Ancient Egyptian signet-ring with a rectangular bezel bearing a cartouche with the name of King Amenhotep II flanked by Nile gods (Hapi). The Egyptians primarily used signet, or seal, rings, in which a seal engraved on the bezel can be used to authenticate documents by the wearer. Egyptian seal rings typically had the name and titles...
Detail of a wall relief depicts Osiris, Lord of the underworld, god of fertility, agriculture, the afterlife, the dead, resurrection, life, and vegetation. Osiris was the god of afterlife, the underworld and the dead, green-skinned with a king’s beard, wearing the atef crown with two large ostrich feathers at either side, and holding a symbolic crook...
Mural scene from a funeral procession of Ramose, detail of a wall painting from the Tomb Chapel of Ramose (TT55). Ramose was Vizier under both Amenhotep III and Akhenaten. Ramose (Egyptian: rꜥ-ms(. w)) was an ancient Egyptian name, meaning “Re is born”. Variants of the name include Ramesses (Ramessu) and Paramessu; these various spellings could...
Amulet of a grasshopper made of lapis lazuli. The grasshopper, like the scarab, was a common insect motif for the ancient Egyptian. It was used as a hieroglyph, a seal, an amulet, a symbol of beauty, and an illustration of life along the Nile. The image of the grasshopper can be both favorably used to...
A fragment of a relief depicts court musicians from the Amarna Period and attendants of the royal family, six ladies in waiting and gentlemen sunshade-bearers. During the Amarna Period the need for speedy erection of new temples for Aten led to the use of smaller, now called Talatat, blocks of stone, which were easier to...
The sarcophagus chamber in the Pyramid of Unas; some of the Pyramid Texts can be seen written on the gable. The Pyramid Texts are the oldest religious writings known to exist. They were first recorded in the pyramid of Unas, last king of Egypt’s 5th Dynasty, and are called “Pyramid Texts” because they were carved...
This unique bracelet of Psusennes I is decorated with a winged scarab as its major feature. The scarab holds the sun-disc in its front legs, and the shen-sign of infinity with its rear legs. The cartouches of Psusennes I can also be seen, each surmounted by a sun-disc. The cartouches and the scarab are separated...
The limestone stela shows King Akhenaten and his family as a “Holy Family.” It is considered to be an icon and was intended to be kept in a private chapel of an Amarna house. The stele, topped by the cavetto cornice, is decorated with a scene of an intimate moment from the daily life of...
This extremely precious solid gold and lapis lazuli item of pendant jewelry belongs to king Osorkon II – a true masterpiece of antique goldsmith – represents the holy triad of the Osiris family. Despite the presence of the god of death, this piece was more a temple treasure than a funerary jewel. The three solid...
The ‘Book of the Dead’, Papyrus of Ani (sheet 3): Ani’s Judgment: the scene is the Hall of Judgment. The Weighing of the Heart Ceremony. Centrally placed is a balance, holding in its two pans Ani’s heart (on the left) and a feather (on the right) representing Maat, the divine personification of truth and order....
