This relief depicts the cobra on a neb basket from the king’s Two Ladies name. Small Late Period and Ptolemaic reliefs or sculptures that depict a subject in a partial or unfinished way but are themselves finished objects constitute a special class of object. Guidelines like those for artists are often prominently exhibited as part...
The serpent goddess Renenutet had two main roles. As the root of her name (Renen) makes clear, she was the ‘nurse’, mainly of the king, to whom she ensured a favorable destiny from birth. The goddess was also worshiped because she ensured the success of the harvest and the protection of the crops. In Ancient...
Originally Egyptologists at the museum thought that the mummy of Ankh Hor was untouched, but recent x-rays found modern pins and clips. A re-examination of the cartonnage revealed that it had been cut, re-sealed and painted over. Although no one knows why it was opened, it is possible that Victorian researchers started to unwrap Ankh...
Upper part of a steatite figurine depicting the god Khnum. The ram headed deity was the embodiment of the creative force and was thought to control the waters of the Nile from caves near the first cataract. Intimately connected to the river and the concept of fertility, the god was often depicted as a potter,...
Carnelian wadjet amulet (eye of Horus). One side is carved with details. Slightly curved profile and not pierced for suspension. Broken across in two pieces and mended together. In ancient Egypt, people wear carnelian to ward off the Evil Eye and instill peace. The ancient Egyptians called carnelian “the setting sun”. Wadjet eye amulets were...
Nehebkau, often depicted as a male with a snake head, was originally the explanation of the cause of binding of Ka and Ba after death. Thus his name, which means (one who) brings together Ka and Ba. Since these aspects of the soul were said to bind after death, Nehebkau was said to have guarded...
A stone amulet representing the Sema, or Sma, a symbol for indicating a union. It depicts the lower and upper kingdoms of Egypt and their unity. It is often described as a pair of lungs attached to a windpipe, genitalia, and sometimes both simultaneously. The Sema was often placed on a mummy’s chest in order...
A bronze statuette of the goddess Isis with outstretched wings around her husband and brother the god Osiris. In a bloody battle, Seth dismembered Osiris and spread his remains all around Egypt. Isis searched for the fragments to make a mummy and thus bring her beloved husband to life once again. Nevertheless, certain versions of...
This mummified falcon is covered with an intricate pattern of wrappings done in natural and dyed brown linen. The details of the face and head of the bird have been rendered in paint over a white gesso ground. The falcon was identified from the earliest times with the sun god Horus and the reigning king,...
This nude sensual female figure has the cartouches of Necho II on her upper arms. A small tightly fitted wig caps her head, and two holes with silver wires are located in the wig over her forehead; their placement suits a uraeus. She wears a finely wrought broad collar plus earrings (only one of which...
