Categories
Egyptian Artifacts

Burial Chamber of Sobekmose

This is the burial chamber π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“‰ of Sobekmose, who was a treasury official π“‹΄π“‚‹π“€€ under the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 Amenhotep III π“‡³π“§π“Ž (18th Dynasty, c. 1417–1379 B.C.E.). The south 𓇔𓅱𓏏 wall, part of the east 𓋁𓃀𓏏𓏭 wall, and the ceiling 𓉔𓄿𓏏𓇯 blocks are all preserved here. The blocks are made of sandstone π“‚‹π“…±π“‚§π“π“Œ—π“ˆ™.

Decorated burial chambers π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“‰ were not super common in the 18th Dynasty. Instead, the scenes depicted here were usually distributed amongst many chambers. They are all condensed into one room here.

The ceiling’s 𓉔𓄿𓏏𓇯 inscriptions include a prayer to Nut π“Œπ“π“‡―π“€­ (goddess π“ŠΉπ“ of the sky π“Šͺ𓏏𓇯), β€œwords spoken by π“†“π“Œƒπ“‡‹π“ˆ–β€ Isis π“Š¨π“π“₯ and Nut π“Œπ“π“‡―π“€­, and inscriptions saying that “the Osiris Sobekmose” is “honored by” the Four Sons of Horus and various other gods π“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“ŠΉ. The east 𓋁𓃀𓏏𓏭 entrance wall is decorated with protective texts and images 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓏦 of Anubis π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“Šͺ𓅱𓃣. The south 𓇔𓅱𓏏 wall is covered in prayers to many different Egyptian gods π“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“ŠΉ and goddesses π“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“.

This was purchased from the Egyptian government in 1908, and the north π“Ž”π“ and west π“‹€π“π“π“ˆŠ walls of the burial chamber π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“‰ are actually in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston!