While my favorite non-royal has always been Senemut ๐ข๐๐ ๐ผ due to his prominence and importance during Hatshepsut’s ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช reign, my Nonnoโs favorite has always been Paser ๐ ฎ๐๐ฝ. These are some of Paserโs ๐ ฎ๐๐ฝ ushabtis ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ. The ushabtis ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ served as substitutes for the deceased ๐ ๐๐ฑ and would perform labor or jobs for them in the afterlife ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐. They are usually inscribed with spells which are specific to a certain task!
Paser ๐ ฎ๐๐ฝ was one of the most prominent men of his time and he served under two ๐ป pharaohs ๐๐ป – Seti I ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ and then Rameses II ๐ณ๐๐ง๐ณ๐๐.
Paser ๐ ฎ๐๐ฝ served many different roles over twenty-five ๐๐๐พ years! He was vizier ๐ ท๐๐บ๐ and one of his most famous works is the tomb ๐๐ซ๐๐ of Seti I ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ in the Valley of the Kings! A vizier ๐ ท๐๐บ๐ was the highest ranking official ๐ด๐๐ and was the most powerful position in the government, besides the pharaoh ๐๐ป. Not only was the vizier ๐ ท๐๐บ๐ the most trusted advisor to the pharaoh ๐๐ป, but he also saw to the day-to-day operations of the government. The vizier ๐ ท๐๐บ๐ was in charge of architecture, taxation, agriculture, military, judicial, financial, and many other things. Honestly that sounds exhausting ๐!
Paser ๐ ฎ๐๐ฝ had many different titles, including โHigh Preist of Amun,โ โsuperintendent of every work of the king,โ and โchief of secrets of the hieroglyphs.โ
This post will be about two statues from different museums that are very similar!
This is a wooden ๐ฑ๐๐บ statue ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ of the goddess ๐น๐ Nephthys ๐ ๐๐ dated from the Late Period – Ptolemaic Period. I am always amazed when wooden ๐ฑ๐๐บ statues are in such great condition – even though the paint is chipping in some places, the statue ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ still retained much of its original color!
Wooden Statue of Nephthys at the Brooklyn Museum
Along with her sister ๐ข๐๐ Isis ๐จ๐๐ฅ, Nephthys ๐ ๐๐ was a protector ๐ ๐๐ก๐ of the dead and this statue ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ was most likely used for funerary purposes. The crown on her head is one of the hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช that is used in her name (๐ ), which makes Nephthys ๐ ๐๐ very easy to identify in tomb art/funerary art. Her hand/arm ๐๐บ is raised in what is thought to me a mourning position, and this statue ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ was most likely placed in a tomb ๐๐ซ๐๐.
Nephthysโ ๐ ๐๐ title was โMistress of the House ๐๐๐๐บ.โ Her name ๐๐ could also be written as ๐๐๐๐๐๐ฏ๐. The three ๐ผ symbols โ๐๐๐โ can be combined to make the โ๐ โ symbol, which is not only the crown, but a space saver when writing out hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช!
Nephthysโ ๐ ๐๐ hair is blue ๐๐น๐๐ฟ๐ธ๐ฅ because it was supposed to be the same color as lapis lazuli ๐๐ด๐๐ง๐ง! Lapis lazuli ๐๐ด๐๐ง๐ง is a stone (usually found in modern day Afghanistan) and was considered to be worth more than gold ๐๐๐๐ by the ancient Egyptians ๐๐๐๐๐ช because it had to be traded for! Many of the gods ๐น๐น๐น and goddesses ๐น๐น๐น๐ were thought to have blue ๐๐น๐๐ฟ๐ธ๐ฅ lapis lazuli ๐๐ด๐๐ง๐ง hair!
This is a wooden ๐ฑ๐๐บ statue ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ of the goddess ๐น๐ Isis ๐จ๐๐ฅ is dated from the Late Period – Ptolemaic Period. Once again, this wooden ๐ฑ๐๐บ statue is in such great condition! When I saw the statue of Nephthys ๐ ๐๐ in the Brooklyn Museum, it immediately reminded me of this statue of Isis ๐จ๐๐ฅ at the Louvre!
Wooden Statue of Isis at the Louvre
Isis ๐จ๐๐ฅ was a protector ๐ ๐๐ก๐ of the dead and the wife to Osiris ๐น๐จ๐ญ. This statue ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ was most likely used for funerary purposes. Her hands/arms ๐๐ฆ are raised in what is thought to be a mourning position, and this statue ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ was most likely placed in a tomb ๐๐ซ๐๐.
The crown on her head is one of the hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช that is used in her name (๐จ), which makes Isis ๐จ๐๐ฅ very easy to identify in tomb art/funerary art. Isis can also be written as ๐จ๐๐ or ๐ฟ๐จ๐๐ฅ, but no matter what, the โ๐จโ always appears in her name ๐๐!
Much like the statue of Nephthysโ ๐ ๐๐ from the Brooklyn Museum, Isisโ ๐จ๐๐ฅ hair is blue ๐๐น๐๐ฟ๐ธ๐ฅ because it was supposed to be the same color as lapis lazuli ๐๐ด๐๐ง๐ง! Many of the gods ๐น๐น๐น and goddesses ๐น๐น๐น๐ were thought to have blue ๐๐น๐๐ฟ๐ธ๐ฅ lapis lazuli ๐๐ด๐๐ง๐ง hair!
This limestone ๐๐๐๐ sculpture of the goddess ๐น๐ Hathor ๐ก is one of my favorite pieces that I saw in the Louvre. This piece is dated to the Ptolemaic Period, and used to be part of a column.
Hathorโs ๐ก name ๐๐ in hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช is quite unique compared to some of the other gods/goddesses. Her name ๐๐ is composed of a composite hieroglyph ๐น๐ which literally translates to โHouse of Horus.โ Hathor ๐ก was the goddess ๐น๐ of women ๐๐๐๐๐๐ช, motherhood, joy, music ๐๐๐ธ, happiness ๐ซ๐ ฑ๐, and a goddess ๐น๐ of the afterlife ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐.
One detail that I love about this piece is that Hathor ๐ก is shown with her cow ears! Hathor ๐ก was usually depicted in Egyptian art as either a woman ๐๐๐๐๐ or a cow ๐ค๐๐๐๐, so this little detail is just so cool! Another detail that I love is how her wig is decorated with rosettes! The details are in raised relief, which only make them stand out more.
In Middle Egyptian, the words โbeautiful womanโ and โcowโ were the same – the only thing that was different was the determinative symbol! This was most likely due to an association with Hathor ๐ก, and to this day remains one of my favorite โfun factsโ about hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช!
This limestone ๐๐๐๐ relief of Montuhotep II ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ ฑ๐ต๐๐ช (11th Dynasty) is gorgeous ๐ค because the hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช are so beautifully ๐ค carved! Itโs amazing how pieces that are so old can be in such amazing condition!
This piece is interesting because the direction that you read the hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช from keeps changing! The two ๐ป lines Iโm going to translate are actually from different inscriptions!!
Letโs read some hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช!
๐ฅ๐ ญ๐ณ(๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ ฑ๐ต๐๐ช)๐ ๐ฅ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐๐น๐ฝ๐ – โKing of Upper and Lower Egypt, Son of Ra, Montuhotep II, Uniter of the Two Lands, Given Life, Stability and Strengthโ
๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ ฑ – โWords Spoken By Montuโ
The phrase ๐ ๐ฅ๐ฟ๐ฟ โUniter of the Two Landsโ is a variant of Mentuhotep IIโs ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ ฑ๐ต๐๐ช Nebty Name. The Nebty Name is honestly more of a title than a name. It means โtwo ladiesโ and that refers to the goddesses ๐น๐น๐น๐ Nekhbet ๐๐๐๐ ๐ and Wadjet ๐ ๐๐๐, who can both be represented by the hieroglyph โ ๐ .โ Nekhbet ๐๐๐๐ ๐ is a goddess ๐น๐ of Upper Egypt and is represented by the vulture while Wadjet ๐ ๐๐๐ is a goddess ๐น๐ of Lower Egypt and is represented by the cobra. Showing the two ๐ป goddesses ๐น๐น๐น๐ together represented a unified Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐.
The relief shows Seti I ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ and the goddess ๐น๐ Hathor ๐ก. Hathor ๐ก was known as the Lady of the West (the underworld ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐). The West and the Underworld ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ were equated by the ancient Egyptians ๐๐๐๐๐ช because the sun ๐ณ๐บ set in the west! Here, she is seen welcoming Seti I ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ into her domain, while offering him her menat necklace ๐ง, a symbol of protection. They are even holding hands ๐ง๐๐บ! This relief was originally from Seti Iโs ๐ช๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ธ๐ tomb ๐๐ซ๐๐, which is actually the biggest tomb ๐๐ซ๐๐ in the Valley of the Kings!
Letโs read some hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช!
๐ก๐ถ๐ท๐๐๐๐ – โHathor, Chief one of Thebesโ
๐๐ฟ๐ฟ(๐ณ๐ฆ๐ ) – โLord of the Two Lands, Maatmenraโ (Maatmenra is the throne name)
๐๐๐ฅ(๐ช๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ธ๐) – โLord of the Two Lands Seti, Beloved of Ptahโ (Seti is the birth name)
๐๐น ๐ณ๐๐บ๐ – โGiven Eternal Life, Like Raโ
Triads (groups of three ๐ผ) were popular among ancient Egyptian statuary and mythology. This piece from the Louvre is called the โRoyal and Divine Triadโ (Dynasty 19, New Kingdom c. 1279-1203 B.C.E.) because it represents three ๐ผ of the most powerful figures in the Egyptian pantheon. Rameses II ๐๐ ๐๐๐ณ๐บ๐๐ด๐ or his son ๐ ญ Merenptah ๐ณ๐๐๐๐น๐น๐น is on the left, Osiris ๐น๐จ๐ญ is in the middle, while Horus ๐ ๐ญ is on the right. The pharaoh ๐๐ป was viewed as a god ๐น on Earth, Horus ๐ ๐ญ was the king of the gods ๐น๐น๐น, and Osiris ๐น๐จ๐ญ was lord ๐ of the afterlife.
I find this piece super interesting because the pharaoh ๐๐ป kind of inserted himself amongst the most famous of the Egyptian triads – Isis ๐จ๐๐ฅ, Osiris ๐น๐จ๐ญ and Horus ๐ ๐ญ – who were supposed to represent the divine family (mother ๐ ๐๐, father ๐๐๐, and child ๐๐๐). In some instances (like with this statue), the pharaoh ๐๐ป would function as the child in the statue.
Not all triads represented families, though that was the most common. Ptah ๐ช๐๐๐ฑ, Sekhmet ๐๐๐ ๐๐, and Nefertem ๐ค๐๐๐๐๐ฏ was a family triad that was extremely popular in Memphis. During the New Kingdom (around the time of Tutankhamun ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ฑ๐๐น๐พ๐บ๐), the triad of Amun ๐๐ ๐, Ra ๐ณ๐บ๐, and Ptah ๐ช๐๐๐ฑ became very popular due to the powerful nature of these three ๐ผ deities
Here is a sunken relief of the god ๐น Horus ๐ ๐ญ in white ๐๐๐ณ limestone ๐๐๐๐ at the Louvre! This is a simple but beautiful ๐ค piece!
Geology Lesson!!! Limestone ๐๐๐๐ was incredibly abundant in Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐ because about 500 million years ago (for perspective, the dinosaurs first started evolving around 250 million years ago), Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐ was completely underwater! Limestone ๐๐๐๐ (and other sedimentary rocks ๐๐๐๐๐ฆ) mostly form under large bodies of water like oceans and seas! If Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐ didnโt have the abundance of limestone ๐๐๐๐ that it does, the Egyptian civilization would have been very different! The geology gave the Egyptians ๐๐๐๐๐ช the natural resources they needed to build the worldโs most successful ancient civilization!
Eguptโs geologic history is also cool because the Egyptian creation myth says that everything started off as water ๐ and the primordial mound rose out of the primordial sea! The creation myth corresponds with Egyptโs ๐๐ ๐๐ geologic past!
Horus ๐ ๐ญ was one of the most important gods ๐น๐น๐น in the Egyptian pantheon. Horus ๐ ๐ญ was the mythological representation of the pharaoh ๐๐ป/heir to the throne of Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐. He is usually represented as a human body with a falcon head. On his head, Horus is always seen wearing the double crown ๐, which is the combination of the white crown ๐ (๐ค๐) of Upper Egypt ๐ and the red crown ๐ (๐ง๐๐๐๐) of Lower Egypt ๐ค. The double crown ๐ was representative of a unified Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐ under the pharaohโs ๐๐ป rule ๐พ.
I absolutely love the wooden ๐ฑ๐๐บ tomb ๐๐ซ๐๐ models. I could literally spend hours just looking at them!
Wooden ๐ฑ๐๐บ models were very popular in the Middle Kingdom and were usually put in tombs ๐๐ซ๐๐. The boats ๐ง๐ช๐๐๐ฆ were symbolic, and were meant to help the deceased on their journey in the afterlife ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐. When a person died, their body was carried in a boat ๐ง๐ช๐๐ across the Nile ๐๐๐๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐บ in a symbolic representation of the journey of the soul ๐- from the land of the living to the land of the dead ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐. This directly mirrors Raโs ๐ณ๐บ๐ daily journey across the sky ๐ช๐๐ฏ.
Tombs usually contained two ๐ป boats ๐ง๐ช๐๐๐ฆ: one sailing in a northward direction, and one sailing in a southward direction.
So many wooden ๐ฑ๐๐บ model boats ๐ง๐ช๐๐๐ฆ have been found because boats ๐ง๐ช๐๐๐ฆ were essential to daily Egyptian life along the Nile River ๐๐๐๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐บ. Boats ๐ง๐ช๐๐๐ฆ were not only essential for transporting people, goods and construction materials, but also for the gods ๐น๐น๐น and their journeys as well.
This particular boat ๐ง๐ช๐๐ is so beautiful ๐ค because so many of the oarsmen are there!
As Iโve stated many times before (itโs a family trait – we always repeat the same stories ๐), my Nonno loved Sekhmet ๐๐๐ ๐๐. Now every time I see a statue ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ of her, I think of my Nonno.
In Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐, most of the feline ๐ ๐๐ ฑ๐ deities were female! This was most likely intentional – much like a lioness ๐ณ๐น๐ฟ๐๐ can be gentle and nurturing with her cubs, she can also be extremely fierce and aggressive when she needs to protect ๐ ๐๐ก๐ them. This duality is quintessential to not only Sekhmetโs ๐๐๐ ๐๐ role in the Egyptian pantheon, but to the other feline ๐ ๐๐ ฑ๐ goddesses ๐น๐๐ช as well!
Sekhmet ๐๐๐ ๐๐ is always seen with a sun-disk ๐ณ๐บ on her head ๐ถ๐บ, which shows that she is the daughter ๐ ญ๐ of Ra ๐ณ๐บ๐. She was known as the goddess ๐น๐ of destruction/war, and her name ๐๐ means โshe who is powerful.โ She could also represent the destructive aspects of the sun ๐ณ๐บ, such as extreme heat. There were many religious rituals designed to appease her. Sekhmet ๐๐๐ ๐๐ was feared for being a very powerful and very destructive goddess ๐น๐.
These particular statues ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ๐ช of Sekhmet ๐๐๐ ๐๐ was made during the rule of Amenhotep III ๐ณ๐ง๐ during the 18th Dynasty.
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 didnโt want to miss anything!
One of the first cartouches I learned to read were for Rameses II ๐ณ๐๐ง๐ณ๐๐. I always felt so proud as a little girl when I could recognize the names of the pharaohs ๐๐ป๐ฆ on the artifacts! Rameses IIโs ๐ณ๐๐ง๐ณ๐๐ name ๐๐ is always a good one to know because he put his name ๐๐ everywhere! He usurped a lot of monuments from previous pharaohs ๐๐ป๐ฆ and replaced their names with his own. Rameses II ๐ณ๐๐ง๐ณ๐๐ also had a lot of variations of his name ๐๐ 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:
(๐๐ ๐๐๐ณ๐บ๐๐ด๐), (๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ด๐), and (๐๐ ๐๐๐๐บ๐๐ด๐) are all different variations of Rameses IIโs birth name! While โspelledโ with different hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช, they actually all mean the same thing! For example, ๐ณ๐บ, ๐, and ๐ are all used to designate โRaโ while ๐๐ ๐ and ๐ฉ are used for Amun! (๐ณ๐๐ง๐ณ๐๐) which is seen on the column in the picture ๐๐ ฑ๐ is his throne name! Whatโs really cool is that a very similar column also belonging to Rameses II can be found in the British Museum too!
