Egypt Museum ancient Egypt art culture and history

Mummy of Seqenenre Tao, the Brave

Mummy of King Seqenenre

Seqenenre Tao II’s mummy was originally buried at Dra’ Abu el-Naga’, and later reburied at Deir el-Bahari in his original coffin. It was discovered in the Deir el-Bahari cache (“DB320”), revealed in 1881. The body of this king, who died in his forties, was poorly preserved. However, the brain is still in the cranial cavity...

Obsidian (volcanic glass) head of Senwosret III

Obsidian (volcanic glass) head of Senwosret III

This obsidian head, an exquisite example of Egyptian craftsmanship, was part of a full-length statue depicting King Senwosret III. The king is wearing a nemes headdress, with the sacred serpent (uraeus), representing regal and divine might. In this representation, the artist portrays the sense of a firm yet extremely human figure, showing the load of...

Nubian dancing girl

Nubian dancing girl

A wall painting of a Nubian dancing girl appears in the procession of tribute for king Thutmose IV (Tomb of Horemheb, TT78). This scene is depicted within the Tomb of Horemheb, not the later king with the same name, but an Official of King Thutmose IV. Horemheb held many titles, including; “Great Confidant of the...

Statue of Kneeling Captive

Statue of Kneeling Captive

This statue of kneeling captive can be dated to the reign of Pepi II for stylistic reasons. Beginning at least in the mid 5th Dynasty, large sculptures of bound foreign captives appeared in the pharaoh’s pyramid complex. Pepi I and Pepi II had great numbers of them. Statues of prisoners were presumably placed in areas...

Amarna: A Guide to the Ancient City of Akhetaten

Amarna: A Guide to the Ancient City of Akhetaten

“An illustrated cultural guide to the archaeological site of Amarna, the best-preserved pharaonic city in Egypt. Around three thousand years ago, the pharaoh Akhenaten turned his back on Amun, and most of the great gods of Egypt. Abandoning Thebes, he quickly built a grand new city in Middle Egypt, Akhetaten―Horizon of the Aten―devoted exclusively to...

Statue of Ptahshepses as a Scribe

Statue of Ptahshepses as a Scribe

Ptahshepses in this statue is portrayed as a scribe sitting on the ground with his legs crossed. He has a partly unrolled papyrus on his knees, a common “reading scribe” posture in Ancient Egypt. A heart-shaped amulet hangs around his neck with a counterpoise at the back. The head of Ptahshepses is inclined gently toward...

Sandal Ivory Label of King Den, MacGregor plaque

Sandal Ivory Label of King Den Striking Down Asiatic Tribesman

This ivory label originally attached to a pair of royal sandals, found at his tomb in Abydos, showing the king Den with an upraised mace, about to strike a captive. The king’s name is written before him in a Serekh, in the center of the top of the label. The king wears a bull’s tail,...

Statue of Nursing Woman

Statue of a Nursing Woman

The nursing woman sits on the ground with one knee raised. Against the hammock of cloth formed by her skirt stretched over her knee she holds a child whose yellow skin indicates she is a girl. With one hand the woman holds the child’s head, while with the other she offers her breast to the...

Double Cartouche Perfume Box of Tutankhamun

Double Cartouche Perfume Box of Tutankhamun

This double cartouche shaped perfume box of Tutankhamun is gilded and inlaid with colored glass paste. The sides of the box feature a relief of Heh, god of eternity holding above and around his head the cartouches of the king. Each side is composed of two inward-facing cartouches containing the figure of the king squatting...

Statue of King Horemheb and the God Amun

Statue of Horemheb and Amun

Horemheb stands beside the god Amun, who is taller to indicate that he is more important than the king himself. The style of the statue is typical of the period immediately following the religious and artistic revolution of king Akhenaten. The muscles are not emphasized, the contours are soft, the belly and hips rounded, the...