Egypt Museum ancient Egypt art culture and history

Nefertiti’s Face: The Creation of an Icon, by Joyce Tyldesley

Nefertiti’s Face: The Creation of an Icon, by Joyce Tyldesley

“Little is known about Nefertiti, the Egyptian queen whose name means “a beautiful woman has come.” She was the wife of Akhenaten, the pharaoh who ushered in the dramatic Amarna Age, and she bore him at least six children. She played a prominent role in political and religious affairs, but after Akhenaten’s death she apparently...

House altar of King Akhenaten and his family

House altar of Akhenaten and his family

This small stele of Akhenaten and his family, probably used as a home altar. It gives an seldom opportunity to view a scene from the private live of the king and queen. We see Akhenaten and Nefertiti shown with the three oldest of their five daughters. While the daughters are being held and caressed by...

Statue of King Mentuhotep II. Egyptian Museum, Cairo. JE 36195

Statue of Mentuhotep II

This statue of King Mentuhotep II is made out of painted sandstone, represents a stepping-stone in the renaissance of Egyptian art at the beginning of the Middle Kingdom. King Mentuhotep II is shown here seated, wearing the red Deshret crown of Lower Egypt, a knee-length white Heb Sed, or jubilee robe, and a ceremonial beard....

Statue of the God Ptah

Statuette of the God Ptah

This statuette of Ptah is remarkable for its beauty and size, state of preservation, elaborate manufacture provisions, and its demonstrable date to the Third Intermediate Period. The great Egyptian god Ptah was a deity whose many aspects include those of both a creator god and a god who listens to individuals’ prayers. Ptah’s name was...

Head of Queen Tiye

Portrait of Queen Tiye

This small portrait of Queen Tiye (22.5cm with feathered sun disc crown) was probably produced in the last years of her husband Amenhotep III’s reign because the queen is shown at an advanced age. The original nemes (revealed with C.T scanning) was of silver with a gold uraeus but was covered with several layers of...

Model of a Soul House

Model of a Soul House

This model from Rifah of the “Soul House” type represents a house with a three-columned portico behind a walled courtyard; in front of the courtyard a libation spout is partly preserved. A stairway on the right gives access to the roof of the house, where an arched opening represents a feature in actual houses through...

Model of a Soul House and Garden

Model of a Soul House and Garden

This model shows the facade of a soul house with a portico, or covered entrance, that is supported by two rows of four columns in the form of bound lotus flowers and stems. The well-preserved colors of these columns range from white and yellow to blue, while the capitals are painted in green and red....

Plaque of a princess eating a roasted duck

Plaque of a princess eating a roasted duck

In this sculptor’s model plaque, the princess is biting into a duckling held in her right hand, while reaching with her left hand for fresh fruits and vegetables placed on a table in front of her. The artist had begun to carve the lower part of the body and the cushion on which the princess...

Model of ancient Egyptian Infantry

Model of ancient Egyptian soldiers

This group model of ancient Egyptian soldiers was found in the tomb of Mesehti, a local governor of Asyut at the end of the First Intermediate Period and the beginning of the Middle Kingdom. The group consists of forty soldiers arranged in ten lines. They are colored reddish brown, their strong tan indicating their continuous...

Humanoid Khepri Scarab

Humanoid Khepri Scarab Amulet

A rare figure of the Egyptian scarab beetle creator god Khepri, with a human head and arms emerging from a scarab’s exoskeleton. The so-called heart scarabs had to protect the heart of the deceased. According to ancient Egyptians, the heart contained the intellect and emotions. For this reason, it should have been preserved in the...