While not as artistically decorated as most of the artifacts in the Egyptian ππππ collections of museums, these funerary cones were always something my Nonno pointed out to me! He thought they were so interesting and now every time I go to museums, I actively seek these out as a way to remember my Nonno!
Nicole (me) with funerary cones at The Met!
Funerary cones are made of clay and usually found at the openings of tombs ππ«πππͺ at Thebes πππ. They were used primarily during the 18th Dynasty (though there are examples that date to the 11th Dynasty or as late as the 19th-20th Dynasties).
The end of the funerary cone is usually circular in shape and usually contains an inscription πππ₯ with the name of the tomb ππ«ππ occupant as well as a god πΉ. These objects can also be referred to as βfunerary stamps.β
An example inscription πππ₯ that is common on a funerary cone would be something like:
βVenerated before Osiris, Son of X, Name of Deceased.β
πͺππ – Venerated ππ – Before πΉπ¨π – Osiris
Here is a bronze ππ€ππ¦ statue πππππΎ of the god πΉ Nefertem π€πππππ―!
Nefertem π€πππππ― is usually associated with perfumes, but this role is secondary to his role as the god πΉ of the lotus flower πΈ that rose out of the primeval waters π in the Egyptian ππππ creation myth. However, in the Pyramid Texts (from the Old Kingdom), Nefertem π€πππππ― is actually described as βThe lotus blossom which is before the nose of Ra,β so he was clearly always associated with both lotus flowers πΈ and perfumes/scents!
Nefertem π€πππππ― is always depicted as a young man πππ€ with a large lotus flower πΈ on his head πΆπΊ! Less commonly, he can be shown as a human body with a lion π³πΉπΏπ head πΆπΊ wearing the lotus πΈ headdress.
In Memphis π ππ€πππ΄π, Nefertem π€πππππ― was part of the triad with Ptah πͺπππ± and Sekhmet πππ ππ, and was often portrayed as their child πππ. Father πππ-Mother π ππ-Child πππ triads and family π ππ ±ππππ¦ units were extremely important to Egyptian culture! Nefertem π€πππππ― wasnβt commonly worshipped πΌπΏπ’ by the masses because he was usually associated with royal monuments. His association with Sekhmet πππ ππ also made him somewhat feared because she was a strong and ferocious goddess πΉπ!
While Anubis πππͺπ ±π£ may be the most common jackal ππΏππ₯-headed god πΉ in Egypt ππ ππ, there are other gods πΉπΉπΉ that have the head πΆπΊ of a jackal ππΏππ₯ as well! This is a faience π£πππΈπΌ canopic jar with the head of the god πΉ Duamutef πΌπ ππ!
Duamutef πΌπ ππ, whose name ππ can also be written as π§π―πΌπ ππ, was one of the four Sons of Horus. Duamutefβs πΌπ ππ job was to protect π ππ‘π the stomach ππ£π» of the deceased π ππ± which is why he is commonly represented on the lid of canopic jars. The function of the canopic jar was to hold the organs ππ§ππΉπ¦ that were removed during the process of mummification.
Duamutef πΌπ ππ is associated with the west ππππ, and all four Sons of Horus are associated with a cardinal direction. The goddess πΉπ Neith ππππ was tasked with protecting π ππ‘π Duamutef πΌπ ππ. The name Duamutef πΌπ ππ means βHe who adores his mother.β
This canopic jar is dated to the Ramesside period (19th Dynasty, c. 1295β1185 B.C.E.).
Anubis πππͺπ ±π£ is not the only jackal ππΏππ₯-headed god πΉ in Egypt ππ ππ and it can be easy to get some of them confused because they look similar! Even in ancient texts Anubis πππͺπ ±π£ and Wepwawet πππ₯ππ§ can be confused with each other but they are separate deities πΉπΉπΉ! This is a bronze ππ€ππ¦ statue πππππΎ of the god πΉ Wepwawet πππ₯ππ§! While the head is cut off, the Uraeus πππππ is in front of Wepwawet πππ₯ππ§ on this piece!
This piece was likely used in a royal procession, as Wepwawet πππ₯ππ§ was one of the symbols carried in front of a pharaoh ππ» during certain rituals/ceremonies. Wepwawetβs πππ₯ππ§ name ππ translates to βopener of the ways,β and he was even associated with clearing the path for the sun π³πΊ to rise in the sky πͺππ―! This is probably why he was carried in front of a pharaoh ππ» during processions!
Wepwawet πππ₯ππ§ is associated with Abydos ππππ and is likely the oldest god πΉ associated with the jackal ππΏππ₯! Wepwawet πππ₯ππ§ has been depicted on objects that even pre-date the Narmer π’π Palette ππππ±! Wepwawet πππ₯ππ§ is associated with war and conquest, and leading ritual processions.
There are a couple of different variations of Wepwawetβs πππ₯ππ§ name ππ in hieroglyphs πΉππͺ: π§ πππ₯ππ§ πππ₯ππ’
The first way the name ππ is written is just the determinative symbol, while the other two π» ways show the name ππ spelled out the same, but the determinative at the end is different!
This piece is dated to the Late PeriodβPtolemaic Period (c. 664β30 B.C.E.).
The god πΉ Khonsu ππππ ±π― is definitely getting some media attention due to Moon Knight! While this gold ππππ pendant may look like Ra π³πΊπ at quick glance, this is actually the god πΉ Khonsu ππππ ±π―! When they are both in their falcon πππ‘π form, they might be mistaken with each other, especially since Ra π³πΊπ is represented with the sun disk π³πΊ on his head πΆπΊ, while Khonsu ππππ ±π― is represented with the moon ππππΉ on his head πΆπΊ – since both are circles, they do look similar!
Khonsuβs ππππ ±π― role in the pantheon has changed throughout time, and he was quite the bloodthirsty god πΉ in the Pyramid Texts, however in the New Kingdom he was a more peaceful god πΉ of the moon ππππΉ. He was considered to be the son π of Amun ππ ππ and Mut ππΏπ, and together the three of them made up the Theban triad.
While Khonsu ππππ ±π― does take the form of a falcon πππ‘π , he is usually represented as a man πππ€ wrapped in mummy bandages and wearing a crescent πΉ shaped necklace! He can also be depicted with his hands/arms ππ¦ restrained. That representation sounds familiar, doesnβt it?! The anthropomorphic form of Khonsu ππππ ±π― definitely inspired parts of the Moon Knight comics and tv show!
The name ππ βKhonsu ππππ ±π―β is thought to come from the verb βto traverseβ and it means βhe who traverses (the sky).β This piece is dated to the 19th-20th Dynasties (c. 1295β1070 B.C.E).
The Winged Scarab ππͺπππ£ is a large faience π£πππΈπΌ amulet ππͺπ that consists of three πΌ separate pieces; the scarab ππͺπππ£ itself and the two π» wings π§π³πππ¦ that go on either side. These amulets ππͺπ πͺ were placed usually on the chest of a mummy ππΉπ ±πΎ, and sometimes were even sewn into the beaded shrouds that would cover the wrapped mummy ππΉπ ±πΎ in the sarcophagus ππΉπππ. There are even holes in the amulets ππͺπ πͺ to allow for them to be attached securely! Most of the time, the pieces were integrated right into the mummy ππΉπ ±πΎ bandages just like the other funerary amulets ππͺπ πͺ. I love this type of amulet ππͺπ so much!
The wings π§π³πππ¦ are not those fo a beetle, but are actually the wings π§π³πππ¦ of a bird! The wings π§π³πππ¦ allowed the scarab ππͺπππ£ to join the rising and setting of the sun π³πΊ each day – which to the ancient Egyptians πππππͺ represented the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. The cycle was central to the ancient Egyptian ππππ religion! As a god πΉ who was constantly reborn, Khepri π£πππ was associated with resurrection!
Khepri π£πππ is the god πΉ that is associated with scarabs ππͺπππ£πͺ and he is the god πΉ of the rising sun π³πΊ in the east ππππ. The name β Khepri π£πππβ is pronounced pretty much the same as βscarab ππͺπππ£β even though they are spelled differently!
In this picture ππ ±π are also the four Sons of Horus amulets, which I have posted about previously! The four Sons of Horus were usually placed below the winged scarab ππͺπππ£ on the mummy ππΉπ ±πΎ, just like in this display!
The Winged Scarab ππͺπππ£ also showed up in the Marvel show Moon Knight a lot! What did you think of Laylaβs outfit in the last episode?!?! I loved it! If I was a superhero I would want that to be my costume!!!
Ammit in the Book of the Dead of Imhotep at The MET
Never did I think I would see the day where Ammit ππ π π was the main villain on a Marvel tv show but here we are! Letβs learn a bit about the Ammit ππ π π from Egyptian ππππ mythology – there are some similarities to the Ammit ππ π π we saw on Moon Knight! In ancient Egypt ππ ππ, Ammit ππ π π was not formally worshipped πΌπΏπ’ in any formal cult (unlike on Moon Knight) and the Egyptians πππππͺ saw her as a goddess πΉπ to be feared and overcome!
Ammit ππ π π was a combination of animals that were most feared by the ancient Egyptians πππππͺ: she had the head πΆπΊ of a crocodile π π΄ππ, the neck and mane of a lion π³πΉπΏπ, and the rear of a hippopotamus πππ―! Since she was the combination of both land and marine animals there was no escaping Ammitβs ππ π π wrath no matter where you went!
Ammit ππ π π was known as βthe devourerβ or βeater of heartsβ and her name ππ means βfemale devourerβ or βfemale devourer of the dead.β That is in reference to Ammitβs ππ π π role in the Weighing of the Heart of the deceased π ππ±; if the deceased π ππ± led a life full of bad deeds, Ammit ππ π π would eat their heart πππ£ when it weighed more than Maatβs ππ΄π£ππ¦ feather. When Ammit ππ π π eat their heart πππ£, the deceased π ππ± would not be granted access to the Duat πΌπΏππ (afterlife).
This image ππ ±π of Ammit ππ π π is from the Book of the Dead of Imhotep (Early Ptolemaic Period) at the MET!
βThe Great God, Menkheperra, Beloved of Osiris.β
This faience π£πππΈπΌ piece is most likely a foundation deposit brick of a building that was built during the reign πΎ of Thutmosis III π π π΄.
Foundation deposit bricks were ceremonial offerings that were placed at the corners of buildings, courts, temples ππππ¦ , tombs ππ«πππ¦, and pretty much the foundation of any building. They can almost be thought of as the ancient version of a ground-breaking ceremony. The foundation deposit bricks usually contained the cartouche of the pharaoh ππ» that the building was constructed under on it!
Letβs read some hieroglyphs πΉππͺ!!
πΉπ€ – [The] Great God (π³π π£) – Menkheperra [Throne name of Thutmosis III] πΉπ¨π – Osiris πΉπ – Beloved
So the full inscription reads: βThe Great God, Menkheperra, Beloved of Osiris.β
βBeloved πΉπβ is a word that pops up a lot in inscriptions πππ₯ so it is a good one to know! It is also popular as the first part of a personβs name ππ. For example the name ππ βMeryamunβ or βBeloved of Amunβ was a very popular name ππ in ancient Egypt ππ ππ!
Small State of Hatshepsut that shows the painted details around the eyes
This statue πππππΎ is made out of black/pink granite π π³ππΆ (also called red granite by geologists)! The black ππ and pink granite π π³ππΆ is traditionally found in Aswan π΄πΉπππ²π (Upper Egypt π). In the USA, black ππ and pink granite is commonly found in Nevada and other western πππ states!
While not as grand as some of her other statues πππππΎπͺ that adorned her temple πππ at Deir el-Bahri π¦ππ¦π₯π, this one makes quite an impression. There are at least eight of these statues πππππΎπͺ, and many of them are in the MET. They were most likely used to line the upper court at her temple πππ, and are thought to be intended for her Heb Sed festival (a festival used to celebrate 30 πππ years of rule, and then celebrated every three πΌ years after the initial 30 πππ). Hatshepsut ππ ππΉππππΌπͺ, ever the Pharaoh ππ» to break from tradition, instead celebrated hers in the 16th ππΏ year of her rule!
In this statue πππππΎ, Hatshepsut ππ ππΉππππΌπͺ is kneeling and is seen holding the nemset jar π. The jar π has the djed pillar π½ adorning the front. The djed pillar π½ is thought to be the spine of Osiris πΉπ¨π, and it represents stability and endurance – both are attributes a Pharaoh ππ» needed in order to be a successful ruler πΎ!
