This Egyptian faience vase is molded in the form of the goddess Taweret, the ancient Egyptian patroness of childbirth and a protector of women and children. Like Bes, she was considered to be a ferocious demon as well as a protective and nurturing deity. She was associated with the lion, the crocodile, and the hippo;...
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...
The peseshkef was a disntictive type of knife that was split at one end and is sometimes called a “fishtail” knife today. This fine-grained flint wand is inscribed with the name of Khufu. Ritual wands were used in the Opening of the Mouth Ceremony to allow the deceased to eat and drink once more; this...
This two finger amulet depicts stylized human fingers that are about life-size. Two-finger amulets were used exclusively for the dead and were often found on the lower left of the torso. This is the area of the incision that was made during the mummification process in order to remove the internal organs. These amulets were...
Copper alloy hollow cast statue of the princess-priestess Takushit. It had ritual, votive, and funerary functions. The statue was found in 1880, in Lower Egypt, on the hill of Kom-Toruga, near Lake Mariut, south of Alexandria. The use of the statue was ceremonial while the priestess was alive, and was part of the ritual equipment of...
The Ebers Papyrus is written in hieratic Egyptian writing and represents the most extensive and best-preserved record of ancient Egyptian medicine known. An ancient Egyptian medical papyrus of herbal knowledge combining herbal remedies with magic spells. Among the oldest and most important medical papyri of ancient Egypt. The scroll contains some 700 magical formulas and folk...
This amulet pendant of General Wendjebauendjed is in the shape of a standing figure of Isis. She is shown here as a woman with two horns over her head flanking the solar disk. The goddess Isis is wearing a tripartite wig with a protective uraeus, or rearing cobra, on the forehead. She is wearing a...
The term hypocephalus refers to a piece of Late Period and Ptolemaic funerary equipment. It is specifically an amuletic disc made of cartonnage, bronze, textile, or rarely from papyrus and even wood, emulating a solar disc. It was made for Tasheritenkhonsu. Linen and plaster, inscribed in ink. It dates to the Late Period, 26th Dynasty,...
The sarcophagus chamber in the Pyramid of Unas; some of the Pyramid Texts can be seen written on the gable. The Pyramid Texts are the oldest religious writings known to exist. They were first recorded in the pyramid of Unas, last king of Egypt’s 5th Dynasty, and are called “Pyramid Texts” because they were carved...
The scene shows the journey of the sun god Re, in his falcon form, seated in his shrine. On the prow, we see the god Hor-nedj-it-ef, Horus the avenger of his father, harpooning the evil snake Apep or Apophis, symbol of chaos and destruction. By the end of the barque, we see the steer holder...
