Detail of a relief on a column depicts a honeybee on a column in the High sacred Precinct of Amun-Re, Karnak Temple Complex. The Egyptian name for honey was “bit”, a word also used for bees. Beekeeping in Egypt has been attested since the III millennium BC, but perhaps it was practiced in even older...
Solid-cast gold signet ring with swiveling rectangular bezel inscribed on one side with the throne name of King Amenhotep II and epithets: “the perfect god, son of Amun, mighty lord” [nTr nfr sA imn nb xpS]; and on the other side, “the one who fights against hundred thousands, son of Re, Amenhotep, divine ruler of...
The ring, decorated with a Hathor sistrum, which is clearly an ancient Egyptian product, was found in a Late Bronze Age Canaanite tomb at Tell el-Ajjul, indicating that Egyptian amulets besides scarabs were used by the Canaanite population during this period, in emulation of Egyptian customs. The connection of the cat with the Hathor sistrum...
Carnelian wadjet amulet (eye of Horus). One side is carved with details. Slightly curved profile and not pierced for suspension. Broken across in two pieces and mended together. In ancient Egypt, people wear carnelian to ward off the Evil Eye and instill peace. The ancient Egyptians called carnelian “the setting sun”. Wadjet eye amulets were...
Nehebkau, often depicted as a male with a snake head, was originally the explanation of the cause of binding of Ka and Ba after death. Thus his name, which means (one who) brings together Ka and Ba. Since these aspects of the soul were said to bind after death, Nehebkau was said to have guarded...
Similar amulet pendants of Amun have been recovered from the royal tombs at Kurru and Nuri in Sudan, and Nubian royalty is often depicted wearing similarly impressive decorations. On the back of the figure is a loop for a chain so that the amulet could be worn around the neck. The figure shows the god...
A stone amulet representing the Sema, or Sma, a symbol for indicating a union. It depicts the lower and upper kingdoms of Egypt and their unity. It is often described as a pair of lungs attached to a windpipe, genitalia, and sometimes both simultaneously. The Sema was often placed on a mummy’s chest in order...
In Ancient Egypt the figure of the grey heron (Bennu or bnw) with a long beak and a double feathered crest was surrounded by mythical associations. When the flooded Nile waters slowly retreated, the heron was among the first birds to appear on the top of the mounds protruding from the water. In the morning...
The mummy case of the priest Panehesy is a very nice specimen, decorated with winged figures of gods and hieroglyphs. These paintings have a general protective significance. On the back of the sleeve you can see a ‘djed pillar’, the Egyptian symbol for sustainability and eternal existence. For the ancient Egyptians, life after death was...
Tomb relief of Merit, wife of Maya, Chancellor and overseer of the treasury during the reign of Kings Tutankhamun, Ay and Horemheb of the 18th Dynasty of Ancient Egypt. From the tomb of Maya at Saqqara. Maya’s titles include: fan bearer on the King’s right hand, overseer of the treasury, chief of the works in...
