In 2021, archaeologists in Egypt made a fascinating discovery; a 2,500-year-old mummy with a golden tongue. Found at the Taposiris Magna temple near Alexandria, this remarkable find is believed to be linked to ancient burial rituals aimed at ensuring the deceased could speak in the afterlife. The Mummy with the Golden Tongue was discovered in...
Made of wood, this comb with a resting gazelle dates from the Golden Age of the 18th Dynasty, during the reign of Amenhotep III. Combs in Ancient Egypt were both practical grooming tools and symbols of status and craftsmanship. Made from wood, bone, or ivory, they often featured intricate carvings and designs, reflecting the artistry...
Dating from around c. 600-200 B.C., this golden inlaid depiction of a hawk or falcon in flight, would have been a representation of the deity Horus. Inlaid with multicoloured glass, the British Museum archives this piece as a pectoral. Based upon appearance, it appears the claws are missing and would have once been placed within...
The 2005 facial reconstruction of Tutankhamun was created by three independent teams of forensic experts from France, Egypt, and the United States. The project was led by Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, with National Geographic providing support. The French team worked blindly, meaning they did not know the identity of the subject, to ensure an...
This handle likely belonged to a whip or perhaps a fly whisk. Intricately carved from a piece of ivory, it takes the form of a galloping horse. The ivory is stained reddish-brown pigment, with a painted black mane. A wonderful addition is the featuring of garnet inlays for the eyes—one of which is now missing,...
In ancient Egypt, the heart was not just a physical organ but was seen as the repository of one’s moral life. Protecting it was crucial for ensuring a favourable judgment in the afterlife. Due to the heart’s significance, it was one of the few organs left in the body during mummification or reinserted after preservation,...
Striding leopard from the tomb of king Thutmose IV The figure is made of six pieces of wood put together – the body, four legs, and the tail – and has two rectangular mortises on its back for the insertion of tenons. Originally, the piece would have featured inlaid eyes, which have since been lost....
This head of an Amarna Period female royal was found within the remnants of the workshop of the sculptor Thutmose. Sculpted from quartz with traces of pigment upon the lips and eyes, the face is that of a young female, possibly and likely a daughter of Akhenaten and Nefertiti, but there is a possibility it...
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 should enjoy life on Earth, rather than obsess and worry over death: “Make holiday, don’t weary of it/ Look, there is...
Ankhesenamun was born Ankhesenpaaten, and was the daughter of Nefertiti and Akhenaten. It is believed she was born around 1350 B.C., the third daughter of the royal couple, born in year 5 or 6 of Akhenaten’s reign. Ankhesenpaaten, which translates to, “She Lives Through the Aten” or “Living Through the Aten,” later went on to...
