In order to exist, a human needed to have five πΎ essential elements: the body πππΌ, the shadow πππ ±πΌ, the Ba π ‘π€, the Ka (soul/life force) ππ€, and the name ππ.
The Ba π ‘π€ is the impression that an individual makes on others – everything except the physical body πππΌ. The Ba π ‘π€ can also be thought of as an individualβs personality. When a person died, the Ba π ‘π€ was the only part of the person that would be able to travel out of the tomb ππ«ππ, but it did have to return eventually to be reunited with the mummy ππΉπ ±πΎ. The Ba π ‘π€ was the part of the person that lived on after death π ππ±.
This particular Ba π ‘π€ statue πππππΎ is dated to the Ptolemaic Period (c. 332β30 B.C.E.). Ba π ‘π€ statues πππππΎπ¦ like this one pictured were popular to place in tombs ππ«πππ¦ during this time period – either they were attached to coffins π΄π ±πππ±π¦ or added as an attachment to a stela ππ ±ππΈ.
The details on this Ba π ‘π€ statue πππππΎ are absolutely beautiful π€. The Ba π ‘π€ has a sun disk π³π€ on its head πΆπ€ and is wearing a broad collar π ±π΄ππΊπ around its neck. It is in great condition even though it is made out of wood π±ππΊ (wood is organic and can decay very quickly) and the details are in paint and gold ππππ leaf!
As a child πππ (and even now) I love the story about the discovery of the tomb ππ«ππ of Tutankhamun ππ πππ ±ππΉπΎπΊπ! The gold ππππ funerary mask and all of the other artifacts found in the tomb ππ«ππ completely fascinated me and still fascinate me to this day!
Better known to the public as King Tut, Tutankhamun ππ πππ ±ππΉπΎπΊπ wasnβt that significant of a pharaoh ππ», but the discovery is his pretty much intact tomb ππ«ππ helped to popularize him in the modern day. He is the son π of the pharaoh ππ» Akhenaten ππππ³π ππ, and is credited with restoring the traditional Egyptian pantheon after Akhenaten ππππ³π ππ changed the entire Egyptian religion to the monotheistic worship of the Aten ππππ³ during his rule.
One of the things I love about Tutankhamun ππ πππ ±ππΉπΎπΊπ is his cartouche!! Here is a breakdown of its meaning: ππ π Amun ππ ±π Tut (image) πΉ Ankh (life) πΎπΊπ Ruler of Heliopolis/Upper Egypt
The name ππ βTutankhamunβ in Middle Egyptian translates to βLiving Image of Amun.β However, this wasnβt his original name ππ; Tutankhaten ππππ³ππ ±ππΉππ³ or βLiving Image of the Atenβ was his actual birth name! When Tutankhamun brought back the old religion, he changed his name ππ to reflect the old religion!
The MET has a very large collection of objects from the tomb ππ«ππ of the Three foreign Wives of Thutmosis III π³π π£. These women ππππͺ were named Menhet ππππππΏππ, Menwi π πππ―ππ, and Merti π πππππ and were buried in an undecorated tomb ππ«ππ located near Thebes πππ. The country of origin of these women ππππͺ is unknown.
This gold ππππ broad collar π ±π΄ππΊπ has a falcon πππ‘π head on each end. While this piece is dated to the New Kingdom (18th Dynasty c. 1479β1425 B.C.E.), broad collars π ±π΄ππΊππ¦ have been used to adorn mummies ππΉπ ±πΎπͺ since the Old Kingdom (c. 2649 B.C.E.). Broad Collars π ±π΄ππΊππ¦ were the necklace of choice amongst the elites and the gods πΉπΉπΉ.
The Vulture Pectoral is also most likely from the same tomb ππ«ππ as the broad collar π ±π΄ππΊπ pictured. Vultures are common funerary symbols and are usually associated with the goddess πΉπ Nekhbet ππππ π. Nekhbet ππππ π was usually depicted as a woman πππ with the head πΆπ€ of a vulture. She is the patron goddess πΉπ of Upper Egypt π (hence why her name has the βπβ symbol for upper Egypt) and was also tasked with protecting π ππ‘π royal women π»π΄ππ.
This display of sphinxes ππ ±ππ¦ at the Louvre is referred to as the βProcessional Way of the Sphinxesβ and it contains six πΏ sphinxes ππ ±ππ¦ dated to the later period of Egyptian history (no exact date is known but inferences have been made and will be mentioned as you read further).
It is thought that these limestone sphinxes ππ ±ππ¦ lined the processional way to the Serapis Temple at Saqqara (also known as the βSerapeum of Saqqaraβ). This temple πππ was originally the burial place for sacred bulls (it was believed that the bulls were representations of the god πΉ Ptah πͺπππ±). Fun fact: Saqqara is the modern name ππ for the area, but the Egyptians πππππͺ called it Memphis π ππ€πππ΄π!
This area has quite a history because construction started in c. 1400 B.C.E. (New Kingdom), and continued through to the end of the Ptolemaic Period/end of Cleopatra VIIβs ππππ―πͺπΏπ§πππΏπ rule (c. 31 B.C.E.). The temple πππ, during Ptolemaic rule, then was dedicated to the cult of Serapis (the Greco-Egyptian deity of the sun π³π€).
So who built ππ€π ±π΄π§ these magnificent sphinxes ππ ±ππ¦? There are two theories: itβs possible that the pharaoh ππ» Nectanbo I π³π£π of the 30th Dynasty had over 600 π²π²π²π²π²π² sphinxes ππ ±ππ¦ built to line the processional way to the temple πππ. However, some historians think that the sphinxes ππ ±ππ¦ were built by Ptolemy I πͺππ―ππππ΄ as he changed the area to be dedicated to Serapis. The reasoning for this is that the sphinxes ππ ±ππ¦ share artistic features of the Ptolemaic Period, and they also donβt have inscriptions πππ₯ on them, which is also typical of Ptolemaic objects. We will probably never know!
This is a beautiful π€ limestone statue πππππΎ of husband ππΏππΊπ and wife πππ that is dated to the 18th Dynasty (New Kingdom). The names πππ¦ of the people depicted are not preserved in the hieroglyphs πΉππͺ that adorn the back of the statue, πππππΎ but the funerary prayers are preserved.
It is assumed that these types of statues πππππΎπͺ are of husband ππΏππΊπ and wife πππ, even though itβs not explicitly stated in the hieroglyphs πΉππͺ because the family π ππ ±ππππ¦ was held in such high regard in Egyptian culture. This is why entire families π§ππππ ±ππΈπΈπΈ can be found buried in the same tomb ππ«ππ – the family π ππ ±ππππ¦ was to stay together ππ forever π!!
Here are some fun facts about marriage in Egypt ππ ππ! Marriages were not arranged/forced in ancient Egypt ππ ππ; it was a personal choice between the couple! Also, there seems to be no official marriage ceremony; the couple decided they wanted to be together ππ and let their friends and family π ππ ±ππππ¦ know! The marriage seems to become βofficialβ with a contract that allowed for the transfer of property. Divorce was a very common occurrence as was having four π½ to seven π children ππππͺ!
Though the symbol β π¦β is usually used to denote plural words, it is used in the singular term family π ππ ±ππππ¦ because there are multiple members in a single family π ππ ±ππππ¦ group! Instead, the Egyptians had a different word to represent multiple family groups (in English, families βπ§ππππ ±ππΈπΈπΈβ) and βπΈπΈπΈβ is used the pluralize it!
Since I canβt go too long without talking about Hatshepsut ππ ππΉππππΌπͺ, letβs talk about this granite πππππ³πΏ statue πππππΎ of her!
She is depicted in female attire, but is also wearing the nemes head cloth ππ π΄, which is usually reserved only for the reigning pharaoh ππ» to wear! Once again, this imagery ππ ±π shows that Hatshepsut ππ ππΉππππΌπͺ wanted to be seen as a pharaoh ππ», not be seen as a man πππ€.
Her hands ππ¦ are flat on her lap, which means that this statue πππππΎ was probably put inside the temple πππ and meant to receive offerings π΅ππͺπππ¦. This statue πππππΎ was found in multiple pieces during excavations at Deir el-Bahri π¦ππ¦π₯π, and then pieced back together.
Letβs look at the hieroglyphic πΉππͺ inscription (only the top part of it can be seen – the other half is too destroyed for me to finish translating):
So the inscription reads βPerfect goddess, Maatkare.β
If Hatshepsut ππ ππΉππππΌπͺ was referring to herself as a man πππ€ or trying to be a man πππ€, the inscription would read like this:
The addition of the βπβ makes the word the feminine version – βπΉ -Godβ becomes β πΉπ – Goddess.β So as you can see, Hatshepsut ππ ππΉππππΌπͺ is very much referring to herself as a woman πππππ – itβs in the hieroglyphs πΉππͺ! There are too many examples of Hatshepsut ππ ππΉππππΌπͺ being referred to as a female in writing to make the rash conclusion that she was βtrying to be a man.β
This is a beautiful π€ example of a False Door from the reign of the pharaoh ππ» Userkaf π ±ππ΄ππ (5th Dynasty). This False Door was from the west πππ wall of a mastaba tomb ππ«ππ in Memphis π ππ€πππ΄π that belonged to Nikauhor and his wife πππ Sekemhathor π‘π΄πππ . Nikauhor was a judge and a priest πΉπ in Userkafβs π ±ππ΄ππ sun temple while Sekemhathor π‘π΄πππ was a priestess πΉππ of Hathor π‘ and Neith ππππ.
This specific false door pictured belonged to Sekemhathor π‘π΄πππ and images ππ ±ππ¦ of the couple are seen on either opening of the false door (Nikauhor had his own false door). These images ππ ±ππ¦ are expertly carved in raised relief and I wish I could have gotten more detailed photos ππ ±ππ¦ but the glass and reflection from the lights makes it hard to do that. We know this particular false door belonged to Sekemhathor π‘π΄πππ specifically because her name ππ is written on the arch above the opening to the door. It is common practice to have the deceasedβs name ππ above the door!
False Doors are an extremely important part of ancient Egyptian funerary practices. False Doors served as ways for the living relatives to make offerings π΅ππͺπππ¦ to the deceased π ππ±. The False Door acted as a link between the land of the living and the land of the dead. The ancient Egyptians πππππͺ believed that the soul π of the deceased π ππ± could travel between the two lands πΏπΏ through the False Door. They are also known as βka π doorsβ or βsoul π doors.β
False Doors were usually located on the western πππ walls of tombs ππ«πππ¦ because the west ππππ is associated with the dead π ππ±. The west ππππ is associated with the dead π ππ± because the sun π³πΊ sets in the west ππππ – when Ra π³πΊπ makes his daily journey across the sky πͺππ―, sunset ππππ ±πΆ is representative of his death.
This little string of amulets ππͺπ πͺ is a necklace that was either worn by a living person or a mummy ππΉπ ±πΎ! No matter who was wearing it, amulets ππͺπ πͺ had the same function: to invoke magical protection π ππ‘π for the wearer! Both rich and poor people had amulets, but the rich had higher quality ones.
Amulets ππͺπ πͺ were first used in Egypt ππ ππ during the pre-dynastic period and usually took the shape of animals. As the Egyptian civilization and their religious beliefs evolved, amulets ππͺπ πͺ started to represent gods πΉπΉπΉ and goddesses πΉπΉπΉπ, everyday objects, hieroglyphs πΉππͺ, plants πΎπ°π°π°, and many other things!
The Egyptians πππππͺ believed that the type of magic that an amulet ππͺπ possessed was based off of its shape! For example, an amulet ππͺπ could invoke the power of a god πΉ that it was representative of! You can see the Eye of Horus π amulet ππͺπ in the picture ππ ±π, and that was used for protection π ππ‘π by both the living and the dead π ππ±!
I do not know the date of the amulets ππͺπ πͺ in the picture ππ ±π, and I actually couldnβt find this piece in Petrieβs online catalogue when I went to look it up! I love amulets ππͺπ πͺ and I find this necklace to be very charming! I want one like it because of βhow beautiful it is π€πππ ±πππ.β
This is the top line of text: πππ΅ππΉπ¨πππ½π§π ±ππππππͺπ ±π€π»π ±
πππ΅π – an offering the king gives πΉπ¨π – Osiris ππ½π§π ±π – Lord of Djedu π – a voice offering π – before π – to/for ππͺπ ± – the revered π€π»π ±- Neferiu
All together the inscription reads: βAn offering the King gives Osiris, Lord of Djedu, a voice offering before and to the revered Neferiu.β
This is the second line of text: πππ΅ππ£πΆπΊπππΆπ ±ππ ππππ€π»π ±
πππ΅π – an offering the king gives π£ – Anubis πΆπΊππ – upon his mountain πΆπ ±ππ – in the mummy wrappings π – a voice offering π – before π – to/for π€π»π ± – Neferiu
All together the inscription reads: βAn offering the king gives Anubis, Upon His Mountain, in the mummy wrappings, a voice offering before and to Neferiu.β
These two π» inscriptions πππ₯ are very common and are the standard βoffering formulaβ (with some minor variations) that are used in many False Doors and Stela ππ ±ππΈ. In the second picture ππ ±π, I zoomed in on the part with Anubis π£ because he is my favorite and I always get excited when I see his name ππ! Just the determinative symbol for Anubis π£ instead of his full name (πππͺπ ±π£) was used in this inscription πππ₯ probably due to a lack of space!
Now let’s read the text that is in the middle panel of the false door! These two π» pieces of text basically say what a great person Neferiu π€π»π ± was and it also lists all of the wonderful things he did in his life! I did not write out all of the hieroglyphs πΉππͺ this time because it was too long! Please enjoy the translation though!
On the bottom, next to Neferiu π€π»π ± and his wife ππ on both sides the hieroglyphs πΉππͺ say: πππΈπππππππ or βHis π beloved πΈπ wife ππ Wedjbet ππ.β
The ancient Egyptians used amulets ππͺπ πͺ a lot in both their daily life and afterlife πΌπΏππ! No matter who was wearing it, amulets ππͺπ πͺ had the same function: to invoke magical protection π ππ‘π for the wearer! Amulets ππͺπ πͺ could represent gods πΉπΉπΉ and goddesses πΉπΉπΉπ, everyday objects, hieroglyphs πΉππͺ, plants πΎπ°π°π°, and many other things!
In this display at the British Museum, there are a bunch of different amulets ππͺπ πͺ featured! The Osiris πΉπ¨π amulet (3) is considered unusual because it shows Osiris πΉπ¨π sitting on a throne wearing the Atef crown π, just how he would be depicted in the Book of the Dead or on various reliefs. The Osiris πΉπ¨π amulets were the most popular form of funerary jewelry and were tasked with overall protection π ππ‘π for the deceased π ππ±.
The Anubis πππͺπ ±π£ amulet (4) was most likely only used by the dead π ππ± because of Anubisβ πππͺπ ±π£ association with mummification and tombs ππ«ππ. It most likely protected π ππ‘π the body of the dead to ensure the deceased π ππ± could make it to the afterlife πΌπΏππ.
The Triad Amulet (5) (sometimes referred to as the Ossirian Triad) is a representation of Isis π¨ππ₯ (goddess πΉπ of healing and magic), Horus π π (god πΉ of the sky and the protector of the ruler of Egypt), and Nephthys π ππ (βMistress of the Houseβ and associated with vultures). Isis π¨ππ₯ is the mother π ππ of Horus π π, the sister π’ππ of Nephthys π ππ, and the wife ππ of Osiris πΉπ¨π. The amulet ππͺπ is representative of Isis π¨ππ₯ and Nephthys π ππ protecting Horus π π and that protective power extends to the wearer. This amulet ππͺπ became very popular during the 26th Dynasty, and was usually used by mummies ππΉπ ±πΎπͺ for protection π ππ‘π on their journey into the afterlife πΌπΏππ. The amulet ππͺπ was either placed on the chest, stomach ππ£π», or the thighs of the mummy ππΉπ ±πΎ.
The carpenterβs tools π (16) are interesting because they might have guaranteed eternal π righteousness and equilibrium. This is an example of an everyday object that had magical powers when an amulet ππͺπ ! These would have been placed on a mummy ππΉπ ±πΎ!
The staircase amulets π (17) represent the primordial mound from which all life πΉππ was created. Here is the short version of the myth because it can be long/complicated and there are many versions:
The ancient Egyptian creation myth begins with endless dark water without any purpose or matter. Out of this dark water π, rose the primordial hill and the god πΉ Atum ππππ (or Ptah πͺπππ± in some of the myths). Then with his own shadow, Atum ππππ gave birth to Shu ππ ±π (god πΉ of the atmosphere/principles of life) and Tefenet πππππ (goddess πΉπ of moisture/order). Since there was only the primordial hill, Shu ππ ±π and Tefenet πππππ gave birth to Geb π ππ (god of the Earth πΎπΎ) and Nut πππ―π (goddess of the sky πͺππ―/cosmos). Geb π ππ and Nut πππ―π eventually gave birth to the more recognizable gods – Osiris πΉπ¨π, Isis π¨ππ₯, Seth πππ‘π£, and Nephthys π ππ.
