Tag: artifact

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Egyptian Artifacts Reading Hieroglyphs

Scarab of Hatshepsut

Here is a scarab 𓐍π“Šͺ𓂋𓂋𓆣 of Hatshepsut π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ from the MET! The MET has so many of these beautiful π“„€ scarabs 𓐍π“Šͺ𓂋𓂋𓆣π“ͺ and I honestly love looking at them! I really like tiny things, so scarabs 𓐍π“Šͺ𓂋𓂋𓆣π“ͺ and other amulets π“Šπ“Šͺπ“…†π“ͺ are some of my favorite pieces to see in museums!

This scarab 𓐍π“Šͺ𓂋𓂋𓆣 has a very simple message:

π“ŠΉπ“„€ – β€œPerfect God”

𓇳𓁧𓂓 – β€œMaatkare”

Interestingly, Hatshepsut’s π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ throne name Maatkare (which translates to β€œTruth is the Soul of Re”) is usually written as 𓇳𓁦𓂓, however on the scarab 𓐍π“Šͺ𓂋𓂋𓆣, the symbol for Maat is slightly different! On this scarab 𓐍π“Šͺ𓂋𓂋𓆣, the symbol shows Maat holding an ankh 𓁧! It’s a very subtle but cool variation. It doesn’t change the meaning or the pronunciation of her name π“‚‹π“ˆ–, but I love seeing little changes like this! Clearly, this was an artistic choice!

When learning hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ, throne names are a great place to start learning because the names aren’t too complex! Let’s use Maatkare 𓇳𓁧𓂓 as an example!

𓇳 – Re

𓁧 – Truth (Maat)

π“‚“ – Soul (Ka)

With the three 𓏼 symbol cartouche, especially when Re 𓇳𓏺 is involved, it’s read middle-right-left. So why is Re 𓇳𓏺 written first but said last!? Honorific transposition! As a sign of respect, Re (or another god π“ŠΉ) is always written first!

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Egyptian Artifacts

Roman Period Mummy Mask

This is a mummy mask of a woman π“Šƒπ“π“‚‘π“π“ from the Roman Period of Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š–.

The Roman Period of Egypt is characterized as being after the death of Cleopatra VII π“ˆŽπ“ƒ­π“‡‹π“―π“Šͺ𓄿𓂧𓂋𓏏𓄿𓆇, the last pharaoh 𓉐𓉻, in 31 B.C.E. Even though Cleopatra VII π“ˆŽπ“ƒ­π“‡‹π“―π“Šͺ𓄿𓂧𓂋𓏏𓄿𓆇 was Greek, she is considered to be the last pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 of Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š–.

My Nonno loved the Roman Period of Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š– because he loved Roman history too, and it was always so interesting to see the merging of the two civilizations. The merging of the civilizations also meant the merging of both Egyptian and Roman art styles, as is demonstrated by this mask. The mask is made of cartonnage and mostly overlaid with gold π“‹žπ“ƒ‰π“ƒ‰π“ƒ‰ leaf. The eyes 𓁹𓏏𓏦 are inlaid with glass π“‹£π“ˆ–π“π“Έπ“Ό, while the garland π“Œ΄π“„Ώπ“Ž›π“†° of flowers 𓆼𓅱𓆰𓏦 is painted.

My favorite detail on this mummy mask are the snake 𓇋𓂝𓂋𓏏𓆙 bracelets 𓂝𓏠𓆑𓂋𓏏𓇛𓏦 that are carved in raised relief on the arms 𓂝𓏦. I love snake 𓇋𓂝𓂋𓏏𓆙 themed jewelry and wear snake 𓇋𓂝𓂋𓏏𓆙 rings π“‚π“ˆ–π“π“‹ͺπ“₯ and bracelets 𓂝𓏠𓆑𓂋𓏏𓇛𓏦 myself! I think it is such a beautiful π“„€ detail on the mask! The woman π“Šƒπ“π“‚‘π“π“ who owned this mask was most likely extremely wealthy because most mummy masks were not completely overlaid with gold π“‹žπ“ƒ‰π“ƒ‰π“ƒ‰ leaf such as this one.

The eyebrows on the mask are blue 𓇋𓁹𓏏𓄿𓏸π“₯ because it is supposed to be the same color as lapis lazuli 𓐍𓋴𓃀𓂧𓏧! Many of the gods π“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“ŠΉ and goddesses π“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“ were thought to have blue 𓇋𓁹𓏏𓄿𓏸π“₯ lapis lazuli 𓐍𓋴𓃀𓂧𓏧 hair! The blue 𓇋𓁹𓏏𓄿𓏸π“₯ eyebrows could represent this woman joining the gods π“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“ŠΉ in the afterlife.

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Egyptian Artifacts

Wooden Model Boats

I absolutely love the wooden 𓆱𓏏𓏺 tomb π“‡‹π“«π“Šƒπ“‰ models. I could literally spend hours just looking at them!

Wooden 𓆱𓏏𓏺 models were very popular in the Middle Kingdom and were usually put in tombs π“‡‹π“«π“Šƒπ“‰. The boats 𓂧π“Šͺπ“π“Šžπ“¦ were symbolic, and were meant to help the deceased on their journey in the afterlife 𓇼𓄿𓏏𓉐. When a person died, their body was carried in a boat 𓂧π“Šͺπ“π“Šž across the Nile π“‡‹π“π“‚‹π“…±π“ˆ—π“ˆ˜π“ˆ‡π“Ί in a symbolic representation of the journey of the soul π“‚“- from the land of the living to the land of the dead 𓇼𓄿𓏏𓉐. This directly mirrors Ra’s 𓇳𓏺𓁛 daily journey across the sky π“Šͺ𓏏𓇯.

Tombs usually contained two 𓏻 boats 𓂧π“Šͺπ“π“Šžπ“¦: one sailing in a northward direction, and one sailing in a southward direction.

So many wooden 𓆱𓏏𓏺 model boats 𓂧π“Šͺπ“π“Šžπ“¦ have been found because boats 𓂧π“Šͺπ“π“Šžπ“¦ were essential to daily Egyptian life along the Nile River π“‡‹π“π“‚‹π“…±π“ˆ—π“ˆ˜π“ˆ‡π“Ί. Boats 𓂧π“Šͺπ“π“Šžπ“¦ were not only essential for transporting people, goods and construction materials, but also for the gods π“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“ŠΉ and their journeys as well.

This particular boat 𓂧π“Šͺπ“π“Šž is so beautiful π“„€ because so many of the oarsmen are there!

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Egyptian Artifacts Reading Hieroglyphs

Statue of a Pharaoh and Ancient Plagiarism

This statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ is very interesting because it was originally made for the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 Amenemhat II π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“…“π“„‚π“ during the 12th π“Ž†π“» Dynasty. However if you look at the hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ, the cartouches of Rameses II can be read! The pharaohs 𓉐𓉻π“₯ used to recycle statues π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύπ“ͺ all the time – this is a process known as usurping (taking one pharaoh’s monuments, erasing their nameπ“‚‹π“ˆ–, and putting yours!). It’s kind of like ancient plagiarism!

This statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ is made of granodiorite, a type of volcanic (igneous) rock π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“‚‹π“ˆ™. It was quarried at Aswan π“‹΄π“ƒΉπ“ˆ–π“Œπ“²π“Š– and then transported up the Nile π“‡‹π“π“‚‹π“…±π“ˆ—π“ˆ˜π“ˆ‡π“Ί to Memphis π“ π“ˆ–π“„€π“†‘π“‚‹π“‰΄π“Š–, where it was sculpted.

Let’s read some hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ!

π“†₯ – King of Upper and Lower Egypt

π“ŽŸπ“‡Ώπ“‡Ώ – Lord of the Two Lands

(π“‡³π“„Šπ“§π“‡³π“‰π“ˆ–) – Rameses II (throne name Usermaatre)

𓅭𓇳 – Son of Ra

π“ˆ˜π“†‘ – His Beloved

(π“©π“›π“ˆ˜π“„Ÿπ“‹΄π“‡“) – Rameses II

𓇳𓏇𓏺 – Like Ra

The image 𓏏𓅱𓏏 below shows some of the ancient erasing that took place!

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Egyptian Artifacts

Bronze Statues of Osiris, Isis and Horus

The Bronze Age started due to the rise in the Sumerian civilization in Mesopotamia. Due to war and trade, bronze π“ˆ”π“€π“ˆ’π“¦ was able to come to Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š– around 700 B.C.E. and replace the traditional stone π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“‚‹π“Šͺ and clay statues π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ. The bronze π“ˆ”π“€π“ˆ’π“¦ pieces are great antiquities because they can preserve small details over long periods of time. Bronze π“ˆ”π“€π“ˆ’π“¦ statuary π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ became very popular starting around the Third Intermediate Period (26th Dynasty), and became very abundant in the Ptolemaic Period, which resulted in mass production and a loss of craftsmanship and quality.

The image 𓏏𓅱𓏏 of Isis π“Š¨π“π“₯ feeding Horus π“…ƒπ“€­ as a baby is one of the most popular images 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓏦 of the Late Period through the Ptolemaic Period. Symbolically, Isis π“Š¨π“π“₯ was thought to be the mother 𓅐𓏏𓁐 of the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻, and was often associated with motherhood, the protection of women π“Šƒπ“π“‚‘π“π“, and a user of magic. As Isis π“Š¨π“π“₯ became a more popular religious figure, she was associated with cosmological order and was considered to be the embodiment of fate by the Romans. This image 𓏏𓅱𓏏 of a mother 𓅐𓏏𓁐 holding a child π“π“‡Œπ“€• is thought to have inspired the well known Catholic images of the Virgin Mary holding Jesus as a baby.

Osiris π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­ was one of the main figures of Egyptian religion. This is because Osiris π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­ was the god π“ŠΉ of the dead 𓅓𓏏𓏱 and the ruler of the afterlife 𓇼𓄿𓏏𓉐, and Egyptians spent their entire time living preparing for their death 𓅓𓏏𓏱 and meeting with Osiris π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­. When the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 was alive, he was thought to be the living image 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓋹 of the God π“ŠΉ Horus π“…ƒπ“€­, but more importantly when the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 died, he was thought to then become an Osiris-like figure.

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Egyptian Artifacts

Statues of Sekhmet

As I’ve stated many times before (it’s a family trait – we always repeat the same stories πŸ˜‚), my Nonno loved Sekhmet π“Œ‚π“π“…“π“π“. Now every time I see a statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ of her, I think of my Nonno.

In Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š–, most of the feline 𓅓𓇋𓅱𓃠 deities were female! This was most likely intentional – much like a lioness π“Œ³π“Ήπ“„Ώπ“π“„› can be gentle and nurturing with her cubs, she can also be extremely fierce and aggressive when she needs to protect π“…“π“‚π“Ž‘π“€œ them. This duality is quintessential to not only Sekhmet’s π“Œ‚π“π“…“π“π“ role in the Egyptian pantheon, but to the other feline 𓅓𓇋𓅱𓃠 goddesses π“ŠΉπ“π“ͺ as well!

Sekhmet π“Œ‚π“π“…“π“π“ is always seen with a sun-disk 𓇳𓏺 on her head 𓁢𓏺, which shows that she is the daughter 𓅭𓏏 of Ra 𓇳𓏺𓁛. She was known as the goddess π“ŠΉπ“ of destruction/war, and her name π“‚‹π“ˆ– means β€œshe who is powerful.” She could also represent the destructive aspects of the sun 𓇳𓏺, such as extreme heat. There were many religious rituals designed to appease her. Sekhmet π“Œ‚π“π“…“π“π“ was feared for being a very powerful and very destructive goddess π“ŠΉπ“.

These particular statues π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύπ“ͺ of Sekhmet π“Œ‚π“π“…“π“π“ was made during the rule of Amenhotep III π“‡³π“§π“Ž  during the 18th Dynasty.

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Egyptian Artifacts

Columns of Rameses II at the Louvre

Here I am in the Louvre!

The Louvre had such a large Egyptian collection (even compared to the MET) that I was honestly a little overwhelmed trying to see everything!! My Nonno and I spent the whole time practically running around because we didn’t want to miss anything!

One of the first cartouches I learned to read were for Rameses II π“‡³π“„Šπ“§π“‡³π“‰π“ˆ–. I always felt so proud as a little girl when I could recognize the names of the pharaohs 𓉐𓉻𓏦 on the artifacts! Rameses II’s π“‡³π“„Šπ“§π“‡³π“‰π“ˆ– name π“‚‹π“ˆ– is always a good one to know because he put his name π“‚‹π“ˆ– everywhere! He usurped a lot of monuments from previous pharaohs 𓉐𓉻𓏦 and replaced their names with his own. Rameses II π“‡³π“„Šπ“§π“‡³π“‰π“ˆ– also had a lot of variations of his name π“‚‹π“ˆ– and depending when in his reign the monument was made and the amount of space available could determine which cartouche was used.

Here are some examples:

(π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ˆ˜π“‡³π“Ίπ“„Ÿπ“‹΄π“‡“), (π“©π“›π“ˆ˜π“„Ÿπ“‹΄π“‡“), and (π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ˆ˜π“œπ“Ίπ“„Ÿπ“‹΄π“Šƒ) are all different variations of Rameses II’s birth name! While β€œspelled” with different hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ, they actually all mean the same thing! For example, 𓇳𓏺, 𓁛, and π“œ are all used to designate β€œRa” while π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ– and 𓁩 are used for Amun! (π“‡³π“„Šπ“§π“‡³π“‰π“ˆ–) which is seen on the column in the picture 𓏏𓅱𓏏 is his throne name!
What’s really cool is that a very similar column also belonging to Rameses II can be found in the British Museum too!

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Egyptian Artifacts

Limestone Column of Bes

This is part of a limestone π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“ˆ™π“Œ‰ column that is representative of the god π“ŠΉ Bes π“ƒ€π“‹΄π“„œ and it is dated to the Ptolemaic Period (332-31 B.C.E.).

Bes π“ƒ€π“‹΄π“„œ was worshipped as the protector π“…“π“‚π“Ž‘π“€œ of households 𓉐𓏺, mothers 𓅐𓏏𓁐π“ͺ, children π“π“‡Œπ“€•π“ͺ, and even childbirth. Bes π“ƒ€π“‹΄π“„œ also represented everything good, and was the enemy of anything evil. Bes π“ƒ€π“‹΄π“„œ is also thought to protect π“…“π“‚π“Ž‘π“€œ people against sickness. Cups were fashioned in Bes’ π“ƒ€π“‹΄π“„œ likeness and people thought if they drank from the cup, Bes π“ƒ€π“‹΄π“„œ would heal them! Small statues π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύπ“ͺ and amulets π“Šπ“Šͺπ“…†π“ͺ of Bes π“ƒ€π“‹΄π“„œ were also placed in bedrooms as a form of protection.

Fun fact: the Spanish island of Ibiza is thought to be named after Bes π“ƒ€π“‹΄π“„œ! Bes π“ƒ€π“‹΄π“„œ was worshipped by the Phoenicians (whose pantheon mixed with the Egyptians) and Phoenician settlers brought their worship of Bes π“ƒ€π“‹΄π“„œ with them to Ibiza when it was settled. Ibiza actually means β€œIsland of Bes.”

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Egyptian Artifacts

Faience Tiles from the Step Pyramid

Djoser 𓂦 was the first pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 of the 3rd Dynasty, and his Step Pyramid 𓍋𓅓𓂋𓉴 was the first large stone structure in Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š–. Designed by the architect Imhotep π“‡π“…“π“Š΅π“π“Šͺ, who was later deified, the Step Pyramid 𓍋𓅓𓂋𓉴 was meant to provide the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 with a large funerary complex and a home for eternity π“Ž›π“‡³π“Ž›.

These blue 𓇋𓁹𓏏𓄿𓏸π“₯ faience π“‹£π“ˆ–π“π“Έπ“Ό tiles decorated the lower levels of Djoser’s 𓂦 Step Pyramid 𓍋𓅓𓂋𓉴 Complex. There were over 30,000 tiles used!!! The tiles were meant to represent various types of reeds that covered the walls of Djoser’s 𓂦 palace.

I have always been obsessed with anything having to do with the Step Pyramid 𓍋𓅓𓂋𓉴 solely because of Imhotep π“‡π“…“π“Š΅π“π“Šͺ. My Nonno always spoke more about Imhotep π“‡π“…“π“Š΅π“π“Šͺ than Djoser 𓂦! My Nonno always pointed these tiles out to me in the museum. While to most people, the tiles look somewhat insignificant compared to beautifully π“„€ carved reliefs and statues, my Nonno always said that these types of tiles were important because they were really only found in the Step Pyramid 𓍋𓅓𓂋𓉴 and one of Djoser’s 𓂦 other buildings at Saqqara. The tiles were pretty much a β€œuniquely Imhotep π“‡π“…“π“Š΅π“π“Šͺ” thing according to Nonno!

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Egyptian Artifacts

Book of the Dead of Sobekmose

One of the greatest aspects of the Brooklyn Museum’s Egyptian collection is The Book of the Dead for a man named Sobekmose, who had the title β€œGoldworker of Amun.” Sobekmose was buried in Memphis π“ π“ˆ–π“„€π“†‘π“‚‹π“‰΄π“Š– and that is where this papyrus 𓅓𓍑𓏏𓏛 was found. This Book of the Dead dates to the 18th Dynasty (early New Kingdom 1500-1480 B.C.E.). It is displayed as one complete papyrus 𓅓𓍑𓏏𓏛!

The Book of the Dead is interesting because it doesn’t follow a particular story. The spells π“Ž›π“‚“π“›π“¦ do seem to be grouped by theme, and sometimes pictures 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓏦 can be representative of the spells π“Ž›π“‚“π“›π“¦ as well.

In this image 𓏏𓅱𓏏, you can see some of the Hieratic script that the Book of the Dead is written in – don’t ask me to translate, because I can’t read Hieratic! I can only read hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ! I would love to learn Hieratic though! The text is read from top to bottom, right to left.

Some of the Hieratic is in black π“†Žπ“…“ ink while some of it is in red π“‚§π“ˆ™π“‚‹π“…Ÿ. The red π“‚§π“ˆ™π“‚‹π“…Ÿ ink seems to symbolize either the beginning or the end π“ŽΌπ“‚‹π“Ž›π“‚π“› of a spell π“Ž›π“‚“π“›, or it could highlight a word for a noun that was considered “bad” in Egyptian culture. However, sometimes even “offering table 𓂝𓃀𓅑𓄿𓋃” could have been written/drawn in red π“‚§π“ˆ™π“‚‹π“…Ÿ and offering tables 𓂝𓃀𓅑𓄿𓋃 were not bad at all! So, some of the red π“‚§π“ˆ™π“‚‹π“…Ÿ ink seems kinda random.