One of the most popular types of jewelry amongst the elite – including the pharaohs ๐๐ป๐ฆ and royal family is known as the broad collar ๐ ฑ๐ด๐๐บ๐. In Middle Egyptian, the word for broad collar was ๐ ฑ๐ด๐๐บ๐ (pronounced โwesekh) or simply just the determinative hieroglyph ๐ could be used for the whole word. This particular broad collar ๐ ฑ๐ด๐๐บ๐ was made during the late 18th Dynasty.
The broad collar ๐ ฑ๐ด๐๐บ๐ was the necklace of choice by both the gods ๐น๐น๐น and the pharaohs ๐๐ป๐ฆ and it reached peak popularity during the 18th Dynasty. Broad collars ๐ ฑ๐ด๐๐บ๐๐ฆ could be made of many different types of materials, including gold ๐๐๐๐, but the one shown in this picture are made of blue ๐๐น๐๐ฟ๐ธ๐ฅ faience ๐ฃ๐๐๐ธ๐ผ beads. This broad collar ๐ ฑ๐ด๐๐บ๐ is in almost perfect condition!
Underneath the broad collar ๐ ฑ๐ด๐๐บ๐ is actually a spoon! It is not a spoon that was used for eating, but instead used to hold ointment ๐ด๐ผ๐๐. The top part of the spoon swivels open! It is fashioned after a pomegranate ๐๐๐๐ ๐ญ, and the spoon part itself is supposed to be a pomegranate ๐๐๐๐ ๐ญ fruit. Fun fact: pomegranate ๐๐๐๐ ๐ญ flowers and fruit never appear on the plant at the same time, so maybe the spoon is representative of the growth from flowers to fruit/the life cycle of the plant??!! We will never know!
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 is a black granite ๐๐๐๐๐ณ๐ฟ stela ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ธ shows the god ๐น Sobek ๐ด๐๐ก๐ in sunken relief. This stela is dated to the reign of Thutmosis III ๐ ๐ ๐ด (18th Dynasty). The stela ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ธ originally belonged to a soldier named Amunemhat and he dedicated it to one of Sobekโs ๐ด๐๐ก๐ temples. Thutmosis III ๐ ๐ ๐ด saw a lot of military victories, and that is probably how Anunemhat was able to pay for this small stela ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ธ.
On the stela ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ธ, Sobek ๐ด๐๐ก๐ is seen in crocodile ๐ ๐ด๐๐ form standing on an altar ๐ต๐๐ช with an elaborate headdress on his head. There is an offering table ๐๐๐ ก๐ฟ๐ in front of him that contains bread ๐๐๐ and meat ๐๐ ฑ๐๐น, which were very common things to be left as offerings ๐ต๐๐ช๐ ๐๐ฆ to either a god ๐น or the dead. Amunemhat is seen kneeling in the lower right corner of the stela ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ธ. Due to the faded hieroglyphs itโs very hard for me to translate them though next to Amunemhatโs head ๐ถ๐บ you can see โ ๐๐ ๐โ which is โAmunโ and this the start of Amunemhatโs name ๐๐.
Sobek ๐ด๐๐ก๐ had been worshipped since the Old Kingdom and is mentioned in the Pyramid Texts as being the son ๐ ญ of the goddess ๐น๐ Neith ๐๐๐๐ญ. He was a water god ๐น , and also of areas such as marshes and rivers/riverbanks. Sobek ๐ด๐๐ก๐ usually appears in art as a crocodile ๐ ๐ด๐๐ or as a man with a crocodile ๐ ๐ด๐๐ head. The elaborate headdress on his head is representative of the sun disk ๐ณ๐บ with tall plumes on either side.
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!
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
This is another amazing piece from Gallery 115 at the MET – aka The Hatshepsut Room (as I call it). This granite ๐๐๐๐๐ณ๐ฟ statue ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ is from the joint reign of Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช and Thutmosis III ๐ณ๐ ๐ฃ It is titled โHead and Shoulders of a Sphinx of Hatshepsutโ because it used to be part of a large Sphinx ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ๐ค.
Six ๐ฟ large sphinxes ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ๐ฆ of Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช were found at Deir el-Bahri ๐ฆ๐๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ during the excavations done by the MET. Though it is hard to see in the picture๐๐ ฑ๐, the sphinx ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ๐ค does actually have some remainders of the original paint on it! I canโt even imagine how beautiful ๐ค it must have looked after it was just carved and painted!
Much like your typical Sphinx ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ๐ค, Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช is seen wearing the false beard and the nemes headcloth ๐๐ ๐ด, which was the normal style for how pharaohs ๐๐ป๐ฆ were depicted.
A lot of Hatshepsutโs statues ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ๐ช that are from her temple at Deir el-Bahri ๐ฆ๐๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ are made of either granite ๐๐๐๐๐ณ๐ฟ or red granite ๐ ๐ณ๐๐ถ, which is a very hard rock ๐๐๐๐ (aka very resistant to weathering/breakdown). Granite ๐๐๐๐๐ณ๐ฟ was mined is Aswan ๐ด๐น๐๐๐ฒ๐ and then shipped up the Nile ๐๐๐๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐บ- definitely an incredible journey!
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
This is a stela ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ธ for a man ๐๐๐ค named Irethoreru and it is dated to the 25th Dynasty (Third Intermediate Period, c. 775-663 B.C.E.). This stela is composed of the igneous rock ๐๐๐๐ syenite, which is very similar to granite ๐๐๐๐๐ณ๐ฟ except for the fact that it contains much less quartz ๐ ๐๐๐. This property is what allows such beautiful ๐ค color contrast between the rock ๐๐๐๐ itself versus the sunken relief. The contrast between the two ๐ป makes this stela ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ธ particularly stunning in my opinion.
On the right side, we can see Irethoreru making an offering ๐ต๐๐ช๐๐๐ฆ to Osiris ๐น๐จ๐ญ and Isis ๐จ๐๐ฅ. All three ๐ผ figures are standing underneath Horus the Behdetite (the winged solar disc with uraei ๐๐๐๐๐), which is a representation of Horus ๐ ๐ญ that was popular on stelae ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ธ๐ช and temple decorations throughout many Egyptian time periods.
Letโs read some hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช!
๐จ๐๐ – Isis (Isis is more commonly written like this โ๐จ๐๐ฅโ or โ ๐จ๐๐๐ฅโ) ๐ จ๐ – Great One ๐น๐ – Godโs Mother/Goddess
๐น๐จ๐ญ – โOsirisโ ๐น๐ผ – โGreat Godโ ๐๐ฏ – โLord of the Skyโ (๐ฏ by itself usually means โabove,โ but for this translation itโs just the word sky/heaven which is usually written as ๐ช๐๐ฏ. This is usually Amunโs ๐๐ ๐๐ญ title so itโs a little strange to see it associated with Osiris ๐น๐จ๐ญ!) ๐พ – Ruler ๐ – Eternity
This beautiful ๐ค limestone ๐๐๐๐ relief is from the tomb ๐๐ซ๐๐ of a man ๐๐๐ค named Dagi, who served as vizier ๐ ท๐๐บ๐ and treasurer ๐จ๐ ฑ during the reign of Montuhotep II ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ ฑ๐ต๐๐ช (Dynasty 11, c. 2010โ2000 B.C.E.). It is unclear if the two ๐ป men ๐ด๐๐ shown in this relief are Dagiโs sons, or if they are other officials ๐ด๐๐๐ฆ. The two ๐ป men ๐ด๐๐ are wearing blue ๐๐น๐๐ฟ๐ธ๐ฅ armlets ๐๐ด๐ก๐๐ ฑ๐ช and broad collars ๐ ฑ๐ด๐๐บ๐. This type of jewelry, while expensive to obtain in real life, was very common to see in reliefs.
While very simple, the hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช in this relief show the name โ๐จ๐๐ ญโ, which is pronounced as โSaisetโ and translates to โSon of Isis.โ This is actually one of the earliest examples of the goddess ๐น๐ Isis ๐จ๐๐ฅ actually being used as part of a name ๐๐.
I am always a big fan of the simple reliefs that have a ton of color. Itโs amazing how artifacts that are so old are still able to retain their color and beauty after thousands of years. No matter how many times I see stuff like this, it always amazes me!
This is the ushabti ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ of Sati, and the Brooklyn Museum has two ๐ป of them! The ushabti ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ dates to either the reign of Amenhotep III ๐ณ๐ง๐ or Akhenaten ๐๐๐๐ณ๐ ๐๐ (New Kingdom, Dynasty 18, c. 1390-1352 B.C.E.).
This piece is unique because of the color (I love the blue ๐ ๐๐ accents) and extreme attention to detail – the process to make it was so labor intensive that only a few like these were made!! While Sati was not royal (the only title associated with her was โmistress of the houseโ), these ushabtis ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ were clearly a royal gift just due to the craftsmanship that went into making it.
This ushabti ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ is made out of faience ๐ฃ๐๐๐ธ๐ผ and is mummiform in appearance, with the arms ๐๐ฆ crossed along the chest. In each hand ๐๐บ, the ushabti ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ is holding a hoe and a basket. This indicates that the ushabti ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ was meant to do some type of agricultural labor for the deceased ๐ ๐๐ฑ in the afterlife ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐! The ushabti ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ is also wearing a broad collar ๐ ฑ๐ด๐๐บ๐.
