Egypt Museum

deities

Khonsu

The moon god of Ancient Egypt, radiant son of Amun and Mut, and the silent companion of night travellers. Khonsu’s name meant “the traveller,” for he wandered nightly across the sky, marking time and guiding the tides of life and magic.

Often shown as a young male with a side-lock of youth and a lunar disc atop his head, or sometimes even as a falcon-headed figure, Khonsu was not only a celestial being, but a healer, an exorcist, and a protector against evil spirits.

In temples like that of Karnak, he was worshipped with mystery and reverence, his moonlit presence thought to hold sway over sickness, dreams, and divine power. He was the protector, providing a sacred glow to the Egyptian night.

Min of Koptos

Min of Koptos, one of the most ancient and enigmatic deities of the Ancient Egyptian pantheon, was revered as a god of fertility, virility, and the regenerative forces of nature. Min symbolised masculine creative power at its most primal and enduring. His cult flourished especially in Koptos and Akhmim, where he was venerated as the...

Horus of Buto

Horus of Buto (also known as Horus the Behdetite or Horus of Pe) is a potent manifestation of the falcon god Horus, closely tied to the ancient northern city of Dendera (Per-Wadjet), one of Egypt’s oldest and most sacred cult centres. This revered Delta city, home to the cobra goddess Wadjet, guardian of Lower Egypt,...

Funerary Shroud of a Woman

With gentle elegance and silent dignity, a woman emerges from the linen folds of this Roman-period funerary shroud, painted in vibrant tempera nearly two thousand years ago. Hailing likely from Antinoöpolis or the Faiyum region, this remarkable textile, measuring over two metres in length, blends the funerary traditions of Pharaonic Egypt with the fashion sensibilities...

Dwarfism in Ancient Egypt

Dwarfism in Ancient Egypt was not only recognised but often respected, and individuals with dwarfism could hold positions of considerable prestige. Rather than being marginalised, many dwarfs were integrated into society, particularly within elite or sacred spheres, and there were indeed religious and mythological associations that cast their condition in a positive, even divine, light....

Hermanubis

Carved from luminous Parian marble, this statue embodies the elegant fusion of Egyptian and Roman divinity: Hermanubis, the jackal-headed Anubis recast in the guise of Mercury. Fashioned in the 1st–2nd centuries A.D., the figure rises a modest 1.55 metres, yet commands attention. A slender solar disc poised on a crescent moon nestles between alert ears,...

Cats

Few creatures captivate the imagination quite like the cat. From the earliest days along the Nile’s fertile banks, the Ancient Egyptians observed the elegance, agility, and protective instincts of wild cats that prowled the granaries and fields. Over time, these graceful hunters became more than companions, they evolved into powerful symbols of fertility, domestic harmony,...

Lion-headed Bastet

Standing 24.3 cm tall, the figure depicts the goddess with arms dangling, wearing a long robe and holding an ankh, the symbol of life. The eyes, once inlaid, hint at the statuette’s original vivid detail. The statuette is crafted from stone, though the specific type is not identified in available records. Hieroglyphic inscriptions name king...

Nefertum

To the Ancient Egyptians, Nefertum, the radiant deity of the blue lotus, emerged from the primordial waters as the fragrant bloom that first opened at the dawn of creation. Often depicted as a handsome youth crowned with a lotus flower (sometimes flanked by plumes or lions), Nefertum embodied both rebirth and divine fragrance, serving as...

Ammit

In Ancient Egyptian belief, Ammit (also spelled Ammut or Amamet) was the personification of punishment, a final threat to those who fail to live a just life. With a body part lion, part hippopotamus, and part crocodile; the three largest and most dangerous animals known to the Egyptians, her name translates to “Devourer“, she is...