Tag: hatshepsut

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The Sarcophagus of Senemut

This large quartzite oval (that has been reconstructed from over 1200 pieces) is the Sarcophagus π“ŽŸπ“‹Ήπ“ˆ–π“π“Š­ of Senemut π“Œ’π“ˆ–π“…π“€Ό!Β 

There are many interesting things about this sarcophagus π“ŽŸπ“‹Ήπ“ˆ–π“π“Š­! For one, it is actually painted π“žπ“œ red π“‚§π“ˆ™π“‚‹π“…Ÿ so it looks more like red quartzite, which is more valuable! Another, is that it is extremely similar to Hatshepsut’s π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ second sarcophagus π“ŽŸπ“‹Ήπ“ˆ–π“π“Š­ in terms of composition/rock type, so they must have been quarried at the same time!

The inscriptions π“Ÿπ“›π“₯ on the sarcophagus are from various chapters of the Book of the Dead, and many deities π“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“ŠΉ such as Nut π“Œπ“π“‡―π“€­, Isis π“Š¨π“π“₯, Nephthys 𓉠𓏏𓆇, and Anubis π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“Šͺ𓅱𓃣 all make appearances along with the usual dedications that the deceased would make to these deities π“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“ŠΉ. Unfortunately due to the state the sarcophagus π“ŽŸπ“‹Ήπ“ˆ–π“π“Š­ was found in, many of the inscriptions π“Ÿπ“›π“₯ are now fragmented, but Egyptologists can put together the pieces!

Senemut π“Œ’π“ˆ–π“…π“€Ό, although not of noble birth, became an extremely important figure during the reign of Hatshepsut π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ  Senemut π“Œ’π“ˆ–π“…π“€Ό was Hatshepsut’s π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ closest advisor, the tutor for her daughter Neferure 𓇳𓄀𓄀𓄀, and the architect responsible for building her mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahari 𓂦𓂋𓂦π“₯𓉐. Some of Senemut’s π“Œ’π“ˆ–π“…π“€Ό many titles appear on the sarcophagus as well, such as Steward of Amun, Chief Steward of the King, Overseer of the Treasury, Granary, Fields, Cattle of Amun, a Controller of Works, and so many more!

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Egyptian Artifacts

Canopic Jar Lid Found in Senemut’s Tomb

This very simple and unassuming lid of a canopic jar was found in the tomb π“‡‹π“«π“Šƒπ“‰ of Senemut π“Œ’π“ˆ–π“…π“€Ό (can also be written without a determinative π“Œ’π“ˆ–π“…). Senemut π“Œ’π“ˆ–π“…π“€Ό rose to become the most important official π“‹΄π“‚‹π“€€ during Hatshepsut’s π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ reign and held over 80 π“Ž†π“Ž†π“Ž†π“Ž†π“Ž†π“Ž†π“Ž†π“Ž† different titles.

Senemut π“Œ’π“ˆ–π“…π“€Ό was referred to as a β€œHigh Steward 𓄂𓂝𓀀 (literally translated as β€œarm is in front”), which meant he was much more than just an official π“‹΄π“‚‹π“€€ in Hatshepsut’s π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ government. In a lot of inscriptions, Senemut is sometimes simply referred to as an overseer 𓄓𓉐𓏀, since that seems to summarize his various roles. As the Chief Royal Architect, Senemut π“Œ’π“ˆ–π“…π“€Ό supervised all of Hatshepsut’s π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ building projects, including at least one of her massive obelisks 𓉢𓉢𓉢.

Senemut π“Œ’π“ˆ–π“…π“€Ό was also the tutor for Hatshepsut’s π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ daughter Neferure 𓇳𓄀𓄀𓄀, which is how he is depicted in statuary 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾 a lot of the time. Some other common titles include Steward of Amun, Chief Steward of the King, Overseer of the Treasury, Granary, Fields, Cattle of Amun, a Controller of Works, and so many more! I guess Senemut π“Œ’π“ˆ–π“…π“€Ό was a workaholic!

Back to the canopic jar lid – it is actually debated l if this lid represents Senemut π“Œ’π“ˆ–π“…π“€Ό or not! Based on other statues 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾π“ͺ of Senemut π“Œ’π“ˆ–π“…π“€Ό, I personally think that the canopic jar lid is in Senemut’s π“Œ’π“ˆ–π“…π“€Ό likeness, however, that is just my inference/personal opinion. The lid is dated to the joint reign of Hatshepsut π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ and Thutmosis III 𓇳𓏠𓆣 (c. 1479–1458 B.C.E.), however, based on what I have read the actual date this piece was made seems to be debated, even though it was found in Senemut’s π“Œ’π“ˆ–π“…π“€Ό tomb π“‡‹π“«π“Šƒπ“‰.

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Egyptian Artifacts Reading Hieroglyphs

Ointment Jars from Deir el-Bahri

These ointment jars were found amongst many other artifacts in the foundation deposits of Hatshepsut’s π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ temple π“‰Ÿπ“π“‰ at Deir el-Bahri 𓂦𓂋𓂦π“₯𓉐. While foundation deposits can be traced all the way back to the 3rd Dynasty, putting ointment jars in them date back to the 12th Dynasty. There are fourteen foundation deposits associated with Hatshepsut’s π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ temple π“‰Ÿπ“π“‰!

These ointment jars that were found are made of travertine and many have hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ with Hatshepsut’s π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ names π“‚‹π“ˆ–π“¦ on them! Many of the jars found at Deir el-Bahri 𓂦𓂋𓂦π“₯𓉐 contain oil stains, which means that they were probably used primarily to hold oil that was used in ceremonies at the temple π“‰Ÿπ“π“‰. You can also see a blue 𓇋𓁹𓏏𓄿𓏸π“₯ faience π“‹£π“ˆ–π“π“Έπ“Ό, which were very common to find in foundation deposits too!

I love seeing the artifacts from the foundation deposits because they give a glimpse into cool things such as temple π“‰Ÿπ“π“‰ construction and religious worship! The artifacts found in foundation deposits also contain the cartouches of the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 under whom the temple π“‰Ÿπ“π“‰ was constructed under!

One of the ointment jars has some simple text on it! Let’s read some hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ!

π“ŠΉπ“π“„€ – The Perfect Goddess
𓇳𓁦𓂓 – Maatkare
π“‹Ήπ“˜ – May She Live!

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Egyptian Artifacts Reading Hieroglyphs

Hatshepsut as Female King

I seem to always talk about the white limestone π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“ˆ™π“Œ‰ statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾 of Hatshepsut π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ because it’s my favorite, but I never seem to discuss the red granite π“…“π“Œ³π“π“ŽΆ statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾 of Hatshepsut π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ or β€œHatshepsut as Female King.” This statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾 is my second π“Œπ“» favorite!

The most striking aspect of this statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾 is that Hatshepsut’s π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ face, which displays feminine features, remained pretty much intact! Many of Hatshepsut’s 𓇳𓁦𓂓 statues 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾π“ͺ have the faces destroyed, possibly in an attempt to destroy her image 𓏏𓅱𓏏 so she would be forgotten from history. Many blame Thutmosis III 𓇳𓏠𓆣 for this, but actually any motivation behind this deliberate destruction of Hatshepsut π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ is unknown and mostly speculation.

It’s very difficult to read the hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ on this statue, but you can make out that Hatshepsut 𓇳𓁦𓂓 is using the female version of titles, and referring to herself as a woman!

Let’s read some hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ!
π“„€π“ŠΉπ“ – Perfect Goddess
𓇳𓁦𓂓 – Maatkare

Something interesting about this statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾 (that cannot be seen in my pictures) is that Taweret 𓏏𓄿𓅩𓂋𓏏𓆗, the goddess π“ŠΉπ“ that protects π“…“π“‚π“Ž‘π“€œ women π“Šƒπ“π“‚‘π“π“π“ͺ in childbirth (and women/children in general), is actually carved into the back of the statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾! This is the only deity π“ŠΉ that is overtly carved into Hatshepsut’s 𓇳𓁦𓂓 statuary so this allows Egyptologists to infer that the statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾 was probably meant to belong in the Hathor 𓉑 shrine π“π“Šƒπ“…“π“‚œπ“‰ at Deir el-Bahri 𓂦𓂋𓂦π“₯𓉐, and was probably used in cult worship 𓇼𓄿𓀒. It’s interesting that a goddess π“ŠΉπ“ specifically aimed towards women π“Šƒπ“π“‚‘π“π“π“ͺ was chosen to be carved!

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Egyptian Artifacts

Hatshepsut at the MET!

Happy 600 𓏲𓏲𓏲𓏲𓏲𓏲 posts to @ancientegyptblog 𓃣 (on Instagram at least)!!

I am so thankful for everyone who reads my posts and follows this account. Thank you 𓋴𓏏𓍯𓄿𓀒 for helping me to keep my Nonno’s name π“‚‹π“ˆ– and image 𓏏𓅱𓏏 alive! That is my main reason for starting this account/website, and I just want to share everything he taught me with the world.

Today I π“‡π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“‡³ wanted to post something special, so here I am with the two 𓏻 best preserved statues 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾π“ͺ we have of Hatshepsut π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ as pharaoh 𓉐𓉻! These are also my two 𓏻 favorite statues 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾π“ͺ from Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š–! I always seem to celebrate this milestones with my favorite pharaoh 𓉐𓉻, because these statues 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾π“ͺ mean the absolute world to me!

While they look different and are made of different materials, these statues 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾π“ͺ are similar to each other in the way that Hatshepsut π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ is portrayed in female dress, but also with the nemes π“ˆ–π“…“π“‹΄ head cloth to show that she is in fact the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻! The hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ on the inscriptions on both statues 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾π“ͺ use the female versions of words when referencing her. For example, β€œLady π“ŽŸπ“β€ is used instead of β€œLord π“ŽŸ.”

Both of these statues 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾π“ͺ were found during excavations at Hatshepsut’s π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahri 𓂦𓂋𓂦π“₯𓉐. This gallery at the MET, which houses these striking statues, has always been my favorite room in any museum. I’m so thankful my Nonno taught me about Hatshepsut π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ and for all of the memories we have in this gallery looking at her statues 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾π“ͺ together π“ˆ–π“Š—. Seeing these statues 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾π“ͺ as a child π“π“‡Œπ“€” helped to ignite my love for studying Egyptian history.

As a kid π“π“‡Œπ“€”, seeing a woman portrayed so beautifully π“„€ and so strong was incredibly inspiring. Hatshepsut π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ has been my idol and inspiration since I was a small child π“π“‡Œπ“€”, and my Nonno even said to me β€œWhy be the queen when you can be the king,” and that is something I try to live by!

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Egyptian Artifacts Reading Hieroglyphs

Closeup of the Hatshepsut Stela

Here’s a closeup of a part of the Hatshepsut 𓇳𓁦𓂓 Stela π“Ž—π“…±π“†“π“‰Έ from the Vatican Museum in Rome! My Nonno took this picture on one of his trips to the museum. He knows how much I love this piece (it’s second only to the limestone statue of Hatshepsut 𓇳𓁦𓂓 at the MET).

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

In the hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ, you can see the cartouches for the throne names (or prenomen) of both Hatshepsut and Thutmosis III. The prenomen was one of the five royal names of the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻.

𓇳𓁦𓂓 = Maatkare (Hatshepsut)
𓇳𓏠𓆣 = Menkhepra (Thutmosis III)

The hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ in between the two cartouches spell out 𓏙𓋹𓇳𓏇 which translates to β€œgiven life like Ra”

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Egyptian Artifacts

Osiride Bust of Hatshepsut

This is a bust of Hatshepsut π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ in the form of Osiris π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­ (Osiride) and originally stood over 15 π“Ž†π“Ύ feet high! This β€œstatue” is originally from her temple π“‰Ÿπ“π“‰ at Deir el-Bahri – this statue was not free-standing – it was actually carved from the blocks that were part of the temple π“‰Ÿπ“π“‰!!! Hatshepsut π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ holds the traditional crook π“‹Ύ and flail π“Œ… across her chest along with an Ankh π“‹Ή and scepter π“Œ€. She once wore the white crown π“‹‘ of Upper Egypt on her head.

About twenty π“Ž†π“Ž† years after Hatshepsut 𓇳𓁦𓂓 died, these statues were cut off of the temple π“‰Ÿπ“π“‰ and thrown into a pit towards the front entrance. There, these Osiride portraits of Hatshepsut 𓇳𓁦𓂓 remained buried until they were discovered by excavators from the MET in the 1930s.

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Reading Hieroglyphs

Scarabs of Hatshepsut with a Translation


Eventually everyone is going to get tired of me talking about Hatshepsut 𓇳𓁦𓂓 but I don’t care! I love anything that has her cartouche on it, and the scarab collection at the MET is no exception!! The MET has a new way of displaying the scarabs that makes it much easier to take pictures, and you can really see each one close up! There are a lot of the scarabs, so eventually you guys will see them all!

These two scarabs have very similar inscriptions carved into them, however one little symbol makes a total difference in the meaning of the inscription! The scarab on the left says β€œπ“‡³π“¦π“‚“π“ŽŸπ“‡Ώπ“‡Ώβ€ which translates to β€œMaatkare, Lord of the Two Lands” while the scarab on the right says β€œπ“‡³π“¦π“‚“π“ŽŸπ“π“‡Ώπ“‡Ώβ€ which translates to β€œMaatkare, Lady of the Two Lands.”

The symbol β€œπ“β€ makes the phrase feminine! It’s really interesting to see a scarab with just the symbol for Lord π“ŽŸ because while Hatshepsut 𓇳𓁦𓂓 was the Pharaoh 𓉐𓉻, most of the inscriptions that pertain to her use the female form of words.

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Egyptian Artifacts

Scarabs of Hathsepsut and Thutmosis III

Here are some of the scarabs that have both the names of Hatshepsut 𓇳𓁦𓂓 and Thutmosis III 𓇳𓏠𓆣.

The three 𓏼 scarabs at the top are inscribed with the cartouche of Thutmosis III, 𓇳𓏠𓆣 while the scarab at the bottom has both of their cartouches. It’s very interesting to see objects with both of their cartouches on it, and these would most likely date from their joint rule before Hatshepsut 𓇳𓁦𓂓 declared herself as the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻.

Something that has always been crazy to me is how detailed and beautiful π“„€ the inscriptions on such small objects can be! I know that the Egyptians π“†Žπ“π“€€π“π“ͺ used molds to make small objects a lot of the time, but the craftsmanship is incredibly impressive! I’m such a bad artist and have zero artistic talent, so I have so much respect π“ˆ™π“†‘π“„… for the people who created all of these beautiful works of art that I get to study and admire.

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Egyptian Artifacts

An Alternate View of Hatshepsut

This is probably going to sound strange to some, but I was so excited to see the back of the Hatshepsut π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ at the MET!

Usually when the statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ is displayed you can’t see the back of it, but since the statue is part of the special exhibition of the 150th anniversary of the MET, it’s in a different room! The different location allowed me to gain new views of my absolute favorite piece!

I had only ever seen the back of the statue in a book 𓅓𓍑𓏏𓏛 that I have from the special exhibition β€œHatshepsut: From Queen to Pharaoh” at the MET in 2006. The back is very interesting because you can still see some of the original paint remaining (although in my photo it is difficult to see)!! The paint is a blue-green 𓇅𓆓𓏛 color!