Category: Egyptian Artifacts

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Egyptian Artifacts

The Sarcophagus of Nectanbo I

Here I am with the sarcophagus π“ŽŸπ“‹Ήπ“ˆ–π“π“Š­ of Nectanbo I 𓇳𓆣𓂓, a pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 who ruled π“‹Ύ during the 30th Dynasty (c. 379-361 B.C.E.)! In a previous entry I posted, we learned how to read the titularly from this sarcophagus π“ŽŸπ“‹Ήπ“ˆ–π“π“Š­! So let’s take a bigger look at it!

Nectanbo I 𓇳𓆣𓂓 was actually the founder of the 30th Dynasty, which is the last native dynasty of Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š–! The inscriptions π“Ÿπ“›π“₯ on this sarcophagus π“ŽŸπ“‹Ήπ“ˆ–π“π“Š­ are beautifully π“„€ carved!

In the second picture 𓏏𓅱𓏏, you can see Nectanbo I 𓇳𓆣𓂓 in a kneeling position making an offering π“Š΅π“π“Šͺ𓏏𓏔𓏦 of what seems to be bread 𓏑. I am making the assumption that it is bread 𓏑 because the carving in the image 𓏏𓅱𓏏 is the same as the hieroglyph π“ŠΉπ“Œƒ: 𓏑! You can also see a Uraeus 𓇋𓂝𓂋𓏏𓆗 on his head 𓁢𓏀!

Nectanbo I 𓇳𓆣𓂓 was actually a military general π“€Žπ“¦ and came to power by overthrowing the previous pharaoh, Nepherites II (who ruled π“‹Ύ for only four 𓏽 months and has no known cartouches). It is thought that Nectanbo I 𓇳𓆣𓂓 killed Nepherites!

Here are Nectanbo’s cartouches that appear on the sarcophagus π“ŽŸπ“‹Ήπ“ˆ–π“π“Š­:

𓇳𓆣𓂓 – Kheperkare (throne name)
π“ˆ–π“†±π“π“π“‚‘π“ƒ­π“†‘ – Nakht Nebef (birth name)

The sarcophagus π“ŽŸπ“‹Ήπ“ˆ–π“π“Š­ is at the British Museum!

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Egyptian Artifacts

Scribe Statuette

How cute is this little π“ˆ–π“†“π“‹΄π“…© scribe π“Ÿπ“€€ statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ?! I think he is just adorable!!! Though small π“ˆ–π“†“π“‹΄π“…©, the statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ is wonderfully detailed. The eyes 𓁹𓏏𓏦, nose π“†‘π“ˆ–π“‚§π“‚‰, wig, and hands 𓂧𓏏𓏦 can all be clearly seen with great detail.

The base of the statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ is interesting too! You can see part of the Offering Formula, except it’s written a little β€œstrangely.” Let’s take a look!

Here is the inscription π“Ÿπ“›π“₯ on the base of the statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ:

π“Š΅π“π“™π“‡“π“‡“π“™π“Š΅

The inscription π“Ÿπ“›π“₯ on the statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ can be read β€œsplit” down the middle:

π“Š΅π“π“™π“‡“ || π“‡“π“™π“Š΅

As you can see in the statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ itself, the direction of the hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ change which indicates that you start reading in a different direction! When written out β€œproperly,” the Offering Formula looks like this: π“‡“π“π“Š΅π“™.

So obviously the symbols are mixed up, and even the 𓏏 is missing from the inscription π“Ÿπ“›π“₯ at the right. This was done probably because of spacing issues – this statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ is tiny π“ˆ–π“†“π“‹΄π“…© when you see it in person!

Scribes π“Ÿπ“€€π“ͺ were very highly regarded in ancient Egyptian society. Due to the complexity of hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ/hieratic, those who were able to master it were extremely valued. Scribes π“Ÿπ“€€π“ͺ recorded magic spells, wills and other legal contracts, medical procedures, and tax records. Most importantly for us, scribes π“Ÿπ“€€π“ͺ also helped to preserve Egyptian culture throughout time. They were considered part of the royal court and did not have to serve in the military because their job as a scribe π“Ÿπ“€€ was so essential.

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Egyptian Artifacts

Viscera Coffin

This is a β€œviscera coffin” dated to the 18th Dynasty (c. 1400 B.C.E.). A β€œviscera coffin” (sometimes called a coffinette) is very similar to a canopic jar because it stored the mummified organ of the deceased, however it looks like a coffin 𓅱𓇋𓀾 instead of a jar! These were popular during the 18th Dynasty. Most famously, Tutankhamun’s π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“π“…±π“π“‹Ήπ“‹Ύπ“‰Ίπ“‡“ organs 𓇋𓂧𓂋𓄹𓏦 were found in tiny π“ˆ–π“†“π“‹΄π“…© viscera coffins that were almost exact replicas of the larger coffin 𓅱𓇋𓀾 that he was found to be buried in!

This viscera coffin is made of wood 𓆱𓏏𓏺 and overlaid with gold π“‹žπ“ƒ‰π“ƒ‰π“ƒ‰ leaf, which was a very popular way to make it look like a piece was made of solid gold π“‹žπ“ƒ‰π“ƒ‰π“ƒ‰ when it wasn’t! There are also lots of beautiful π“„€ inlaid stones π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“‚‹π“Šͺ𓏦 of many different colors. The stones π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“‚‹π“Šͺ𓏦 make up the Nemes head cloth π“ˆ–π“…“π“‹΄ and the broad collar π“…±π“‹΄π“π“ŽΊπ“‹ that Anubis π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“Šͺ𓅱𓃣 is wearing! While it is it in the most pristine condition, I like how the wear and tear gives us a look into the different materials that make up the piece!

Obviously, I love this piece because this viscera coffin shows Anubis π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“Šͺ𓅱𓃣! As everyone knows, Anubis π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“Šͺ𓅱𓃣 is my absolute favorite Egyptian god π“ŠΉ so I always get so excited when I see a unique piece that depicts him! Anubis π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“Šͺ𓅱𓃣 is the god π“ŠΉ of mummification, burial rites and tombs π“‡‹π“«π“Šƒπ“‰π“₯/cemeteries, so it makes sense to have him on a visceral coffin!

There are two 𓏻 words for β€œcoffin” and another for β€œsarcophagus” in Middle Egyptian:
𓅱𓇋𓀾 – Mummiform coffin
π“‹΄π“…±π“Ž›π“π“†± – Coffin
π“ŽŸπ“‹Ήπ“ˆ–π“π“Š­ – Sarcophagus

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Egyptian Artifacts

Ushabti Box

I love ushabtis π“…±π“ˆ™π“ƒ€π“π“­π“€Ύπ“ͺ and so did my Nonno (we have so many pictures 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓏦 of them)! During the Ramesside period and onward, due to the increasing number of ushabti π“…±π“ˆ™π“ƒ€π“π“­π“€Ύ figures that people were buried with, the Egyptians π“†Žπ“π“€€π“π“ͺ started putting them in boxes! Like the example in the picture 𓏏𓅱𓏏, the Ushabti Boxes were used to hold hundreds of ushabti π“…±π“ˆ™π“ƒ€π“π“­π“€Ύ figures for the deceased 𓅓𓏏𓏱.

Much like sarcophagi, ushabti π“…±π“ˆ™π“ƒ€π“π“­π“€Ύ boxes usually look different for different people! Some were only single compartment, but some ushabti π“…±π“ˆ™π“ƒ€π“π“­π“€Ύ boxes could have up to three 𓏼 compartments full of the figures! Some were elaborately decorated, but this one is just a plain wooden 𓆱𓏏𓏺 rectangular box with six 𓏿 columns of hieroglyphic text π“Ÿπ“›π“₯ on the front. Unfortunately due to the angle of the picture 𓏏𓅱𓏏, I can’t translate the text – but I can see the Offering Formula (π“‡“π“π“Š΅π“™) on the first column on the right! I can also see that some of the ushabtis π“…±π“ˆ™π“ƒ€π“π“­π“€Ύπ“ͺ have a dedication to Osiris π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­ on them!

Usually people were buried with over 400 𓏲𓏲𓏲𓏲 of the figures – one for each day of the year. Fun Fact: the ancient Egyptians π“†Žπ“π“€€π“π“ͺ had calculated the year to be 365 π“²π“²π“²π“Ž†π“Ž†π“Ž†π“Ž†π“Ž†π“Ž†π“Ύ days, and then they revised it to 365.25 days – which is the actual length modern scientists calculated! How incredible is that?!

The ushabtis π“…±π“ˆ™π“ƒ€π“π“­π“€Ύπ“ͺ that you see in this box are worker ushabtis π“…±π“ˆ™π“ƒ€π“π“­π“€Ύπ“ͺ and you can tell because they are holding tools (π“ŒΊ) in their hands 𓂝𓏦! The remaining overseers ushabtis π“…±π“ˆ™π“ƒ€π“π“­π“€Ύπ“ͺ were there to make sure all of the others were doing their work!

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Egyptian Artifacts

Symbolism on Hatshepsut’s Statue

No surprise here, but I am back speaking about the white π“Œ‰π“†“π“‡³ limestone π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“ˆ™π“Œ‰ statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ of Hatshepsut π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ! I want to highlight a detail on the side of the statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ that I have not spoken about yet on this account!

𓋍 – this symbol on the side of the statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ is a combination of many different things! Most prominently, it is thought to be representative of the lungs π“Šƒπ“Œ΄π“„₯π“…±π“„Ί and the windpipe π“„₯. The lungs π“Šƒπ“Œ΄π“„₯π“…±π“„Ί are a symbol of Upper Egypt 𓇓 and the windpipe π“„₯ was a symbol of Lower Egypt 𓆀. The pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 was always referred to as the β€œLord of the Two Lands π“ŽŸπ“‡Ώπ“‡Ώβ€ or β€œKing of Upper and Lower Egypt π“†₯” because Upper 𓇓 and Lower 𓆀 Egypt, although united, were in fact very different from each other. They each had their own natural resources, cultures and local gods π“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“ŠΉ.

Just like how the lungs π“Šƒπ“Œ΄π“„₯π“…±π“„Ί and the windpipe π“„₯ need to work together in order for a person to survive, Upper 𓇓 and Lower 𓆀 Egypt needed to be unified in order for Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š– to be a strong country!

The lung π“Šƒπ“Œ΄π“„₯π“…±π“„Ί and windpipe π“„₯ design 𓋍 was usually found on objects that belonged to the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻. In this case, it is on the side of one of Hatshepsut’s π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ most beautiful π“„€ statues π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύπ“ͺ!

The design 𓋍 also contains elements that look like lilies 𓇕𓇕𓇕 and papyrus 𓇉𓇉𓇉! It’s such a cool design 𓋍 with so much to interpret! I remember being so puzzled by it as a kid when I saw it for the first time!

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Egyptian Artifacts

Stelae

Here are two 𓏻 beautifully π“„€ decorated stelae from the British Museum. Nonno always loved looking at the various stelae π“Ž—π“…±π“†“π“‰Έπ“ͺ in the museums. They were among his favorite artifacts – and he of course passed that love on to me!

In ancient Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š– stela π“Ž—π“…±π“†“π“‰Έ were often used to commemorate the deceased 𓅓𓏏𓏱 and keep their memory alive. That is one of the things I am doing for my Nonno through this account – keeping his memory alive and sharing what an amazing person he was with the world 𓇾𓇾. In addition, I am also keeping his name π“‚‹π“ˆ– alive because in Egyptian culture the name π“‚‹π“ˆ– was one of the most important elements of a human. In order to exist, a person needed to have five 𓏾 essential elements: the body π“Ž›π“‚π“„Ό, the shadow 𓆄𓏏𓅱𓋼, the Ba 𓅑𓏀, the Ka (soul/life force) 𓂓𓏀, and the name π“‚‹π“ˆ–.

On the stela π“Ž—π“…±π“†“π“‰Έ on the left, there is a Ba 𓅑𓏀 statue attached to the top, which was a very popular style during the Ptolemaic Period (c. 332–30 B.C.E.), so I am going to assume that stela π“Ž—π“…±π“†“π“‰Έ is Ptolemaic. The Ba 𓅑𓏀 is the impression that an individual makes on others – everything except the physical body π“Ž›π“‚π“„Ό. The Ba 𓅑𓏀 can also be thought of as an individual’s personality. When a person died, the Ba 𓅑𓏀 was the only part of the person that would be able to travel out of the tomb π“‡‹π“«π“Šƒπ“‰, but it did have to return eventually to be reunited with the mummy 𓇋𓁹𓅱𓀾.

I like the combination of the Ba 𓅑𓏀 and the stela π“Ž—π“…±π“†“π“‰Έ because they are connected – the stela π“Ž—π“…±π“†“π“‰Έ was meant to commemorate the deceased, while the Ba 𓅑𓏀 was part of their soul. It makes sense for the Egyptians π“†Žπ“π“€€π“π“ͺ to attach the two 𓏻 together!

I wish I had closer pictures 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓏦 of both stela π“Ž—π“…±π“†“π“‰Έ, but it was probably difficult with the glass. On the stela π“Ž—π“…±π“†“π“‰Έ on the left, the deceased 𓅓𓏏𓏱 is making an offering π“Š΅π“π“Šͺ𓏏𓏔𓏦 to Osiris π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­. On the stela π“Ž—π“…±π“†“π“‰Έ with the Ba 𓅑𓏀, there is so much happening! I would probably need to make three 𓏼 posts to interpret it all!

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Egyptian Artifacts

Amarna Art (Part 1)

One of the reasons I loved the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology so much was because of the amount of pieces from Amarna (the modern name of Akhenaten’s capital of Egypt) that are in the collection! While Hatshepsut π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ is my favorite pharaoh 𓉐𓉻, Akhenaten π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“‡³π“…œπ“π“ˆ– is my second favorite! I seem to like the β€œuntraditional” pharaohs 𓉐𓉻𓏦 who didn’t play by the rules!

One of the many charms of the Petrie Museum is that most of the pieces aren’t considered striking or grand when you first look at them. This museum is for those who truly appreciate ancient Egyptian culture as a whole, not just the shiny gold π“‹žπ“ƒ‰π“ƒ‰π“ƒ‰ pieces or jewels.

This piece is a quartzite inlay or either Akhenaten π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“‡³π“…œπ“π“ˆ– or Nefertiti π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“‡³π“„€π“„€π“„€π“„€π“„€π“‡π“π“­. Quartzite is a very difficult rock π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“‚‹π“ˆ™ to work with because it is so dense and strong. Quartzite is a metamorphic rock π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“‚‹π“ˆ™ that is formed when heat and pressure is applied to the rock π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“‚‹π“ˆ™ sandstone π“‚‹π“…±π“‚§π“π“Œ—π“ˆ™. A process called recrystallization occurs due to the heat and pressure, which causes the sand grains in the sandstone π“‚‹π“…±π“‚§π“π“Œ—π“ˆ™ to increase in size and become more dense! As a person who knows her geology, always amazes me when the Egyptians π“†Žπ“π“€€π“π“ͺ worked with quartzite! Quartzite is usually found in quarries π“Ž›π“π“π“‰π“¦ in Aswan π“‹΄π“ƒΉπ“ˆ–π“Œπ“²π“Š–, as is granite π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“ˆ™π“ˆ–π“Œ³π“Ώ!

Egyptologists can’t tell if the inlay was supposed to be Akhenaten π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“‡³π“…œπ“π“ˆ– or Nefertiti π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“‡³π“„€π“„€π“„€π“„€π“„€π“‡π“π“­ because they were usually represented very similarly; the style during Akhenaten’s π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“‡³π“…œπ“π“ˆ– rule π“‹Ύ was very different than the traditional Egyptian art styles, which makes it so weird and wonderful in its own way! While this piece itself was an inlay, a stone π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“‚‹π“Šͺ was most likely supposed to go in the hole that represents the eye 𓁹𓏀! So this is two 𓏻 inlays in one 𓏺!

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Egyptian Artifacts

Amarna Art (Part 2)

Something I love about visiting various museums is seeing similar pieces of Egyptian history no matter where I go! The Brooklyn Museum has a wonderful collection of Amarna-era pieces (many of which were found by Petrie), so it’s no surprise that I have seen similar pieces in various museums around the world!

In the middle of the display, you can see a red quartzite inlay of Akhenaten π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“‡³π“…œπ“π“ˆ–. Inlays are part of what archaeologists call β€œcomposite statues,” or statues π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύπ“¦ that are composed of many different parts that would come together to form a single statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ! The part that would be the crown, and the stone π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“‚‹π“Šͺ that was supposed to go in the hole that represents the eye 𓁹𓏀 are both missing. Either the statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ was never finished or both were lost in antiquity.

Next to the inlay of Akhenaten π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“‡³π“…œπ“π“ˆ–, there is another quartzite composite statue but it is a head 𓁢𓏀 of possibly Smenkare π“‡³π“‹΄π“Šπ“‚“π“‚¦π“†£π“ͺ, the mystery pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 that ruled π“‹Ύ for a short period of time in between Akhenaten π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“‡³π“…œπ“π“ˆ– and Tutankhamun π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“π“…±π“π“‹Ήπ“‹Ύπ“‰Ίπ“‡“. The statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ is in very bad condition, so it is really difficult to gather much information about it. However, at the time the statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ was made, it was made with high quality workmanship!

The style during Akhenaten’s π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“‡³π“…œπ“π“ˆ– rule π“‹Ύ was very different than the traditional Egyptian art styles, which makes these pieces so weird and wonderful in their own way! I will never get tired of studying Amarna art!

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Egyptian Artifacts

Thoth as a Babboon

This is a limestone π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“ˆ™π“Œ‰ statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ of Thoth 𓅝𓏏𓏭𓀭! The god π“ŠΉ Thoth 𓅝𓏏𓏭𓀭 was usually depicted as a man π“Šƒπ“€€π“€ with the head of an ibis 𓉔𓃀𓅀, but was also commonly depicted as a baboon. The name π“‚‹π“ˆ– Thoth 𓅝𓏏𓏭𓀭 is actually the Greek version of his name π“‚‹π“ˆ–; the ancient Egyptians referred to him as Djehuty (𓅝-Djhu 𓏏- t, y-𓏭, π“€­).

While Thoth 𓅝𓏏𓏭𓀭 is mainly known as being the patron of scribes π“Ÿπ“€€π“ͺ, the god π“ŠΉ of writing π“Ÿπ“›π“₯, and the creator of language 𓂋𓏺, he is also considered the god π“ŠΉ of the sciences π“‚‹π“π“π“œπ“¦ and the moon π“‡‹π“‚π“Ž›π“‡Ή. The moon π“‡‹π“‚π“Ž›π“‡Ή could be thought of as a β€œnight sun,” which places him as an opposite of the sun 𓇳𓏺 god π“ŠΉ Ra 𓇳𓏺𓁛. Thoth π“…€π“€­ is also credited with inventing the 365-day calendar!

Since the moon π“‡‹π“‚π“Ž›π“‡Ή is commonly a symbol of wisdom, Thoth π“…€π“€­ was also associated with being very wise. Thoth π“…€π“€­ has also provided guidance to the other gods π“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“ŠΉ and can also be associated with truth π“™π“Œ΄π“‚£π“π“†„ and justice π“™π“Œ΄π“‚£π“π“†„π“œ. Thoth π“…€π“€­ was thought to have invented writing π“Ÿπ“›π“₯, and was thus the god π“ŠΉ of all record keeping. These characteristics are why he is the bookkeeper in the Weighing of the Heart Ceremony from the Book of the Dead. The scene acted as the β€œLast Judgment” of the deceased 𓅓𓏏𓏱.

Due to his vast knowledge, Thoth π“Ÿ was thought to know magic π“Ž›π“‚“π“„Ώπ“œ and secrets π“ƒ€π“‹΄π“†Ÿπ“›π“¦ that were unknown to the rest of the gods π“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“ŠΉ in the Egyptian pantheon. This made him an extremely powerful figure!

Thoth can be written as: π“…€π“€­, 𓅝𓏏𓏭𓀭, π“Ÿ. He also had various titles such as β€œLord of the Divine Words,” β€œThree Times Great,” and β€œLord of Ma’at” amongst many others!

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Egyptian Artifacts

The Marriage Scarab and Senet

I love this display at the Brooklyn Museum because it’s so blue 𓇋𓁹𓏏𓄿𓏸π“₯ – blue 𓇋𓁹𓏏𓄿𓏸π“₯ is my favorite color (and it was a favorite of the ancient Egyptians π“†Žπ“π“€€π“π“ͺ too – for various religious reasons)! Both of these pieces are dated to the reign of Amenhotep III π“‡³π“§π“Ž  (Dynasty 18).

The first piece is a scarab 𓆣 that is known as a β€œMarriage Scarab,” even though it doesn’t mention marriage! During his reign π“‹Ύ, Amenhotep III π“‡³π“§π“Ž  commissioned the production of her 200 𓏲𓏲 scarabs 𓆣𓆣𓆣 that recorded important events. Fifty-six π“Ž†π“Ž†π“Ž†π“Ž†π“Ž†π“Ώ of the scarabs 𓆣𓆣𓆣, like this one pictured, contained information such as Amenhotep III’s π“‡³π“§π“Ž  complete list of names/titles, the boundaries of the empire and Queen Tiye’s official names and titles/the names of her parents. The mention of Queen Tiye and her relation to Amenhotep III π“‡³π“§π“Ž  is what led Egyptologists to call these the β€œmarriage scarabs.”

Senet π“Šƒπ“π“ˆ–π“  is the world’s oldest board game – there’s evidence of its existence all the way back to the First Dynasty (though this particular board is dated c. 1390-1353 B.C.E.). During the New Kingdom, the game represented the journey of the Ka π“‚“ (soul) to the afterlife/Duat 𓇼𓄿𓏏𓉐. The word β€œSenet” π“Šƒπ“π“ˆ–π“  actually means passage or gateway! If you look really closely, you can see details of the Djed Pillar π“Š½ and the Tyet π“Ž¬ (Isis Knot) painted on the sides!

Senet π“Šƒπ“π“ˆ–π“  is still a game that can be played today, though some of the rules are debatable! I find it so interesting that board games have been around for so long in history! Some things a about humanity have not changed!