21st Dynasty

Gold Vase with the Royal Cartouches of Psusennes I and Henuttawy

Gold Vase with Cartouches of Psusennes I and Henuttawy

This gold vase or bowl of Psusennes I with carved stripes on the body reveals the fine taste and skills of the craftsmen of the period. It bears four cartouches engraved on it, saying “The Adoratress of Hathor Henuttawy, Mother Divine of Khonsu, Aakheperre chosen of Amun, Psusennes beloved of Amun.” It is unclear if...

Chantress of Amun-Ra, Tentosorkon

Chantress of Amun-Ra, Tentosorkon

Lady of the House; Chantress of Amun-Ra, Tentosorkon, as appearing in her Papyrus (Book of the Dead), discovered in Thebes. c. 945 B.C. British Museum. EA9919,2 The name means ‘The (female) servant of Osorkon’. Tentosorkon (That of Sorkon), a name of Libyan origin which appeared around the 21st dynasty in the Delta, and was popularised...

outer Coffin of Henuttawy

Outer Coffin of Henuttawy

The outer coffin lid of Henuttawy, intended to resemble a wrapped mummy, wears an elaborate pectoral topped by a cavetto cornice in the shape of a small shrine within which are two winged wadjet eyes, with suspended uraeus cobras holding ankhs. Below these, Horus falcons flank a central scarab that pushes a sun disk upward,...

Mummy of Neskhon

Mummy of Neskhon

At the time of her unwrapping, when surveying the mummy of Neskhon; plumpness of her physique and well-endowed bust seemed to indicate pregnancy or motherhood to archaeologists, and to this day it is widely believed she was either pregnant or had died during childbirth. Neskhon (“She Belongs to Khons [Khonsu, the Egyptian God of the...

Amduat of Tanetshedkhons

Amduat of Tanetshedkhons

This papyrus belonged to the Mistress of the House and Chantress of Amun, Tanetshedkhons, a Theban noblewoman of the 21st Dynasty. The scroll is inscribed with portions of two funerary texts known as the “Litany of Re” and the “Amduat,” or “Book of that which is in the Underworld.” The “Amduat”, like the “Book of...

Mummy of Queen Henuttawy

Mummy of Queen Henuttawy

The mummy of Queen Henuttawy was found in the Deir el-Bahari Royal Cachette (TT320). She was the wife of Pinedjem I of the 21st Dynasty. The whole body of mummy of Queen Henuttawy was colored in yellow, while the cheeks and lips were painted red to improve her appearance. The head is adorned with an...

Ushabti of Queen Henuttawy

Ushabti of Queen Henuttawy

Light blue faience ushabti of Queen Henuttawy wife of Pinedjem I. One column of painted inscription down front of body; painted flail grasped in each hand. At knees glaze is cracked or more probably the ushabti has been broken and put together. It depicts a small mummiform figure. Arms are crossed opposite, right over left,...

Pectoral of Psusennes I

Pectoral of Psusennes I

The pectoral of Psusennes I is framed by alternating precious stones, topped by a cavetto cornice, and with a row of alternating djed pillar and tit (Isis knot) symbols at the bottom, below a row of sun-discs. A winged scarab can be seen in the middle, and a cartouche of the king above and below,...

Funerary Papyrus of Djehutymes

Funerary Papyrus of Djehutymes

Vignette from the funerary papyrus of the scribe Djehutymes. In ancient Egypt, jackals and dogs were very common in the land between desert and urban areas, so they were associated with the world of necropolis and the dead. Specifically, their wandering among the tombs was interpreted as a perpetual guard service to the deceased. The...

Mask of Amenemope

Mask of King Amenemope

This mask was part of the mummy-shaped coffin of gilded wood of Amenemope. The mask is composed of thick sheets of gold molded with the features of the king. The round face of the king is surmounted by the uraeus, the royal cobra, which is attached to the forehead. The uraeus’s long sinuous body descends...