Limestone

Votive Ear Stele of Usersatet

Votive Ear Stele of Usersatet

The ear stele of Usersatet was dedicated to the goddess Nebethetepet, “she who listens to prayers”. It is decorated with four ears in the hope that the deity would hear and answer to the requests of the dedicator. Originally from Heliopolis, Nebethetepet was a deity who was associated with Hathor and there is even evidence...

Relief from the Tomb of Kemsit

Relief from the Tomb of Kemsit

Kemsit sits on a wide, low-backed chair holding a vase of scented ointment to her nose. In front of her was the smaller figure of a male servant, of which only his hand remains, holding a small cup that is receiving the stream of liquid he was pouring into it with his other hand. This...

Pyramidion of Iufaa

Pyramidion of Iufaa

This steep-sided pyramidion is inscribed for Iufaa, a priest of Osiris, ruler of the Netherworld, at his sacred site of Abydos, and originally would have surmounted a memorial chapel at this site. It is decorated on all four faces, with almost identical images on each pair of opposing sides. An inscription at the top of...

Stele of the Vizier Ptahmose

Stele of the Vizier Ptahmose

This stele comes from the tomb (most probably in Thebes; its current location is unknown) of this well-known Vizier Ptahmose from the reign of Amenhotep III. The quality of the carving shows the level of perfection achieved by certain specialist workshops in Upper Egypt during this period. In the middle section is Ptahmose, sitting next...

Relief of a Woman in Blue Dress

Relief of a Woman in Blue Dress

A painted limestone relief depicting a standing woman in a pleated sheer linen blue dress. The woman wears a luxurious wig which is held in place by a diadem of blossoms. A band ties the wig about mid-way through its length with a knot in the back. This slightly pulls the wig back, exposing the...

Colossus of Ramesses II at Memphis, 1897

Colossus of Ramesses II at Memphis, 1897

The Colossus of Ramesses II is an enormous statue carved in limestone. It is about 10m (33.8 ft) long, even though it has no feet, and is located near the village of Mit Rahina (Memphis). The statue was found in 1820 by an Italian traveler Giovanni Battista Caviglia. The colossus is an incredible piece of...

Relief of Nubian Prisoners

Tomb Relief of Nubian Prisoners

This tomb relief shows several Nubian prisoners with negroid features, tightly curled hair and earrings who are seated on the ground submissively as three Egyptian soldiers with batons watch over them. Depicted in sunk relief is also a scribe who is writing a report. A scribe is writing a report about the occurrence and is selecting...

Tomb Relief with a Messenger on Horseback

Tomb Relief with a Messenger on Horseback

This relief illustrates Horemheb’s military encampment: above, two soldiers watch horses teamed to war chariots as an officer hurries off, below, another officer escorts two water bearers, a messenger on horseback is arriving or departing, and a group of soldiers is carrying a heavy load on their shoulders, a beam or perhaps Horemheb’s rolled-up tent....

Akhenaten Sacrificing Duck to Aten

Relief of Akhenaten Sacrificing Duck to Aten

On this block from a temple relief, Akhenaten, recognizable by his elongated features, holds a duck toward the Aten. With one hand he wrings the bird’s neck before offering it to the god. In this relief, the artist has cut the outlines of the figures into the surface in a technique called sunk relief. Sunk...

Ostracon showing Amun-Re as a ram

Ostracon of Amun-Re as a ram

This is a pottery ostracon, measuring 14.4×10.3 cm with an ink sketch showing the prow of the sacred boat of the god Amun-Re. It is decorated with a ram’s head and a royal cobra (uraeus). The line of hieroglyphs over the head of the ram reads, “Amun-Re, the Light of Day.” And the column of...