Women in Egypt

The Mummy of Thuya

Yuya and Thuya are the parents of Queen Tiye, the beloved Great Royal Wife of king Amenhotep III. The pair were buried at the famous Valley of the Kings, within their tomb known as KV46, which was discovered in February of 1905 by by the British Egyptologist James E. Quibell, during excavations funded by the...

Hairdressing Scene

These limestone fragments were originally part of a scene in which royal hairdressers attended Queen Neferu. The relief on the right represents Neferu, referred to as “The King’s Wife,” wearing a magnificent beaded usekh collar. Behind her, Henut, the hairdresser, has already pinned one strand of hair and twisted another. The relief on the left...

Paddle Doll

“Paddle dolls” got their nickname from their likeness to modern Ping-Pong paddles. They all include exaggerated images of female genitalia. Some are painted with crude representations of couples having sexual intercourse, while others have pictures of birth-gods. The motif of birth and reproduction shows that “paddle dolls” increased fertility for both the living and, most...

Head of a woman

Head of a woman (momie de femme), discovered at Thebes in 1799. Little is known about the identity of the woman, but she dates from between the New Kingdom Period and Late Period (when the last Native rulers of Ancient Egypt held power), c. 1550–332 B.C. Mummified head of a woman (momie de femme), discovered...

Kemsit

Kemsit was an ancient Egyptian queen consort and the wife of Pharaoh Mentuhotep II of the 11th Dynasty. Her titles included “King’s Beloved Wife” (ḥmt-nỉswt mrỉỉ.t=f), “King’s Ornament” (ẖkr.t-nỉswt), “King’s Sole Ornament” (ẖkr.t-nỉswt wˁtỉ.t), and “Priestess of Hathor”. Her tomb (TT308) and modest ornate chapel were discovered in her husband’s Deir el-Bahari temple complex, behind...

Female Acrobat

This limestone statuette of a female in an arched position dates from the Middle Kingdom and was discovered within Tomb D303, at Abydos. The tomb is associated with a man named Sa-Inher. The woman is archived as an acrobat due to the pose, however, it is also quite likely she was a dancer. Perhaps she...

Takait

Takait was a priestess of the god Amun Ra, sometime during the 19th Dynasty, c. 1300 B.C. Her beautiful coffin lid is 170cm in length and is made from wood that has been plastered and painted. Summary: Coffin lid of the priestess TakaitNew Kingdom, Nineteenth Dynasty (?), c. 1300 B.C.

Vessel in the form of a nursing woman

Made from red fired clay, this jug depicts a woman nursing a baby. Based upon the medical-magical texts, it is believed this jug would hold milk for the mother and newborn. The baby has the traditional “side lock of youth“, a plait of long hair on an otherwise bald or shortly cropped head of hair,...

Cartonnage Mummy Mask of a Woman

This mummy mask of a woman dates from the 11th Dynasty, around 2000 B.C. The woman is adorned in a usekh collar, headband with exposed breasts. Her eyes and brows are lined with blue. She wears a heavy wig of black hair and her skin is painted yellow. Most notably about this mummy mask are...

Detail of Nefer, Royal Acquiantence

Royal Acquaintance, Nefer

This painted limestone stela with raised relief carving depicts an Old Kingdom era woman named Nefer who held the title, “Acquaintance of the king”. Discovered within her mastaba, this stela was used to supply offerings to Nefer beyond death, including; “a thousand alabaster vessels, a thousand pieces of cloth“, “purification of 3 pellets of natron”,...