Granite is extremely hard, but the sculptor of this statue was able to give the king’s plump face and small features a softly natural quality, perhaps suggesting the subject’s actual appearance rather than an idealized version. Originally, this fragment surmounted an oversize figure, achieving the same monumental quality as the pyramids being built at this...
This tablet for the seven sacred oils was discovered in the burial chamber of Ankhhaf. The names of the oils used in the ceremonies for the dead are inscribed in black ink. Small shallow depressions for the oils were also found. The name and titles of the owner are engraved upon the tablet. During royal...
The head of the Sphinx of Giza is encased in scaffolding and works are under way excavating the body. Early 20th-century excavation at the Giza Necropolis. An earlier Sphinx excavation was marked by the Dream Stele (around 1401 BC) of Thutmose IV, at lower center. The granite altar (bottom) between the Sphinx’s paws dates from...
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...
Some of the earliest silver objects unearthed in Egypt are these rare silver bracelets that once belonged to Queen Hetepheres I. They are inlaid with turquoise, lapis lazuli, and carnelian, in the form of a butterfly. The internal and external surfaces of this small box, or casket, were covered with gold leaf. The lid of...
The seat and the backrest of the armchair Armchair of Queen Hetepheres I are made of natural wood. They are surrounded by a simple wooden frame covered with gold leaf with high arms in gilded wood. The backrest of the chair is reinforced at the rear by a central support. The space between the arms,...
The sculpture shows king Khafre enthroned, wearing the royal headdress, known as the nemes, and a false beard, both of which were symbols of kingship in ancient Egypt. It is is considered one of the iconic masterpieces of ancient Egyptian art. Immensely famous ever since its discovery and is known for its exceptional craftsmanship and...
This relief tells us of the victory of king Sneferu over the Bedouins, a military campaign that was also common since the times of king Sanakht and which secured the mines for turquoise and copper in Wadi Nash and Wadi Maghareh, West Sinai. The relief which is made of sandstone shows Sneferu on a large...
This part of a wall painting of geese was found in the Mastaba of Nefermaat and his wife, Itet, at Meidum where it decorated the lower part of one of the walls in the passage leading to Itet’s chapel. The colors used here derived from natural materials: white from limestone, red from hematite and green...
