Author: ancientegyptblog7

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Egyptian Artifacts Reading Hieroglyphs

Statue of Senwosret III

This is a black granite statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ of the 12th π“Ž†π“» Dynasty pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 Senwosret III π“‡³π“ˆπ“‚“π“‚“π“‚“. Senwosret III π“‡³π“ˆπ“‚“π“‚“π“‚“ is thought to be the most powerful pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 of the 12th π“Ž†π“» Dynasty because his successful military campaigns gave rise to an era of peace π“Š΅π“π“Šͺ. Peace π“Š΅π“π“Šͺ led to economic prosperity, and this led to a newfound revival in artistry and craft works.

Statue of Senwosret III at the Brooklyn Museum

This newfound artistry during this time period then led to some new styles in how the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 was portrayed in statuary. The statues π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύπ“ͺ of Senwosret III π“‡³π“ˆπ“‚“π“‚“π“‚“ are so distinctive that they can be immediately recognized as his, even without reading the hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ. Some parts of the statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ are realistic, like the protruding eye sockets and the lines on his face, while some features, like the young and strong torso, are most likely idealized. Egyptologists can only speculate on why he was portrayed this way – some argue that it’s because Senwosret III π“‡³π“ˆπ“‚“π“‚“π“‚“ wanted to be seen as human before divine.

This statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ in particular shows Senwosret III π“‡³π“ˆπ“‚“π“‚“π“‚“ wearing the royal nemes π“ˆ–π“…“π“‹΄ headcloth. Beneath his feet are nine bows – each meant to represent one of Egypt’s π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š– enemies. Since the enemies are beneath his feet, it shows successful defeat by the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻!

In the hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ, you can see his Horus nameπ“…ƒπ“Š[π“ŠΉ 𓆣𓅱] which I think means β€œHorus in divine form.” Also, you can see his prenomen or β€œthrone name” which is marked by the π“†₯ (he of the sedge and the bee aka King of Upper and Lower Egypt) hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ before the cartouche. π“‡³π“ˆπ“‚“π“‚“π“‚“ means β€œthe Souls of Ra have returned.”

Statue of Senwosret III at the Brooklyn Museum
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Egyptian Artifacts

Ancient Egyptian “Tom and Jerry”

I refer to this piece as the β€œAncient Egyptian version of Tom and Jerry”!”

“Cat and Mouse” Ostraca at the Brooklyn Museum.

This is an ostracon (or ostraca), which is pretty much a sketch on a limestone fragment. Instead of using papyrus 𓅓𓍑𓏏𓏛(which was expensive) to practice drawing, the ancient Egyptian π“†Žπ“π“€€π“ artists or scribes π“Ÿπ“€€ would use pieces of limestone. It is dated to the 19th-20th Dynasties, aka the Ramesside Period.

What’s funny about this is it shows the mouse being served or attended to by the cat 𓅓𓇋𓅱𓃠. The cat 𓅓𓇋𓅱𓃠 is presenting the mouse with a goose as an offering π“π“Š΅ while also fanning him. It’s almost like an opposite because the cat 𓅓𓇋𓅱𓃠 is usually the predator while the mouse is the prey. This could have been some type of satire on the elite during the Ramesside period, or a visual representation of a fable that is now lost. Many ostraca from this time period show animals doing human activities!

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Egyptian Artifacts

Painting of Tjepu

This well preserved painting of a beautiful woman 𓄀𓆑𓂋𓏏𓁐 named Tjepu is from the 18th Dynasty (rule of Amenhotep III π“‡³π“§π“Ž ) and was originally found in the tomb π“‡‹π“«π“Šƒπ“‰ of her son π“…­. Tjepu is seen in lavish 18th Dynasty style clothing – including a wig, lots of jewelry and a linen 𓍱 dress.

Painting of Tjepu at the Brooklyn Museum

When creating tomb π“‡‹π“«π“Šƒπ“‰ art, Egyptian π“†Žπ“π“€€π“ artists did not β€œrealistically” depict how people actually looked. Instead, they showed people as being eternally youthful. Basically, the artists made people look their best so they could be at their best in the afterlife 𓇼𓄿𓏏𓉐! While Tjepu would have been around 40 π“Ž†π“Ž†π“Ž†π“Ž† years old at the time that this painting was completed, she was definitely not shown as being 40 π“Ž†π“Ž†π“Ž†π“Ž†.

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Egyptian Artifacts

Limestone Relief for Montuhotep II

This is a raised relief carved in limestone for the 11th Dynasty pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 Mentuhotep III π“ π“ˆ–π“Ώπ“Š΅π“π“Šͺ. His father 𓇋𓏏𓀀 reunited Upper and Lower Egypt, so Mentuhotep III π“ π“ˆ–π“Ώπ“Š΅π“π“Šͺ inherited a mostly united Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š–. He had a relatively short reign of 12 π“Ž†π“» years.

Limestone Relief for Montuhotep II at the Brooklyn Museum

What was most interesting when I was reading about Mentuhotep III π“ π“ˆ–π“Ώπ“Š΅π“π“Šͺ was some of the superficial similarities to Hatshepsut π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ!! During the 12 π“Ž†π“» years of his reign, he actually sent an expedition to Punt! He also started building a mortuary temple π“‰Ÿπ“π“‰ at Deir el-Bahri, but it was never completed.

This raised relief is beautifully carved, and Mentuhotep III 𓇳𓋴𓋹𓂓 appears twice. On the left he is seen wearing the Red Crown of Lower Egypt π“‚§π“ˆ™π“‚‹π“π“‹”, and on the right he is wearing the nemes headdress π“ˆ–π“…“π“‹΄. In the middle is the goddess Iunyt, who was a consort of Montu π“ π“ˆ–π“Ώπ“…±, a war goddessπ“ŠΉπ“. Montu π“ π“ˆ–π“Ώπ“…± was worshipped widely during the 11th Dynasty.

Many think that this depicts Mentuhotep III’s 𓇳𓋴𓋹𓂓 desire for a sed festival in the 30th π“Ž†π“Ž†π“Ž† year of his reign, however he only ruled for 12 π“Ž†π“» years.

In the image below, I have highlighted one of my favorite ancient Egyptian phrases, π“™π“‹Ήπ“Š½π“Œ€π“†– β€œGiven eternal life, stability and strength.”

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Egyptian Artifacts

Limestone Mummiform Coffin Lid

This limestone mummiform coffin 𓅱𓇋𓀾 lid is from the Ptolemaic Period! The New Kingdom is when stone π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“‚‹π“Šͺ mummiform coffins 𓅱𓇋𓀾π“ͺ first appeared, however the mummiform coffins 𓅱𓇋𓀾π“ͺ from that period were usually made of wood 𓆱𓏏𓏺!

This sarcophagus 𓅱𓇋𓀾 belonged to a scribe π“Ÿπ“€€ named Pa-Di-Inpu. He is named after Anubis π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“Šͺ𓅱𓃣 (Anubis is the Greek name while Inpu is the Egyptian name) and served as a scribe π“Ÿπ“€€ in the cult of Anubis π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“Šͺ𓅱𓃣. Pa-Di-Inpu also served as a scribe π“Ÿπ“€€ and priest π“ŠΉπ“› in the cult of Hathor 𓉑!

Limestone Mummiform Coffin Lid at the Brooklyn Museum (and me)!
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Egyptian Artifacts

Head of a Princess or Queen

This head of a princess or queen π“‡“π“π“π“ˆž is one of the finer statues π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύπ“ͺ to survive from the Middle Kingdom (12th Dynasty 1876-1842 BCE). The remnants of a Uraeus 𓇋𓂝𓂋𓏏𓆗 on her forehead is an indication that this woman 𓀻𓋴𓏏𓁐 was royal. Also it is believed that this head was once part of a sphinx π“Ž›π“…±π“ƒ­π“€ because of the way the woman’s 𓀻𓋴𓏏𓁐 wig breaks off in the back!

Head of a Princess or Queen at the Brooklyn Museum

The eyes 𓁹𓏏𓏦 of this statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ once contained colored stones, however they were taken out of the statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ in antiquity. I can’t even imagine how beautiful π“„€ it would look with the inlaid eyes 𓁹𓏏𓏦!

This piece has made quite an interesting journey. It was not actually found in Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š–! Instead, this piece was found in Hadrian’s villa in Rome! Hadrian was a Roman Emperor, who built a villa near Tivoli as a way to escape everyday life! Hadrian was emperor from 117 to 138 AD, so this statue was almost as β€œancient” to him as it is to us! Hadrian had a lot of Egyptian π“†Žπ“π“€€π“ antiquities in his villa – I guess Hadrian loved Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š– just like we do!

Fun fact: the ancient Egyptians π“†Žπ“π“€€π“π“ͺ had no word for β€œQueen.” Instead, π“‡“π“π“π“ˆž was used which means β€œKing’s wife.”

There was also a way to distinguish a regular woman from a royal or noble woman:
𓀻𓋴𓏏𓁐 – Noble woman
𓂑𓏏𓁐 – woman/wife

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Egyptian Artifacts

Block Statue of Ay

The block statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ (made of limestone) was first fashioned by artists during the 12th Dynasty, and the style was very popular at the time! This block statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ is from the 18th Dynasty though. Both Tutankhamun π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“π“…±π“π“‹Ήπ“‹Ύπ“‰Ίπ“‡“ and Ay, Akhenaten’s π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“‡³π“…œπ“π“ˆ– successors sought to restore not only the Egyptian pantheon, but also traditional art styles that had either been completely forgotten or had lost popularity.

Block Statue of Ay at the Brooklyn Museum

This particular block statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ is of a man named Ay, who served as a high priest π“ŠΉπ“› of Mut 𓏏𓄿𓀭 during the rule of Tutankhamun π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“π“…±π“π“‹Ήπ“‹Ύπ“‰Ίπ“‡“. There is some blend of traditional Egyptian art styles and Amarna art styles in this statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ, and it almost serves as a transition piece between the two parts of the 18th Dynasty. The cartouches of the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 Ay 𓇳𓆣𓆣π“ͺ𓁹𓐙𓏏 appear in the hieroglyphic π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ text π“Ÿπ“›π“₯. The cartouches were added later, after the statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ was completed as a way to β€œupdate” the statue’s π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ text π“Ÿπ“›π“₯.

Block Statue of Ay at the Brooklyn Museum (and me)!
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Egyptian Artifacts

Statue of Amenhotep III

Fun fact: more statues π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύπ“ͺ of Amenhotep III π“‡³π“§π“Ž  have survived than any other 18th Dynasty pharaoh 𓉐𓉻, and this is a very interesting statuette of Amenhotep III π“‡³π“§π“Ž ! Amenhotep the III π“‡³π“§π“Ž  was the father 𓇋𓏏𓀀 of Akhenaten π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“‡³π“…œπ“π“ˆ–, who was originally named Amenhotep IV, until he changed his name to reflect the Aten π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“‡³.

Statue of Amenhotep III at the Brooklyn Museum

The first thing that struck me was the artistic style. It seems to be very grounded in realism, which is odd because most pharaohs 𓉐𓉻𓏦 wanted to be depicted as being in peak physical condition. It also illustrates some aspects of Amarna-style art, such as the previously mentioned realism and the sagging/exaggerated belly. This piece almost seems to be a precursor to the Amarna style. I find these transition-type pieces so interesting!

The statuette is made of ebony wood 𓆱𓏏𓏺 and has glass inlaid eyes 𓁹𓏏𓏦 and eyebrows. The hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ on the base are thought to refer to one of Amenhotep III’s π“‡³π“§π“Ž  sed festivals (he ruled for 38 years). The hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ on the base also contain errors, which means it is probably of non-royal production. The exact purpose of the statuette is unknown, but it is thought that it could have been used in a household shrine 𓉐𓏺 to the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻. Household 𓉐𓏺 statues/shrines actually became popular during the reign of Akhenaten π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“‡³π“…œπ“π“ˆ–.

Statue of Amenhotep III at the Brooklyn Museum
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Egyptian Artifacts

Mummiform Coffin of Gautseshenu

Mummiform Coffin of Gautseshenu which contains the Weighing of the Heart and other funerary scenes at the Brooklyn Museum.

The Weighing of the Heart scene from the Book of the Dead is my absolute favorite type of religious art from ancient Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š–. As a kid, I loved it because Anubis π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“Šͺ𓅱𓁒 was the central god π“ŠΉ in the scene, and Anubis π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“Šͺ𓅱𓁒 is my favorite Egyptian god π“ŠΉ . As an adult, I love what the scene represents and the symbolism behind it. While I have posted multiple versions of this scene from various Books of the Dead, this is the first time I saw it on a coffin and I was just in awe. It’s amazing how well preserved it is and how bright the colors are.

For those unfamiliar with the context of the scene, Anubis π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“Šͺ𓅱𓁒 weighs the heart 𓇋𓃀𓄣 of the deceased 𓅓𓏏𓏱 against Maat’s π“Œ΄π“™π“‚£π“π“¦ feather. If Anubis determines there’s balance between the two, then the deceased would be presented to Osiris π“Ήπ“Š¨ π“€­ by Horus π“…ƒπ“€­. This simplified version of the scene is missing Thoth π“…€π“€­ and Amemet.

If you’re looking at the coffin 𓅱𓇋𓀾 from the front, you can see Khepri 𓆣𓂋𓇋𓁛(the winged beetle) and the Four Sons of Horus beneath him. I feel like this coffin 𓅱𓇋𓀾 is the Sparks Notes version of the Book of the Dead – it kinda gives you some of the most important parts in a very small amount of space!

This coffin 𓅱𓇋𓀾 belonged to man named Gautseshenu and is made of cartonnage (ancient paper mache). It is dated to the 25th Dynasty (Third Intermediate Period). It was found in Thebes π“Œ€π“π“Š–.

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Egyptian Artifacts

The Heart Scarab

This special amuletΒ π“Šπ“Šͺπ“…†Β is known as a Heart Scarab! This particular Heart Scarab belonged to Hatnefer 𓄂𓄀𓁐, who was the mother 𓅐𓏏𓁐 of SenemutΒ π“Œ’π“ˆ–π“…π“€Ό! SenemutΒ π“Œ’π“ˆ–π“…π“€ΌΒ was Hatshepsut’sΒ π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺΒ most trusted advisor (amongst other things πŸ˜‰)!Β 

Heart Scarab of Hatnefer at the MET

In ancient Egyptian culture, the heart π“‡‹π“ƒ€π“„£ was not only the center of a person’s life π“‹Ή, but also thinking, memory, and moral values. The heart π“‡‹π“ƒ€π“„£ was not removed during the mummification process, because the deceased π“…“𓏏𓏱 person would need it on their journey through the afterlife π“‡Όπ“„Ώπ“π“‰. The person’s heart π“‡‹π“ƒ€π“„£ would be weighed against Maat’s π“™π“Œ΄π“‚£π“π“¦ feather 𓆄𓏺 by Anubis π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“Šͺ𓅱𓃣, and that would determine if the deceased π“…“𓏏𓏱 would be presented to Osiris π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­ and then enter the Field of Reeds π“‡π“π“ˆ…π“‡‹π“„Ώπ“‚‹π“…±π“†°π“Š–, or eternal 𓆖 life π“‹Ή. This was called the β€œWeighing of the Heart,” and it is something I have written extensively about!

So how does the Heart Scarab play into this? In modern terms, the Heart Scarab could be seen as a β€œcheat code” for getting past the β€œWeighing of the Heart” – this special scarab π“π“Šͺ𓂋𓂋𓆣 is inscribed π“Ž˜π“…±π“Ž– with Chapter 30A from the Book of the Dead (most are inscribed with Chapter 30B). In this spell, the deceased π“…“𓏏𓏱 asks their own heart π“‡‹π“ƒ€π“„£ to not betray them during the β€œWeighing of the Heart.” 

Basically, the ancient Egyptians π“†Žπ“π“€€π“π“ͺ feared the outcome of their final judgement so they developed this amulet π“Šπ“Šͺπ“…† as a way to ensure a positive outcome to the scales!

Here is an excerpt from Chapter 30A: β€œ Do not stand against me as witness beside the lords of the ritual, Do not say against me, he did do it, about my actions, Do not make a case against me beside the great god, Hail my heart, Hail my heart…”