Childbirth scene

Childbirth scene, ca. 310–30 b.c.; Hellenistic
Cypriot; Said to be from the temple at Golgoi
Limestone; H. 6 1/2 in. (16.5 cm), L. 9 7/8 in. (25.1 cm)
The Cesnola Collection, Purchased by subscription, 1874–76 (74.51.2698)


This small limestone sculpture depicts a woman in childbirth. A standing attendant, whose head is missing, supports the mother from behind. At the foot of the couch, a seated attendant holds the newborn child. In classical antiquity, childbirth was generally the concern of midwives, as male doctors were called in only for difficult cases. Several of Hippocrates' treatises discuss childbirth, beginning with the onset of labor as it relates to the movement of the fetus. The most detailed account of labor and delivery is in the first-century A.D. handbook entitled Gynaecology, which was written by the Ephesian physician Soranus (98–138) for midwives. Soranus envisioned delivery on a birthing chair; he describes the dilation of the cervix and the breathing technique to be used in the delivery. He also emphasizes that the midwife and assistants, as depicted in this limestone sculpture from Golgoi, must reassure the mother.


Met Museum
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shabti

Mummiform wooden shabti with hands, finely carved in relief, crossed over the chest. There are traces of yellow in the background, red on the hoes and the vertical framing lines, and black on the inscription, wig, collar and basket. The piece is split down the front and a part of the base is missing.

Present location	MUSEU NACIONAL DE ARQUEOLOGIA [46/003] LISBON
Inventory number	E 76 (n. cat. 91)
Dating	NEW KINGDOM
Archaeological Site	UPPER EGYPT
Category	SHABTI
Material	WOOD
Technique	SCULPTURED
Height	22 cm
Width	6.3 cm

Translation

The sehedj, the Osiris ...

Bibliography

• Antiguidades Egípcias I, Lisboa, 1993
   
  
  
  
  
  
  
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Coffin bottom board

Coffin bottom board

The bottom board of a coffin with on its inner face a representation of a standing goddess. She is wearing a band of cobras on her head on top of which the Hathor crown is placed - a double falcon's feather, cow's horns and a solar disk. Over her tripartite wig lies the golden vulture's cap, and a broad collar composed of four rows covers her neck and shoulders. The tight dress, which is suspended by two shoulder straps, has a decoration of vulture wings wrapped around the body. The goddess holds a heka-scepter in her right hand together with an ankh-sign. A number of small-scale beings are painted around her, among which is a Ba-bird with a human head in frontal view and a figure of Anubis with a jackal's head. In addition, there are emblematic hieroglyphs rendered with much detail and in full colour. The goddess is the Mistress of the West, the necropolis, she is Isis who mourns the deceased Osiris. At the same time, she is Hathor as a goddess of heaven, giving life to the deceased.

Present location KUNSTHISTORISCHES MUSEUM [09/001] VIENNA
Inventory number 232
Dating 20TH DYNASTY (not before); 21ST DYNASTY ?; 21ST DYNASTY (not after)
Archaeological Site UNKNOWN
Category COFFIN/SARCOPHAGUS BOTTOM
Material WOOD; PLASTER; LINEN
Technique PAINTED
Height 120 cm
Width 41 cm
Depth 2.5 cm



Bibliography•Demel, H., Aegyptische Kunst (1947) 21, Abb. 4 (Druckfehler!).
•Niwinski, A., 21st Dynasty Coffins from Thebes. Chronological and Typological Studies (1988) 176, Nr. 409.
•Seipel, W. (ed.), Götter Menschen Pharaonen, Speyer (1993) = Dioses, Hombres, Faraones, Ciudad de México (1993) = Das Vermächtnis der Pharaonen, Zürich (1994), Kat.Nr. 146.
•Satzinger, H., Das Kunsthistorische Museum in Wien. Die Ägyptisch-Orientalische Sammlung. Zaberns Bildbände zur Archäologie 14. Mainz. 1994.

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Heart amulets

Heart amulets, Dynasty 18–19 (ca. 1550–1186 B.C.)
Egyptian
Glass
Gift of Helen Miller Gould, 1910 (10.130.1782)

Heart amulets, Dynasty 19–20 (ca. 1295–1070 B.C.)
Egyptian
Agate
Gift of Helen Miller Gould, 1910 (10.130.1804)



For the ancient Egyptians, the heart (ib) was the source of intelligence, feelings, and actions. A person's memory was also housed in the heart and so at the judgment ceremony (Weighing of the Heart) in the afterlife, the heart was able to speak on behalf of the deceased, accounting to Osiris for a lifetime of deeds. Therefore, heart amulets were only used on the mummy to protect the owner's organ and to ensure that his heart gave a positive response at judgment.


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False door of Neferseshemkhufu

False door of Neferseshemkhufu

Perhaps from Giza, Egypt
6th Dynasty, around 2200 BC

Limestone false door of a scribe and supervisor of priests

This false door is thought to come from Giza, mainly because the name of the owner is compounded with that of Khufu, the builder of the Great Pyramid. Most officials who bear such names seem to have been buried at Giza.
This is a typical example of a false door as would have belonged to a minor official: it is simply laid out, and the slightly jumbled nature of some of the hieroglyphs perhaps give it a much older appearance. The separate images of Neferseshemkhufu and his wife Khentyka on the central panel are unusual.
T.G.H. James (ed.), Hieroglyphic texts from Egyp-9, Part 1, 2nd edition (London, The British Museum Press, 1961)

British Museum
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MASK

MASK

PAINTED ON STUCCO

ROMAN PERIOD

RIJKSMUSEUM VAN OUDHEDEN

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BEAD NET

 BEAD NET

Faience

RIJKSMUSEUM VAN OUDHEDEN


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