This wonderful catfish pendant exemplifying the high craftsmanship of jewelry makers during the Middle Kingdom (ca. 2030-1650 BC). This pendant also embodies the magic that was part of life for the ancient Egyptians, which they incorporated into a wide variety of objects. Believed to ward off drowning. A loop for suspension extends from the mouth...
This gold ring of Akhenaten and Nefertiti was found at Tell el-Amarna. The hieroglyphs may be read as an ideogram. The two seated figures are probably Akhenaten (left) and Nefertiti (right) as the deities Shu (air as indicated by the feather he holds) and Tefnut (moisture). They were father and mother of the earth and...
This relief portrait of Queen Nefertiti comes from a short end of a talatat, a limestone block of standardized size used during the Amarna Period in the building of the Aten temples at Karnak and Akhetaten. The standardized size and their small weight made construction more efficient. The term talatat is most likely derived from...
The symbolism of this wadjet eye amulet was one of the most pervasive and powerful in ancient Egypt. Combining a human eye with the stylized markings of a falcon’s, it represents the healed eye of the god Horus that was known as the “Sound One.” It was a symbol of recovery and regeneration. As amulet...
In ancient Egypt, people wear carnelian to ward off the Evil Eye and instill peace. Frogs are a symbol of rebirth, creation and fecundity, most probably, when the frog amulet was worn by the living it brought fertility, while when it was placed on a mummy it favored its rebirth in the afterlife. The frog,...
Although he must have been nearly 50 years old when this portrait was carved, in this head sculpture, King Amenhotep III appears more youthful than ever. Over a round, curly wig he wears a diadem with side streamers adorned with uraei or rearing cobras bearing sun disks on their heads. The stone quartzite was associated...
The mummy of Lady Rai is one of the oldest known mummies uncovered in Egypt. She was discovered in 1881 and researchers estimate that she was about 30 – 40 years old when she died around 1530 BC. From the writings left behind about Lady Rai, we know that she was the nursemaid to Queen...
In this relief, the powerful face, thick lips, and coarse profile of the deity are reminiscent of King Djoser as he is depicted at Saqqara. The fragment relief depicts a seated god wearing a long wig and the “divine” beard, with curled tip. A broad collar embellishes the plain, clinging garment from which one hand...
The bears and the jar holding oil represented on this relief exemplify the exotic animals and precious goods among the Near Eastern booty. Territorial conquest was not the aim of these enterprises; rather it was the acquisition of raw materials, animals, and sometimes people.) Shown under the northern courtyard portico was booty from the Levant....
An engrossing biography of the longest-reigning female pharaoh in Ancient Egypt and the story of her audacious rise to power. “Hatshepsut—the daughter of a general who usurped Egypt’s throne and a mother with ties to the previous dynasty—was born into a privileged position in the royal household, and she was expected to bear the sons...
