This delicate Middle Kingdom limestone figurine (E 8000), dating from approximately 2035–1680 B.C., depicts a nude woman standing with truncated legs, wearing a tripartite wig, a cowrie shell belt, and a broad necklace, while tenderly carrying a small child. The figure’s soft curves, subtle modelling, and the inclusion of symbolic jewellery;particularly the cowrie shell belt,...
In Ancient Egypt, priestesses moved with reverence and rhythm through temple courts and sacred halls, their linen robes rustling like whispers of the gods. These women, often chosen from noble or elite families, were no ordinary attendants, they were the earthly hands and voices of the divine, charged with the sacred duties of service to...
The coffin of Tamutmutef, “Chantress of Amun”, is an exquisite example of funerary craftsmanship from the Third Intermediate Period, dating approximately between 1076 and 746 B.C. This period, following the decline of the New Kingdom, was marked by political fragmentation and a shift in religious power, particularly toward the priesthood of Amun at Thebes. Within...
Within the Tutankhamun’s tomb, two mummified foetuses were discovered. Known as Mummies 317a and 317b, the female mummies were buried with no namesake alongside their father, and are simply referred to as “Osiris” on their coffins The foetus known as 317a was born prematurely at approximately 5–6 months of gestation. With C.T. scans estimating her...
Tamit is an Ancient Egyptian mummy housed in the Egyptian Museum of Turin (inv. no. Cat. 2218/02, CGT 13003), dating to the Twenty-fifth Dynasty, c.722–664 B.C. Her provenance is likely Thebes, in modern-day Luxor, a major religious centre of Ancient Egypt. Examination of her remains reveals that she died at a young age and was...
In 2016, in the heart of Melbourne, Australia, a remarkable project breathed new life into the visage of an Ancient Egyptian woman. Known to us now as Meritamun, her mummified head, believed to be at least over 2,000 years old, has undergone a transformation from the remnants of a long-lost ancient woman to a testament...
This statuette, fashioned from an arsenical copper alloy, portrays the noblewoman and princess Sebeknakht in the intimate act of nursing her infant son. Adorned with a diadem crowned by a regal uraeus, she is gracefully depicted in a crouched position, her left arm and bent knee tenderly supporting the child as he feeds. The infant,...
To the Egyptians, Hippopotami were associated with the protective goddess Taweret who was associated with childbirth, pregnancy, and motherhood. The Egyptians saw hippos as a fearsome creature who protected their young from predators, with the ferociousness of the hippo encapsulating protective love. Therefore, the nature of the hippo became a symbol of guardianship during pregnancies,...
This wig was found lying behind the head of Nauny’s mummy in her inner coffin. From Egypt, Upper Egypt, Thebes, Deir el-Bahari, Tomb of Meritamun (TT 358, MMA 65), inside coffin, MMA excavations, 1928–29. The wig is made from plaits of human hair, which were fastened at the top with a cord. The hair was...
In the grand tapestry of Ancient Egyptian divinity, Mut emerges as a goddess of both formidable stature and subtle grace. Her name, meaning “Mother,” captures the essence of her role as a maternal figure, embodying the creative and nurturing forces of the cosmos. Often regarded as the consort of Amun, and at times as the...
