe wears a wig with a...
This black granite statue of Amenemhat III as a priest, of which only the torso remains, was discovered in 1862 by Auguste Mariette in the ancient capital of the Faiyum Oasis, known by the Greeks as Crocodilopolis. The king is dressed as a priest, evidenced by the leopard skin and paw over both shoulders. He...
A group of five stars depicted on the Gerzeh Palette or Hathor palette dating back to Naqada II Period. This unusual schist palette was part of a Predynastic funerary assemblage which also contained ordinary vessels. It has an oval shape that widens slightly towards the top and it is pierced so that it could be...
The death mask of Shoshenq II was found on the king’s mummy but was seriously damaged. It is made from a thick sheet of gold with hollow spaces for the eyes and the eyebrows where glass paste was to be inserted. The gold mask was fixed to the mummy by five small perforated tenons, three...
This significant palette commemorates the victories of King Narmer, who came from the south of Egypt to invade the Delta in about 3200-3000 BC. The palette was found along with the Narmer Macehead, another artifact which shows the completion of the conquest of the Lower Kingdom. It represents the most important evidence that the first...
This bracelet is one of pair bracelets found around the wrist of king Shoshenq II with representations of the Wadjet eye above the hieroglyphic “Neb” sign symbolizing eternal protection for the king. The Egyptians often referred to the sun and the moon as the “eyes” of particular gods. The right eye of the god Re,...
This winged scarab pendant of cloisonné technique is inlaid with semiprecious stones and colored glass. The central element of the pendant is a scarab of Libyan desert glass, grasping on one side a lotus and on the other a papyrus flower, flanked by two uraei, or rearing cobras. A gold frame outlines the main composition...
