Within the tomb of Horemheb at Saqqara, one of the most striking reliefs depicts a quiet yet powerful moment: the documentation of Nubian prisoners following a southern campaign. Unlike the common scenes of bound captives, these men are shown seated in orderly rows, their hands resting calmly upon their knees, awaiting registration by the Egyptian...
Military Life in the Memphite Tomb of Horemheb Horemheb is, unusually, a man with two tombs. The first; his Saqqara tomb, was prepared during his rise to power, at a time when no one could confidently predict that he would one day don the double crown. When he later became king, a second tomb fit...
This sphinx was unearthed in 1912 by Flinders Petrie near the remains of Memphis. It is one of the largest monuments ever made from Egyptian alabaster. Sphinxes are often guards or protectors of ancient Egyptian sacred places. Some represent kings (pharaohs), with their human faces attached to the body of a lion – an animal...
This mummy mask of Kay-neferwy was excavated by Mohammed Zakaria Goneim, Keeper of the Antiquities of Saqqara, at Saqqara, during his first season (1951-1952). The mask of Kay-neferwy has an extraordinary presence with its combination of glass inlaid eyes, gilt face with shimmering, almost lifelike translucence, and realistic wig. The craftsman who fashioned the wig...
Statuette of Tutankhamun wearing the white crown and holding staff and flail, carried upon the back of a black leopard. The king is shown standing with his left leg forward on a rectangular pedestal fixed to the back of the leopard. The exaggeration of the king’s features shows the influence of the Amarna style of...
This statue of Senusret III sculpted of black granite was found in the forecourt of the temple of Mentuhotep II at Deir el-Bahari. It was one of the six statues that Senusret III dedicated to the temple of his ancestor Mentuhotep. Senusret restored and endowed this temple, which was the site of an important local...
This standing statue portrays the nobleman Mentuemhat, who played an important role in the clergy of Amun-Re at Karnak and in the administration of Thebes. It shows him as a middle-aged man in the usual striding pose. Although the body was rendered in the traditional artistic style, well built and proportioned, his wrinkled facial features...
This seated figure’s rank of vizier is confirmed by the cord around his neck from which his official badge or seal would have been suspended. The seal would have been tucked into his kilt for safekeeping. Carved from anorthosite gneiss (also known as Khafre diorite, the material associated with the Old Kingdom king Khafre), the...
In this unique marble statue, King Thutmose III is shown kneeling in a pose of worship, offering two Nu vases for libation to Amun-Re. He wears the royal nemes headdress, surmounted by the uraeus, or rearing cobra. His body is well modeled with defined muscles. The king is kneeling on the nine bows, which represent...
An ostracon showing a topless dancer in an acrobatic position with elaborate hairstyle and hoop earrings in gymnastic backbend. This magnificently drawn sketch of a lady doing a back bend defies many of the conventions of Egyptian art. Performances were held at festivals, banquets, in the temple, and at funerals, but could take place anywhere....
