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The Royal Cartouche of Senusret I

Cartouche of Senusret I

Bas relief depicts the royal cartouche of Senusret I (Kheperkare, The Ka of Re is created). The cartouche is nothing more than the elongated shape of the circular sign “shen”, which was most probably the symbol of the solar disk. It was exclusively used for the name of the king, protecting him and functioning almost...

Ancient Egyptian Royal Tomb, Thutmose IV

Ancient Egyptian Royal Tomb, Thutmose IV

Illustration of the interior of a royal tomb of a king of Ancient Egypt. This depiction is partially based on the tomb of Thutmose IV, the 8th king of the 18th Dynasty. Thutmose IV ruled from 1401 BC to 1391 BC. The tomb has many rooms and side room, with the tomb at lower right. An...

Queen Nefertari before Goddess Isis

Painting of the goddess Isis offers the ankh, the symbol of life, to Nefertari. A detailed view of Pillar II in Chamber K (the burial chamber).  New Kingdom, 19th Dynasty, reign of Ramesses II, ca. 1279-1213 BC. The Tomb of Queen Nefertari (QV66), Valley of the Queens, West Thebes.

Interior of the Tomb of Meresankh III

The tomb Meresankh III was discovered by archaeologist George Reisner on April 23, 1927, with subsequent excavations undertaken by his team on behalf of Harvard University and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Queen Meresankh III was the daughter of Hetepheres II and prince Kawab and a granddaughter of king Khufu. She was the wife...

Guardian of the Underworld

Guardian of the Underworld

Detail of a gate guardian deity from the realm of the Underworld, detail of the 3rd guided shrine of Tutankhamun, decorated with scenes from the ‘Book of the Dead’ to aid the king’s journey after death. From the Tomb of Tutankhamun (KV62), Valley of the Kings, West Thebes. Now in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo. JE...

Relief of the God Osiris. Tomb of Horemheb (KV57)

Relief of Osiris

Detail of a wall relief depicts Osiris, Lord of the underworld, god of fertility, agriculture, the afterlife, the dead, resurrection, life, and vegetation. Osiris was the god of afterlife, the underworld and the dead, green-skinned with a king’s beard, wearing the atef crown with two large ostrich feathers at either side, and holding a symbolic crook...

Funeral Procession of Ramose

Funeral Procession of Ramose

Mural scene from a funeral procession of Ramose, detail of a wall painting from the Tomb Chapel of Ramose (TT55). Ramose was Vizier under both Amenhotep III and Akhenaten. New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, ca. 1550-1292 BC. Sheikh Abd el-Qurna, West Thebes.

Inside the burial chamber in the Pyramid of Unas decorated with Pyramid Texts, mid-24th century BC, Saqqara.

Pyramid Texts in the burial chamber of Unas

The sarcophagus chamber in the Pyramid of Unas; some of the Pyramid Texts can be seen written on the gable. The Pyramid Texts are the oldest religious writings known to exist. They were first recorded in the pyramid of Unas, last king of Egypt’s Fifth Dynasty, and are called “Pyramid Texts” because they were carved...

Relief of the goddess Isis, decorative detail of sarcophagus of Thuya

Relief of the Goddess Isis

A bas relief depicts Isis kneeling on a stool in the shape of the Nebu or gold symbol in hieroglyphs, goddess of motherhood, magic, healing, and rebirth. In addition to her traditional roles as wife, mother, healer, and protector of the dead, Isis was worshiped as the goddess of good fortune, the sea, and travel....

Discovery of the Tomb of Akhethotep, 1941

The discovery of the tomb of Akhethotep, overlord of the 5th dynasty, in 1941 was and will forever remain one of the most spectacular discoveries in the history of Egyptology. Hassabollah Taieb recorded the moment for posterity modestly, as he considered the wooden figures to be his own ancestors. Akhethotep’s titles included that of a...