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Egyptian Artifacts

Statue of Horemheb

Before Horemheb π“‡³π“‚¦π“†£π“Όπ“‡³π“‰π“ˆ– became the last pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 of the 18th Dynasty, he was a general under the pharaohs Tutankamun π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“π“…±π“π“‹Ήπ“‹Ύπ“‰Ίπ“‡“ and Ay 𓇳𓆣𓆣π“ͺ𓁹𓐙𓏏.

This large statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ (and a second similar one) at the MET would have been placed in a temple – either the temple of Ptah π“Šͺπ“π“Ž›π“± at Memphis or the temple of Amun-Ra π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“Ίπ“‡³ at Karnak.

It was standard for high officials to show themselves in a seated position with a papyrus scroll 𓅓𓍑𓏏𓏛 on their lap. In the Old Kingdom, the statues π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύπ“ͺ usually showed the official reading, but in the New Kingdom, the statues always showed the official writing π“Ÿπ“›π“₯. Horemheb π“‡³π“‚¦π“†£π“Όπ“‡³π“‰π“ˆ– is writing π“Ÿπ“›π“₯ a hymn to the god Thoth π“…€π“€­(who is the god of writing π“Ÿπ“›π“₯).

The hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ around the base of the statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ mention Horemheb’s π“‡³π“‚¦π“†£π“Όπ“‡³π“‰π“ˆ– many titles. The hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ on the β€œpapyrus” 𓅓𓍑𓏏𓏛 that is on Horemheb’s π“‡³π“‚¦π“†£π“Όπ“‡³π“‰π“ˆ– lap can actually be read, but it was so difficult to get a picture𓏏𓅱𓏏/actually read them because I could not get close enough to the statue!