Old Kingdom

Relief of Hetepheres II and daughter Meresankh III. Old Kingdom, 4th Dynasty, c. 2548-2522 B.C.

Hetepheres II and daughter Meresankh III

Double Mastaba of Meresankh III, G7530-40 (originally built for Hetepheres II), Giza Necropolis. Hetepheres II is the daughter of King Khufu, her daughter Meresankh III is granddaughter to Khufu and the wife of King Khafre. “Her mother, beholder of Horus and Seth, the great favourite, the controller of the butchers of the house of the...

Relief of Hetepheres II and daughter Meresankh III

A relief of the deceased Queen Meresankh III and her mother Hetepheres II sailing in the marshes to gather papyrus reeds for the ritual of ‘shaking the papyrus’ to induce the goddess Hathor to them: “Her mother, daughter of the King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Khufu, the great favourite, Hetep-heres. Her beloved daughter, the...

Relief of Meresankh with short cropped hair

Meresankh III, granddaughter of Khufu

Queen Meresankh III was the daughter of Hetepheres II and the granddaughter of the Egyptian pharaoh Khufu, builder of the Great Pyramid. “The king’s daughter of his body, the beholder of Horus and Seth, companion of Horus, Meresankh.”. She was the wife of King Khafre. Meresankh was the daughter of Prince Kawab and Queen Hetepheres...

Princess Nefertiabet, as depicted on her stela, where she is seen receiving food offerings, titled as; "[the products of the] field".

Princess Nefertiabet; “King’s Daughter; 𓇓𓅭𓏏”

Princess Nefertiabet is most likely the daughter of king Khufu, and she is seen here depicted in a leopard or panther skin dress and choker style collar. Old Kingdom, 4th Dynasty, c. 2600 B.C. Mastaba G 1225, Giza Plateau Musée du Louvre. E 15591 Nefertiabet is shown seated facing right. She is depicted with a...

Mehen, the Serpent Game

Limestone Mehen gaming board (also known as the Serpent game or Game of the Snake) Old Kingdom, 4th-6th Dynasty, c. 2543-2152 B.C. Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, Netherlands. F 1968/3.1 The earliest known existence of the Serpent Game dates from the Naqada II, Pre-Dynastic Period of Ancient Egypt, c. 3600-3200 B.C. There is a depiction of the...

Pair statue of Ptahkhenuwy and his wife

Pair statue of Ptahkhenuwy and his wife

The pair statue is identified by an inscription painted on the base in black paint as Ptahkhenuwy, supervisor of palace retainers. Private sculpture of the Old Kingdom copied royal sculpture: the poses, youthful body forms, and the wife’s embrace of the husband in this private sculpture is the same as those of King Menkaure and...

Model Cattle stable from the tomb of Meketre

Models in Ancient Egypt

Wooden tomb models were deposited as grave goods in the tombs and burial shafts throughout ancient Egypt since its early history, most notably in the Middle Kingdom of Egypt. They included a wide variety of wooden figurines and scenes, such as boats, granaries, baking and brewing scenes and butchery scenes. These served as ways to...

Jubilee Vessel of Pepi I

Jubilee Vessel of Pepi I Meryre

The beautiful hieroglyphs on this jubilee vessel identify its owner and the ritual in which it was used, on the left is the Horus name of King Pepi I (one of a king’s five names), “Beloved of the Two Lands [Egypt].” At center is his throne name, Meryre; below are brief, symmetrical texts reading, “given...

A mummified ram's head uncovered during excavation work by an American mission from New York University

Mummified Ram Heads uncovered at Abydos

More than 2,000 mummified ram heads and a palatial Old Kingdom structure have been uncovered by archaeologists at the Temple of Ramesses II of Abydos. The finds, located roughly 270 miles (435 kilometers) south of Cairo, come from a period of over 1,000 years, from the 6th Dynasty to the Heroic Age, making some of...

Statue of King Teti

Statue of King Teti

The statue of King Teti was originally represented standing with his left leg forward. The legs are now broken and missing. There are no inscriptions on the statue, but it almost certainly belongs to King Teti of the 6th Dynasty because it was found in the funerary temple of that king at Saqqara. The king...