Tag: artifact

Ushabti Box

Post author By ancientegyptblog7
Post date June 22, 2022

I love ushabtis 𓅱𓈙𓃀𓏏𓏭𓀾𓏪 and so did my Nonno (we have so many pictures 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓏦 of them)! During the Ramesside period and onward, due to the increasing number of ushabti 𓅱𓈙𓃀𓏏𓏭𓀾 figures that people were buried with, the Egyptians 𓆎𓏏𓀀𓁐𓏪 started putting them in boxes! Like the example in the picture 𓏏𓅱𓏏, the Ushabti Boxes were used to hold hundreds of ushabti 𓅱𓈙𓃀𓏏𓏭𓀾 figures for the deceased 𓅓𓏏𓏱.

Much like sarcophagi, ushabti 𓅱𓈙𓃀𓏏𓏭𓀾 boxes usually look different for different people! Some were only single compartment, but some ushabti 𓅱𓈙𓃀𓏏𓏭𓀾 boxes could have up to three 𓏼 compartments full of the figures! Some were elaborately decorated, but this one is just a plain wooden 𓆱𓏏𓏺 rectangular box with six 𓏿 columns of hieroglyphic text 𓏟𓏛𓏥 on the front. Unfortunately due to the angle of the picture 𓏏𓅱𓏏, I can’t translate the text – but I can see the Offering Formula (𓇓𓏏𓊵𓏙) on the first column on the right! I can also see that some of the ushabtis 𓅱𓈙𓃀𓏏𓏭𓀾𓏪 have a dedication to Osiris 𓁹𓊨𓀭 on them!

Usually people were buried with over 400 𓏲𓏲𓏲𓏲 of the figures – one for each day of the year. Fun Fact: the ancient Egyptians 𓆎𓏏𓀀𓁐𓏪 had calculated the year to be 365 𓏲𓏲𓏲𓎆𓎆𓎆𓎆𓎆𓎆𓏾 days, and then they revised it to 365.25 days – which is the actual length modern scientists calculated! How incredible is that?!

The ushabtis 𓅱𓈙𓃀𓏏𓏭𓀾𓏪 that you see in this box are worker ushabtis 𓅱𓈙𓃀𓏏𓏭𓀾𓏪 and you can tell because they are holding tools (𓌺) in their hands 𓂝𓏦! The remaining overseers ushabtis 𓅱𓈙𓃀𓏏𓏭𓀾𓏪 were there to make sure all of the others were doing their work!

Tags artifact, british museum, ushabti

Egyptian Artifacts

Symbolism on Hatshepsut’s Statue

Post author By ancientegyptblog7
Post date June 22, 2022

No surprise here, but I am back speaking about the white 𓌉𓆓𓇳 limestone 𓇋𓈖𓈙𓌉 statue 𓄚𓈖𓏏𓏭𓀾 of Hatshepsut 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓎹𓏏𓄂𓏏𓀼𓏪! I want to highlight a detail on the side of the statue 𓄚𓈖𓏏𓏭𓀾 that I have not spoken about yet on this account!

𓋍 – this symbol on the side of the statue 𓄚𓈖𓏏𓏭𓀾 is a combination of many different things! Most prominently, it is thought to be representative of the lungs 𓊃𓌴𓄥𓅱𓄺 and the windpipe 𓄥. The lungs 𓊃𓌴𓄥𓅱𓄺 are a symbol of Upper Egypt 𓇓 and the windpipe 𓄥 was a symbol of Lower Egypt 𓆤. The pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 was always referred to as the “Lord of the Two Lands 𓎟𓇿𓇿” or “King of Upper and Lower Egypt 𓆥” because Upper 𓇓 and Lower 𓆤 Egypt, although united, were in fact very different from each other. They each had their own natural resources, cultures and local gods 𓊹𓊹𓊹.

Just like how the lungs 𓊃𓌴𓄥𓅱𓄺 and the windpipe 𓄥 need to work together in order for a person to survive, Upper 𓇓 and Lower 𓆤 Egypt needed to be unified in order for Egypt 𓆎𓅓𓏏𓊖 to be a strong country!

The lung 𓊃𓌴𓄥𓅱𓄺 and windpipe 𓄥 design 𓋍 was usually found on objects that belonged to the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻. In this case, it is on the side of one of Hatshepsut’s 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓎹𓏏𓄂𓏏𓀼𓏪 most beautiful 𓄤 statues 𓄚𓈖𓏏𓏭𓀾𓏪!

The design 𓋍 also contains elements that look like lilies 𓇕𓇕𓇕 and papyrus 𓇉𓇉𓇉! It’s such a cool design 𓋍 with so much to interpret! I remember being so puzzled by it as a kid when I saw it for the first time!

Tags artifact, hatshepsut, the met

Egyptian Artifacts

Stelae

Post author By ancientegyptblog7
Post date June 22, 2022

Here are two 𓏻 beautifully 𓄤 decorated stelae from the British Museum. Nonno always loved looking at the various stelae 𓎗𓅱𓆓𓉸𓏪 in the museums. They were among his favorite artifacts – and he of course passed that love on to me!

In ancient Egypt 𓆎𓅓𓏏𓊖 stela 𓎗𓅱𓆓𓉸 were often used to commemorate the deceased 𓅓𓏏𓏱 and keep their memory alive. That is one of the things I am doing for my Nonno through this account – keeping his memory alive and sharing what an amazing person he was with the world 𓇾𓇾. In addition, I am also keeping his name 𓂋𓈖 alive because in Egyptian culture the name 𓂋𓈖 was one of the most important elements of a human. In order to exist, a person needed to have five 𓏾 essential elements: the body 𓎛𓂝𓄼, the shadow 𓆄𓏏𓅱𓋼, the Ba 𓅡𓏤, the Ka (soul/life force) 𓂓𓏤, and the name 𓂋𓈖.

On the stela 𓎗𓅱𓆓𓉸 on the left, there is a Ba 𓅡𓏤 statue attached to the top, which was a very popular style during the Ptolemaic Period (c. 332–30 B.C.E.), so I am going to assume that stela 𓎗𓅱𓆓𓉸 is Ptolemaic. The Ba 𓅡𓏤 is the impression that an individual makes on others – everything except the physical body 𓎛𓂝𓄼. The Ba 𓅡𓏤 can also be thought of as an individual’s personality. When a person died, the Ba 𓅡𓏤 was the only part of the person that would be able to travel out of the tomb 𓇋𓐫𓊃𓉐, but it did have to return eventually to be reunited with the mummy 𓇋𓁹𓅱𓀾.

I like the combination of the Ba 𓅡𓏤 and the stela 𓎗𓅱𓆓𓉸 because they are connected – the stela 𓎗𓅱𓆓𓉸 was meant to commemorate the deceased, while the Ba 𓅡𓏤 was part of their soul. It makes sense for the Egyptians 𓆎𓏏𓀀𓁐𓏪 to attach the two 𓏻 together!

I wish I had closer pictures 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓏦 of both stela 𓎗𓅱𓆓𓉸, but it was probably difficult with the glass. On the stela 𓎗𓅱𓆓𓉸 on the left, the deceased 𓅓𓏏𓏱 is making an offering 𓊵𓏏𓊪𓏏𓏔𓏦 to Osiris 𓁹𓊨𓀭. On the stela 𓎗𓅱𓆓𓉸 with the Ba 𓅡𓏤, there is so much happening! I would probably need to make three 𓏼 posts to interpret it all!

Tags artifact, british museum, stela, stelae

Egyptian Artifacts

Amarna Art (Part 1)

Post author By ancientegyptblog7
Post date June 22, 2022

One of the reasons I loved the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology so much was because of the amount of pieces from Amarna (the modern name of Akhenaten’s capital of Egypt) that are in the collection! While Hatshepsut 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓎹𓏏𓄂𓏏𓀼𓏪 is my favorite pharaoh 𓉐𓉻, Akhenaten 𓇋𓏏𓈖𓇳𓅜𓐍𓈖 is my second favorite! I seem to like the “untraditional” pharaohs 𓉐𓉻𓏦 who didn’t play by the rules!

One of the many charms of the Petrie Museum is that most of the pieces aren’t considered striking or grand when you first look at them. This museum is for those who truly appreciate ancient Egyptian culture as a whole, not just the shiny gold 𓋞𓃉𓃉𓃉 pieces or jewels.

This piece is a quartzite inlay or either Akhenaten 𓇋𓏏𓈖𓇳𓅜𓐍𓈖 or Nefertiti 𓇋𓏏𓈖𓇳𓄤𓄤𓄤𓄤𓄤𓇍𓏏𓏭. Quartzite is a very difficult rock 𓇋𓈖𓂋𓈙 to work with because it is so dense and strong. Quartzite is a metamorphic rock 𓇋𓈖𓂋𓈙 that is formed when heat and pressure is applied to the rock 𓇋𓈖𓂋𓈙 sandstone 𓂋𓅱𓂧𓏏𓌗𓈙. A process called recrystallization occurs due to the heat and pressure, which causes the sand grains in the sandstone 𓂋𓅱𓂧𓏏𓌗𓈙 to increase in size and become more dense! As a person who knows her geology, always amazes me when the Egyptians 𓆎𓏏𓀀𓁐𓏪 worked with quartzite! Quartzite is usually found in quarries 𓎛𓏏𓏏𓉐𓏦 in Aswan 𓋴𓃹𓈖𓏌𓏲𓊖, as is granite 𓇋𓈖𓈙𓈖𓌳𓍿!

Egyptologists can’t tell if the inlay was supposed to be Akhenaten 𓇋𓏏𓈖𓇳𓅜𓐍𓈖 or Nefertiti 𓇋𓏏𓈖𓇳𓄤𓄤𓄤𓄤𓄤𓇍𓏏𓏭 because they were usually represented very similarly; the style during Akhenaten’s 𓇋𓏏𓈖𓇳𓅜𓐍𓈖 rule 𓋾 was very different than the traditional Egyptian art styles, which makes it so weird and wonderful in its own way! While this piece itself was an inlay, a stone 𓇋𓈖𓂋𓊪 was most likely supposed to go in the hole that represents the eye 𓁹𓏤! So this is two 𓏻 inlays in one 𓏺!

Tags akhenaten, artifact, petrie museum

Egyptian Artifacts

Amarna Art (Part 2)

Post author By ancientegyptblog7
Post date June 22, 2022

Something I love about visiting various museums is seeing similar pieces of Egyptian history no matter where I go! The Brooklyn Museum has a wonderful collection of Amarna-era pieces (many of which were found by Petrie), so it’s no surprise that I have seen similar pieces in various museums around the world!

In the middle of the display, you can see a red quartzite inlay of Akhenaten 𓇋𓏏𓈖𓇳𓅜𓐍𓈖. Inlays are part of what archaeologists call “composite statues,” or statues 𓄚𓈖𓏏𓏭𓀾𓏦 that are composed of many different parts that would come together to form a single statue 𓄚𓈖𓏏𓏭𓀾! The part that would be the crown, and the stone 𓇋𓈖𓂋𓊪 that was supposed to go in the hole that represents the eye 𓁹𓏤 are both missing. Either the statue 𓄚𓈖𓏏𓏭𓀾 was never finished or both were lost in antiquity.

Next to the inlay of Akhenaten 𓇋𓏏𓈖𓇳𓅜𓐍𓈖, there is another quartzite composite statue but it is a head 𓁶𓏤 of possibly Smenkare 𓇳𓋴𓍊𓂓𓂦𓆣𓏪, the mystery pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 that ruled 𓋾 for a short period of time in between Akhenaten 𓇋𓏏𓈖𓇳𓅜𓐍𓈖 and Tutankhamun 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓏏𓅱𓏏𓋹𓋾𓉺𓇓. The statue 𓄚𓈖𓏏𓏭𓀾 is in very bad condition, so it is really difficult to gather much information about it. However, at the time the statue 𓄚𓈖𓏏𓏭𓀾 was made, it was made with high quality workmanship!

The style during Akhenaten’s 𓇋𓏏𓈖𓇳𓅜𓐍𓈖 rule 𓋾 was very different than the traditional Egyptian art styles, which makes these pieces so weird and wonderful in their own way! I will never get tired of studying Amarna art!

Tags akhenaten, artifact, brooklyn museum

Egyptian Artifacts

Thoth as a Babboon

Post author By ancientegyptblog7
Post date June 22, 2022

This is a limestone 𓇋𓈖𓈙𓌉 statue 𓄚𓈖𓏏𓏭𓀾 of Thoth 𓅝𓏏𓏭𓀭! The god 𓊹 Thoth 𓅝𓏏𓏭𓀭 was usually depicted as a man 𓊃𓀀𓏤 with the head of an ibis 𓉔𓃀𓅤, but was also commonly depicted as a baboon. The name 𓂋𓈖 Thoth 𓅝𓏏𓏭𓀭 is actually the Greek version of his name 𓂋𓈖; the ancient Egyptians referred to him as Djehuty (𓅝-Djhu 𓏏- t, y-𓏭, 𓀭).

While Thoth 𓅝𓏏𓏭𓀭 is mainly known as being the patron of scribes 𓏟𓀀𓏪, the god 𓊹 of writing 𓏟𓏛𓏥, and the creator of language 𓂋𓏺, he is also considered the god 𓊹 of the sciences 𓂋𓐍𓏏𓏜𓏦 and the moon 𓇋𓂝𓎛𓇹. The moon 𓇋𓂝𓎛𓇹 could be thought of as a “night sun,” which places him as an opposite of the sun 𓇳𓏺 god 𓊹 Ra 𓇳𓏺𓁛. Thoth 𓅤𓀭 is also credited with inventing the 365-day calendar!

Since the moon 𓇋𓂝𓎛𓇹 is commonly a symbol of wisdom, Thoth 𓅤𓀭 was also associated with being very wise. Thoth 𓅤𓀭 has also provided guidance to the other gods 𓊹𓊹𓊹 and can also be associated with truth 𓐙𓌴𓂣𓏏𓆄 and justice 𓐙𓌴𓂣𓏏𓆄𓏜. Thoth 𓅤𓀭 was thought to have invented writing 𓏟𓏛𓏥, and was thus the god 𓊹 of all record keeping. These characteristics are why he is the bookkeeper in the Weighing of the Heart Ceremony from the Book of the Dead. The scene acted as the “Last Judgment” of the deceased 𓅓𓏏𓏱.

Due to his vast knowledge, Thoth 𓁟 was thought to know magic 𓎛𓂓𓄿𓏜 and secrets 𓃀𓋴𓆟𓏛𓏦 that were unknown to the rest of the gods 𓊹𓊹𓊹 in the Egyptian pantheon. This made him an extremely powerful figure!

Thoth can be written as: 𓅤𓀭, 𓅝𓏏𓏭𓀭, 𓁟. He also had various titles such as “Lord of the Divine Words,” “Three Times Great,” and “Lord of Ma’at” amongst many others!

Tags artifact, gods and goddesses, thoth, vatican museum

Egyptian Artifacts

The Marriage Scarab and Senet

Post author By ancientegyptblog7
Post date June 22, 2022

I love this display at the Brooklyn Museum because it’s so blue 𓇋𓁹𓏏𓄿𓏸𓏥 – blue 𓇋𓁹𓏏𓄿𓏸𓏥 is my favorite color (and it was a favorite of the ancient Egyptians 𓆎𓏏𓀀𓁐𓏪 too – for various religious reasons)! Both of these pieces are dated to the reign of Amenhotep III 𓇳𓁧𓎠 (Dynasty 18).

The first piece is a scarab 𓆣 that is known as a “Marriage Scarab,” even though it doesn’t mention marriage! During his reign 𓋾, Amenhotep III 𓇳𓁧𓎠 commissioned the production of her 200 𓏲𓏲 scarabs 𓆣𓆣𓆣 that recorded important events. Fifty-six 𓎆𓎆𓎆𓎆𓎆𓏿 of the scarabs 𓆣𓆣𓆣, like this one pictured, contained information such as Amenhotep III’s 𓇳𓁧𓎠 complete list of names/titles, the boundaries of the empire and Queen Tiye’s official names and titles/the names of her parents. The mention of Queen Tiye and her relation to Amenhotep III 𓇳𓁧𓎠 is what led Egyptologists to call these the “marriage scarabs.”

Senet 𓊃𓏏𓈖𓏠 is the world’s oldest board game – there’s evidence of its existence all the way back to the First Dynasty (though this particular board is dated c. 1390-1353 B.C.E.). During the New Kingdom, the game represented the journey of the Ka 𓂓 (soul) to the afterlife/Duat 𓇼𓄿𓏏𓉐. The word “Senet” 𓊃𓏏𓈖𓏠 actually means passage or gateway! If you look really closely, you can see details of the Djed Pillar 𓊽 and the Tyet 𓎬 (Isis Knot) painted on the sides!

Senet 𓊃𓏏𓈖𓏠 is still a game that can be played today, though some of the rules are debatable! I find it so interesting that board games have been around for so long in history! Some things a about humanity have not changed!

Tags artifact, brooklyn museum, scarab

Egyptian Artifacts

Paddle Dolls

Post author By ancientegyptblog7
Post date June 22, 2022

Here are two 𓏻 examples of paddle dolls – contrary to popular belief, these were not toys used by children 𓐍𓇌𓀕𓏦 (as a kid I thought they were dolls that Egyptian 𓆎𓏏𓀀𓁐 children 𓐍𓇌𓀕𓏦 played with)!

A paddle doll is usually made of a flat piece of wood 𓆱𓏏𓏺 that shows a very rough representation of a head 𓁶𓏺, face, neck and torso of usually a woman 𓊃𓏏𓂑𓏏𓁐. The bodies of the paddle dolls are usually pained in various designs, which are thought to represent either textile patterns or tattoos! The “beads” that you see coming off of the head 𓁶𓏺 are made of mud pellets, which is representative of hair 𓍲𓈖𓏭. They would also make noise when shaken, similarly to that of a sistrum 𓊃𓈙𓈙𓏏𓏣. Sometimes paddle dolls are associated with the goddess 𓊹𓏏 Hathor 𓉡 because of this!

The shape of the body (which is noticeably missing legs) is thought to be similar/representative of the menat necklace 𓏠𓈖𓇋𓏏𓋧 that is usually worn by women 𓊃𓏏𓂑𓏏𓁐𓏦 during religious ceremonies. These paddle dolls, were thought to be part of religious ceremonies due to this connection. It is also possible that these dolls were used as fertility figures, as some of them have been found with painted images of Taweret 𓏏𓄿𓅩𓂋𓏏𓆗 or Bes 𓃀𓋴𓄜; both deities are associated with fertility.

The paddle dolls in this picture 𓏏𓅱𓏏are dated to Dynasties 11-13 of the Middle Kingdom (c. 2081-1700 B.C.E.).

Tags artifact, brooklyn museum

Egyptian Artifacts

The Book of the Dead – The Four Sons of Horus

Post author By ancientegyptblog7
Post date June 21, 2022

This copy of the Book of the Dead (known to the Egyptians 𓆎𓏏𓀀𓁐𓏪 as the Book of Going Forth By Day) belonged to Imhotep 𓇍𓅓𓊵𓏏𓊪, Priest 𓊹𓍛 of Horus 𓅃𓀭, who lived during the early Ptolemaic Period (between 332-200 B.C.E.). No, it’s not that Imhotep from “The Mummy” (1999), however, this is still a funny coincidence! The Book of the Dead was created for Imhotep 𓇍𓅓𓊵𓏏𓊪 so he could have a successful journey into the afterlife/Duat 𓇼𓄿𓏏𓉐. The spells on the papyrus 𓅓𓍑𓏏𓏛 were also meant to ensure his safety and well-being in the Duat 𓇼𓄿𓏏𓉐 (realm of the dead).

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 𓊹𓌃𓏪! Some of the hieratic is in black 𓆎𓅓 ink while some of it is in red 𓂧𓈙𓂋𓅟. The red 𓂧𓈙𓂋𓅟 ink seems to symbolize either the beginning or the end 𓎼𓂋𓎛𓂝𓏛 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 𓂧𓈙𓂋𓅟 and offering tables 𓂝𓃀𓅡𓄿𓋃 were not bad at all!

On the top right, you can see Imhotep 𓇍𓅓𓊵𓏏𓊪 standing with his arms raised in a worshipping stance; he is worshipping the goddess 𓊹𓏏 Hathor 𓉡, who is in her cow form 𓄤𓆑𓂋𓏏𓃒! Next to that, you can see the four Sons of Horus surrounding a canopic chest! The Four Sons of Horus guarded the organs 𓇋𓂧𓂋𓄹 of the deceased! From the right: Duamutef 𓇼𓅐𓏏𓆑(jackal head) held/protected the stomach 𓂋𓄣𓏻, Imseti 𓇋𓐝𓋴𓍘𓇋(human head) held/protected the liver 𓅓𓊃𓏏𓄹𓏸𓏸𓏸, Hapi 𓎛𓐑𓊪𓇌(baboon head) held/protected the lungs 𓊃𓌴𓄥𓅱𓄺, and Qebehsenuef 𓏁𓌢𓌢𓌢𓆑 (falcon head) held/protected the intestines 𓈖𓊪𓅮𓄿𓏲𓏼.

Tags artifact, book of the dead, gods and goddesses, sons of horus, the met

Egyptian Artifacts

Mummy Beads

Post author By ancientegyptblog7
Post date June 21, 2022

“The Mummy Room” (as I called it) at the British Museum was such an incredible place to be! It was a bunch of galleries that were filled with beautifully 𓄤 painted sarcophagi 𓎟𓋹𓈖𓐍𓊭𓏦 and mummies 𓇋𓁹𓅱𓀾𓏪! When I was a kid I was never afraid of mummies 𓇋𓁹𓅱𓀾𓏪(wrapped or unwrapped); I was just completely fascinated by them and I still am!

What is striking about this mummy 𓇋𓁹𓅱𓀾 is that the beautiful 𓄤 beaded shroud that covers the mummy 𓇋𓁹𓅱𓀾 is still mostly intact! In ancient times, the beaded shroud would have been placed over the mummy 𓇋𓁹𓅱𓀾 after it had been placed in its coffin 𓋴𓅱𓎛𓏏𓆱. The pattern of the beaded shroud was supposed to be representative of the cloak that Osiris 𓁹𓊨𓀭, god 𓊹 of the afterlife 𓇼𓄿𓏏𓉐, wears.

These types of shrouds were mostly made with blue 𓇋𓁹𓏏𓄿𓏸𓏥 faience 𓋣𓈖𓏏𓏸𓏼 beads because in ancient Egyptian culture, the color blue 𓇋𓁹𓏏𓄿𓏸𓏥 was symbolic of rebirth and regeneration. Faience 𓋣𓈖𓏏𓏸𓏼 was an extremely popular material to work with because it was both cheap and easy to use! Faience 𓋣𓈖𓏏𓏸𓏼 is a quartz based material that can be molded and then heated to a very high temperature to keep its shape. Objects made of faience 𓋣𓈖𓏏𓏸𓏼 were thought to hold magical powers!

Beaded shrouds on mummies 𓇋𓁹𓅱𓀾𓏪 were very popular during the Late Period and this one is estimated to be dated at c. 760-656 B.C.E., which is the 25th Dynasty. Beaded shrouds are very delicate and are usually found broken up, so this piece here is a beautiful 𓄤 example of one.

Do you like mummies 𓇋𓁹𓅱𓀾𓏪?! Let me know!!!

Tags artifact, british museum, mummy

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