Tag: british museum

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Egyptian Artifacts Reading Hieroglyphs

Mislabeled Canopic Jars

These canopic jars are very famous pieces from the British Museum! Any time you read a book on mummification or Egyptian funerary practices, these canopic jars will make an appearance! The first book on Egypt 𓆎𓅓𓏏𓊖 my Nonno ever gave me was Carol Andrews’ book on the mummies at the British Museum, and of course these canopic jars were in the book! It was so exciting to see them in person! However, these are “dummy” canopic jars; they aren’t even totally hollow inside so they definitely weren’t used during the mummification process. 

But that’s not what is the most interesting here; what’s most interesting is in the hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪! Each canopic jar has a lid that represents one of the Four Sons of Horus. Each one has the task of protecting a specific organ 𓇋𓂧𓂋𓄹 of the deceased! 

From the left: 

-Qebehsenuef 𓏁𓌢𓌢𓌢𓆑𓀭 (falcon head) held the intestines 𓈖𓊪𓅮𓄿𓏲𓏼

-Imseti 𓇋𓅓𓊃𓍿𓀭 (human head) held the liver 𓅓𓊃𓏏𓄹𓏸𓏸𓏸

-Hapi 𓎛𓐑𓊪𓇌𓀭 (baboon head) held the lungs 𓊃𓌴𓄥𓅱𓄺

-Duamutef 𓇼𓅐𓏏𓆑𓀭 (jackal head) held the stomach 𓂋𓄣𓏻

Now, if you take a closer look at the inscriptions 𓏟𓏛𓏥 on the jars – Qebehsenuef 𓏁𓌢𓌢𓌢𓆑𓀭 is labeled with Duamutef’s 𓇼𓅐𓏏𓆑𓀭 name 𓂋𓈖 and vice versa! 

I’m not sure if it is an ancient mistake or a mistake by the museum! I’m always so amused when I come across stuff like this!

The inscription above the names is a common one that we have gone over before:

𓆓𓌃𓇋𓈖 – Words Spoken By

𓁹𓊨𓊹 – Osiris (the symbol for “god 𓊹” is used as the determinative here instead of the usual “𓀭” – I love seeing variation)!!

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Egyptian Artifacts

Thutmosis I

Thutmosis I 𓇳𓉻𓆣𓂓 (or 𓅝𓄟𓋴) was the third 𓏼 pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 of the 18th Dynasty. His name 𓅝𓄟𓋴 means “Born of Thoth.” Thutmosis I 𓇳𓉻𓆣𓂓 was responsible for many successful military campaigns and building projects, including additions to the Temple of Amun at Karnak. Though, in my opinion, Thutmosis I’s 𓇳𓉻𓆣𓂓 most notable achievement is being Hatshepsut’s 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓎹𓏏𓄂𓏏𓀼𓏪 father 𓇋𓏏𓀀!

This statue is in the British Museum! I dream of going back to the British Museum one day – I was lucky enough to be able to go there twice on my trip to London, and even luckier that I got to explore the museum with my Nonno💜.

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Egyptian Artifacts

Column of Rameses II

From Nonno’s point of view!!

He took a picture of me taking a picture while we were in the British Museum 😂 – I love it!!

Anyway, this is a red granite column that was originally inscribed for Rameses II 𓁩𓁛𓈘𓄟𓋴𓇓! Both of his cartouches can be seen throughout -(𓁩𓁛𓈘𓄟𓋴𓇓) and (𓇳𓄊𓁧𓇳𓍉𓈖). Also his titles such as “Lord of the Two Lands 𓎟𓇿𓇿” and “Lord of Appearances 𓎟𓈍𓏥” can be seen on top of his cartouches.

This column was definitely usurped by another pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 at some point because some of the cartouches on this column don’t belong to Rameses II 𓇳𓄊𓁧𓇳𓍉𓈖!

In the bottom of this picture you can see the hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪 for “Lord of the Two Lands 𓎟𓇿𓇿” very clearly!

I have always loved seeing the columns in museums because you can get a sense of the grand scale of the Egyptian monuments. Since I have never been to Egypt 𓆎𓅓𓏏𓊖, it’s nice to see just how grand their building was! I love the design of this column; the top looks like a flower 𓆸!

Cartouche for Rameses II (𓁩𓁛𓈘𓄟𓋴𓇓).
Another side of the column!
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Egyptian Artifacts

British Museum King’s List

Something I was so excited to see in the British Museum was the Abydos King List.

There are two surviving King Lists from temples 𓉟𓏏𓉐𓏪 at Abydos, the cult center of Osiris 𓁹𓊨𓀭. One temple 𓉟𓏏𓉐 is from Seti I 𓇳𓁦𓏠, and the other from his son Rameses II 𓁩𓁛𓈘𓄟𓋴𓇓, who were both pharaohs 𓉐𓉻𓏥 during the 19th Dynasty. Seti I’s 𓇳𓁦𓏠 list is still in the temple 𓉟𓏏𓉐 at Abydos, while Rameses II’s 𓁩𓁛𓈘𓄟𓋴𓇓 was excavated and brought to the British Museum.

While neither list is a 100% complete list, there are some glaring holes in the list – Hatshepsut 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓎹𓏏𓄂𓏏𓀼𓏪, Akhenaten 𓇋𓏏𓈖𓇳𓅞𓐍𓈖, Smenkhare 𓇳𓊃𓉻𓂓𓂦𓆣, Tutankhamun 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓏏𓅱𓏏𓋹𓋾𓉺𓇓, and Ay’s 𓇳𓆣𓆣𓏪𓁹𓐙𓏏 cartouches are missing. Obviously, these names were left off because these pharaohs 𓉐𓉻𓏥 are considered non-legitimate. Hatshepsut 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓎹𓏏𓄂𓏏𓀼𓏪 was the female pharaoh 𓉐𓉻, and Akhenaten-Ay is considered the Amarna Period, which was not well liked due to the drama of Akhenaten changing the religion and moving the capital of Egypt 𓆎𓅓𓏏𓊖.

The point of the King Lists was not to preserve history for future generations, rather the main objective was to glorify the gods 𓊹𓊹𓊹, and as we know, pharaohs 𓉐𓉻𓏥 were considered gods 𓊹𓊹𓊹 on Earth. These lists allowed Seti I 𓇳𓁦𓏠 and Rameses II 𓁩𓁛𓈘𓄟𓋴𓇓 to assert their legitimacy amongst the old pharaohs 𓉐𓉻𓏥 of Egypt 𓆎𓅓𓏏𓊖.

In this picture, I’m pointing to where Hatshepsut’s 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓎹𓏏𓄂𓏏𓀼𓏪 name should be, but is missing due to the fact that she was purposefully left off the list!

You can see Thutmosis III’s the one name 𓇳𓏠𓆣, and then I’m pointing to the space next to his name. Why next to Thutmosis III 𓇳𓏠𓆣? Even though Thutmosis III 𓇳𓏠𓆣 was technically named as pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 first, and since he was too young to rule (he came to the throne at as young as two years old according to some historians), Hatshepsut 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓎹𓏏𓄂𓏏𓀼𓏪 was his co-regent until she named herself the sole pharaoh 𓉐𓉻.

Here is a closer look at the King’s List – how stunning are these hieroglyphs?! I’m always so amazed that even after thousands of years, the colors on the monuments are still there!

On the left hand side, you can see the inscription 𓆥(𓇳𓄊𓁧𓇳𓍉𓈖). This is his prenomen, or Throne Name:

𓆥 – King of Upper and Lower Egypt
𓇳𓄊𓁧𓇳𓍉𓈖 – Usermaatre Setepenre, which means Keeper of Harmony and Balance, Chosen by Ra.

Next to that inscription, you can see the following: 𓅭𓇳 (𓇋𓏠𓈖𓈘𓁜𓏺𓄟𓋴𓊃).

𓅭𓇳 – Son of Ra
𓇋𓏠𓈖𓈘𓁜𓏺𓄟𓋴𓊃 – Rameses, Beloved of Amun.

Here’s an even further breakdown of Rameses II’s Nomen:
𓇋𓏠𓈖𓈘 – Beloved of Amun
𓁜𓏺𓄟𓋴𓊃 – can be translated multiple ways “Born of Ra,” “Ra bore him,” etc.

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Egyptian Artifacts

Gilded Sarcophagi


Here are some gilded sarcophagi 𓅱𓇋𓀾𓏪 at the British Museum!

The British Museum has so many different sarcophagi 𓅱𓇋𓀾𓏪 in their collection that it was almost overwhelming trying to see everything!!! Sarcophagi 𓅱𓇋𓀾𓏪 such as these are usually made of wood 𓆱𓏏𓏺 with a gold leaf overlay – it makes it look like the sarcophagus 𓅱𓇋𓀾 is made of pure gold when it is not! These are decorated beautifully 𓄤 with many of the gods 𓊹𓊹𓊹 and goddesses 𓊹𓊹𓊹𓏏 of the Egyptian pantheon! The sarcophagus 𓅱𓇋𓀾 on the left contains a dedication to Osiris 𓁹𓊨𓀭, which runs down the center of the lid!

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Egyptian Artifacts

Stela of Sobekhotep

This is the stela 𓎗𓅱𓆓𓉸 of a man named Sobekhotep 𓆋𓊵𓏏𓊪 who was a scribe that worked at a wine cellar! This stela 𓎗𓅱𓆓𓉸 is dated to the 18th Dynasty (New Kingdom) and the reign of Amenhotep III 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓊵𓋾𓋆 (c. 1390-1352 B.C.E.). This stela is at the British museum.

The stela 𓎗𓅱𓆓𓉸 is divided into three 𓏼 different sections. On the top, Sobekhotep 𓆋𓊵𓏏𓊪 and his wife 𓂑𓏏𓁐 are worshipping Osiris 𓁹𓊨𓀭 (right) and Anubis 𓇋𓈖𓊪𓅱𓃣 (left). Sobekhotep 𓆋𓊵𓏏𓊪 and his wife 𓂑𓏏𓁐 have their arms raised, which is how it is interpreted that they are worshipping 𓇼𓄿𓀢 those gods 𓊹𓊹𓊹. Osiris 𓁹𓊨𓀭 and Anubis 𓇋𓈖𓊪𓅱𓃣 are the two 𓏻 gods 𓊹𓊹𓊹 that are generally worshipped 𓇼𓄿𓀢 on funerary stelae 𓎗𓅱𓆓𓉸𓏪 because they are the gods 𓊹𓊹𓊹 most associated with death 𓅓𓏏𓏱 and the afterlife 𓇼𓄿𓏏𓉐. 

In the middle section, Sobekhotep 𓆋𓊵𓏏𓊪, his wife 𓂑𓏏𓁐 and one daughter 𓅭𓏏 are receiving offerings 𓊵𓏏𓊪𓏏𓏔𓏦 presented by four 𓏽 of their sons 𓅭𓏦. More sons 𓅭𓏦 and daughters 𓅭𓏏𓏦 appear in the scene on the bottom of the stela 𓎗𓅱𓆓𓉸. The family 𓅕𓉔𓅱𓏏𓀀𓁐𓏦 was an extremely important part of ancient Egyptian 𓆎𓏏𓀀𓁐𓏪 life 𓋹 and culture, as was religion, which is why funerary stelae 𓎗𓅱𓆓𓉸𓏪 usually represented both. 

As a side note, I really love Sobekhotep’s 𓆋𓊵𓏏𓊪 name 𓂋𓈖! 

𓆋 – Sobek

𓊵𓏏𓊪 – Hotep (peace, satisfied, etc)

So the name 𓂋𓈖 Sobekhotep 𓆋𓊵𓏏𓊪 can be translated to “Sobek is satisfied.” Can you find Sobekhotep’s 𓆋𓊵𓏏𓊪 name 𓂋𓈖 on the stela 𓎗𓅱𓆓𓉸? (Hint: the name usually appears next to the person)!!

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Egyptian Artifacts

British Museum Funerary Display

There’s a lot going on in this picture 𓏏𓅱𓏏, but I really like this display at the British Museum! This display contains statues 𓄚𓈖𓏏𓏭𓀾𓏪 that all have to do with funerary practices. 

On the bottom left, there are multiple figures of Ptah-Sokar-Osiris. Ptah-Sokar-Osiris figures connect three gods 𓊹𓊹𓊹 that are connected to rebirth/resurrection into a single statue 𓄚𓈖𓏏𓏭𓀾. These statues 𓄚𓈖𓏏𓏭𓀾𓏪 became popular during the Late Period and they seemed to have evolved from the figures of Osiris 𓁹𓊨𓀭 that became popular in tombs 𓇋𓐫𓊃𓉐𓏦 during the 19th Dynasty (New Kingdom). These figures are always a mummiform figure on a wooden 𓆱𓏏𓏺 base. 

On the bottom right is a corn mummy in a falcon 𓃀𓇋𓎡𓅄 sarcophagus 𓎟𓋹𓈖𓐍𓊭. While millions of animal mummies have been found at sites all over Egypt 𓆎𓅓𓏏𓊖, mummies made of grains like wheat and barley have also been found. Corn Mummies are meant to be a representation of the god 𓊹 Osiris 𓁹𓊨𓀭 and Egyptologists came to this conclusion because the “coffins” that contain the corn mummies almost always contain Osiris’ 𓁹𓊨𓀭 name 𓂋𓈖 and his titles/epithets.

The middle-right shows wooden 𓆱𓏏𓏺 funerary figures of Isis 𓊨𓏏𓁥 and Nephthys 𓉠𓏏𓆇 which were also popular figures to find in tombs 𓇋𓐫𓊃𓉐𓏦 from the Late Period and onward. Isis 𓊨𓏏𓁥 and Nephthys 𓉠𓏏𓆇 were sisters 𓌢𓈖𓏏𓁐𓏪 and both funerary goddesses 𓊹𓊹𓊹𓏏. Similar statues 𓄚𓈖𓏏𓏭𓀾𓏪 can be seen in museums around the world!

The top left shows various figures and representations of the god 𓊹 Osiris 𓁹𓊨𓀭, who was the main funerary god 𓊹 in the Egyptian pantheon. 

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Egyptian Artifacts

The Book of the Dead of Hunefer

 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! Let’s start from the left! Anubis 𓇋𓈖𓊪𓅱𓃣 is leading Hunefer (the deceased) to the scales (not gonna lie, I’m a little jealous they are holding hands 😂). Here, Anubis 𓇋𓈖𓊪𓅱𓁢 weighs the heart 𓇋𓃀𓄣 of the deceased 𓅓𓏏𓏱 against Maat’s 𓌴𓐙𓂣𓏏𓁦 feather (Maat is sitting on top of the scales). If Anubis 𓇋𓈖𓊪𓅱𓃣 determines there’s balance between the two 𓏻, that means that the deceased lived a truthful 𓐙𓌴𓂣𓏏𓆄 and just 𓐙𓌴𓂣𓏏𓆄𓏜 life 𓋹.

Ammit 𓂝𓅓𓅓𓏏 (the Devourer of the Dead/Eater of Hearts) is there waiting to see if the deceased 𓅓𓏏𓏱 didn’t live a truthful 𓐙𓌴𓂣𓏏𓆄 life! If the deceased’s 𓅓𓏏𓏱 heart 𓇋𓃀𓄣 weighs more than the feather, Ammit 𓂝𓅓𓅓𓏏 would eat the heart 𓇋𓃀𓄣 and the deceased would “die a second time” and not live in eternal paradise. Thoth 𓅤𓀭 records the findings of the ceremony.

If the deceased 𓅓𓏏𓏱 passed the Weigning of the Heart, they would be presented to Osiris 𓁹𓊨 𓀭 by Horus 𓅃𓀭 and would then enter the Field of Reeds 𓇏𓏏𓈅𓇋𓄿𓂋𓅱𓆰𓊖 and live in eternal paradise!

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Egyptian Artifacts

Red Granite Statue of Thutmosis III

I’m going to post another British Museum picture 𓏏𓅱𓏏 because I’m nostalgic and I like remembering how amazing that day 𓉔𓂋𓏺𓇳 was!

This red granite 𓅓𓌳𓏏𓎶 statue 𓄚𓈖𓏏𓏭𓀾 of Thutmosis III 𓅝𓄠𓋴 is definitely an interesting one because it actually has the cartouches of Rameses II 𓁩𓁛𓈘𓄟𓋴𓇓 carved into the chest! This is what Egyptologists call usurping – meaning that Rameses II 𓁩𓁛𓈘𓄟𓋴𓇓 took statues 𓄚𓈖𓏏𓏭𓀾𓏪 and monuments from his predecessors, erased their name 𓂋𓈖, and put his own!

Egyptologists don’t think this was done out of disrespect for the previous pharaohs 𓉐𓉻𓏦, instead it was just Rameses II 𓁩𓁛𓈘𓄟𓋴𓇓 promoting his own rule.

Fun fact! Much like modern geologists, the ancient Egyptians 𓆎𓏏𓀀𓁐𓏪 differentiated between granite and red granite rocks 𓇋𓈖𓂋𓈙𓏦! How do we know?! The hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪 are different:

Granite – 𓇋𓈖𓈙𓈖𓌳𓍿
Red Granite – 𓅓𓌳𓏏𓎶

I love rocks 𓇋𓈖𓂋𓈙𓏦 and geology so much! I actually got interested in geology as a kid because I wanted to know what all of the statues were made out of!

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Egyptian Artifacts

Statue of Rameses II at the British Museum

This statue 𓄚𓈖𓏏𓏭𓀾 of Rameses II 𓁩𓁛𓈘𓄟𓋴𓇓 is one of the largest Egyptian artifacts in the British Museum. The piece is definitely grand, and is even more beautiful 𓄤 in person.

This statue 𓄚𓈖𓏏𓏭𓀾 was cut from pink/gray granite 𓇋𓈖𓈙𓈖𓌳𓍿. Granite 𓇋𓈖𓈙𓈖𓌳𓍿 is an extremely strong rock 𓇋𓈖𓂋𓈙 and resistant to weathering due to its high quartz content (hence why it is used to make countertops), so that is why the details on this are so well preserved. This piece was excavated by Belzoni and was originally from Rameses II’s 𓁩𓁛𓈘𓄟𓋴𓇓 mortuary temple at Thebes 𓌀𓏏𓊖 (aka the Ramesseum).

Rameses II 𓁩𓁛𓈘𓄟𓋴𓇓 came to the throne after the death of his father Seti I 𓇳𓁦𓏠, and ruled Egypt 𓆎𓅓𓏏𓊖 as pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 for about 67 years. He was the third pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 of the 19th Dynasty, and is often referred to as “Rameses The Great” because he built 𓐍𓂤𓅱𓋴𓀧 more monuments than any other pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 and ruled longer than any other pharaoh 𓉐𓉻. The monuments attributed to Rameses II 𓁩𓁛𓈘𓄟𓋴𓇓 are some of the best preserved – it seems that he got his wish to be remembered even so long after his death 𓅓𓏏𓏱. Rameses II 𓁩𓁛𓈘𓄟𓋴𓇓 built 𓐍𓂤𓅱𓋴𓀧 as much as he could so he could ensure that his name 𓂋𓈖 lived on.