Egypt Museum ancient Egypt art culture and history

Seated Statues of Rahotep and Nofret

Seated Statues of Rahotep and Nofret

Few sculptures have startled the modern world quite so memorably as the painted limestone statues of Prince Rahotep and his elegant consort, Nofret. When archaeologists first cast their torchlight upon these lifelike figures, buried within a mastaba north of Sneferu’s pyramid at Meidum, their flickering beams met the glinting gaze of quartz and alabaster eyes...

Anubis before embalmed Amennakht

Anubis before embalmed Amennakht

A priest wearing the mask of Anubis completes the mummification of Amennakht. On both sides of the bed, where the mummy lie, is depicted the goddesses Isis and Nephthys. The damage on the wall, shows where the coffin was placed. Detail of a wall painting depicts Anubis before embalmed Amennakht, from Tomb of the Servant...

Statue of King Thutmose IV and his mother Tiaa

Statue of Thutmose IV and his mother Tiaa

In this seated statue of King Thutmose IV, he and his mother Tiaa are embracing each other. His mother was a secondary wife of his father Amenhotep II. Hieroglyphs on both sides of the chair give the names and titles for King Thutmose IV and his mother Tiaa. She was “the Great Royal Wife and...

Statuette of King Khufu

Statuette of King Khufu

The Khufu Statuette or the ivory figurine of Khufu is an ancient Egyptian statue which is historically and archaeologically significant; it was found in 1903 by Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie during the excavation of Kom el-Sultan in Abydos. Despite the discovery of a few other small fragments of the king’s statues and statuettes, this...

Folding Cubit Rod of the architect Kha

Folding Cubit Rod of the architect Kha

The cubit rod of Kha folds in half with a simple bronze hinge at the center; there are absolutely no inscriptions. When Ernesto Schiaparelli discovered the rod, it was folded inside a leather bag with a strap. This extremely rare folding cubit rod was loved by Kha, who was the overseer of works in Deir...

Boulaq Museum, 1870s

Artifacts from the Tomb of Psamtik, 1870s

Artifacts discovered in a deep pit in the Tomb of the scribe Psamtik at Saqqara, Boulaq Museum, 1870s. Now in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo. Seated statue of god Osiris – CG 38358 Osiris is shown seated, wrapped tightly, and holding the crook and flail – symbols of kingship – in his hands, crossed at his...

detail of the face of scribe Metri

Statue of Metri as a Scribe

The statue depicts Metri, an overseer of the scribes during the 6th Dynasty, sitting in the traditional pose of scribes with his legs crossed. He spreads a roll of papyrus on his lap and holds it with his left hand. In his right hand he holds a pen. The body of the statue is painted...

Mummy of King Thutmose IV

Mummy of Thutmose IV

The mummy of Thutmose IV was found within the mummy cache of (KV35) in 1898 by Victor Loret. The body of the king was moved in antiquity by ancient priests for safety reasons. The king was originally buried within his own tomb (KV43), which was discovered by Howard Carter in 1903. His body was rewrapped...

Mummy of a Baboon

Mummy of a Baboon

This baboon mummy is seated with its knees drawn up to its chest, and its tail curving around the right side of its body. Excavated by Mr. Theodore M. Davis in 1906 from Tomb (KV51) near the Tomb of Amenhotep II (KV35). The monkey appears to have been mummified through an enlarged cut in the...

Mask of Amenemope

Mask of King Amenemope

This splendid funerary mask once adorned the mummy-shaped coffin of king Amenemope, a little-known but intriguing sovereign of Egypt’s 21st Dynasty. Fashioned from thick sheets of hammered gold, the mask was crafted to immortalise the features of the king with idealised serenity and timeless radiance. The visage is round and youthful, framed by a regal...