Excavated by Dr David George Hogarth, the mummy of a man named Ankhef was discovered in Asyut, Egypt. Asyut Ancient Asyut was the capital of the Thirteenth Nome of Upper, c. 3100 B.C, on the western bank of the Nile. The two most prominent gods of ancient Egyptian Asyut were Anubis and Wepwawet, both funerary...
This painted wooden statuette is of a woman named Lady Kemtet. It dates from around 1900-1802 B.C., making it a Middle Kingdom piece from around the middle of the 12th Dynasty. The statuette was discovered at the Faiyum Entrance Area of Cemetery B, Tomb 262, in Harageh, Egypt. The inscription upon the base writes as...
This wooden chest with four painted Egyptian alabaster canopic jars belongs to somebody called Gua. They date from the 12th Dynasty of Ancient Egypt’s Middle Kingdom, approximately, 1939-1760 B.C. Discovered in Deir el-Bersha, they are inscribed with funerary texts on behalf of Gua, invoking the Four Sons of Horus, Isis, Nephthys, Selket and Neith. Three of the jars retain remains of linen packages inside.
This vibrant purple amethyst scarab beetle is said to be found in Tomb IV at Jebail in Lebanon, according to Montet 1928. However, it is impossible to establish the exact provenance of this beetle (cf. Martin 1996). The scarab is beautifully inscribed on its back with name ‘Impy’ and hieroglyphic signs including ka sign, nefer and lotus sign.
This mummy mask of a man named Sebni dates from the 12th Dynasty of the Middle Kingdom period of Ancient Egyptian history, c. 1980–1801 B.C. It was purchased in Asyut, Egypt by Lucy Olcott Perkins through Henry W. Kent and is originally thought to be from the Necropolis of Meir. Meir was the functioning cemetery...
Fragment of a granite head from a statue of king Senusret III with royal nemes headdress and cobra uraeus. The face of Senusret III is one of the most individual and recognizable in all of Egyptian art. The deep-set, heavy-lidded eyes, the thin lips, and the series of diagonal furrows marking the rather hollow cheeks...
This fish pendant represents a Synodontis Batensoda, more commonly known as the Nile catfish, a species of fish named for its black belly. Often worn at the end of a plait of hair, amulets like this one were used by children and young women to protect against drowning. This fine amulet is made of gold...
In this magnificent example, the face belongs to Senusret III of 12th Dynasty whose features are very distinctive. With the body of a lion and the head of a human, the sphinx symbolically combined the power of the lion with the image of the reigning king. He wears a pleated linen headcloth, called a nemes...
This obsidian head, an exquisite example of Egyptian craftsmanship, was part of a full-length statue depicting King Senwosret III. The king is wearing a nemes headdress, with the sacred serpent (uraeus), representing regal and divine might. In this representation, the artist portrays the sense of a firm yet extremely human figure, showing the load of...
Chlorite head of a female sphinx with missing inlaid eyes, wig clip visible. Middle Kingdom, 12th Dynasty, c.1876-1842 B.C. Heliopolis, Egypt. Possibly found within Hadrian’s Villa, Rome, Italy. Brooklyn Museum. 56.85 Small details sometimes provide crucial clues to understanding a sculpture. On this object, for example, the back of the wig extends horizontally instead of...
