Egypt Museum ancient Egypt art culture and history

Mummy of King Ramesses V

Mummy of Ramesses V

Apparently, King Ramesses V died in his early thirties and this is perhaps the reason for the appropriation of his tomb by his successor, Ramesses VI. Nevertheless, the mummy later found its way to the Royal Cachette (DB320) at Deir el-Bahari. The king’s face was painted in red and his nostrils were filled with wax....

Statue of a sleeping child

Statue of a sleeping child

Marble statue portraying a sleeping child sitting on a rock. He is wearing a Roman tunic with a conical head cover. His sandals are finely carved. Comparing this statue with another similar one displayed in the National Roman Museum where the boy is holding a lantern in his right hand, however the lantern here is...

Statue of Harpocrates. Graeco-Roman, Roman Period, 2nd century AD. From Sidi Bishr, Alexandria. Bibliotheca Alexandrina Antiquities Museum, Alexandria.

Statue of Harpocrates

Marble statue of Harpocrates, who was adapted by the Greeks from the Egyptian child god Horus, represented the newborn sun, rising each day at dawn. Harpocrates meaning “Horus the Child”, was the god of silence, secrets and confidentiality in the Hellenistic religion developed in Ptolemaic Alexandria. In Egyptian mythology, Horus was the child of Isis...

Faience Ushabti found in the tomb of Seti I

Ushabti of Seti I

Blue glazed composition ushabti of Seti I: the lower leg section is lost. With details painted in black (probably manganese dioxide), Seti I is shown wealing the striped royal ‘nemes’ headdress, once equipped with a rearing cobra above his brow, a broad collar that imitates glazed composition beads, and bracelets that also would have been...

Statue of Akhenaten Kissing his Daughter

Statue of Akhenaten Kissing his Daughter

This unfinished limestone statue of King Akhenaten kissing his daughter is of high artistic quality. It was discovered in a sculptor’s atelier, or workshop, at Tell el-Amarna. It depicts King Akhenaten supporting on his knee one of his daughters, probably Meritaten. Akhenaten sits on a stool wearing a short-sleeved tunic and the Blue Khepresh Crown...

Model Boat with Crew Sailing Upstream

Model Boat with Crew Sailing Upstream

The traditional model of a boat depicts the crew sailing upstream. The boat is equipped with a mast, spars, or poles, and a well-preserved linen sail, and rigging and an oar. The models of the 15 members of the crew vary in posture, except for their feet, which are separately modeled in stucco. They are...

Statue of King Horemheb and God Horus

Statue of Horemheb and Horus

In this nearly life-size statue made of white limestone, Horemheb is seated on the right side of Horus, who places his right arm around the king’s waist. The god’s left hand is holding the sign of life. The two figures greatly resemble each other. Both have bare upper bodies and wear the shendyt kilt and...

Girdle with cowrie shells of gold

Girdle with cowrie shells of gold

The girdle with golden cowrie shells could have been worn by a small woman. It was slipped over the head and arms to rest on the widest part of her hips and to cross the lowest part of her abdomen. Such girdles were commonly depicted on the little dolls of wood or faience often found...

Shrine of King Taharqa

Shrine of Taharqa

The Shrine of Taharqa part of a temple built at Kawa, Nubia (modern Sudan) in about 680 BC. It was built on the orders of Taharqa who was King from 690 – 664 BC. The shrine was dedicated to the sun and fertility god Amun-Re. It was intended to give help to Taharqa in ruling...

Relief of a Group of Archers

This fragment of relief of a group of archers shows one of the most elaborately composed scenes preserved from the Old Kingdom. A careful examination reveals parts of at least four archers, three standing and one kneeling below them, his extended left arm and the upper part of his head just visible along the lower...