Egypt Museum ancient Egypt art culture and history

Inlay of a princess

Inlay face of a princess, possibly Meritaten, made from opaque turquoise-blue glassNew Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, c. 1351–1334 B.C.Tel el-Amarna.British Museum. EA54264 Meritaten, also spelled Merytaten, Meritaton or Meryetaten (Ancient Egyptian: mrii.t-itn), was an ancient Egyptian royal woman of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt. Her name means “She who is beloved of Aten“; Aten being the...

Isis of Coptos

This statue known as, “Isis of Coptos” is a granodiorite statue of the goddess Isis or Hathor thought to have discovered within the Temple of Min.Coptos is the Greek name for Qift, a city in the Qena Governorate of Egypt about 43 km north of Luxor. In Ancient Egyptian it would have been named “Gbtyw”....

Ancestor Busts

During early excavations of the worker’s village of Deir el-Medina, numerous anthropoid busts of limestone and clay, referred to as “ancestor busts” were found. French Egyptologist Bernard Bruyère (10 November 1879 – 4 December 1971), proposed the idea that these “ancestor busts”, rather than being funerary items or temple tributes, would have actually been a...

Ebony figure of a man, with young boy at side

Standing at 48.30cm, this statuette of a man is carved from ebony and once had inlaid eyes and brows, likely made of glass or semi-precious stone. Upon the side of the striding man is a profile figure of a young boy. The man wears a shoulder-length wig parted in the middle. He is shirtless but...

Kha and Merit receiving offerings from son Nekhetef

This beautiful decorated wooden trunk was discovered within the famous tomb of the foreman Kha and his wife Merit, known as tomb TT8 at Deir el-Medina. Depicted within a painted scene, whose borders are adorned with decorative floral, zigzag and geometric designs, is the married couple Kha and Merit, receiving offerings of food, drink and...

Mummy mask of Satdjehuty

Mummy mask of Satdjehuty

Daughter of king Senakhtenre Ahmose and his wife Tetisheri, Satdjehuty (Daughter of Thoth) was a sister-wife to her brother king Seqenenre Tao and held multiple titles including, “King’s Wife“, “King’s Sister“, and “King’s Daughter“. Sitdjehuti was also the sister of queens Ahhotep I and Ahmose-Inhapy, also sister-wives to their brother king Seqenenre Tao. Sitdjehuty and...

Statuette of Osiris as a Mummy with Erected Phallus

This baked clay statuette depicts the god Osiris naked, wears a tripartite wig and a divine beard. The penis and testicles are shaped separately and inserted into an oval recess. The black stone pupils are placed in a white stucco eyeball. The eye framing and eyebrows are inlaid sheet gold. Within the mummy case were...

Ushabti of a man with lappet-wig with incised ringlets

Ushabti of a man with lappet-wig with incised ringlets

This ushabti of a man only has its top half remaining and was purchased by the British Museum from Thomas Burgon in 1842. It is believed to date from the late 18th Dynasty, c.1388-1292 B.C. It showcases a male in a shoulder-length wig, usekh collar and holding two flails in each hand. It is made...

Alabaster figure of a woman

Alabaster figure of a woman

This calcite or Egyptian Alabaster figure of a woman dates from the Old Kingdom’s 4th Dynasty, c. 2613-2566 B.C. Read more about women in Ancient Egypt: Daughters of Isis, Women of Ancient Egypt

Serving girl cosmetic box

Serving girl cosmetic box

This wooden figure of a girl holding a trunk upon her head is actually a cosmetic box. The trunk the girl holds upon her head, would be filled with cosmetics of the owner’s choice, most likely pigments for make up, including eyeshadow and rouge for cheeks. The piece dates from the 18th Dynasty, of Ancient...