Look at how gorgeous this is ๐ค๐๐๐ ฑ๐ญ๐๐!!!
I spent so long just trying to take in all of the beautiful ๐ค ๐ ฑ๐๐ ฑ๐ช images of the gods ๐น๐น๐น that are on this Mummy Cartonnage at the Brooklyn Museum! Cartonnage is a material that is linen or papyrus mixed with plaster! This is from the Third Intermediate Period, and dates from the 22nd through 25th Dynasties.
This mummy case ๐ ฑ๐๐พ belonged to a priest ๐น๐ named Nespanetjerenpere. While to many the images ๐ ฑ๐๐ ฑ๐ช may seem like random pictures of the gods ๐น๐น๐น, it is actually a collection of carefully selected religious symbols meant to help guide Nespanetjerenpere on his journey to the afterlife ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ and associate him with and ensure divine resurrection.
The ram headed pendant on his chest is meant to represent the sun godโs journey across the sky ๐ช๐๐ฏ during the day ๐๐๐บ๐ณ – and through the underworld ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ at night ๐ผ๐๐๐. The images ๐ ฑ๐๐ ฑ๐ช of the gods ๐น๐น๐น can almost be thought of as the picture-book version of the Book of the Dead.
On the back, Horus ๐ ๐ญ and Thoth ๐ ค๐ญ are seen with a Djed pillar ๐ฝ, which is the symbol of stability. The Djed pillar ๐ฝ is thought to be the spine of Osiris ๐น๐จ๐ญ, so itโs very cool that this image ๐ ฑ๐๐ ฑ appears on the back of the mummy ๐ ฑ๐๐พ!
These hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช are from the wooden ๐ฑ๐๐บ Coffin ๐ด๐ ฑ๐๐๐ฑ of Khnumnakht, an individual who lived during the 12th-13th Dynasties (c. 1850-1750 B.C.E.).ย
This is a variant of the name ๐๐ of the goddess ๐น๐ Isis ๐จ๐๐บ in hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช! More commonly, her name ๐๐ is written as โ ๐จ๐๐ฅ,โ and the difference between the two is the determinative at the end. Why was the determinative not used in this inscription? Most likely due to spacing issues!
The โseat ๐จโ symbol has many different functions in Middle Egyptian! In the case of the name โIsis ๐จ๐๐บ,โ the seat functions as a biliteral phonogram for the sound โjs.โ In other words, it can be a phonogram for the sounds โst,โ and โhst.โ ๐จ is even an ideogram for the word โseat!โ
The โflat loaf of bread ๐โ is a uniliteral phonogram used to represent the sound โt.โ It also functions as the ideogram for the word โbread ๐๐บโ and can be used to make words feminine!
The โstroke ๐บโ hieroglyph is used at the end of words when there is a bit of space left over – itโs all for the aesthetic! This symbol is not pronounced, it is solely used for punctuation/aesthetic purposes!
The name ๐๐ โIsisโ is actually the Greek version of the name ๐๐ of this goddess ๐น๐! If we were to pronounce her name ๐๐ the way the ancient Egyptians ๐๐๐๐๐ช did (or inferred how they did), her name ๐๐ would be pronounced like โIst ๐จ๐๐บ.โ
Every time I go to a museum, I need to get a picture with Sekhmet ๐๐๐ ๐๐!
Sekhmet ๐๐๐ ๐๐ was one of my Nonnoโs absolute favorite Egyptian goddesses ๐น๐๐ช. Whenever I see Sekhmet, ๐๐๐ ๐๐ she makes me think of my Nonno. He probably really liked her due to her strength and power!
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 on her head, which shows that she is the daughter of Ra ๐ณ๐บ๐. She was known as the goddess ๐น๐ of destruction/war, and her name means โshe who is powerful.โ She could also represent the destructive aspects of the sun ๐ณ๐บ. There were many religious rituals designed to appease her. Sekhmet ๐๐๐ ๐๐ was feared for being a very powerful and very destructive goddess ๐น๐.
This particular statue ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ of Sekhmet ๐๐๐ ๐๐ was made during the rule of Amenhotep III ๐ณ๐ง๐ during the 18th Dynasty.
Being at the Temple of Dendur is just so relaxing to me. I just love being in this room – I have so many amazing memories here with my Nonno and my sister ๐ข๐๐ who is in the picture ๐๐ ฑ๐ with me! I could literally just sit in here for hours and just exist.
One of my favorite things as a kid was the little crocodile ๐ ๐ด๐๐ statue thatโs in the โriverโ that goes around the temple! I always thought it was so cool! The ancient Egyptians ๐๐๐๐๐ช both feared and worshipped crocodiles ๐ ๐ด๐๐๐ฆ. Sobek ๐ด๐๐ก๐, the god ๐น with the head of a crocodile ๐ ๐ด๐๐ was worshipped from the time of Narmer all the way through the Roman period. He was a fertility god ๐น, associated with the annual flooding of the Nile ๐๐๐๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐บ.
Sobek ๐ด๐๐ก๐ also represented the power and might of the pharaoh ๐๐ป because crocodiles ๐ ๐ด๐๐๐ฆ are incredibly strong – and were a constant threat to those living along the Nile ๐๐๐๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐บ. Sobek ๐ด๐๐ก๐ is the son ๐ ญ of the war goddess ๐น๐ Neith ๐๐๐๐ญ and is sometimes referenced as being the son ๐ ญ of Seth ๐๐๐ก๐ฃ. Hundreds of crocodile ๐ ๐ด๐๐ mummies have been found in Faiyum and other places in Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐, most likely as way to appease Sobek ๐ด๐๐ก๐.
Taweret ๐๐ฟ๐ ฉ๐๐๐, another crocodile ๐ ๐ด๐๐ goddess ๐น๐ is associated with female fertility and childbirth.
These are Funerary Figures of the Four Sons of Horus and are dated to the Late Period – Ptolemaic Period (c. 400-30 B.C.E.). The Sons of Horus were deities ๐น๐น๐น who were charged with protecting ๐ ๐๐ก๐ the internal organs ๐๐ง๐๐น๐ฆ of the deceased ๐ ๐๐ฑ, and were usually represented as the lids of canopic jars.
Funerary Figures of the Four Sons of Horus at the MET
Whatโs really cool about these statues ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ๐ช is that they are decorated so beautifully ๐ค! I love how they look like mummies ๐๐น๐ ฑ๐พ๐ช (the proper term is โmummiformโ), and how a large broad collar ๐ ฑ๐ด๐๐บ๐ is painted ๐๐ on their chests. Also, each statue ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ has a heart ๐๐๐ฃ amulet ๐๐ช๐ in the middle of the broad collar ๐ ฑ๐ด๐๐บ๐! The details are exquisite!
While each Son of Horus was associated with an organ ๐๐ง๐๐น, they were also each associated with a cardinal direction and were protected ๐ ๐๐ก๐ by a funerary goddess๐น๐. Letโs take a look at each deity (starting from the left):
Duamutef ๐ผ๐ ๐๐ had the head of a jackal ๐๐ฟ๐๐ฅ, protected ๐ ๐๐ก๐ the stomach ๐๐ฃ๐ป, was associated with the East ๐๐๐๐ญ, and was protected by Neith ๐๐๐๐ญ.
Qebehsenuef ๐๐ข๐ข๐ข๐ had the head of a falcon ๐๐๐ก๐ , protected ๐ ๐๐ก๐ the intestines ๐๐ช๐ ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ผ, was associated with the West ๐๐๐๐, and was protected by Selket ๐๐๐๐๐.
Hapy ๐๐๐ช๐ had the head of a baboon, protected ๐ ๐๐ก๐ the lungs ๐๐ด๐ฅ๐ ฑ๐บ, was associated with the North ๐๐, and was protected by Nephthys ๐ ๐๐.
Imsety ๐๐๐ด๐๐ had the head of a human, protected ๐ ๐๐ก๐ the liver ๐ ๐๐๐น๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ, was associated with the South ๐๐ ฑ๐ and was protected by Isis ๐จ๐๐ฅ.
ย The Book of the Dead of Hunefer is one of my absolute favorite artifacts, and seeing it in the British Museum was a dream come true for me!
On the top panel, Hunefer (the deceased) stands before the 42 divine judges and pleads their lifetime of truth and moral doings. The Book of the Dead provided the deceased with the words to say so they would pass this trial!
On the bottom panel: This is the Weighing of the Heart ceremony! Letโs start from the left! Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ is leading Hunefer (the deceased) to the scales (not gonna lie, Iโm a little jealous they are holding hands ๐). Here, Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ข weighs the heart ๐๐๐ฃ of the deceased ๐ ๐๐ฑ against Maatโs ๐ด๐๐ฃ๐๐ฆ feather (Maat is sitting on top of the scales). If Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ determines thereโs balance between the two ๐ป, that means that the deceased lived a truthful ๐๐ด๐ฃ๐๐ and just ๐๐ด๐ฃ๐๐๐ life ๐น.
Ammit ๐๐ ๐ ๐ (the Devourer of the Dead/Eater of Hearts) is there waiting to see if the deceased ๐ ๐๐ฑ didnโt live a truthful ๐๐ด๐ฃ๐๐ life! If the deceasedโs ๐ ๐๐ฑ heart ๐๐๐ฃ weighs more than the feather, Ammit ๐๐ ๐ ๐ would eat the heart ๐๐๐ฃ and the deceased would โdie a second timeโ and not live in eternal paradise. Thoth ๐ ค๐ญ records the findings of the ceremony.
If the deceased ๐ ๐๐ฑ passed the Weigning of the Heart, they would be presented to Osiris ๐น๐จ ๐ญ by Horus ๐ ๐ญ and would then enter the Field of Reeds ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฟ๐๐ ฑ๐ฐ๐ and live in eternal paradise!
While this may seem like a simple sketch of Osiris ๐น๐จ๐ญ on limestone ๐๐๐๐, I actually find it very interesting! This is easily recognizable as the god ๐น Osiris ๐น๐จ๐ญ because the lord ๐ of the underworld ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ is always depicted in the same way – as a mummy ๐๐น๐ ฑ๐พ, holding the crook ๐พ and flail ๐ , and wearing the Atef crown ๐. The Atef crown is the White Crown of Upper Egypt ๐๐๐ with two ๐ป feathers ๐๐๐ญ๐ of Maโat ๐๐ด๐ฃ๐๐ฆ adorning the sides.
Sketch of Osiris at the Brooklyn Museum
The hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช are as follows: ๐จ๐น๐ผ๐ผ๐น
It simply says โOsiris, the great god.โ In this caption, Osiris is written โbackwardsโ and without the determinative ๐ญ hieroglyph ๐น๐. This was probably due to the fact that the hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช would appear neater when written like this โ๐จ๐นโ instead of like this โ๐น๐จ.โ
Also, โgreat godโ is written like this โ๐ผ๐ผ๐นโ instead of this โ๐ผ๐น.โ It was either done to take up the appropriate amount of space (aesthetics were everything, and was much more important than proper spelling/grammar ๐) or to emphasize Osirisโ greatness. It couldโve even been for both reasons!
Another mummy mask?! Why not!! This mask of a woman is dated to the Late Period (1st Century B.C.E). It is also a cartonnage mask, which was a very popular type of material to use because it was easy to work with and the mask could be made relatively quickly. The colors on this mask are so bright and well preserved – especially the broad collar ๐ ฑ๐ด๐๐บ๐. I love how the Egyptians ๐๐๐๐๐ช used red ๐ง๐๐๐ and the blue/green ๐ ๐๐ color together ๐๐ a lot. I love that color combination!
I have also provided a close-up of the art on the wig that shows the goddesses Isis ๐จ๐๐ฅ (left) and Nephthys ๐ ๐๐(right). Isis ๐จ๐๐ฅ and Nephthys ๐ ๐๐ were sisters (which means their brothers are Osiris ๐น๐จ๐ญ and Seth ๐๐๐ก๐ฃ). While Osiris ๐น๐จ๐ญ and Isis ๐จ๐๐ฅ were also married, so were Nephthys ๐ ๐๐ and Seth ๐๐๐ก๐ฃ. Isis ๐จ๐๐ฅ and Osiris ๐น๐จ๐ญ are shown together quite frequently, Nephthys ๐ ๐๐ and Seth ๐๐๐ก๐ฃ are rarely shown together in art because Nephthys ๐ ๐๐ was considered to be a positive figure instead of negative. She is usually depicted with either just Isis ๐จ๐๐ฅ, or with Isis ๐จ๐๐ฅ and Osiris ๐น๐จ๐ญ.
You can easily tell Isis ๐จ๐๐ฅ and Nephthys ๐ ๐๐ apart from each other in Egyptian art based off of the crowns that they are wearing. The crowns correspond to the hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช that make up their names!
Isis (๐จ๐๐ฅ) wears โ๐จโ as a crown! Nephthys (๐ ๐๐) wears โ๐ โ as a crown!
When I saw this piece I really liked it because of how colorful it was! No matter how many times I see artifacts in museums, Iโm always shocked by how bright the colors still are on some objects!
Coffin Fragment with Isis at the Brooklyn Museum
This is a coffin ๐ ฑ๐๐พ fragment (Late Period, Dynasties 26-31 c. 664-332 B.C.E.) that shows the goddess ๐น๐ Isis ๐จ๐๐๐ in mourning. Since in Egyptian mythology Isis ๐จ๐๐ฅ assisted in the resurrection of Osiris ๐น๐จ๐ญ, it was believed that she would be instrumental in the rebirth of the deceased ๐ ๐๐ฑ. This is why she was always seen on coffins ๐ ฑ๐๐พ๐ช or sarcophagi ๐๐น๐๐๐ญ๐ฆ.
Letโs read some hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช! The inscription I have translated is on the right column: โ๐๐๐๐จ๐๐๐๐ จ๐๐น๐ โ
๐๐๐ – Words Spoken By ๐จ๐๐๐ Isis (Isis is more commonly written like this โ๐จ๐๐ฅโ or โ ๐จ๐๐๐ฅโ) ๐ จ๐ – the Great (greatness) ๐น๐ – Goddess (can also be written as ๐น๐)
Put together, the inscription reads:
โWords spoken by Isis, the great goddess…โ The rest of the inscription is cut off.
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!
