Egypt Museum ancient Egypt art culture and history

Ancient Egyptian Royal Tomb, Thutmose IV

Ancient Egyptian Royal Tomb, Thutmose IV

Illustration of the interior of a royal tomb of a king of Ancient Egypt. This depiction is partially based on the tomb of Thutmose IV, the 8th king of the 18th Dynasty. Thutmose IV ruled from 1401 BC to 1391 BC. The tomb has many rooms and side room, with the tomb at lower right. An...

Head of a Cat with Amber Eyes

Bronze head of a cat represents goddess Bastet or Bast with inlaid amber eyes and a golden scarab on its forehead, it was part of a cat-shaped sarcophagus for a cat mummy, as a sacrifice to the goddess Bastet. The little feline lived in the houses, that’s why it was associated to the goddess Bastet,...

Queen Nefertari before Goddess Isis

Queen Nefertari before Goddess Isis

Painting of the goddess Isis offers the ankh, the symbol of life, to Nefertari. A detailed view of Pillar II in Chamber K (the burial chamber). The tomb of Nefertari is located in the Valley of the Queens, near the ancient city of Thebes. It is one of the best preserved and most ornate of...

The Seated Scribe

The Seated Scribe

The Louvre’s scribe, known as the “Seated Scribe”, is indeed sitting cross-legged, his right leg crossed in front of his left. The white kilt, stretched over his knees, serves as a support. He is holding a partially rolled papyrus scroll in his left hand. His right hand must have held a brush, now missing.  The...

Earrings of Seti II

This earrings of King Seti II was found in 1908 with other artifacts belonging to the king and to Queen Tausert in a hiding place in the Valley of the Kings. It is composed of a flat trapezoidal centerpiece from which hang seven pendants in the form of cornflowers. At the end of the upper...

Interior of the Tomb of Meresankh III

The tomb of Meresankh III was discovered by American archaeologist George Reisner on April 23, 1927, with subsequent excavations undertaken by his team on behalf of Harvard University and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Queen Meresankh III was the daughter of Hetepheres II and prince Kawab and a granddaughter of king Khufu. She was...

Souls of Pe and Nekhen

Souls of Pe and Nekhen

These figures of the souls of Pe and Nekhen are identified as King Amenhotep III. The soul of Nekhen is represented by the jackal-headed figure. Its counterpart was the falcon-headed souls of Pe Dep (the double mounds of Buto), which was located in the northern part of the Egyptian Delta. The Souls of Pe and...

Mask of Psusennes I

Mask of Psusennes I

In this gold mask, Psusennes I appears with the royal headdress surmounted by the uraeus, or royal cobra. He wears a divine plaited false beard. The mask is made of two pieces of beaten gold, soldered and joined together by five nails that can be seen from the back. The king wears the royal nemes...

Papyrus Column Amulet

This papyrus column amulet, meant to be worn, carried, or offered to a deity in the belief that it will magically bestow a particular power or form of protection, depicts a papyrus scepter or column. This plant, named wadj, meaning “green” or “fresh”, and the choice of green-blue faience all strongly evoke vitality and regenerative...

Wadjet Eye Pectoral of King Tutankhamun

Wadjet Eye Pectoral of Tutankhamun

This wadjet eye pectoral was found on the mummy of the king Tutankhamun, symbol of the entity of the body. The cobra goddess Wadjet wearing the Red Crown of Lower Egypt “Deshret”, while the vulture goddess Nekhbet wearing the White Crown of the Upper Egypt “Hedjet”. Howard Carter believed that this pectoral was a piece...