The Keftiu, often identified with the inhabitants of Minoan Crete, are frequently depicted in Egyptian tomb paintings as exotic emissaries from a distant and prosperous land. Their name appears in inscriptions dating predominantly from the Eighteenth Dynasty (c. 1550–1292 B.C.), a period when Egypt’s influence stretched across much of the eastern Mediterranean. The Keftiu were...
At just 26.3 cm tall, this statuette of king Amenhotep III, is a treasure of the Brooklyn Museum in New York, and for obvious reason. The Brooklyn Museum’s website states that it is unsure whether the statue is made from ebony or yew wood, however, Edward Bleiberg (Curator of Egyptian, Classical, and Ancient Middle Eastern...
Both of these faïence depictions of royal headdresses date from the late 18th Dynasty to possibly early 19th Dynasty. The first, is likely to have been depicted upon the head of a late 18th Dynasty queen, and next is the round crown, as seen adorning the head of kings such as King Amenhotep III. Lavender...
The heart scarab of Hatnefer is an exceptionally fine example of this type of funerary equipment and is comparable to those made for contemporary royalty. Every feature of the scarab beetle is carefully rendered. The exquisite chain is made of gold wire, plaited in a quadruple-link pattern. The scarab’s base is engraved with a version...
A brownish residue from a perfumed oil was found inside this Egyptian alabaster tall vase from the Tomb of Tutankhamun. Oils, essential for rituals, were highly valued. The Tomb of Tutankhamun contained various artifacts, including perfumed oil vases. This vase was discovered during the excavation of his tomb in the Valley of the Kings in...
This faience frog amulet was probably placed next to a woman to safeguard her during childbirth. The combination of deep blue and turquoise typifies objects from the time of Amenhotep III. In antiquity, as today, the croaking of frogs was often the first sound heard each morning in Egypt. These amphibians were thus associated with...
This finely executed representation of Thutmose III as a sphinx is made of extremely hard stone. The transition between the head of the king and the powerful feline body has been masked by the nemes headdress and the stylized lion’s mane which forms a bib-like panel on the chest. A short column of inscription running...
A wall painting of a Nubian dancing girl appears in the procession of tribute for king Thutmose IV (Tomb of Horemheb, TT78). This scene is depicted within the Tomb of Horemheb, not the later king with the same name, but an Official of King Thutmose IV. Horemheb held many titles, including; “Great Confidant of the...
This double cartouche shaped perfume box of Tutankhamun is gilded and inlaid with colored glass paste. The sides of the box feature a relief of Heh, god of eternity holding above and around his head the cartouches of the king. Each side is composed of two inward-facing cartouches containing the figure of the king squatting...
Carved from pale limestone and towering just over two metres high (Egyptian Museum, Turin, Cat. 768), this late-18th-Dynasty group statue presents king Horemheb standing deferentially beside the enthroned god Amun. Amun’s larger scale proclaims divine precedence in the time-honoured “hierarchical perspective,” whereby the most exalted figure literally dominates the composition. The modelling is unmistakably post-Amarna:...
