This is one of the grand, large kneeling statues πππππΎπͺ of Hatshepsut ππ ππΉππππΌπͺ that were found during excavations of her temple at Deir el-Bahri. The excavations were a joint operation between the MET and the Egyptian government.
In this statue πππππΎ, Hatshepsut ππ ππΉππππΌπͺ is depicted wearing the nemes headcloth, a false beard on her chin, and is kneeling with a nemset jar π in each hand π§ππΊ. These were meant to be offerings to the god πΉ Amun ππ π- an inscription on the statue πππππΎ states that Hatshepsut ππ ππΉππππΌπͺ is offering “maat” to Amun ππ π- while Maat ππ΄π£ππ¦ was the goddess of truth, “maat” was also a concept held dearly by Hatshepsut ππ ππΉππππΌπͺ. Her reign was guided by order, truth, and justice – all the principles of maat.
Hatshepsut ππ ππΉππππΌπͺ is seen kneeling, which is not too common for a Pharaoh ππ» since they were considered to be gods πΉπΉπΉ on Earth. However, since Hatshepsut ππ ππΉππππΌπͺ was making an offering to the god πΉ Amun ππ π, she did this in a kneeling position. A pharaoh ππ» kneeled for no one – except for another god πΉ.
From this angle, the statue πππππΎ looks even more grand! I also love pink granite, which many of Hatshepsut’s ππ ππΉππππΌπͺ statues πππππΎπͺ are made out of. Granite is an extremely dense and durable rock (hence why it is used for countertops today), and these statues πππππΎπͺ of Hatshepsut ππ ππΉππππΌπͺ were definitely built to last.
The image above is of the cartouches of Hatshepsutβs throne name, Maatkare π³π¦π.
This is a small, kneeling statue πππππΎ of Hatshepsut ππ ππΉππππΌπͺ made out of black/pink granite! The black and pink granite is traditionally found in Aswan (Upper Egypt). In the USA, black and pink granite is commonly found in Nevada and other western states! This piece is in the MET.
While not as grand as some of her other statues πππππΎπͺ that adorned her temple πππ at Deir el-Bahri, this one makes quite an impression. There are at least eight of these statues πππππΎπͺ, and many of them are in the MET. They were most likely used to line the upper court at her temple πππ, and are thought to be intended for her Heb Sed festival (a festival used to celebrate 30 πππ years of rule, and then celebrated every three πΌ years after the initial 30 πππ). Hatshepsut ππ ππΉππππΌπͺ, ever the Pharaoh ππ» to break from tradition, instead celebrated hers in the 16th ππΏ year of her rule!
In this statue, Hatshepsut ππ ππΉππππΌπͺ is kneeling and is seen holding the nemset jar π. The jar π has the djed pillar π½ adorning the front. The djed pillar π½ is thought to be the spine of Osiris πΉπ¨π, and it represents stability and endurance – both are attributes a Pharaoh ππ» needed in order to be a successful ruler!
The sarcophagus of Wereshnefer is a really interesting piece in the MET. Wereshnefer was a priest of the goddesses πΉππͺ Mut ππΏπ, Nephytys π ππ, Satis π΄ππππ and Neith ππππ and he lived during the 30th Dynasty to the early Ptolemaic Period. Despite being a priest πΉπ in Upper Egypt ππ ππ, his sarcophagus was found at Saqqara.
One of the interesting things about his very large coffin is that the funerary/religious texts that are engraved into the stone are from writings that predate Wereshnefer by about one thousand years! The lid (which is pictured) shows images and texts related to the sun’s journey through the sky πͺππ― during the day πππΊπ³, which in Egyptian religion, acts as a metaphor for the journey from death π ππ± to life πΉ that one would take while accompanying the sun π³πΊ.
What is so interesting about Wereshnefer’s sarcophagus is that it shows the Earth πΎπΎ as being round. This is the first evidence that scientists and historians have of the Earth πΎπΎ being depicted as a round object (as we know, most people thought that the Earth πΎπΎ was flat). Nut πππ―π, the goddess πΉπ of the sky πͺππ―, is seen arched over the rounded Earth πΎπΎ and is supported by Shu ππ ±π, the god πΉ of the atmosphere. At Nut’s πππ―π feet is Geb π ππ, the god πΉ of the Earth πΎπΎ. It is fascinating to me that the Egyptians πππππͺ would depict the Earth as being round!
This copy of the Book of the Dead (known to the Egyptians as the Book of Coming Forth By Day) belonged to a priest πΉπ of Horus π π named Imhotep ππ π΅ππͺ! Imhotep ππ π΅ππͺ, Priest πΉπ of Horus π π, lived during the early Ptolemaic Period (between 332-200 B.C.E.) Fun fact: the word priest πΉπ actually translates to βgodβs servantβ!!!
Now, this is definitely not that Imhotep from “The Mummy” (1999), however, this is still a funny coincidence! I always get a laugh when I see this in the museum! The Book of the Dead was created for Imhotep ππ π΅ππͺ so he could have a successful journey into the afterlife πΌπΏππ. The spells on the papyrus π πππ were also meant to ensure his safety and well-being in the duat πΌπΏππ(realm of the dead).
The Book of the Dead is interesting because it doesn’t follow a particular story. The spells do seem to be grouped by theme, and sometimes pictures ππ ±ππ¦ can be representative of the spells as well. The scene shown here is the Weighing of the Heart, in which the deceasedβs heart πππ£ was weighed against Maatβs ππ΄π£ππ¦ feather. More details on that scene later in the post!
Imhotep’s version of the Book of the Dead is complete, and is over 70 feet long!
This page illustrates spell 110, which gives Imhotep ππ π΅ππͺ the ability to enjoy various earthly activities. This takes place in the Field of Reeds, which is also known as The Field of Offerings. Imhotep ππ π΅ππͺ is actually seen doing work in the field πππ – he can be seen using a scythe to harvest grain, plowing the field, and doing other various activities. In the top left, there are hieroglyphs βπΉππππΏπππππβ that translate to “it is he in the Field of Offerings.β The Field of Reeds could also be written as πππ ππΏππ ±π°π
I have provided some close up images of some of the aspects of the image that I mentioned in the caption above!
Let’s take a look at some other portions of the Book of the Dead!
I only have the drawings in this photograph, but to the left of the images would be the Hieratic script which would spell out the Sun Hymns. The Sun Hymns would allow Imhotep ππ π΅ππͺ to be turned into a spirit and join the Khepri π£πππ in the daily cycle of death and rebirth (rising and setting of the sun). During the night πΌπππ, Imhotep ππ π΅ππͺ would travel through the Duat πΌπΏππ underworld/netherworld) and be born again the next morning in the form of ba π ‘πΊ (individual’s soul that was depicted as a human headed bird).
The top image ππ ±π shows the goddesses πΉπΉπΉπ Isis π¨ππ₯ and Nephytys π ππ attending to the sun god Khepri π£πππ, who is in the form of a scarab π£. The middle image ππ ±π shows the sun π³πΊ in human form and is attended by two π» ba π ‘πΊ and baboons. The bottom image ππ ±π shows Imhotep ππ π΅ππͺ and his wife* receiving offerings.
*Since Imhotepβs ππ π΅ππͺ mother π ππ is mentioned a lot throughout his Book of the Dead, many people think that the woman who always accompanies Imhotep in the images ππ ±ππ¦ is his mother π ππ and not his wife!
Fun fact! The words for βnight πΌπππβ and βend πΌππππβ were very similar in hieroglyphs πΉππͺ!!!
Now on to my favorite scene from the Book of the Dead (in more detail)!
While I have already posted a pic of the Weighing of the Heart, I wanted to post some alternative angles because this series of images is my absolute favorite – no matter whos Book of the Dead it is from!
Here, Anubis πππͺπ ±π’ weighs the heart πππ£ of the deceased π ππ± against Maatβs π΄ππ£ππ¦ feather. If Anubis determines thereβs balance between the two, then the deceased would be presented to Osiris πΉπ¨ π by Horus π π. Thoth π €π records the findings. Ammit waits to eat the heart if itβs unworthy!
Here we can see that Imhotepβs ππ π΅ππͺ heart πππ£ is balanced against the feather! There are some really cool images in this particular scene – instead of just being a feather on the scale, it is the hieroglyph determinative for Maat (π§). Also, in the last picture, Imhotep ππ π΅ππͺ is accompanied by a feather with a human body! This is probably a representation of Maat π΄ππ£ππ¦, though she is usually depicted as a woman with a feather on her head and rarely as just a human body with a feather.
This is the last picture I have from Imhotep’s ππ π΅ππͺ Book of the Dead. Due to the way that the papyri π ππππ¦ are displayed at the MET, it can be very difficult to get clear pictures ππ ±ππ₯. I’m happy that I went back through my pictures ππ ±ππ₯ because I had taken some better ones than I initially thought!
In this image, 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 πΉππͺ! I would love to learn hieratic though! Some of the hieratic is in black ink while some of it is in red. The red ink seems to symbolize either the beginning or the end πΌππππ of a spell, or it could highlight a word for a noun that was considered “bad” in Egyptian culture. However, sometimes even “offering table” could have been written/drawn in red and offering tables were not bad at all! So, some of the red ink seems kinda random.
Imhotep ππ π΅ππͺ is seen here with Anubis πππͺπ ±π£, who is seated on top of a shrine. As you all know, Anubis πππͺπ ±π£ is my favorite Egyptian god (he is the god of mummification and cemeteries) so I was very excited to see I got an image ππ ±π with Anubis πππͺπ ±π£! I like this image ππ ±π because it reminds me of the Anubis πππͺπ ±π£ shrine that was found in Tutankhamun’s ππ πππ ±ππΉπΎπΊπ tomb – that is one of my absolute favorite pieces of all time! The drawing is also like the hieroglyph determinative βπ£β for Anubis!
This large red granite π π³ππΆ sphinx ππ ±ππ€ of Hatshepsut ππ ππΉππππΌπͺ is not in the βHatshepsut Galleryβ (as I like to call it) at the MET – in fact, she is right next to the Temple of Dendur! Dendur is located in Nubia, and is just south ππ ±π of Aswan π΄πΉπππ²π.
I find the location of the sphinx ππ ±ππ€ an interesting placement in the museum because the temple πππ and the sphinx ππ ±ππ€ are from two π»very different time periods in Egyptian history. The temple of Dendur was built by Augustus ππ»π and building was completed by 10 B.C.E., while Hatshepsut ππ ππΉππππΌπͺ ruled πΎ during the New Kingdom. This sphinx ππ ±ππ€ was sculpted during the joint reign πΎ of Hatshepsut ππ ππΉππππΌπͺ and Thutmosis III π³π π£ c.1479β1458 B.C.E.
The Sphinx ππ ±ππ€ was one of six πΏ large sphinxes ππ ±ππ¦ that would have lined her temple πππ at Deir el-Bahri. It is made of red granite π π³ππΆ, which was mined at Aswan π΄πΉπππ²π and then transported ~500 π²π²π²π²π² miles up the Nile ππππ ±ππππΊ. Red Granite π π³ππΆ is a super dense rock ππππͺ so this was not an easy task!
This is a large and absolutely beautiful π€ piece in real life. Hatshepsut ππ ππΉππππΌπͺ is depicted wearing the nemes ππ π΄ head cloth and the false beard – typical fashion for a pharaoh ππ»! The sphinx ππ ±ππ€ was a very popular way for a pharaoh ππ» to be represented, and this practice occurred for thousands πΌπΌπΌ of years. While the most famous sphinx ππ ±ππ€ is the great sphinx ππ ±ππ€ of Khafre π³ππ at Giza, there are so many other wonderful sphinxes too ππ ±ππ¦!
This is a βHieroglyphic Offering Vesselβ that is dated to c. 3,000 B.C.E.! For some context, the unification of EgyptΒ ππ ππΒ took place c.Β 3,100 B.C.E., and this period was known as the Early Dynastic Period.Β
In Egypt ππ ππ, especially during this time period, the distinction between art and writing πππ₯ was almost interchangeable – so much so that sometimes it is hard to tell if images ππ ±ππ¦ are hieroglyphs πΉππͺ, drawings or even both!
This Offering Vessel is a combination of two π» hieroglyphic symbols πΉππͺ: the ankh πΉ and the ka π. So, letβs read some hieroglyphs πΉππͺ!
The βAnkh,β is a triliteral phonogram that has the sound βΛnαΈ«β which would sound like βankh.β Although it can be an ideogram for βsandal strapβ and βmirror,β the βsandal strap πΉβ is much more commonly seen as the word for βLife.β
The βtwo arms πβ symbol is a biliteral phonogram that represents the sound βk3,β which would be pronounced like βka.β This is the symbol for the word βsoul.β The ka π was the soul or life force of a person.
So how do life πΉ, soul π and this Offering Vessel all connect to each other? Together ππ, the life πΉ and soul π form an essential relationship between the living πΉππ and the dead π ππ±. Even if the person is dead, the ka π still requires nourishment in the form of food π¬ππ ±ππ₯ and drink. This Offering Vessel allows the ka π to receive water π, so it can continue to live on.
Essentially, the vessel allows for the ka π to continue to receive offerings π΅ππͺπππ¦ so it can continue to be sustained! Itβs always amazing to me how Egyptian funerary beliefs didnβt really change over time, they just continued to evolve, for example, into False Doors and Offering Tables πππ ‘πΏππͺ!
Is this a beautiful womanΒ π€ππππΒ or a cowΒ π€ππππ?! The answer is both because this image ππ ±π from The Book of the Dead of Imhotep (at the MET) is of the goddess πΉπ Hathor π‘ in her cowΒ π€ππππΒ form!
Hathor π‘ is one of the most prominent goddesses πΉπΉπΉπ of the Egyptian pantheon, and her roles evolved over time. Along with Isis π¨ππ₯, she is regarded as the βdivine motherβ of the pharaoh ππ», but is also the goddess πΉπ of love, joy π«ππ£, music πππΈ (she was often depicted on sistrums πππππ£πͺ), and dance – basically the fun things in life πΉ! Hathor is also mentioned as the the wife πππ of Horus π π, and the daughter π πof Ra π³πΊπ, though through times some of these relations have changed/evolved.
The name ππ βHathor π‘β in Middle Egyptian translates to βHouse of Horusβ which links Hathor π‘ to the sky πͺππ― (because the sky πͺππ― is where Horus π π dwells). Absorbing the roles of pre-dynastic deities, Hathor was associated with both the night πΌπππ sky πͺππ― and the Milky Way Galaxy ππ΄πππ.
Another function that Hathor π‘ possessed that not many are aware of was that she was also a prominent funerary goddess πΉπ! One of her roles was to provide peace and solace to the souls πππ of the deceased π ππ± as they entered the afterlife πΌπΏππ. She was referred to as βMistress of the West,β and could be found welcoming the dead π ππ± with fresh water π. She also earned the title βLady of the Sycamore,β and was also seen as a tree ππ π goddess πΉπ.
This is a blue-greenΒ π ππΒ faienceΒ π£πππΈπΌΒ cosmetic box at the MET that is in the shape of a column. While the exact date of the box is unknown, this type of column style was popular during the Ptolemaic Period (c. 664-300 B.C.E.), hence why archaeologists think it is from that time period. The reason why the date of the cosmetic box is undetermined is because finding boxes like this is very rare!Β
These type of cosmetic boxes (where two π» pieces are attached by a peg that allows it to swing open and closed) are more commonly found in the shape of spoons or boxes and are usually dated to the New Kingdom. The stains on the inside of this box indicate that it may have contained ointment πΈπππ―π at one point!
While many noble peopleππ€π»π»π»/aristocrats would have had cosmetic boxes, this one is believed to have been used in a temple πππ ritual due to the fact that it looks like a column from a temple πππ!
Today ππππ³ we are going to be looking at a popular inscription πππ₯! This inscription πππ₯ is on an ostracon, which is basically either a broken piece of limestone ππππ (in this case), pottery π πππ, a rock ππππ, etc. that was used for drawing/writing practice π΄π π§π. You can definitely tell that this was practice π΄π π§π because you can still see the red π§πππ grid lines on the limestone ππππ! The grid lines were really important because it allowed the artist to draw out the hieroglyphs πΉππͺ evenly, so everything was the same size!
I have definitely spoken about this phrase before, but letβs take a closer look!
πΉ – Life
π½ – Stability
π – Strength
The βsandal strap πΉβ more commonly known as the βAnkh,β is a triliteral phonogram that has the sound βΛnαΈ«β which would sound like βankh.β Should it can be an ideogram for βsandal strapβ and βmirror,β the βsandal strap πΉβ is much more commonly seen as the word for βLife.β
The βreed column π½β more commonly known as the βDjed Pillarβ is a biliteral phonogram that has the sound βαΈdβ which sounds like βDjed.β It also functions as an ideogram for βStability,β like in the inscription above. The Djed Pillar π½ is thought to represent the spine of Osiris πΉπ¨π.
The βanimal headed staff πβ is a triliteral phonogram that represents the sounds βw3s,β which would probably be pronounced like βwas.β The symbol functions as an ideogram for the word βstaff,β but most of the time, you will see it represent the word βStrength.β
This common phrase βπΉπ½πβ is seen everywhere, and a lot of the times appears as βππΉπ½π – Given Life, Stability and Strengthβ or βππΉπ½ππ – Given Life, Stability and Strength for Eternity.β This phrase was so popular because it held a lot of meaning in ancient Egyptian culture/religion! This phrase is almost like a blessing, ensuring that the person being spoken about in the inscription πππ₯ is all of these qualities! This phrase can be used with both the living πΉππ and the dead π ππ±!
Today ππππ³ we are going to be looking at an inscription πππ₯ from a Middle Kingdom relief from the reign πΎ of the pharaoh ππ» Montuhotep II π ππΏπ ±π΅ππͺ (c. 2010-2000 B.C.E.).
The inscription πππ₯ reads: πΊπππ . Letβs break this down!
πΊπ – Be (could also mean βExistβ) (sounds like βwnβ)
π – He (sounds like βfβ)
π – Foremost (could also be βIn Front Ofβ) (sounds like αΈ«nt)
So the translation of πΊπππ would be βMay He Be Foremostβ¦β or βMay He Be In Front Of.β The name ππ of a deity πΉ or other religious figure (such as soul π) would usually follow, but that part of the relief is cut off!
By itself, the word βπΊππβ can actually mean βto be gladβ or βto be happyβ – the last symbol at the end changes the meaning of the phrase!
The word βforemost π β can also be written as βππβ – βππβ can also be translated as βbest.β
Just like any language, in Middle Egyptian there can be two different ways to write/say the same word or one single word can have multiple meanings!
