Decorations show scenes from the Amduat or “Book of What is in the Underworld”, detail of a wall carving in the second corridor of the Tomb of Ramesses IX (KV6). “Amduat (What is in the Netherworld) was used in Ancient Egypt as a generic name for descriptions of the netherworld, but in modern Egyptology is reserved...
The coffin of Khonsu was found in the Tomb of Sennedjem (TT1), Khonsu’s father, at Deir el-Medina, West Thebes. This wooden coffin bears decoration related to Chapter 17 of the Book of the Dead on its long sides. On one side Anubis can be seen mummifying the body of Osiris (with whom the deceased is...
The frame of this ceremonial chariot is made of wood. The cabin is decorated with golden spirals, with cartouches of Tutankhamun at the top. This is one of six dismantled chariots discovered in the antechamber of Tutankhamun’s tomb. The wheel was known in ancient Egypt as early as the Old Kingdom, but the horse-drawn chariot...
A necklace with an open work pectoral ornament of Tutankhamun between Ptah and his consort Sekhmet, inlaid in semi-relief after cloisonné fashion. In the center, with black face, stands the king between the seated god Ptah and goddess Sekhmet. Between is the solar uraeus and the emblem of “Eternal Years”; behind Sekhmet is the king’s...
This ring bezel is decorated with the royal device of two cartouches topped by ostrich plumes, the cartouches frame dancing figures of Bes. Since Bes was closely associated with women in labor and with small children, the use of his image on this signet ring suggests it belonged to a queen, probably Nefertiti herself. Though...
Pectoral jewel of Tutankhamun depicting Horus in the form of a falcon with outspread wings around the sun disk, holding shen rings, the symbols of eternal protection in his claws. The pectoral is a symbol of protection and divine power, and it showcases the exquisite craftsmanship and wealth of the New Kingdom period in ancient...
This ceremonial fan of Tutankhamun originally held ostrich feathers, it is made of wood covered with sheets of gold and inlaid with colored glass, turquoise, lapis lazuli, carnelian, and translucent calcite. The handle is inset with gold bands at intervals. The palm of the fan is decorated with the king’s twin cartouches, which are protected...
The limestone Pyramidion of Ramose, from the top of the tomb of the ‘Necropolis Scribe’. Scenes on all four sides depict the worship of the sun. Ramose of the 19th dynasty was an ancient Egyptian noble and high-ranking official during the reign of kings Seti I and Ramesses II. Ramose served as a vizier, which...
A pair of golden sandals of Tutankhamun were found on his feet. These stunning gold sandals were just one of 42 pairs King Tutankhamun had in his tomb. Too many ointments poured on Tutankhamun’s mummy caused severe damage to the tissues, except for those protected by gold: the face, fingers, and toes. In fact, gold...
Found resting between the two innermost shrines within the burial chamber of Tutankhamun, this magnificent fan once bloomed with thirty ostrich feathers, alternately white and brown, fluttering like desert light and shade. Though the feathers have long since vanished, their tiny stumps still cling to the perforations along the outer rim: a ghostly reminder of...
