In Ancient Egypt, priestesses moved with reverence and rhythm through temple courts and sacred halls, their linen robes rustling like whispers of the gods. These women, often chosen from noble or elite families, were no ordinary attendants, they were the earthly hands and voices of the divine, charged with the sacred duties of service to...
This mummy of a juvenile dog was discovered in the necropolis of Asyut during Ernesto Schiaparelli’s excavation between 1910 and 1912. Now housed in Cabinet 51 of Room 11 at the Egyptian Museum of Turin (Museo Egizio. Suppl. 11005), the animal’s form is modest in scale, measuring 28 by 44 centimetres, yet richly evocative of...
To the Ancient Egyptians, Nefertum, the radiant deity of the blue lotus, emerged from the primordial waters as the fragrant bloom that first opened at the dawn of creation. Often depicted as a handsome youth crowned with a lotus flower (sometimes flanked by plumes or lions), Nefertum embodied both rebirth and divine fragrance, serving as...
The coffin of Tamutmutef, “Chantress of Amun”, is an exquisite example of funerary craftsmanship from the Third Intermediate Period, dating approximately between 1076 and 746 B.C. This period, following the decline of the New Kingdom, was marked by political fragmentation and a shift in religious power, particularly toward the priesthood of Amun at Thebes. Within...
This rectangular slab of black siltstone, dating to the reign of Nectanebo I (c. 380–362 B.C.), once formed part of a temple’s architectural adornment. It is sculpted in sunk relief on both faces, though one side survives in better condition. The decoration consists of offering scenes surmounted by a dado of niche patterns and crowned...
This finely carved sandstone group statue, dating from the 12th Dynasty of Egypt’s Middle Kingdom (c. 1981–1802 B.C.), portrays Senbebu, an Overseer of Stonemasons, seated prominently between two women. The figure to his left is likely his wife, Abetib, while the woman to his right is named Peryt. Senbebu held a distinguished title that indicates...
A model domestic figure is a small, carved representation of a person (often crafted from wood and painted) that was placed in Ancient Egyptian tombs to symbolise aspects of daily life. These figures typically depict servants, labourers, or household workers engaged in domestic or agricultural tasks such as grinding grain, baking bread, brewing beer, carrying...
The game of Senet (Ancient Egyptian: “znt”, meaning ‘passing’ and in Coptic: ⲥⲓⲛⲉ/sinə, meaning “passing, afternoon”), is a board game consisting of 10 or more pawns on a 30 square playing board.whose origins stretch back to the earliest dynasties of Ancient Egypt, was more than a pastime of the living; it was a symbolic rite...
Khaemhat, also known as Mahu, was a high-ranking official who flourished during the reign of Amenhotep III in the 14th century B.C., a period often celebrated as the apogee of Ancient Egypt’s imperial splendour and artistic refinement. Holding the esteemed title of “Overseer of the Granaries of Upper and Lower Egypt“, Khaemhat occupied a position...
In the annals of ancient diplomacy and warfare, few events stand as prominently as the Battle of Kadesh and the treaty that followed it. Fought circa 1274 B.C., this monumental confrontation between two great Bronze Age powers, Egypt under Ramesses II and the Hittite Empire under Muwatalli II, is widely regarded not only for its...
