Section of a relief.

Section of a relief. Country of Origin: Egypt. Culture: Ancient Egyptian. Date/Period: 20th dynasty c. 1186-1070 BC. Material Size: painted relief. / Egyptian Museum, Cairo

Sarcophagus of Sennedjem.

Sarcophagus of Sennedjem.
This rectangular sarcophagus of Sennedjem was placed on removable sledge runners. The sledge was built with holes in the two long sides to ease moving it from the place of mummification to the tomb.
The sarcophagus is decorated with vignettes from the Book of the Dead, Spells 1 and 17. It is bordered with texts arranged in panels. There are also portrayals of those deities who were in charge of protecting the deceased in the afterlife. The interior ...of this sarcophagus is painted and decorated with the text and vignette of Spell 18 of the Book of the Dead.

The lid is decorated with vignettes from the Book of the Dead and with depictions of members of Sennedjem's family.
DEIR EL-MEDINAH
JE 27301
EGYPTIAN MUSEUM
globalegyptianmuseum.org

Graffito of Esmet-Akhom

Graffito of Esmet-Akhom, Egypt, Philae temple, Gate of Hadrian, northern wall in corridor. Last hieroglyphic script ever written

MUMMY TRAPPINGS: BANDAGE

MUMMY TRAPPINGS:  BANDAGE
BOOK OF THE DEAD
Flax

PTOLEMAIC PERIOD

MUSÉE ROYAL DE MARIEMONT

globalegyptianmuseum.org

MUMMY TRAPPINGS: BANDAGE

MUMMY TRAPPINGS: BANDAGE
BOOK OF THE DEAD

FLAX
...

PTOLEMAIC PERIOD
MUSÉE ROYAL DE MARIEMONT
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Sarcophagus of Ramesses the First as a High Official

Sarcophagus of Ramesses the First as a High Official

The lid of this sarcophagus is in the form of Ramesses' body with a full face, wearing a necklace with a scarab in the middle.

JE 72203

EGYPTIAN MUSEUM [01/001]

globalegyptianmuseum.org

Long sleeved linen tunic

 Long sleeved linen tunic

From Thebes, perhaps Deir el-Bahari, Egypt
Possibly 19th Dynasty, about 1275 BC

A votive tunic with an image of the goddess Hathor

A votive object is one that is offered to a deity, often with prayers, in the hope of receiving good fortune. Many types of object were left in temples all over Egypt for this purpose. The goddess Hathor often received votive offerings. She was a deity with wide responsibilities including joy, music and dance. She was also one of the major deities with a popular cult; ordinary people could appeal to these gods and goddesses.
Hathor's cult was very prominent on the west bank of the Nile at Thebes, in the area of the temples of Deir el-Bahari. Here there was a shrine specifically dedicated to Hathor, as well as a shrine in the temples of Hatshepsut and Thutmose III.
This small tunic bears an image of Hathor as a cow coming out of the mountain of the West, an extremely common Theban motif associated with burial and rebirth. Below is an inscription of the woman who dedicated the tunic. It has been described as the tunic of a child, but it is more likely to be one specially produced for the purpose.
S. Quirke, Ancient Egyptian religion (London, The British Museum Press, 1992)
G. Pinch, Votive Offerings to Hathor (Oxford, Griffith Institute, Ashmolean Museum, 1993)

 British Museum
britishmuseum.org

The surviving niche of Ramose's chapel

The surviving niche of
Ramose's chapel complex of his
tomb no. 212
Deir el Medina...
www.deirelmedina.com

Earring in the form of a three-lobed wineskin

Earring in the form of a three-lobed wineskin

Period: Parthian

Date: ca. 2nd–1st century B.C.

Geography: Mesopotamia, said to be from Nineveh

Culture: Parthian

Medium: Gold

Dimensions: L. 1 13/16 in. (4.6 cm)

Classification: Metalwork-Ornaments

Credit Line: Purchase, Mrs. Vladimir S. Littauer Gift, 1995

Accession Number: 1995.366

 

 Met Museum


metmuseum.org

 

Dendera II

Scellé en argile marqué de deux sceaux

Scellé en argile marqué de deux sceaux
Retrouvée dans le palais des gouverneurs à Balat, dans l’oasis de Dakhla, cette fermeture d’argile date de la fin de l’Ancien Empire, soit d’environ 4200 ans. Apposé sur un contenant ou sur la porte d’une réserve qui renfermait des denrées de prix, le scellé garantissait une fermeture hermétique. Celui-ci porte les empreintes superposées de deux sceaux de type différent. Le plus grand était un cylindre gravé de motifs multiples, parmi lesquels on voit nettement un gros lézard à hachures. Ces grands sceaux-cylindres servaient probablement de marque distinctive à une institution, ou à un personnage très important du palais. Sur la surface déjà marquée par ces premières empreintes, une estampille au motif enchevêtré a été imprimée à deux reprises. Celle-ci appartenait à un administrateur de rang sans doute plus modeste. Comme nos signatures actuelles, les sceaux permettaient d’identifier leur porteur, et engageaient sa responsabilité personnelle dans les opérations de retrait ou de dépôt d’objets. Dans l’administration pharaonique, beaucoup de charges étaient assumées collégialement par plusieurs individus qui les remplissaient à tour de rôle. Au moment où leur mandat se terminait, les opérations que chacun avait effectuées devaient être vérifiées grâce à un pointage minutieux de diverses pièces justificatives, parmi lesquelles des scellés comme celui-ci. En conséquence, aussi longtemps qu’un même individu était en fonction, on conservait toutes ces petites mottes d’argile en vue du contrôle final. De telles collections, parfois très nombreuses (plusieurs centaines de pièces), ont été retrouvées surtout dans les zones de stockage du palais, près des portes qu’elles scellaient.
Laure Pantalacci (Université Lyon 2 / Ifao)


 http://www.ifao.egnet.net/image/11/

Blue kerchief from Tutankhamun's embalming cache

Blue kerchief from Tutankhamun's embalming cache, New Kingdom, Dynasty 18, reign of Tutankhamun, ca. 1336–1327 B.C., Egypt, Upper Egypt; Thebes, embalming cache of Tutankhamun (Tomb KV 54), Valley of the Kings, Davis/Ayrton 1907, Linen dyed with indigotin (09.184.217)
Kerchief from Tutankhamun's embalming cache, New Kingdom, Dynasty 18, reign of Tutankhamun, ca. 1336–1327 B.C., Egypt, Upper Egypt; Thebes, embalming cache of Tutankhamun (Tomb KV 54), Valley of the Kings, Davi...s/Ayrton 1907, Linen (09.184.218)

Kerchief from Tutankhamun's embalming cache, New Kingdom, Dynasty 18, reign of Tutankhamun, ca. 1336–1327 B.C., Egypt, Upper Egypt; Thebes, embalming cache of Tutankhamun (Tomb KV 54), Valley of the Kings, Davis/Ayrton 1907, Linen (09.184.219)
metmuseum.org
Met Museum

carros egipcios

Los carros egipcios se diseñaban con un armazón de forma ovalada. Intentaban que fuera lo más ligera posible para así poder conseguir mayor velocidad y poder manejarlos mejor.
Las ruedas de los carros eran muy ligeras y el eje estaba situado en la parte de atrás.
Estaban los carros abiertos en la parte trasera y tenían la capacidad de poder llevar a dos personas.
En la tumba de Tutankhamón se encontraron carros ceremoniales que estaban decorados con pan de oro y piedras preciosas,

Stone mace head

Stone mace head

From Sippar, southern Iraq
Early Dynastic period, about 2600-2400 BC

A symbolic weapon dedicated in a temple to receive the god's blessing

This elaborate marble mace head was discovered in the remains of a temple building.
A mace head, fixed to a wooden or metal staff, was an early weapon. By the time of this version, however, they had become symbols of authority, and axes were the main weapons used in warfare. Maces were commonly dedicated to the gods who are often shown wielding one on cylinder seals or sculptures. This one is too large to have been an effective weapon and was clearly a votive object, deposited in a temple to demonstrate the donor's piety. Many hundreds of mace heads been excavated in temples of this date. The lion heads presumably represent strength and may indicate that the donor was royal, since the association between lions and rulers was an ancient one in Mesopotamia.
British Museum, A guide to the Babylonian and, 3rd ed. (London, British Museum, 1922)

British Museum
britishmuseum.org

papyrus of Kahapa

A fragment of a funerary papyrus of Kahapa with a text from the Book of the Dead written in hieratic script. Country of Origin: Egypt. Culture: Ancient Egyptian. Date/Period: Late Period c.525-343 BC. Material Size: Papyrus. Credit Line: Werner Forman Archive/Private Collection, London . Location: 130.

Benu

Present location	RIJKSMUSEUM VAN OUDHEDEN [06/001] LEIDEN
Inventory number	AAL 150a
Dating	26TH DYNASTY
Archaeological Site	SAQQARA NECROPOLIS ?
Category	MOULD
Material	LIMESTONE
Technique	HEWN
Height	13.3 cm
Width	14.2 cm
Depth	2.9 cm

Bibliography

• Leemans, C., Aegyptische Monumenten van het Nederlandse Museum van Oudheden te Leiden II.14, Leiden 1853, pl. XCIII, 210.
• Silvano, F., Gli stampi in pietra provenienti dagli scavi dell'Università di Pisa a Saqqara, EVO 4 (1981), 75 cat. 34.
• Schneider, H. D., Life and Death under the Pharaohs, Perth 1997, nr. 130A.

globalegyptianmuseum

Dyeserjeperura Horemheb tumba de Saqqara

Dyeserjeperura Horemheb
tumba de Saqqara

Triumph of Dionysos and the Seasons Sarcophagus,

Triumph of Dionysos and the Seasons Sarcophagus, ca. 260–270
Roman
Marble; H. 34 in. (86.4 cm)
Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1955 (55.11.5)


This highly ornate and extremely well preserved Roman marble sarcophagus came to the Metropolitan Museum from the collection of the dukes of Beaufort and was formerly displayed in their country seat, Badminton House in Gloucestershire, England. An inscription on the unfinished back of the sarcophagus records that it was installed there in 1733. In contrast to the rough and unsightly back, the sides and front of the sarcophagus are decorated with forty human and animal figures carved in high relief. The central figure is that of the god Dionysos seated on a panther, but he is somewhat overshadowed by four larger standing figures who represent the four Seasons (from left to right, Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall). The figures are unusual in that the Seasons are usually portrayed as women, but here they are shown as sturdy youths. Around these five central figures are placed other Bacchic figures and cultic objects, all carved at a smaller scale. On the rounded ends of the sarcophagus are two other groups of large figures, similarly intermingled with lesser ones. On the left end, Mother Earth is portrayed reclining on the ground; she is accompanied by a satyr and a youth carrying fruit. On the right end, a bearded male figure, probably to be identified with the personification of a river god, reclines in front of two winged youths, perhaps representing two additional Seasons.
The sarcophagus is an exquisite example of Roman funerary art, displaying all the virtuosity of the workshop where it was carved. The marble comes from a quarry in the eastern Mediterranean and was probably shipped to Rome where it was worked. Only a very wealthy and powerful person would have been able to commission and purchase such a sarcophagus, and it was probably made for a member of one of the old aristocratic families in Rome itself. The subjects—the Triumph of Dionysos and the Seasons—are unlikely, however, to have had any special significance for the deceased, particularly as it is clear that the design was copied from a sculptor's pattern book. Another sarcophagus, now in the Hessisches Landesmuseum in Kassel, Germany, has the same composition of Dionysos flanked by the four Seasons, although the treatment and carving of the figures is quite different. On the Badminton sarcophagus, the figures are carved in high relief and so endow the crowded scene with multiple areas of light and shade, allowing the eye to wander effortlessly from one figure to another. One must also imagine that certain details were highlighted with color and even gilding, making the whole composition a visual tour de force.
Very few Roman sarcophagi of this quality have survived. Although the Badminton sarcophagus lacks its lid, the fact that it was found in the early eighteenth century and soon thereafter installed in Badminton House means that it has been preserved almost intact and only a few of the minor extremities are now missing.

Met Museum
metmuseum.org

Glass fish

Glass fish
From: Tell el-Amarna, Egypt
Date: 18th Dynasty, around 1350 BC
...

Many glass bottles shaped like fish have been found from ancient Egyptian times, but this tilapia is particularly beautiful. First, a skilled craftworker made a fish-shape out of clay. Strands of hot molten glass were trailed over this core to make the basic body. Next, coloured rods of molten glass were wrapped around the fish and dragged with a tool to make a pattern of fish-scales. The body was then smoothed over and eyes and fins were added. Finally the clay inside was scraped out.
Tilapia fish hide their babies in their mouths, letting them out after danger has passed. The Egyptians thought that this was like being born again, and so the tilapia was important to them.
British Museum
britishmuseum.org

King's Offering to the God

King's Offering to the God
Hitites
source: hittitemonuments.com

Pottery bowl containing dom palm fruits

 Pottery bowl containing dom palm fruits

From Thebes, Egypt
New Kingdom, around 1500 BC

A favourite food to take to the Afterlife

The fruit of the dom palm was among the commonest foods enjoyed by the ancient Egyptians. These examples, in a pottery bowl, were probably placed in a tomb as offerings for the dead. In addition to its role of providing sustenance, the fruit of the dom also seems to have had a further significance as providing water and new life, an additional reason for placing it in the tomb.
H. Wilson, Egyptian food and drink (Aylesbury, Shire Publications, 1988)

 britih museum.org

Inscribed mummy bandaje of Djedher

 Inscribed mummy bandaje of Djedher

From Saqqara, Egypt
Late Period, 4th century BC or later

Spells from the Book of the Dead

The group of spells known as the Book of the Dead was intended to act as assistance for the deceased on his or her passage to the Afterlife. During the New Kingdom (about 1550-1070 BC), when it first appeared, it was usually written on papyrus. At first it was placed in the coffin, but later concealed within the plinths of figures of Ptah-Sokar-Osiris.
From the fourth century BC the spells were written on strips of linen, so that they could magically protect the body of the deceased. These linen bandages were used as the outer wrappings of the mummy. They were often extremely long, but were cut up by their nineteenth-century discoverers and sold to European tourists.
The spells of the Book of the Dead were written on the bandages in black pigment, in horizontal lines of hieratic script reading from right to left. In this example, the deceased is named as Djedher, son of Sekhmetnefret. A blank column marks the division between the spells, which were sometimes illustrated with vignettes placed above the text.

 britishmuseum.org

Relief of a Nobleman

Relief of a Nobleman


The exact context of this relief is unknown. The anonymous noble's garment and elaborate wig with lotus flower fillet and intricate locks are perfect attire for an offering scene in the underworld.
 The relief clearly illustrates the legacy of the artistic style championed by Akhenaten, Egypt's so-called heretic pharaoh. The projection of the face and neck beyond the wig and the deep carving of the rear of the head are details that continued long after Akhenaten's reign. The elegant treatmnent suggests that the relief comes from a tomb at Saqqara, a vast cemetery in the region of Memphis. At the left a hand holds a sistrum (or rattle) and a flower. The missing person was surely a woman, either the wife or some other relative of the deceased.

 Medium: Limestone, painted
Possible Place Made: Saqqara, Egypt
Dates: ca. 1295-1070 B.C.E.
Dynasty: XIX Dynasty or XX Dynasty
Period: New Kingdom
Dimensions: 20 3/16 x 17 1/4 in. (51.3 x 43.8 cm) 
Brooklyn Museum
brooklynmuseum.org

Caesarion, son of Cleopatra and Caesar.

Caesarion, son of Cleopatra and Caesar. From the Cleopatra exhibit, "Unravel the Mystery," at the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, PA.

Limestone false door of Ptahshepses

From Saqqara, Egypt
5th Dynasty, around 2380 BC

A long-lived high priest of Ptah

In the Old Kingdom, acting as an interface between the worlds of the living and of the dead, (about 2613-2160 BC) false doors were a standard feature of tombs in the Memphite region. This is a particularly large and impressive example.
It has a 'palace façade', so-called after the royal brick palaces that were thought to look like this). Here the façade is covered with single columns of text giving Ptahshepses’ titles.
Ptahshepses' main position was as the High Priest of Ptah. The two right-hand columns of text state that he was among the royal children in the reigns of Menkaure and Shepseskaf, the last two major kings of the Fourth Dynasty (about 2613-2494 BC). If the four remaining large columns had another royal name at the top, it would extend his career at least until the reign of Niuserre in the Fifth Dynasty. It is possible then that Ptahshepses lived from about 2490 to about 2400 BC, a very long life for anyone at that time.
T.G.H. James and W.V. Davies, Egyptian sculpture (London, The British Museum Press, 1983)
T.G.H. James (ed.), Hieroglyphic texts from Egyp-9, Part 1, 2nd edition (London, The British Museum Press, 1961)
Britiah Museum
britishmuseum.org