Egypt Museum ancient Egypt art culture and history

Sphinx of King Thutmose III

Sphinx of Thutmose III

Granodiorite statue of King Thutmose III depicted as a sphinx. The sphinx depicts the king reclining on the Nine bows, which represent the traditional enemies of Egypt brought to submission. The sculpture once stood in the Karnak Temple Complex near Thebes. However, it was discovered in 1903 buried with thousands of statues, steles, amulets, inlay...

The burial chamber in the Tomb of Tutankhamun

Inside the Tomb of Tutankhamun

The tomb of Tutankhamun, also known as the “Tutankhamun’s burial chamber,” is located in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt. It was discovered by Howard Carter in 1922 and is one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world. Carter had been excavating in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt for several...

Mummy of Pacheri

Mummy of Pacheri

It is the mummy of a man about 1.65 meter tall, who lived during the Ptolemaic Period (ca. 305-30 BC). The quality of its embalming, as well as the state of conservation make it a specimen noticeable and worthy of notice. The mummy is a perfect example for anyone wanting to understand the technique of...

Statue of Takushit

Statue of Princess Takushit

Copper alloy hollow cast statue of the princess-priestess Takushit. It had ritual, votive, and funerary functions. The statue was found in 1880, in Lower Egypt, on the hill of Kom-Toruga, near Lake Mariut, south of Alexandria. The use of the statue was ceremonial while the priestess was alive, and was part of the ritual equipment of...

Diadem of King Tutankhamun

Diadem of Tutankhamun

The gold diadem of Tutankhamun was designed to secure the wig of the king during ceremonies and to protect his forehead in the hereafter. It is a multicolored masterpiece, decorated with gold cloisonnés inlaid with circles of carnelian and edged with inlays of turquoise, lapis lazuli, and blue glass. At the center front are the...

Statue of King Thutmose III

Statue of Thutmose III

This greywacke statue of Thutmose III was found in the Karnak Cachette in 1904. With the legs below the knees missing, the statue measures at 90cm tall. The Karnak Cachette was discovered by Gaston Maspero in 1903 and excavated by Georges Legrain between 1903 and 1907. It was a treasure trove of finds, with over...

Statuette of Thoth as Ibis bird. Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna. INV 10073

Statuette of Thoth as an Ibis bird

A statuette of the god Thoth depicted as an ibis. The body of this statuette is made of wood, which was covered with fine stucco. The head with the atef crown, the neck, the tail feathers and the legs are made of silver. The eyes are in stucco with black glass. Thoth, as the embodiment...

The Kadesh Treaty (Hittite version)

Battle of Kadesh

The battle of Kadesh is one of the world’s largest chariot battles, fought beside the Orontes River, King Ramesses II sought to wrest Syria from the Hittites and recapture the Hittite-held city of Kadesh. There was a day of carnage as some 5,000 chariots charged into the fray, but no outright victor.  The Kadesh Treaty...

Pectoral of Tutankhamun with Winged Scarab

Pectoral of Tutankhamun with Winged Scarab

In this exquisite pectoral, a winged large scarab beetle riding on a sacred barque flanked by the goddesses Isis and Nephthys with their arms outstretched as a sign of protection. The scarab serves a double function: as a heart scarab and as the ba of the sun god lighting the way to the underworld. The pectoral...

The Senet Game of Imenmes

The Senet Game of Imenmes

The Senet Game board of Imenmes who was an ancient Egyptian official, who was ‘Overseer of the Cattle of Amun’.  From the New Kingdom onward, the track for the game of Senet was usually engraved on the surface of a wooden box featuring a drawer for the playing pieces, while in previous periods the game...