Egypt Museum ancient Egypt art culture and history

Ancient Egyptian Nobleman

Ancient Egyptian Nobleman

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...

Lady Sati (Ushabti). Brooklyn Museum. 37.123E

Ushabti of Lady Sati

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...

Is this the face of Queen Kiya?

Egyptian Alabaster Canopic jar of a queen

Egyptian-Alabaster Canopic jar of an 18th Dynasty queen, found within tomb KV55. New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, Amarna Period, c. 1349–1330 B.C. One of four Canopic jars believed to have belonged to Akhenaten’s secondary wife, Queen Kiya. Despite being associated with Kiya, the image of the beautifully carved wig adorned royal upon the jar lids has...

Edwin Smith Medical papyrus

The Edwin Smith medical papyrus is undoubtedly one of the most important of the medical papyri. It was sold by Mustafa Agha, an Egyptian merchant, dealer and Consular Agent in Luxor to the American, Edwin Smith, a resident in Luxor 1858-1876. Unusually for his time, he had an extensive knowledge of hieratic, which enabled him...

Amethyst bottle

Amethyst bottle

This small bottle made of beautifully veined amethyst would have been a luxury item, most probably filled with an expensive, fragrant oil. The container would have had a stopper. Since the base is rounded and does not sit flat, the container would probably have been placed in a box or ring stand to remain upright.⁣⁣This...

Cambyses II of Persia defeats Psamtik III of Egypt

Cambyses II of Persia defeats Psamtik III of Egypt

This is a scene you are used to seeing from Ancient Egypt; a triumphant, dominating king, with a pleading & subdued enemy. But here, the tables have turned. Here the king of Egypt is the pleading subdued one, as the “Achaemenid King of Kings” holds the power. The king of Egypt pleading with the Achaemenian...

According to the Greek writer, Polyaenus, c. 200 C.E., the Persians, during their successful attempt at occupying Egypt (525 BCE). Paul-Marie Lenoir, 1872.

Egyptians in the eyes of the Greeks

According to the Greek writer, Polyaenus, c. 200 C.E., the Persians, during their successful attempt at occupying Egypt (525 BCE), used sacred animals as bait and protection against the Egyptian military. In this painting by Paul-Marie Lenoir from 1872, we see that cats are being slung and thrown to their death in front of the...

Granodiorite Statue of the goddess Sekhmet

Granodiorite Statue of the goddess Sekhmet

Granodiorite statue of the goddess sekhmet, the avenging lion-headed goddess. Like the combative fire spitting goddess the king vanquished Egypt’s enemies. Through her fire Sekhmet was associated with the royal uraeus cobra and the eye of the sun god Re. As the city of Thebes gained power, the priests gave Mut, consort of the God...

Bronze statuette of Harpocrates

Silver Statuette of Harpocrates

Silver statuette of Harpocrates, with gold chain and ring. The god is shown as a chubby Graeco-Roman Cupid with wings and a heavy garland of fruit and leaves crowning his curly head. The left hand is empty, but the right is raised to the chin. A gold chain with a god ring attached to it...

Female Mourners from the Papyrus of Ani

Ani, held numerous titles including, “True Scribe of the King; His Beloved Scribe”, as well as “Overseer of the Double Granary of the Lord of Tawer”. Ani’s famous papyrus is one of the best preserved documents from Ancient Egypt, and is known as the Book of the Dead. A Book of the Dead is a...