Egypt Museum ancient Egypt art culture and history

The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt, by Ian Shaw

The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt

The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt uniquely covers 700,000 years of ancient Egypt, from c. 700,000 BC to AD 311. Following the story from the Egyptians’ prehistoric origins to their conquest by the Persians, Greeks, and Romans, this book resurrects a fascinating society replete with remarkable historical information.

Statue of wife of Nakhtmin

Statue of wife of Nakhtmin

The statue of the wife of Nakhtmin is one of the most elegantly sculptured women figures from ancient Egypt. She is depicted wearing a transparent garment of fine, pleated linen and a wig with a band of petals with a blooming lotus flower in the center.

Gold Vase with the Royal Cartouches of Psusennes I and Henuttawy

Gold Vase with Cartouches of Psusennes I and Henuttawy

This gold vase or bowl of Psusennes I with carved stripes on the body reveals the fine taste and skills of the craftsmen of the period. It bears four cartouches engraved on it, saying “The Adoratress of Hathor Henuttawy, Mother Divine of Khonsu, Aakheperre chosen of Amun, Psusennes beloved of Amun.” It is unclear if...

Ancient Egyptian turquoise faience (mounted on swivel bezel in modern gold ring)

Gold Scarab Ring

Ancient Egyptian turquoise faience scarab (mounted on swivel bezel in modern gold ring). From the end of the third millennium B.C., the scarab beetle served as an amulet in Egypt where it represented the sun god. The scarab integrated into a gold ring appears in the fourth century B.C. The articulation of the insect and...

Gold and enamel earring with Hathor and rosette Meroë, Nubia (Kushite region), c. 90 B.C. –50 A.D. Boston Museum of Fine Arts. 23.341

Golden Hathor earring found in Meroë

This golden earring depicting the Ancient Egyptian goddess Hathor was discovered in the location of the ancient city of Meroë, capital of the Kingdom of Kush for several centuries from around 590 B.C., until its collapse in the 4th century A.D. The golden Hathor earring would have been a representation of the goddess and may...

Woman with child on lap

Woman with child on lap

This small limestone figurine of a woman holding a male child on her lap is only 4cm in height and dates from around 1550–1450 B.C, making it a product of the 18th Dynasty and New Kingdom era of Ancient Egypt. This little figure is a rather unique piece, as usually the bond between a child...

Pottery fragments, once in the form of a woman holding a basket

Pottery fragments

Pottery fragments, once in the form of a woman holding a basket. Pottery from ancient Egypt are valuable archaeological artifacts that provide insights into the daily life, culture, and craftsmanship of the ancient Egyptians. These fragments can come from various types of pottery vessels, such as bowls, jars, and amphorae, and they can be decorated...

Head of king Senusret III with nemes headdress

Head of king Senusret III with nemes headdress

Fragment of a granite head from a statue of king Senusret III with royal nemes headdress and cobra uraeus. The face of Senusret III is one of the most individual and recognizable in all of Egyptian art. The deep-set, heavy-lidded eyes, the thin lips, and the series of diagonal furrows marking the rather hollow cheeks...

Predynastic figure of a woman

Predynastic figure of a woman

This figure of a woman in a shawl is dated between 3100 -2700 B.C. She stands 13.5cm high, and is a finely carved from a piece of Hippopotamus ivory. Hippopotamus ivory is harder than elephant ivory and is much more difficult to carve. The woman depicted, with hair parted in the middle, stares forth with...

Overseer of Builders, Amenhotep

Funerary Mask of the Overseer of Builders, Amenhotep. Amenhotep is believed to have lived and worked sometime between 1427–1390 B.C. of the 18th Dynasty. He is titled with the title of Over Seer of Builders, seemingly working under the king Amenhotep II and/or Thutmose IV.Thutmose being the son and heir of Amenhotep II. The death...