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Egyptian Artifacts

Details of Anubis on a Roman Sarcophagus

For my whole life I have called this piece the β€œRoman Anubis Mummy!!!”

As anyone who has followed me for a while knows, I love absolutely anything that has to do with Anubis π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“Šͺ𓅱𓃣! He has been my favorite Egyptian god π“ŠΉ since I started learning about mythology at six 𓏿 years old! Since I was a kid who was obsessed with mummies 𓇋𓁹𓅱𓀾π“ͺ too, it makes sense that Anubis π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“Šͺ𓅱𓃣, god π“ŠΉ of mummification and cemeteries would be a favorite of mine!

What is interesting about this image 𓏏𓅱𓏏 of Anubis π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“Šͺ𓅱𓃣 though is that he is depicted with the moon π“‡‹π“‚π“Ž›π“‡Ή. Thoth π“…€π“€­ is usually represented with the moon (as he is god π“ŠΉ of the moon π“‡‹π“‚π“Ž›π“‡Ή along with hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ, writing π“Ÿπ“›π“₯, wisdom etc.), while Anubis’ π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“Šͺ𓅱𓃣 connection to the lunar disc π“‡‹π“‚π“Ž›π“‡Ή is not well understood. One of the earliest images 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓏦 of Anubis π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“Šͺ𓅱𓃣 with the moon π“‡‹π“‚π“Ž›π“‡Ή actually comes from Hatshepsut’s π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahri 𓂦𓂋𓂦π“₯𓉐, in the scene that β€œconfirms” that Amun π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ– was Hatshepsut’s π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ father 𓇋𓏏𓀀, thus she had the divine right to rule. Other scenes connecting Anubis π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“Šͺ𓅱𓃣 to the moon π“‡‹π“‚π“Ž›π“‡Ή exist, but the relationship between two 𓏻 are not well understood and it is something I wish we knew more about!

This is the mummy 𓇋𓁹𓅱𓀾 of a woman π“Šƒπ“π“‚‘π“π“ named Artemidora who lived in Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š– during the Roman Period (A.D 90-100). The text above Anubis π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“Šͺ𓅱𓃣 reads β€œArtemidora, daughter of Harpokras, died untimely, aged 27. Farewell.” The images 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓏦 taken of her mummy 𓇋𓁹𓅱𓀾 using radiographic techniques confirm this age of death. Big thanks the @metmuseum for the translation, because while I can read and translate hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ I certainly do not know Greek!