Prince Ankhhaf was the son of an Old Kingdom king, most probably king Sneferu, making Ankhhaf the brother of king Khufu. Ankhhaf had the titles “eldest king’s son of his body” (sa nswt n khtf smsw), “vizier” and “the great one of Five of the house of Thoth” (wr djw pr-Djehuti). This bust made of...
This is a vessel in the shape of a cat that dates from early in the 12th Dynasty of Egypt’s Middle Kingdom, 1990–1900 B.C. Made from Egyptian alabaster, the cat is sculpted beautifully and inlaid eyes of rock-crystal, lined with copper bring an eerie sense of realism to this piece. Cats held a significant and...
This fragment depicts face and upper torso of Akhenaten with the exaggerated but sensitive features characteristic of representations of this king. The full scene would have shown the king worshiping his sole god, the Aten. This relief is currently on long-term loan to the Ägyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung in Berlin. Akhenaten was a progressive king...
At the time of her unwrapping, when surveying the mummy of Neskhon; plumpness of her physique and well-endowed bust seemed to indicate pregnancy or motherhood to archaeologists, and to this day it is widely believed she was either pregnant or had died during childbirth. Neskhon (“She Belongs to Khons [Khonsu, the Egyptian God of the...
This group of objects was found in a plundered chamber in Tomb MMA 840, excavated by Herbert Eustis Winlock (1884-1950), an archeologist who worked for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, reached by a shaft in the portico of a rock-cut tomb in the Asasif section of the Theban necropolis. Among the finds were parts of...
This head of an unknown princess dates from the Amarna Period, and the family resemblance among the sculptures of the period is noticeable here. The youthful face and enlarged, elongated heads tended to be a choice for the Amarna artists to depict the daughters of the king. Found in Amarna, this head is now on...
Anubis in Roman garb appears on a mosaic titled after the November month, discovered in Tunisia. Anubis, by this time, had also become merged by some with the Greek god Hermes, and went by the name Hermanubis in Graeco-Egyptian religion. This mosaic is currently on display at the Musée archéologique de Sousse, Sousse, Tunisia. In...
The Sarcophagus lid of Tjentwerethequa, “Priestess of Amun”. Third Intermediate period, Early 22nd Dynasty, c. 1000- 901 B.C. It is believed that Tjentwerethequa’s grandson, Lufenamun, a senior priest of Amun-Re, belonged to the priesthood entrusted with the reburial of Egypt’s ancient kings. Their sacred duty was to conceal the rulers of old within hidden caches,...
Fragment of painted limestone raised relief of soldiers honoring their lord. Group of military men are acclaiming the rewarding of General Horemheb. Right arm of Horemheb at extreme upper right corner. Two lines of incised inscription at top left center. Inscription: “Standard Bearer to the cavalry squadron of Meryt-Aten (named Khai)” or “Standard bearer of...
Quartzite head of King Djedefre from Abu Rawash. Djedefre was the son of King Khufu ruled Egypt for 8 years and built his pyramid in Abu Rawash area in the north of Giza. His name was written inside a royal cartouche and was the first king to take the title of ‘Son of Re’ that...
