The high curved back of the Ceremonial Throne of Tutankhamun is fitted to a stool with crossed legs carved to represent the necks and heads of ducks. The deeply curved seat (designed to hold a cushion) is inlaid with ebony and ivory in imitation of a spotted animal skin. The glory of this chair is...
The mummy of a falcon represents the god Horus. The falcon is wrapped in the shape of a human mummy. The head is covered with a falcon-shaped mask, which consists of several layers of linen with a thick coating of painted stucco. The linen bandages intersect to form lozenge shapes. The mummy wears a wig...
In the tomb of Princess Ita, daughter of Amenemhat II, this dagger was found in her coffin, together with a collection of jewels that included bracelets, anklets, a necklace, and the remains of a belt. The pommel is in the shape of a light crescent of lapis lazuli. The hilt is beaten gold and is...
The golden uraeus of Senusret II was discovered by Flinders Petrie in 1920 during his excavations around the Pyramid of Senusret II at Lahun. This piece of jewelry was thus likely part of a headdress or crown. The rearing cobra, known as a uraeus, was a symbol of sovereignty, royalty, deity and divine authority in...
The innermost coffin of Tutankhamun is is a highly significant artifact from ancient Egypt. It is made of a solid gold and covered with incised decorations and inscriptions inside and outside, with the names and epitaph of the deceased king and protective texts. It is inlaid with semiprecious stones and coloured glass. The coffin’s shape...
“The Writing of the Gods: two rival geniuses in a race to decode the writing on one of the world’s most famous documents—the Rosetta Stone. It is one of the most famous objects in the world, attracting millions of visitors to the British museum ever year, and yet most people don’t really know what it...
“The five centuries that followed the unification of Egypt around 3100 BC–the first three dynasties–were crucial in the evolution of the Egyptian state. During this time all the key elements of the civilization that would endure for three millennia were put in place, centered on the semidivine king himself. The First Pharaohs: Their Lives and...
As with many aspects of Egyptian life, childbirth was regarded not only as a biological event, but as one deeply embedded within the realms of magic, religion, and the divine. One of the most intriguing aspects of Egyptian pregnancy practices is the use of a primitive yet surprisingly insightful pregnancy test, recorded in the Papyrus...
This wooden plumb level from the tomb of Sennedjem consists of two short pieces projecting at right angles from a longer slab. A limestone bob is strung from the top of the long slab and the upper short projecting wooden piece. The string would touch the lower projecting piece when the long slab was held...
This part of a wall painting of geese was found in the Mastaba of Nefermaat and his wife, Itet, at Meidum where it decorated the lower part of one of the walls in the passage leading to Itet’s chapel. The colors used here derived from natural materials: white from limestone, red from hematite and green...
