The room at the MET that houses the Temple of Dendur doesnโt feel like a gallery in a museum – it feels like you are in Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐. This is one of my absolute favorite places. I could literally just sit in this place for hours just taking in the atmosphere – sometimes just existing and taking in a place without rushing around or having a plan is the best.
The temple ๐๐๐ was actually commissioned by Augustus and building was complete by 10 B.C. Dendur is located in Nubia, and is just south of Aswan. Even though the temple ๐๐๐ was built by Augustus, it definitely follows Egyptian style and not Roman style. The emperor is actually presented as a pharaoh ๐๐ป worshipping Egyptian gods ๐น๐น๐น on the walls of the temple ๐๐๐. The temple ๐๐๐ was primarily used to worship the goddess ๐น๐ Isis ๐จ๐๐ฅ.
This large granite Sphinx 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! I find it an interesting placement in the museum because the temple ๐๐๐ and the Sphinx are from two very different time periods in Egyptian history. The temple of Dendur was built by Augustus while Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช ruled during the New Kingdom.
The Sphinx was one of six large sphinxes that would line her temple ๐๐๐ at Deir el-Bahri. It is made of granite, which was mined at Aswan and then transported ~500 miles up the Nile ๐๐๐๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐บ. Granite is a super dense rock ๐๐๐๐ช so this was no 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!
Thutmosis I ๐ณ๐ป๐ฃ๐ (or ๐ ๐๐ด) was the third ๐ผ pharaoh ๐๐ป of the 18th Dynasty. His name ๐ ๐๐ด means โBorn of Thoth.โ Thutmosis I ๐ณ๐ป๐ฃ๐ was responsible for many successful military campaigns and building projects, including additions to the Temple of Amun at Karnak. Though, in my opinion, Thutmosis Iโs ๐ณ๐ป๐ฃ๐ most notable achievement is being Hatshepsutโs ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช father ๐๐๐!
This statue is in the British Museum! I dream of going back to the British Museum one day – I was lucky enough to be able to go there twice on my trip to London, and even luckier that I got to explore the museum with my Nonno๐.
He took a picture of me taking a picture while we were in the British Museum ๐ – I love it!!
Anyway, this is a red granite column that was originally inscribed for Rameses II ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ด๐! Both of his cartouches can be seen throughout -(๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ด๐) and (๐ณ๐๐ง๐ณ๐๐). Also his titles such as โLord of the Two Lands ๐๐ฟ๐ฟโ and โLord of Appearances ๐๐๐ฅโ can be seen on top of his cartouches.
This column was definitely usurped by another pharaoh ๐๐ป at some point because some of the cartouches on this column donโt belong to Rameses II ๐ณ๐๐ง๐ณ๐๐!
In the bottom of this picture you can see the hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช for โLord of the Two Lands ๐๐ฟ๐ฟโ very clearly!
I have always loved seeing the columns in museums because you can get a sense of the grand scale of the Egyptian monuments. Since I have never been to Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐, itโs nice to see just how grand their building was! I love the design of this column; the top looks like a flower ๐ธ!
Cartouche for Rameses II (๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ด๐).Another side of the column!
Not going to lie, I have had a love/hate relationship with Thutmosis III ๐ณ๐ ๐ฃ my whole life ๐ – I know that sounds weird to say about a pharaoh ๐๐ป who I clearly have never met, but itโs the only way I can describe it!! This piece is in the MET, and the hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช are inscribed so beautifully on it! Definitely very eye-catching!
When I first started learning about Hatshepsut ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ as a kid, I was (and still am!) so completely fascinated by her and how she became the pharaoh ๐๐ป. Since Thutmosis III ๐ณ๐ ๐ฃ was a child when Thutmosis II ๐ณ๐ป๐ฃ๐ died, Hatshepsut ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ became the co-regent, until she named herself the pharaoh ๐๐ป and pretty much โtook the throne.โ Since females were never in line for the throne, even though Hatshepsut ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ was the daughter of Thutmosis I ๐ณ๐ป๐ฃ๐ and his main queen ๐๐๐๐, she was never in line to be pharaoh ๐๐ป.
So why my love/hate relationship with Thutmosis III ๐ณ๐ ๐ฃ? Well, for the longest time it was thought that after Hatshepsutโs ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ death, when he relcaimed the throne, Thutmosis III ๐ณ๐ ๐ฃ had Hatshepsutโs ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ monuments destroyed and her name erased from as many things as possible. Did he actually do this? Scholars arenโt sure it happened to the extent that it was once thought. But I donโt think we will ever have an answer.
What were some of Thutmosis IIIโs ๐ณ๐ ๐ฃ accomplishments? He was a great military leader and conquered all of Syria. This is in great contrast to Hatshepsut ๐ณ๐ฆ๐, who focused more on trade and economic endeavors than military campaigns.
Something I was so excited to see in the British Museum was the Abydos King List.
There are two surviving King Lists from temples ๐๐๐๐ช at Abydos, the cult center of Osiris ๐น๐จ๐ญ. One temple ๐๐๐ is from Seti I ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ , and the other from his son Rameses II ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ด๐, who were both pharaohs ๐๐ป๐ฅ during the 19th Dynasty. Seti Iโs ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ list is still in the temple ๐๐๐ at Abydos, while Rameses IIโs ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ด๐ was excavated and brought to the British Museum.
While neither list is a 100% complete list, there are some glaring holes in the list – Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช, Akhenaten ๐๐๐๐ณ๐ ๐๐, Smenkhare ๐ณ๐๐ป๐๐ฆ๐ฃ, Tutankhamun ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ฑ๐๐น๐พ๐บ๐, and Ayโs ๐ณ๐ฃ๐ฃ๐ช๐น๐๐ cartouches are missing. Obviously, these names were left off because these pharaohs ๐๐ป๐ฅ are considered non-legitimate. Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช was the female pharaoh ๐๐ป, and Akhenaten-Ay is considered the Amarna Period, which was not well liked due to the drama of Akhenaten changing the religion and moving the capital of Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐.
The point of the King Lists was not to preserve history for future generations, rather the main objective was to glorify the gods ๐น๐น๐น, and as we know, pharaohs ๐๐ป๐ฅ were considered gods ๐น๐น๐น on Earth. These lists allowed Seti I ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ and Rameses II ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ด๐ to assert their legitimacy amongst the old pharaohs ๐๐ป๐ฅ of Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐.
In this picture, Iโm pointing to where Hatshepsutโs ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช name should be, but is missing due to the fact that she was purposefully left off the list!
You can see Thutmosis IIIโs the one name ๐ณ๐ ๐ฃ, and then Iโm pointing to the space next to his name. Why next to Thutmosis III ๐ณ๐ ๐ฃ? Even though Thutmosis III ๐ณ๐ ๐ฃ was technically named as pharaoh ๐๐ป first, and since he was too young to rule (he came to the throne at as young as two years old according to some historians), Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช was his co-regent until she named herself the sole pharaoh ๐๐ป.
Here is a closer look at the Kingโs List – how stunning are these hieroglyphs?! Iโm always so amazed that even after thousands of years, the colors on the monuments are still there!
On the left hand side, you can see the inscription ๐ฅ(๐ณ๐๐ง๐ณ๐๐). This is his prenomen, or Throne Name:
๐ฅ – King of Upper and Lower Egypt ๐ณ๐๐ง๐ณ๐๐ – Usermaatre Setepenre, which means Keeper of Harmony and Balance, Chosen by Ra.
Next to that inscription, you can see the following: ๐ ญ๐ณ (๐๐ ๐๐๐๐บ๐๐ด๐).
๐ ญ๐ณ – Son of Ra ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐บ๐๐ด๐ – Rameses, Beloved of Amun.
Hereโs an even further breakdown of Rameses IIโs Nomen: ๐๐ ๐๐ – Beloved of Amun ๐๐บ๐๐ด๐ – can be translated multiple ways โBorn of Ra,โ โRa bore him,โ etc.
This is a limestone relief of the god ๐น Thoth ๐ ค๐ญ at the Vatican Museum! While Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ is my favorite Egyptian god ๐น, Thoth ๐ ค๐ญ was always my second favorite because he was the god ๐น of scribes ๐๐๐ช and writing ๐๐๐ฅ! Since I love hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช, Thoth ๐ ค๐ญ was always a figure that I found fascinating!
Here are some fun facts about Thoth! -โThothโ is actually his Greek name – in Egyptian his name is โDjehutyโ
-While Thoth ๐ ค๐ญ is mainly known as being the patron of scribes ๐๐๐ช and the god ๐น of writing ๐๐๐ฅ/creator of language, he is also considered the god ๐น of the sciences and the moon!
-He is credited with inventing the calendar and controlling space and time!
-Thoth ๐ ค๐ญ has also provided guidance to the other gods ๐น๐น๐น and can also be associated with truth and justice.
-Since Thoth ๐ ค๐ญ was the god ๐น of the moon, he replaced Ra ๐ณ๐บ๐ in the sky at night ๐ผ๐๐๐.
-He can be represented as an Ibis๐ , as a human body with an Ibis head๐, or as a baboon๐ป!
-He was the bookkeeper at the Weighing of the Heart Ceremony
This image ๐๐ ฑ๐ shows bronze statues ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ๐ช of the beloved ๐ป๐๐ Egyptian goddess ๐น๐ Bastet ๐ฏ๐๐๐. Here are some fun facts about Bastet ๐ฏ๐๐๐!!
The goddesses ๐น๐น๐น๐ Bastet ๐ฏ๐๐๐ and Sekhmet ๐๐๐ ๐๐ were both depicted as cats ๐ ๐๐ ฑ๐ ๐ช, however, Sekhmet ๐๐๐ ๐๐ usually had the body of a woman while Bastet ๐ฏ๐๐๐ usually had the body of a cat ๐ ๐๐ ฑ๐ .
However, when Bastet ๐ฏ๐๐๐ was depicted with the body of a woman, she was usually holding a sistrum ๐๐๐๐๐ฃ in one hand! Since Hathor ๐ก was usually seen with sistrums ๐๐๐๐๐ฃ๐ช, this shows a link between the two ๐ป goddesses!
Sekhmet ๐๐๐ ๐๐ and Bastet ๐ฏ๐๐๐ were believed to be the two unpredictable personalities of the same goddess ๐น๐. While Sekhmet ๐๐๐ ๐๐ represented the destructive and unpredictable side, Bastet ๐ฏ๐๐๐ was the gentler and calmer side.
Bastet ๐ฏ๐๐๐ was the goddess ๐น๐ of pregnancy and childbirth and was considered to be the protective form of the goddess ๐น๐.
Bastetโs ๐ฏ๐๐๐ father was Ra ๐ณ๐บ๐! Which is why her alter ego Sekhmet ๐๐๐ ๐๐ can be associated with the sun.
These are some Late Period faience amulets ๐๐ช๐ ๐ช! Amulets ๐๐ช๐ ๐ช were protective symbols that could be used by either the living ๐น๐๐ or the dead ๐ ๐๐ฑ and each amulet ๐๐ช๐ had its own power based on the image ๐๐ ฑ๐ it represented.ย
The first amulet ๐๐ช๐ on the left is Shu ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ, the god ๐น of the air and atmosphere. In the Egyptian creation myth, Shu ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ raised the atmosphere from the Earthโs ๐พ๐พ surface, separating the two ๐ป. Shu ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ was often worshipped ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ข by sailors, who were looking for favorable winds ๐๐ฌ๐๐ ฑ๐ก๐ฆ!
The next two ๐ป amulets ๐๐ช๐ ๐ช are different representations of the god ๐น Khnum ๐ธ๐๐ญ. Khnum ๐ธ๐๐ญ is usually represented as a ram and is one of the oldest Egyptian deities ๐น๐น๐น – evidence of worship ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ข dates back to the First Dynasty!! Khnum ๐ธ๐๐ญ is the god ๐น of the Nile River ๐๐๐๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐บ and fertility. In the creation myth, Khnum ๐ธ๐๐ญ is said to have created all of the worldโs people on his potterโs wheel. He is associated with Ptah ๐ช๐๐๐ฑ, who created the heavens ๐ช๐๐ฏ and Earth ๐พ๐พ on a potterโs wheel.
The next two ๐ป amulets ๐๐ช๐ ๐ช are a hare ๐น๐บ and an Apis Bull ๐๐๐ช๐. The hare ๐น๐บ amulet was thought to have regenerative powers, and in a funerary context, would help the deceased ๐ ๐๐ฑ be reborn ๐๐ฟ๐ ฑ in the afterlife ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐. The Apis Bull ๐๐๐ช๐ was associated with fertility and rebirth ๐๐ฟ๐ ฑ and was mostly worshipped ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ข in Memphis ๐ ๐๐ค๐๐๐ด๐.
Taweret ๐๐ฟ๐ ฉ๐๐๐ is a fierce Egyptian goddess ๐น๐ who is associated with childbirth. Women who were pregnant would wear amulets ๐๐ช๐ ๐ช of Taweret ๐๐ฟ๐ ฉ๐๐๐ for protection. Taweret ๐๐ฟ๐ ฉ๐๐๐ is always represented as a pregnant hippopotamus ๐๐๐ฏ and was a household deity – she didnโt have any temples ๐๐๐๐ช dedicated to her specifically.
I love the randomness of some museum displays – thereโs always so much to look at! By โrandomness,โ Iโm referring to the varying objects that can be grouped together, however they are from the same time period so the conglomeration of different objects can give you a sense of the varying objects common during that period! It also gives you a look into the art styles that were popular!
Starting from the left, you can see a figure of the god Bes ๐๐ด๐. Bes ๐๐ด๐ didnโt become commonly worshipped until the beginning of the New Kingdom. He was the god of childbirth, protector of the household ๐๐บ, and defender of all that is good! He was considered to be a โdemonic fighter,โ and was also a war god.
There are two ๐ป ushabti ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ figures with beautiful hieroglyphic ๐น๐๐ช inscriptions. These little guys were buried with the deceased and were meant to be their servants in the afterlife ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐. Mostย ushabtisย ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ๐ช are inscribed with a spell that tells you what their function was. When Osiris ๐น๐จ ๐ญ called upon the deceased for labor, the deceased would say the spell on theย ushabtiย ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ and it would come to life and perform the labor in place of the deceased!
Next are the sistrums ๐๐๐๐๐ฃ๐ช! A sistrum ๐๐๐๐๐ฃ was almost like an ancient tambourine or rattle – while the part that makes the music is often not found intact, the handle with Hathorโs ๐ก face usually is. Sistrums ๐๐๐๐๐ฃ๐ช can be found dating back to the Old Kingdom, but most that are found are usually from the Late – Graeco/Roman periods.
And lastly, a statue of the goddess Sekhmet ๐๐๐ ๐๐! Sekhmet ๐๐๐ ๐๐ was one of my Nonnoโs favorite mythological figures. Sekhmet ๐๐๐ ๐๐ was a war goddess and was associated with the destructive aspects of the sun ๐ณ๐บ (like the unrelenting heat of the desert).
