Once perched at the summit of the so-called “Black Pyramid” of Dahshur, this finely carved basalt pyramidion crowned the tomb of one of Ancient Egypt’s most powerful and long-reigning monarchs: King Amenemhat III. Though time brought his pyramid to ruin, this capstone, an embodiment of solar divinity, survived the fall. In 1900, after reports of...
Few sculptures have startled the modern world quite so memorably as the painted limestone statues of Prince Rahotep and his elegant consort, Nofret. When archaeologists first cast their torchlight upon these lifelike figures, buried within a mastaba north of Sneferu’s pyramid at Meidum, their flickering beams met the glinting gaze of quartz and alabaster eyes...
In this seated statue of King Thutmose IV, he and his mother Tiaa are embracing each other. His mother was a secondary wife of his father Amenhotep II. Hieroglyphs on both sides of the chair give the names and titles for King Thutmose IV and his mother Tiaa. She was “the Great Royal Wife and...
The Khufu Statuette or the ivory figurine of Khufu is an ancient Egyptian statue which is historically and archaeologically significant; it was found in 1903 by Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie during the excavation of Kom el-Sultan in Abydos. Despite the discovery of a few other small fragments of the king’s statues and statuettes, this...
This baboon mummy is seated with its knees drawn up to its chest, and its tail curving around the right side of its body. Excavated by Mr. Theodore M. Davis in 1906 from Tomb (KV51) near the Tomb of Amenhotep II (KV35). The monkey appears to have been mummified through an enlarged cut in the...
This splendid funerary mask once adorned the mummy-shaped coffin of king Amenemope, a little-known but intriguing sovereign of Egypt’s 21st Dynasty. Fashioned from thick sheets of hammered gold, the mask was crafted to immortalise the features of the king with idealised serenity and timeless radiance. The visage is round and youthful, framed by a regal...
When it was found among the mummy’s hair, this gold armlet of Ahhotep I was thought to be a crown. Because of its diameter, however, it is certain that it was to be worn round the arm for protection. The armlet is inlaid with lapis lazuli and carnelian and decorated with vulture of gold and...
This masterpiece amethyst scarab bracelet associated with Tutankhamun was found in a beautiful cartouche shaped box with other fine pieces of jewelry. The main element in the design is the light violet amethyst scarab with details, as is common with scarabs of this hard stone, which was considered a precious gemstone in ancient Egypt. It...
This rectangular box with djed and tyet signs was found in the annex of the tomb of Tutankhamun. It stands on four slim elegant legs and the panels are made of cedar wood. At the bottom of the box is an alternating decoration of fretwork hieroglyphs. The Tyet sign, the symbol of the blood of...
Djed-Ptah-Iuf-Ankh emerges from the shadows of history not through inscriptions on temple walls or grand monuments, but solely through his beautifully preserved burial. A high-ranking priest and dignitary, he bore titles such as “Second Prophet of Amun“, District Governor, and intriguingly, “King’s Son of Ramesses” and “King’s Son of the Lord of the Two Lands“;...
