These two ๐ป wooden ๐ฑ๐๐บ statues ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ๐ช were something my Nonno always made sure I appreciated when we went to the MET. My Nonno loved the Egyptian pieces that were made out of wood ๐ฑ๐๐บ because wood is difficult to preserve. Since wood is organic, in heat and humidity it will break down, especially over thousands of years. He always wanted me to appreciate how well preserved these two ๐ป wooden ๐ฑ๐๐บ statues were!
These two ๐ป wooden ๐ฑ๐๐บ statues ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ๐ช are from the 5th Dynasty and depicts the Governor Merti and his wife. They are both wearing wigs and nice clothing garments. Eleven ๐๐บ wooden statues were found in his tomb ๐๐ซ๐๐ at Saqqara and all of them were in incredible condition.
Though it is difficult to see in my picture ๐๐ ฑ๐, Merti is carrying the Sekhem Scepter, depicted similarly by the hieroglyph ๐, which translates to โpower.โ That particular hieroglyphic symbol is also part of the goddess ๐น๐ Sekhmetโs ๐๐๐ ๐๐ name, and her name translates to โshe of might.โ
I am standing in front of the Name Panels for the Middle Kingdom Pharaoh ๐๐ป Senwosret I ๐๐ด๐๐๐๐ at the MET. These panels were originally part of his pyramid ๐๐ ๐๐ด complex and were reconstructed from excavated pieces.
Senwosret Iโs ๐๐ด๐๐๐๐ throne name Kheperkare ๐ณ๐ฃ๐ is seen multiple times along with his Horus name โ๐น๐โ which means โliving in births.โ
These panels were originally part of his pyramid ๐๐ ๐๐ด complex and were reconstructed from excavated pieces.
A lot of Egyptian art was designed to be in three layers. The falcon god ๐น Horus ๐ ๐ญ is seen at the top of all the panels which represent the world ๐พ๐พ according to Egyptian religious beliefs – at the top is the realm of Horus ๐ ๐ญ, then beneath that is the realm of the pharaoh ๐๐ป.
This is probably going to sound strange to some, but I was so excited to see the back of the Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช statue ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ at the MET!
Usually when the statue ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ is displayed you canโt see the back of it, but since the statue is part of the special exhibition of the 150th anniversary of the MET, itโs in a different room! The different location allowed me to gain new views of my absolute favorite piece!
I had only ever seen the back of the statue in a book ๐ ๐๐๐ that I have from the special exhibition โHatshepsut: From Queen to Pharaohโ at the MET in 2006. The back is very interesting because you can still see some of the original paint remaining (although in my photo it is difficult to see)!! The paint is a blue-green ๐ ๐๐ color!
These clay model houses ๐๐ฅ were found by Petrie, but they are in the MET!
When Petrie found these, he gave them the name โSoul Housesโ due to them being very close to tombs/burials. These Soul Houses ๐๐ฅ are usually found in or near Middle Kingdom burials. These clay models ensured that the deceased ๐ ๐๐ฑ had access to shelter and food ๐ฌ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ฅ in the afterlife ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐. They are thought to take the place of offering tables – since offering tables were usually for the wealthy, the Soul House ๐๐ค was a more affordable option for people.
I have always been a person who likes tiny things, and the Soul Houses are no exception! I used to call them โEgyptian Dollhousesโ ๐ญ – (not going to lie, I still refer to them as dollhouses!!)
This beautiful ๐ค sculpture at the MET is a raised relief of an owl ๐ hieroglyph ๐น๐ dates to the Ptolemaic Period in Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐.
This relief shows only the partial hieroglyph ๐น๐ and this style of an object being โunfinished but actually finishedโ was very popular during this time period. Limestone pieces such as these are often referred to as โsculptors modelsโ by Egyptologists because they are very detailed and only show one specific part of the object.
I have always loved this piece because I love owls!! I love owls because I absolutely love Harry Potter and anytime I see an owl it reminds me of Hedwig!
One of my favorite things about the Temple of Dendur at the MET are the incredible details that are carved into the walls! The templeย ๐๐๐ย was built by the Roman Emperor Augustusย ๐๐ป๐(who liked to refer to himself as just pharaohย ๐๐ปย in his cartouche) and was meant to be a place of honorย for the goddess ๐น๐ Isisย ๐จ๐๐ฅ. Just like most other Egyptian temples, the common people werenโt allowed to worshipย ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ขย inside of it.ย
A lot of Egyptian architecture was built in three ๐ผ layers! In the case of the Temple of Dendur specifically, the three ๐ผ layers are the Earthย ๐พ๐พ, the Skyย ๐ช๐๐ฏ, and then what happens between the Earthย ๐พ๐พย and the Skyย ๐ช๐๐ฏ. The โbetween theย ๐พ๐พ andย ๐ช๐๐ฏโ sectionย is the templeย ๐๐๐ itself! This section would be where the carvings of the deities ๐น๐น๐น are!ย
The picture above details the section of the templeย ๐๐๐ย that represents the Earthย ๐พ๐พ. I love this because it looks like papyrus ๐ ๐๐๐ฐ and lotus ๐ธ๐ช plantsย ๐พ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฐย are growing out of the base of the templeย ๐๐๐! I think it is such a beautiful ๐ค way to represent the Earthย ๐พ๐พ! The ancient Egyptians really like plantsย ๐พ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฐย and flowersย ๐ผ๐ ฑ๐ฐ๐ฆย so it makes sense that they would want to represent them realistically in this way! How do we know that the ancient Egyptians liked plantsย ๐พ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฐย and flowersย ๐ผ๐ ฑ๐ฐ๐ฆ? Art like this allows us to make these inferences!ย
Fun fact! There are so many ways to write โpapyrusโ in Middle Egyptian! Here are a few:
๐ ๐๐๐ – papyrus roll/scroll
๐ ๐๐๐ฐ – papyrus plant
๐ฏ๐ – papyrus
๐ ๐ฐ – papyrus
๐๐๐๐ – papyrus marsh
Letโs now take a look at the โin-betweenโ layer!
Augustus making an offering to Osiris and Isis
What I like most about the โbetween the Earth ๐พ๐พ and Sky ๐ช๐๐ฏโ section is the depiction of Emperor Augustus ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐๐๐ with many different Egyptian deities ๐น๐น๐น! He doesnโt look like an Emperor though – he looks like a pharaoh ๐๐ป! Augustus can be seen wearing many articles of Egyptian royal ๐พ fashion such as the Atef crown ๐, the double crown ๐, a false beard, a broad collar ๐ ฑ๐ด๐๐บ๐, armlets ๐๐ด๐ก๐๐ ฑ๐ฆ, and bracelets ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฆ. These are all features that are associated with Egyptian pharaohs ๐๐ป๐ฆ, even though Augustus ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐๐๐ was Roman.
In the following reliefs, Augustus ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐๐๐ is making offerings ๐ต๐๐ช๐๐๐ฆ to Egyptian gods ๐น๐น๐น. In the first image ๐๐ ฑ๐, he is making an offering ๐ต๐๐ช๐๐๐ฆ to Osirisย ๐น๐จ๐ญย and Isisย ๐จ๐๐ฅ. You can even see the papyrusย ๐ ๐๐๐ฐย and lotusย ๐ธ๐ชย flower plantsย ๐พ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฐย from yesterdayโs post just below the relief!ย
Hathor (right), Horus (middle) and Augustus (right) with me!A closeup view of Horus and Augustus
In the second/third images ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ฆ above, Augustus ๐๐ป๐ is making an offeringย ๐ต๐๐ช๐๐๐ฆ of wineย to Horusย ๐ ๐ญย and Hathorย ๐ก!ย
You can also see three ๐ผ of Augustusโ cartouches in these images! Can you spot them all?
๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐๐๐ – Autokrator (Greek for โEmperorโ)
๐๐๐๐๐๐น๐ – Kaisaros (Greek for โCaesarโ)
๐๐ป๐ – Pharaohย
The next and final layer we are going to talk about is the skyย ๐ช๐๐ฏ! The wingedย ๐ง๐ณ๐๐ย sun disc ๐ณ๐บ appears above all of the entrances to the templeย ๐๐๐.
The wingsย ๐ง๐ณ๐๐๐ฆย belong to Horusย ๐ ๐ญ, who was often represented as a falconย ๐๐๐ก๐ .ย Horusย ๐ ๐ญ, whose ย realm was the Skyย ๐ช๐๐ฏ,ย was one of the most important gods ๐น๐น๐น in the Egyptian pantheon. Horusย ๐ ๐ญย was not only the mythological representation of the pharaohย ๐๐ป/heir to the throne of Egyptย ๐๐ ๐๐, but also a skyย ๐ช๐๐ฏย god ๐น. Horusโย ๐ ๐ญย name ๐๐ means โThe Distant One,โ due to him residing in the skyย ๐ช๐๐ฏ!ย
Due to the symbolโs association with Horus ๐ ๐ญ, the winged ๐ง๐ณ๐๐ sun disc ๐ณ๐บ also represents royalty ๐พ, power, divinity ๐น, and order vs. chaos. There are many different representations of Horus throughout Egyptian mythology. The the winged ๐ง๐ณ๐๐ sun disc ๐ณ๐บ design is also known as โHorus the Behdetiteโ and is a representation of Horus ๐ ๐ญ.
The sky ๐ช๐๐ฏ was not only the realm of Horus ๐ ๐ญ, but many other deities ๐น๐น๐น as well. Ra ๐ณ๐บ๐, Shu ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ, Nut ๐๐๐ฏ๐ญ, Khepri ๐ฃ๐๐๐ and others were deities ๐น๐น๐น associated with the sky ๐ช๐๐ฏ. The sky ๐ช๐๐ฏ was where the divine ๐น resided, hence why it was so heavily represented in Egyptian mythology and architecture.
The two ๐ป columns represent papyrusย ๐ ๐๐๐ฐย and lotus flowersย ๐ธ๐ชย growing from the ground/Earthย ๐พ๐พย to the skyย ๐ช๐๐ฏ! These columns can be seen as forming a connection between all three ๐ผ layers of the templeย ๐๐๐! I will never not be amazed by the symbolism and craftsmanship of Egyptian architecture!ย
My Nonno took this picture ๐๐ ฑ๐ of the Stelaย ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ธย of Hatshepsutย ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ชย and Thutmosis IIIย ๐ณ๐ ๐ฃย for me! While we did see it at the Vatican Museum together, he always made sure to take a different pictureย ๐๐ ฑ๐ย for me each time he saw it because he knew how much I love it!ย
This stela ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ธ depicts Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช and Thutmosis III ๐ณ๐ ๐ฃ during their joint reign. Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช is wearing the blue crown ๐ฃ๐๐๐ and making an offering of nemset jars ๐๐๐ to Amun-Ra ๐๐ ๐๐ณ๐บ. The stela ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ธ was meant to commemorate restoration works in Thebes ๐๐๐!
The most interesting parts about this stela is that it is one of two pieces (that I know of) that contains Hatshepsutโs entire titulary in one place! The only other place I know that has all of Hatshepsutโs ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช names ๐๐๐ฆ is the Obelisk at Karnak.
Letโs take a closer look at all of Hatshepsutโs ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช names ๐๐๐ฆ! The names ๐๐๐ฆ can be found on the top two rows of hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช on the bottom of the stela ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ธ!
Horus Name: ๐๐ด๐๐๐๐ – โWosretkauโ translates to โThe Mighty of the Kasโ or โThe Mighty of the Souls.โ
Nebty Name: ๐ ๐ ๐๐ณ๐ณ๐ณ – โWadjet renputโ translates to โFlourishing of Years.โ
Golden Horus Name: ๐ ๐น๐๐๐ฆ – โNetjeret khauโ translates to โDivine of Appearances.โ
Throne Name: ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ – โMaatkareโ translates to โTruth is the Soul of Re.โ
Birth Name: ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐ผ – โKhnemet Amun Hatshepsutโ translates to โUnited with Amun, Foremost of the Noble Women.โ This version of the Birth Name that appears on this stela is a variant of ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช. A โvariantโ is just a different way to spell out a personโs name ๐๐!
I absolutely love snakeย ๐๐๐๐๐ jewelry! My Nonno even got me a replica of the snakeย ๐๐๐๐๐ ringย ๐๐๐๐ช (from the MET) in the last picture for my sixteenth birthday, and while I may be 30 now, I haven’t taken the ringย ๐๐๐๐ช off because I love it so much!ย
While snakes ๐๐๐๐๐๐ช (such as the Uraeus ๐๐๐๐๐) were popular symbols in ancient Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐, snake ๐๐๐๐๐ based jewelry such as the bracelets ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ช and rings ๐๐๐๐ช๐ฆ pictured did not appear in Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐ until the Hellenistic times, and then continued on into the Roman Period. Snakes ๐๐๐๐๐๐ช were associated with the Greek and Roman figures Asklepios and Salus, but also the Uraeus ๐๐๐๐๐ in Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐. Snakes ๐๐๐๐๐๐ช were also associated with the Wadjet ๐ and could be a symbol of the pharaoh ๐๐ป as the living god ๐น Horus ๐ ๐ญ.
Jewelry was very culturally important in ancient Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐, and that continued in Roman Egypt. Traditional Egyptian jewelry usually took the form of necklaces and rings ๐๐๐๐ช๐ฆ. These pieces would usually also double as amulets ๐๐ช๐ ๐ช, which would protect the wearer from evil.
Rings ๐๐๐๐ช๐ฆ and necklaces were highly important to the Egyptians because they took the shape of a circle. A circle has no end, thus it represents eternal ๐ life ๐น and love. Rings ๐๐๐๐ช๐ฆ that took the shape of the Eye of Horus ๐, signets, and scarabs ๐๐ช๐๐๐ฃ๐ช were extremely popular, and then snakes ๐๐๐๐๐๐ช became popular much later.
The pharaohs ๐๐ป๐ฆ and nobility wore more expensive jewelry that was made of gold ๐๐๐๐ and contained precious stones. In ancient Rome and Roman Egypt, gold ๐๐๐๐ was highly treasured and only the richest were able to wear it.
The snake ๐๐๐๐๐ bracelet ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ in the first picture is meant to be for a child and is dated to the Ptolemaic Period (c. 332-30 B.C.E.). The snake bracelet ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ and the snake rings ๐๐๐๐ช๐ฆ in the second and third pictures are dated to the First Century A.D.
Todayย ๐๐๐๐ณย we are going to be looking at this vibrant/beautifully ๐ค paintedย ๐จ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ๐ธ๐ฆย sarcophagusย ๐๐น๐๐๐ญย from the MET!ย
This image ๐๐ ฑ๐ depicts the deceasedโsย ๐ ๐๐ฑย ba ๐ ก๐บ returning to its mummyย ๐๐น๐ ฑ๐พ! The Baย ๐ ก๐บย was part of an individual’s soul that was depicted as a human headed bird. The Baย ๐ ก๐บ and the ka ๐๐บ ย were both aspects of a personโs soul! I also love the detail of the four ๐ฝ canopic jars underneath the mummyย ๐๐น๐ ฑ๐พ!ย
The Ba ๐ ก๐ค is the impression that an individual makes on others – everything except the physical body ๐๐๐ผ. The Ba ๐ ก๐ค can also be thought of as an individualโs personality. The Ba ๐ ก๐ค wasnโt necessarily associated with living, and seemed to manifest after the person died. Ba ๐ ก๐ค has no equivalent word ๐๐ง๐ ฑ๐ in any current language ๐๐บ, as this was an ancient Egyptian funerary concept/belief.
When a person died, the Ba ๐ ก๐ค was the only part of the person that would be able to travel out of the tomb ๐๐ซ๐๐, but it did have to return eventually to be reunited with the mummy ๐๐น๐ ฑ๐พ.
Thereโs a spell ๐๐๐ from the Book of the Dead that states โMay it (Ba) see my corpse, may it rest on my mummy, Which will never be destroyed or perish.โ This spell ๐๐๐ illustrates why it was so important that the mummy ๐๐น๐ ฑ๐พ remain intact; the Ba ๐ ก๐ค needed to return to it! This is why funerary masks became so popular; if the mummy ๐๐น๐ ฑ๐พ was destroyed, the mask could take the place of the mummyโs head and allow the Ba ๐ ก๐ค to return.
Can you recognize any words in the hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช on the sarcophagus ๐๐น๐๐๐ญ?! Thereโs a bunch we have learned:
This is probably my favorite wooden ๐ฑ๐๐บ boat ๐ง๐ช๐๐ model that I have seen in any museum!ย This particular model is at the MET!
This wooden ๐ฑ๐๐บ model boat ๐ง๐ช๐๐ is from the tomb ๐๐ซ๐๐ of a man named ๐๐ Ukhhotep ๐๐ต๐๐ช. Ukhotep ๐๐ต๐๐ช was the chief treasurer ๐จ๐ ฑ, which is why he probably received such gorgeous ๐ค funerary equipment ๐๐๐ด๐๐๐ญ.
This is one of two ๐ป funerary boats that were found in his tomb ๐๐ซ๐๐ – most Middle Kingdom tombs ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฆ that had wooden ๐ฑ๐๐บ models always contained two ๐ป boats ๐ง๐ช๐๐๐ฆ. In the tomb ๐๐ซ๐๐, one boat ๐ง๐ช๐๐ was oriented to the north ๐๐ and the other towards the south ๐๐ ฑ๐.
During the actual funeral, the deceased ๐ ๐๐ฑ would take one last journey across the Nile River ๐๐๐๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐บ. Models of boats ๐ง๐ช๐๐๐ฆ (usually funerary boats), were usually found in tombs ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฆ as a way to symbolically bring the deceased ๐ ๐๐ฑ into the afterlife ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐.
I really love this model because of the mummy ๐๐น๐ ฑ๐พ that you can see underneath the canopy! As a kid I always loved that! The canopy also has a leopard ๐๐๐๐ฎ skin on the top, and the details on the leopard ๐๐๐๐ฎ are just gorgeous! ย
The mummy ๐๐น๐ ฑ๐พ is accompanied by two ๐ป women ๐๐๐๐๐๐ช mourners – they are probably meant to represent Isis ๐จ๐๐ฅ and Nephthys ๐ ๐๐. There is also a priest ๐น๐ (dressed in the leopard ๐๐๐๐ฎ skin) who holds a scrollย ๐ ๐๐๐ย with a funerary offeringย ๐ต๐๐ช๐๐๐ฆย on it. There is a second priest ๐น๐, also dressed in leopard ๐๐๐๐ฎ skin with his arm ๐๐บ extended outward in a mourning gesture.
Wooden ๐ฑ๐๐บ models were very popular amongst Middle Kingdom tombs ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฆ. This particular boat ๐ง๐ช๐๐ is dated to the 12th Dynasty (c. 1981โ1802 B.C.E.)
