Egypt Museum ancient Egypt art culture and history

Sphinx of Taharqa

Sphinx of Taharqa

Taharqa, also spelled Taharka or Taharqo (Egyptian: 𓇿𓉔𓃭𓈎 tꜣhrwq, Akkadian: Tar-qu-ú, Hebrew: תִּרְהָקָה, Modern: Tīrhaqa, Tiberian: Tīrhāqā, Manetho’s Tarakos, Strabo’s Tearco), was a Nubian king of the 25th Egyptian Dynasty rulers of the Kingdom of Kush, c.747–656 B.C. The Sphinx of Taharqa is a granite gneiss statue of a sphinx with the face of Taharqa....

Sandstone painted statue of Nefertiti seemingly holding offering tray

Sandstone statue of Nefertiti

Thie painted sandstone of Nefertiti, found besides a statue of her husband king Akhenaten in the same pose, depicts an offering scene and stands at 73.5cm tall. Now both headless, the statue of Nefertiti was found fragmented at the waist. Neferiti wears a pleated linen dress, remnants of a usekh collar can be seen upon...

Female Acrobat

This limestone statuette of a female in an arched position dates from the Middle Kingdom and was discovered within Tomb D303, at Abydos. The tomb is associated with a man named Sa-Inher. The woman is archived as an acrobat due to the pose, however, it is also quite likely she was a dancer. Perhaps she...

Ramesses II and Offering Table

Ramesses II and Offering Table

This limestone statue, which stands at 171cm tall, depicts the 19th Dynasty king, Ramesses II, knelt before a hes-vase shaped offering platform, whilst the king himself holds an offering tray. The bottom has been restored onto a modern platform, but the rest of the statue is in remarkable condition. Ramesses II can be seen wearing...

Takait

Takait was a priestess of the god Amun Ra, sometime during the 19th Dynasty, c. 1300 B.C. Her beautiful coffin lid is 170cm in length and is made from wood that has been plastered and painted. Summary: Coffin lid of the priestess TakaitNew Kingdom, Nineteenth Dynasty (?), c. 1300 B.C.

Nefertiti, Queen and Pharaoh of Egypt: Her Life and Afterlife

Nefertiti, Queen and Pharaoh of Egypt: Her Life and Afterlife

Nefertiti, Queen and Pharaoh of Egypt: Her Life and Afterlife (Lives and Afterlives). Egypt’s sun queen magnificently revealed in a new book by renowned Egyptologist, Aidan Dodson. “During the last half of the fourteenth century BC, Egypt was perhaps at the height of its prosperity. It was against this background that the “Amarna Revolution” occurred....

Wadj-shemsi-su

Inscribed with, “Wadj-shemsi-su, engendered by Betyu-ka (his father), born of […] (his mother)”, as well as in cursive hieroglyphs, a fragment of Spell 17 from the Book of the Dead, this fragmentary lid belonged to a man who lived during Ancient Egypt’s 18th Dynasty named Wadj-shemsi-su. From approximately 1500–1425 B.C., the coffin lid is made...

Rose granite Amenhotep III

Measuring at just under 20cm tall (19.1cm), this rose, or red granite head depicts the 18th Dynasty king Amenhotep III and dates from approximately 1390 -1352 B.C. Currently on display at the Louvre in Paris, unfortunately, not much else is documented about the piece. After ascending the throne as a teenager, Amenhotep III ruled for...

Plaster face of a man, possibly Ay

This face of a man was discovered within the remnants of the Sculptor Thutmoses’s workshop in Tel el-Amarna. Although unnamed, some scholars propose it may be the face of Ay, who is also thought to be a brother of Queen Tiye and was definitely king after the death of king Tutankhamun. This association of Ay...

Plaster Amarna Royal

This plaster head depicts an Amarna royal, likely a king, and based upon resemblance it is even more likely to be a casting of king Akhenaten. The head is life-size, and measures at 20.5cm long, and 14.5cm wide, with a 13cm depth. If the head is of king Akhenaten, it could be from early in...