Among the precious artifacts in the royal tomb of Psusennes I at Tanis, a bronze brazier, or oven, belonging to Ramesses II was found. It might have been an important object deposited in a palace or a temple in the vicinity of Tanis, or at Thebes. It was taken to Tanis as a sacred artifact...
The girdle of the Princess Sithathor is made of eight gold, half-open cowry shells. The ones at each end have flat reverses, and were joined by means of grooves to serve as a clasp, fastening the girdle when they slid one into the other. The shells are separated from each other by rhomboidal polychrome beads...
The head of the Sphinx of Giza is encased in scaffolding and works are under way excavating the body. Early 20th-century excavation at the Giza Necropolis. An earlier Sphinx excavation was marked by the Dream Stele (around 1401 BC) of Thutmose IV, at lower center. The granite altar (bottom) between the Sphinx’s paws dates from...
This alabaster canopic chest of Tutankhamun is considered to be one of the finest masterpieces of King Tut’s collection. The interior of the chest is divided into four compartments, each with a cylindrical hollow covered by a lid elegantly carved in the form of the king’s head. At the four corners of the chest, carved...
Relief depicts metalworkers employed in the manufacture of jewelry, smelting gold by blowing into a furnace. Detail of a wall carving in the Mastaba of Mereruka. The ancient Egyptians did engage in gold manufacturing during the Old Kingdom. Gold was highly valued and sought after in ancient Egypt, and it was used for various purposes,...
This small statuette depicts King Seti I, father of Ramesses II as a Standard Bearer. The statuette is a portrait of the king in which grace and grandeur are mixed. The sensitive face is framed by the short, round, thick wig decorated at the front with the uraeus, or royal cobra. The narrow slits of...
Painted wood ushabti ‘funerary figurine’ of the king Ramesses IV. Funerary figurines, known as “ Ushabtis” by the Egyptians (which means “those who answer”) are viewed as typical ancient Egypt objects. They represent the deceased in the form of a mummy in osirifide position. The figure’s name, headdress, and any hand-held accessories are the only way...
A solid gold amulet of Osiris in his typical guise, wearing the atef crown and a divine beard, and holding the crook and flail in his hands held against the chest. A ring is attached to the back, allowing this figure to be worn as an amulet. The material gold is precious and easily recycled,...
Bas-relief depicts sculptors working on statues, detail of a wall carving from the joint Mastaba of Khnumhotep and Niankhkhnum, royal servants. They shared the title of Overseer of the Manicurists in the Palace of King Nyuserre Ini. In the Old Kingdom of Egypt, sculpting statues held great importance for several reasons. Firstly, statues were created to...
Although this snake goddess is not named in an inscription, her human face and the two finger-shaped feathers on her crown identify her as Meretseger (She Who Loves Silence), a patroness of fertility and the harvest. Like this statue, most images of Meretseger are modest in quality and were placed in small chapels or shrines...
