This statue represents goddess Meretseger, one of the protective goddesses that were found in the tomb of king Amenhotep II (KV35) in the Valley of the Kings. They were responsible for protecting the body of the king in his afterlife journey. It represents Meretseger in the form of the winged cobra. Meretseger, a cobra goddess...
Wrapped together in a package, placed above the right wrist of the mummy of Tutankhamun, were five rings, three of which are illustrated here. (Top to bottom) (a) Particular interest attaches to the material of this ring. It is a green translucent stone, which Carter thought was chalcedony. However, scientific tests carried out by Alfred...
In this Old Kingdom, Late 5th Dynasty, triad statue, dating from approximately 2455-2350 B.C., we see an Ancient Egyptian style family portrait of a man called Ni-ka-re (Nykara), his wife Ni-ka.w-nb (.w) and their son Ankh-ma-re. Such statues were often placed in tombs for offerings to be received, yet they were also placed within households...
The cosmetic spoon in the shape of a girl swimming with a lotus flower in her hands illustrates the refined taste of the New Kingdom. It is carved of ivory and ebony. In Egyptology a cosmetic spoon means an ornately shaped vessel for cosmetic paints or aromatic oils that were especially popular during the 18th...
Before photography became most prevalent, Egyptologists would heavily rely on artists to document the relics and monuments of the ancient world. Even Howard Carter himself started his career as an artist, documenting what he saw before him in temples and tombs. Here we see an example of the beautiful artwork of Émile Prisse d’Avennes, a...
The mummy of king Merenptah Rather similarly to the recently crowned King Charles III, Merenptah took the throne later in life. Merenptah became king when he was approximately 70 years of age due to outliving his older brothers. He was the son of Ramesses II (also known as Ramesses the Great), who amazingly lived until...
Sister goddesses, Isis and Nepthys, stand beside and hold hands with Harpocrates, the god of silence, secrets and confidentiality in the Hellenistic religion developed in Ptolemaic Alexandria. Harpocrates stands in the centre, his youthfulness indicated by his nudity and the sidelock of hair worn on his head. He is flanked by Isis and Nephthys. All...
An Ancient Egyptian wooden and ivory fan handle with the face of Hathor engraved. Modern ostrich feathers added to show how the fan would appear in its former New Kingdom glory. Hathor was a multifaceted deity. Her name, literally ‘the abode of Horus’, immediately emphasised the close connection with the falcon-headed god, whose mother or...
This relief shows a beautiful, delicately carved depiction of an unknown Ancient Egyptian Nobleman, dating from the 19th or 20th Dynasty. It is believed that this fragment may have come from a tomb in Saqqara. With the lingering of the Amarna Period artistic revolution still in memory, the Egyptian need to forget the reign of...
Made from polychrome faïence, these Ushabti figures of a woman named Lady Sati, were found in Saqqara, and date from the reign of Amenhotep III, c. 1390-1352 B.C. They are currently on display at the Brooklyn Museum, New York City. Lady Sati was given the title, “mistress of the house”, a title which was often...
