Old Kingdom

Stele of Princess Nefertiabet and her Food

Stele of Princess Nefertiabet

The King’s relatives, such as Princess Nefertiabet, Khufu’s daughter—depicted on this relief stele found in her tomb (G 1225) in Giza—were buried beside the sovereign’s pyramid. Nefertiabet is shown seated facing right. She is depicted with a long wig and a panther-skin garment. An offering table in front of her bears reeds, as is common,...

Statue of King Sneferu

Statue of King Sneferu

In this statue, King Sneferu, the founder of the 4th Dynasty, can be seen wearing the White Hedjet Crown of Upper Egypt, and a collar around his neck. The king wears a short kilt, which is carved in detail and tied by a belt. The cartouche of king Senferu can be seen at the center...

Statue of the dwarf Perniankhu

Statue of the dwarf Perniankhu

The dwarf Perniankhu is depicted in this statue wearing a traditional, curled wig; his face is strong and displays a quiet serenity, strength and power. His eyes are framed in black and the eyebrows are well-defined. The right hand is placed upon his right thigh and holds the sekhem-scepter, his left hand, across his chest,...

Standing Statue of Priest Atjema

Standing Statue of Priest Atjema

Atjema is standing with his left foot forward, as if walking. His arms are held close to his sides, and, typically, he has cylindrical object in his hands. A man is one of the classic Old Kingdom poses is depicted in this large statue with well-preserved colors. The spaces between his torso and arms and...

Duck Hunting with Boomerangs

Duck Hunting with Boomerangs

Painted limestone relief depicting two men, Qar and Idu, hunting ducks with boomerangs. What ancient Egyptians like Qar and Idu were doing was taking one of the oldest hunting methods in human history (throwing a stick at something) and turning it into a pass time. In ancient Egypt, duck hunting held significance primarily as a...

Triad of King Menkaure

Triad of Menkaure

This sculpted triad, a three-person statue, shows King Menkaure between two ladies. The goddess Hathor is on his right and goddess (Bat) the personification of Cynopolis, the 17th nome of Upper Egypt, is on his left. The King wears the crown of Upper Egypt and has a false beard. He wears the short pleated Shendyt...

Triad of King Menkaure

Triads of Menkaure

These three schist triads of Menkaure were found by the Egyptologist George Reisner in the valley temple of Menkaure near his pyramid in Giza. The triads was discovered in 1908 in the valley temple of Menkaure in its own hierarchical group, and 5 were found and it is believed that they were eight as there...

Statue of Satmeret, Wife of Neferherenptah

Statue of Satmeret, Wife of Neferherenptah

Painted limestone standing statue of Satmeret, Wife of Neferherenptah, called Fifi. He was a purification priest and prophet of the mortuary cults of the kings Khafre and Menkaure. Neferherenptah was thus of considerable influence in Giza, where he was buried in his own Mastaba. His tomb contained statues, rather simple in character of himself, of...

Ancient Egyptian Beaded Dress

Ancient Egyptian faience beaded fishnet dress. It is the oldest surviving example of a dress in this style. And yes, it would have put the wearer’s body on display in a way that is barely acceptable at a burlesque by today’s standards. The dress has been reassembled from approximately seven thousand beads (no record mentioned how...

Head of King

Granite is extremely hard, but the sculptor of this statue was able to give the king’s plump face and small features a softly natural quality, perhaps suggesting the subject’s actual appearance rather than an idealized version. Originally, this fragment surmounted an oversize figure, achieving the same monumental quality as the pyramids being built at this...