This is one of the grand, large kneeling statues ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ๐ช of Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช that were found during excavations of her temple at Deir el-Bahri. The excavations were a joint operation between the MET and the Egyptian government.
In this statue ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ, Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช is depicted wearing the nemes headcloth, a false beard on her chin, and is kneeling with a nemset jar ๐ in each hand ๐ง๐๐บ. These were meant to be offerings to the god ๐น Amun ๐๐ ๐- an inscription on the statue ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ states that Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช is offering “maat” to Amun ๐๐ ๐- while Maat ๐๐ด๐ฃ๐๐ฆ was the goddess of truth, “maat” was also a concept held dearly by Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช. Her reign was guided by order, truth, and justice – all the principles of maat.
Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช is seen kneeling, which is not too common for a Pharaoh ๐๐ป since they were considered to be gods ๐น๐น๐น on Earth. However, since Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช was making an offering to the god ๐น Amun ๐๐ ๐, she did this in a kneeling position. A pharaoh ๐๐ป kneeled for no one – except for another god ๐น.
From this angle, the statue ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ looks even more grand! I also love pink granite, which many of Hatshepsut’s ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช statues ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ๐ช are made out of. Granite is an extremely dense and durable rock (hence why it is used for countertops today), and these statues ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ๐ช of Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช were definitely built to last.
The image above is of the cartouches of Hatshepsutโs throne name, Maatkare ๐ณ๐ฆ๐.
This is a small, kneeling statue ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ of Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช made out of black/pink granite! The black and pink granite is traditionally found in Aswan (Upper Egypt). In the USA, black and pink granite is commonly found in Nevada and other western states! This piece is in the MET.
While not as grand as some of her other statues ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ๐ช that adorned her temple ๐๐๐ at Deir el-Bahri, this one makes quite an impression. There are at least eight of these statues ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ๐ช, and many of them are in the MET. They were most likely used to line the upper court at her temple ๐๐๐, and are thought to be intended for her Heb Sed festival (a festival used to celebrate 30 ๐๐๐ years of rule, and then celebrated every three ๐ผ years after the initial 30 ๐๐๐). Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช, ever the Pharaoh ๐๐ป to break from tradition, instead celebrated hers in the 16th ๐๐ฟ year of her rule!
In this statue, Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช is kneeling and is seen holding the nemset jar ๐. The jar ๐ has the djed pillar ๐ฝ adorning the front. The djed pillar ๐ฝ is thought to be the spine of Osiris ๐น๐จ๐ญ, and it represents stability and endurance – both are attributes a Pharaoh ๐๐ป needed in order to be a successful ruler!
“The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt” was one of my best book purchases of 2020! I have only just been able to read through most of it, and this is probably one of the most complete books that I have in regards to the Egyptian pantheon. I love how the book was organized, and how it also paid attention to the lesser known gods๐น๐น๐น and goddesses๐น๐๐ช in Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐. The pictures were also spectacular and really added value to the text by only emphasizing the written words.
I have learned quite a few things from this book, and it is one I definitely recommend if you are interested in Egyptian mythology and religion. I wish I had gotten this book sooner – I got it on a trip to the MET in September 2020. I’m the type of person that likes to see my books before I purchase them, which is why I hadn’t gotten the book sooner.
I actually brought this book with money my Nonno had given me, so it still felt like he was the one that brought it for me โค๏ธ.
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The sarcophagus of Wereshnefer is a really interesting piece in the MET. Wereshnefer was a priest of the goddesses ๐น๐๐ช Mut ๐๐ฟ๐ญ, Nephytys ๐ ๐๐, Satis ๐ด๐๐๐๐ญ and Neith ๐๐๐๐ญ and he lived during the 30th Dynasty to the early Ptolemaic Period. Despite being a priest ๐น๐ in Upper Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐, his sarcophagus was found at Saqqara.
One of the interesting things about his very large coffin is that the funerary/religious texts that are engraved into the stone are from writings that predate Wereshnefer by about one thousand years! The lid (which is pictured) shows images and texts related to the sun’s journey through the sky ๐ช๐๐ฏ during the day ๐๐๐บ๐ณ, which in Egyptian religion, acts as a metaphor for the journey from death ๐ ๐๐ฑ to life ๐น that one would take while accompanying the sun ๐ณ๐บ.
What is so interesting about Wereshnefer’s sarcophagus is that it shows the Earth ๐พ๐พ as being round. This is the first evidence that scientists and historians have of the Earth ๐พ๐พ being depicted as a round object (as we know, most people thought that the Earth ๐พ๐พ was flat). Nut ๐๐๐ฏ๐ญ, the goddess ๐น๐ of the sky ๐ช๐๐ฏ, is seen arched over the rounded Earth ๐พ๐พ and is supported by Shu ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ, the god ๐น of the atmosphere. At Nut’s ๐๐๐ฏ๐ญ feet is Geb ๐ ญ๐๐ญ, the god ๐น of the Earth ๐พ๐พ. It is fascinating to me that the Egyptians ๐๐๐๐๐ช would depict the Earth as being round!
This copy of the Book of the Dead (known to the Egyptians as the Book of Coming Forth By Day) belonged to a priest ๐น๐ of Horus ๐ ๐ญ named Imhotep ๐๐ ๐ต๐๐ช! Imhotep ๐๐ ๐ต๐๐ช, Priest ๐น๐ of Horus ๐ ๐ญ, lived during the early Ptolemaic Period (between 332-200 B.C.E.) Fun fact: the word priest ๐น๐ actually translates to โgodโs servantโ!!!
Now, this is definitely not that Imhotep from “The Mummy” (1999), however, this is still a funny coincidence! I always get a laugh when I see this in the museum! The Book of the Dead was created for Imhotep ๐๐ ๐ต๐๐ช so he could have a successful journey into the afterlife ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐. The spells on the papyrus ๐ ๐๐๐ were also meant to ensure his safety and well-being in the duat ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐(realm of the dead).
The Book of the Dead is interesting because it doesn’t follow a particular story. The spells do seem to be grouped by theme, and sometimes pictures ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ฆ can be representative of the spells as well. The scene shown here is the Weighing of the Heart, in which the deceasedโs heart ๐๐๐ฃ was weighed against Maatโs ๐๐ด๐ฃ๐๐ฆ feather. More details on that scene later in the post!
Imhotep’s version of the Book of the Dead is complete, and is over 70 feet long!
This page illustrates spell 110, which gives Imhotep ๐๐ ๐ต๐๐ช the ability to enjoy various earthly activities. This takes place in the Field of Reeds, which is also known as The Field of Offerings. Imhotep ๐๐ ๐ต๐๐ช is actually seen doing work in the field ๐๐๐ – he can be seen using a scythe to harvest grain, plowing the field, and doing other various activities. In the top left, there are hieroglyphs โ๐น๐๐๐๐ฟ๐๐๐๐ญ๐โ that translate to “it is he in the Field of Offerings.โ The Field of Reeds could also be written as ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฟ๐๐ ฑ๐ฐ๐
I have provided some close up images of some of the aspects of the image that I mentioned in the caption above!
Let’s take a look at some other portions of the Book of the Dead!
I only have the drawings in this photograph, but to the left of the images would be the Hieratic script which would spell out the Sun Hymns. The Sun Hymns would allow Imhotep ๐๐ ๐ต๐๐ช to be turned into a spirit and join the Khepri ๐ฃ๐๐๐ in the daily cycle of death and rebirth (rising and setting of the sun). During the night ๐ผ๐๐๐, Imhotep ๐๐ ๐ต๐๐ช would travel through the Duat ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ underworld/netherworld) and be born again the next morning in the form of ba ๐ ก๐บ (individual’s soul that was depicted as a human headed bird).
The top image ๐๐ ฑ๐ shows the goddesses ๐น๐น๐น๐ Isis ๐จ๐๐ฅ and Nephytys ๐ ๐๐ attending to the sun god Khepri ๐ฃ๐๐๐, who is in the form of a scarab ๐ฃ. The middle image ๐๐ ฑ๐ shows the sun ๐ณ๐บ in human form and is attended by two ๐ป ba ๐ ก๐บ and baboons. The bottom image ๐๐ ฑ๐ shows Imhotep ๐๐ ๐ต๐๐ช and his wife* receiving offerings.
*Since Imhotepโs ๐๐ ๐ต๐๐ช mother ๐ ๐๐ is mentioned a lot throughout his Book of the Dead, many people think that the woman who always accompanies Imhotep in the images ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ฆ is his mother ๐ ๐๐ and not his wife!
Fun fact! The words for โnight ๐ผ๐๐๐โ and โend ๐ผ๐๐๐๐โ were very similar in hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช!!!
Now on to my favorite scene from the Book of the Dead (in more detail)!
While I have already posted a pic of the Weighing of the Heart, I wanted to post some alternative angles because this series of images is my absolute favorite – no matter whos Book of the Dead it is from!
Here, Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ข weighs the heart ๐๐๐ฃ of the deceased ๐ ๐๐ฑ against Maatโs ๐ด๐๐ฃ๐๐ฆ feather. If Anubis determines thereโs balance between the two, then the deceased would be presented to Osiris ๐น๐จ ๐ญ by Horus ๐ ๐ญ. Thoth ๐ ค๐ญ records the findings. Ammit waits to eat the heart if itโs unworthy!
Here we can see that Imhotepโs ๐๐ ๐ต๐๐ช heart ๐๐๐ฃ is balanced against the feather! There are some really cool images in this particular scene – instead of just being a feather on the scale, it is the hieroglyph determinative for Maat (๐ง). Also, in the last picture, Imhotep ๐๐ ๐ต๐๐ช is accompanied by a feather with a human body! This is probably a representation of Maat ๐ด๐๐ฃ๐๐ฆ, though she is usually depicted as a woman with a feather on her head and rarely as just a human body with a feather.
This is the last picture I have from Imhotep’s ๐๐ ๐ต๐๐ช Book of the Dead. Due to the way that the papyri ๐ ๐๐๐๐ฆ are displayed at the MET, it can be very difficult to get clear pictures ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ฅ. I’m happy that I went back through my pictures ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ฅ because I had taken some better ones than I initially thought!
In this image, you can see some of the hieratic script that the Book of the Dead is written in – don’t ask me to translate, because I can’t read hieratic! I can only read hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช! I would love to learn hieratic though! Some of the hieratic is in black ink while some of it is in red. The red ink seems to symbolize either the beginning or the end ๐ผ๐๐๐๐ of a spell, or it could highlight a word for a noun that was considered “bad” in Egyptian culture. However, sometimes even “offering table” could have been written/drawn in red and offering tables were not bad at all! So, some of the red ink seems kinda random.
Imhotep ๐๐ ๐ต๐๐ช is seen here with Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ, who is seated on top of a shrine. As you all know, Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ is my favorite Egyptian god (he is the god of mummification and cemeteries) so I was very excited to see I got an image ๐๐ ฑ๐ with Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ! I like this image ๐๐ ฑ๐ because it reminds me of the Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ shrine that was found in Tutankhamun’s ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ฑ๐๐น๐พ๐บ๐ tomb – that is one of my absolute favorite pieces of all time! The drawing is also like the hieroglyph determinative โ๐ฃโ for Anubis!
Happy Anniversary to the deciphering of Egyptian Hieroglyphsย ๐น๐๐ช! Seeing the Rosetta Stone in person was a dream come true for me!ย
Jean-Franรงois Champollion was just a teenager in September 1822 when he discovered how to read hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช based off of the Rosetta Stone! The Rosetta Stone is actually a decree issued by priests ๐น๐๐ช in 196 B.C.E. that affirmed the cult of Ptolemy V ๐ช๐๐ฏ๐ญ๐๐๐ด. Identical decrees were supposed to be placed in every temple ๐๐๐ in Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐!
During the Christian period in Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐, the use of hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช began to wane and finally disappeared at the beginning of the 4th Century. The Rosetta Stone contains three ๐ผ languages ๐๐ฆ: Hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช, Greek and Demotic. Since Greek was a known language ๐๐บ, scholars began to try to use the Greek section of the Rosetta Stone to translate the portion in hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช.
Thomas Young was the first person to show that the name ๐๐ in the cartouche (๐ช๐๐ฏ๐ญ๐๐๐ด) actually spelled out โPtolemy,โ however, Champollion gets the credit for deciphering hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช because he showed that the phonetic symbols were also used for Egyptian ๐๐๐๐ names ๐๐๐ฆ and not just foreign names ๐๐๐ฆ. With his extensive knowledge of Coptic, Champollion was able to begin reading the hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช fully!
I am thankful for the early works of scholars like Champollion because I would not be reading hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช without it!
We are going to be taking a (virtual) trip to the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology today ๐๐๐๐ณ! As many of you know, I love ushabti ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ figures, so letโs take a closer look at this one!
The textย ๐๐๐ฅย on the ushabtiย ๐ท๐๐๐ฎ๐พย is a version of the โShabti Spellโ from Chapter 6 of the Book of the Dead. This spellย ๐๐๐ย gives the ushabtiย ๐ท๐๐๐ฎ๐พย the power to complete tasks (farming, manual labor, etc) for the deceasedย ๐ ๐๐ฑย in the Field of Reedsย ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฟ๐๐ ฑ๐ฐ๐. Many people (if they could afford it) were buried with at least 365 ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐พ ushabtiย ๐ท๐๐๐ฎ๐พย figures – one for each day of the year! Some were buried with even more!ย
The โShabti Spellโ usually starts off with the following phrase:
๐ด๐๐๐ถ – The Illuminated One
๐น๐จ๐ญ – The Osiris
(Look at the first line of text on the ushabti ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ and start reading from the right!)
However, my favorite part of this ushabti ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ figure is that the word โ๐ท๐๐๐ฎ๐พ shabtiโ appears very clearly on the piece! It is part of the spell ๐๐๐ that says: โO these shabtis, if you are counted, to do all the works to be done there in the realm of the dead.โ
Can you find โ๐ท๐๐๐ฎ๐พโ on the piece in the picture ๐๐ ฑ๐?
There are a bunch of different ways to write โushabtiโ in hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช! Just like in other languages, we can use the words โshabtiโ and โushabtiโ to denote the same figures!
This large red granite ๐ ๐ณ๐๐ถ sphinx ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ๐ค of Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช is not in the โHatshepsut Galleryโ (as I like to call it) at the MET – in fact, she is right next to the Temple of Dendur! Dendur is located in Nubia, and is just south ๐๐ ฑ๐ of Aswan ๐ด๐น๐๐๐ฒ๐.
I find the location of the sphinx ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ๐ค an interesting placement in the museum because the temple ๐๐๐ and the sphinx ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ๐ค are from two ๐ปvery different time periods in Egyptian history. The temple of Dendur was built by Augustus ๐๐ป๐ and building was completed by 10 B.C.E., while Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช ruled ๐พ during the New Kingdom. This sphinx ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ๐ค was sculpted during the joint reign ๐พ of Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช and Thutmosis III ๐ณ๐ ๐ฃ c.1479โ1458 B.C.E.
The Sphinx ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ๐ค was one of six ๐ฟ large sphinxes ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ๐ฆ that would have lined her temple ๐๐๐ at Deir el-Bahri. It is made of red granite ๐ ๐ณ๐๐ถ, which was mined at Aswan ๐ด๐น๐๐๐ฒ๐ and then transported ~500 ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฒ miles up the Nile ๐๐๐๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐บ. Red Granite ๐ ๐ณ๐๐ถ is a super dense rock ๐๐๐๐ช so this was not an easy task!
This is a large and absolutely beautiful ๐ค piece in real life. Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช is depicted wearing the nemes ๐๐ ๐ด head cloth and the false beard – typical fashion for a pharaoh ๐๐ป! The sphinx ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ๐ค was a very popular way for a pharaoh ๐๐ป to be represented, and this practice occurred for thousands ๐ผ๐ผ๐ผ of years. While the most famous sphinx ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ๐ค is the great sphinx ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ๐ค of Khafre ๐ณ๐๐ at Giza, there are so many other wonderful sphinxes too ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ๐ฆ!
This is a โHieroglyphic Offering Vesselโ that is dated to c. 3,000 B.C.E.! For some context, the unification of Egyptย ๐๐ ๐๐ย took place c.ย 3,100 B.C.E., and this period was known as the Early Dynastic Period.ย
In Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐, especially during this time period, the distinction between art and writing ๐๐๐ฅ was almost interchangeable – so much so that sometimes it is hard to tell if images ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ฆ are hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช, drawings or even both!
This Offering Vessel is a combination of two ๐ป hieroglyphic symbols ๐น๐๐ช: the ankh ๐น and the ka ๐. So, letโs read some hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช!
The โAnkh,โ is a triliteral phonogram that has the sound โหnแธซโ which would sound like โankh.โ Although it can be an ideogram for โsandal strapโ and โmirror,โ the โsandal strap ๐นโ is much more commonly seen as the word for โLife.โ
The โtwo arms ๐โ symbol is a biliteral phonogram that represents the sound โk3,โ which would be pronounced like โka.โ This is the symbol for the word โsoul.โ The ka ๐ was the soul or life force of a person.
So how do life ๐น, soul ๐ and this Offering Vessel all connect to each other? Together ๐๐, the life ๐น and soul ๐ form an essential relationship between the living ๐น๐๐ and the dead ๐ ๐๐ฑ. Even if the person is dead, the ka ๐ still requires nourishment in the form of food ๐ฌ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ฅ and drink. This Offering Vessel allows the ka ๐ to receive water ๐, so it can continue to live on.
Essentially, the vessel allows for the ka ๐ to continue to receive offerings ๐ต๐๐ช๐๐๐ฆ so it can continue to be sustained! Itโs always amazing to me how Egyptian funerary beliefs didnโt really change over time, they just continued to evolve, for example, into False Doors and Offering Tables ๐๐๐ ก๐ฟ๐๐ช!
Is this a beautiful womanย ๐ค๐๐๐๐ย or a cowย ๐ค๐๐๐๐?! The answer is both because this image ๐๐ ฑ๐ from The Book of the Dead of Imhotep (at the MET) is of the goddess ๐น๐ Hathor ๐ก in her cowย ๐ค๐๐๐๐ย form!
Hathor ๐ก is one of the most prominent goddesses ๐น๐น๐น๐ of the Egyptian pantheon, and her roles evolved over time. Along with Isis ๐จ๐๐ฅ, she is regarded as the โdivine motherโ of the pharaoh ๐๐ป, but is also the goddess ๐น๐ of love, joy ๐ซ๐๐ฃ, music ๐๐๐ธ (she was often depicted on sistrums ๐๐๐๐๐ฃ๐ช), and dance – basically the fun things in life ๐น! Hathor is also mentioned as the the wife ๐๐๐ of Horus ๐ ๐ญ, and the daughter ๐ ญ๐of Ra ๐ณ๐บ๐, though through times some of these relations have changed/evolved.
The name ๐๐ โHathor ๐กโ in Middle Egyptian translates to โHouse of Horusโ which links Hathor ๐ก to the sky ๐ช๐๐ฏ (because the sky ๐ช๐๐ฏ is where Horus ๐ ๐ญ dwells). Absorbing the roles of pre-dynastic deities, Hathor was associated with both the night ๐ผ๐๐๐ sky ๐ช๐๐ฏ and the Milky Way Galaxy ๐๐ด๐๐๐.
Another function that Hathor ๐ก possessed that not many are aware of was that she was also a prominent funerary goddess ๐น๐! One of her roles was to provide peace and solace to the souls ๐๐๐ of the deceased ๐ ๐๐ฑ as they entered the afterlife ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐. She was referred to as โMistress of the West,โ and could be found welcoming the dead ๐ ๐๐ฑ with fresh water ๐. She also earned the title โLady of the Sycamore,โ and was also seen as a tree ๐ญ๐ ๐ญ goddess ๐น๐.
