Tag: artifact

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Egyptian Artifacts

Ahmose I

Despite the 500 𓏲𓏲𓏲𓏲𓏲 years separating their reigns, the pharaohs 𓉐𓉻𓏥 Montuhotep II 𓏠𓈖𓍿𓅱𓊵𓏏𓊪 (Dynasty 11) and Ahmose I 𓇺𓄟 (Dynasty 18) are considered to be two 𓏻 of Egypt’s 𓆎𓅓𓏏𓊖 greatest pharaohs 𓉐𓉻𓏥 for a very similar reason. They were both responsible for reunifying Egypt 𓆎𓅓𓏏𓊖!

Ahmose I
Me with the head of the pharaoh Ahmose I at the MET

Ahmose I 𓇺𓄟 defeated the Hyksos and founded the 18th Dynasty, which is the start of the New Kingdom (this is my favorite part of Egyptian history)! This is the time period when Egypt 𓆎𓅓𓏏𓊖 not only reached its peak power politically, but also a golden age in arts and building projects. Ahmose I 𓇺𓄟 is responsible for jump-starting all of this by opening quarries 𓎛𓏏𓏏𓉐𓏥, mines, and trade routes in order to undertake these large construction programs.

This beautiful 𓄤𓆑𓂋 statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾 of Ahmose I 𓇺𓄟 shows him wearing the White Crown 𓄤𓋑 of Upper Egypt 𓇓. It is estimated that Ahmose I ruled for around 25 𓎆𓎆𓏾 years.

Ahmose I
A closer view of the head of a statue of pharaoh Ahmose I at the MET.

What does Ahmose I’s name 𓂋𓈖 mean? Let’s read some hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪! This is what the individual symbols mean:
𓇺 – Iah (The Moon)
𓄟 – Born/Birth
All together, the name 𓂋𓈖 means “The Moon is Born” which is such a wonderful name 𓂋𓈖! I love it!

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost. 

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Egyptian Artifacts Reading Hieroglyphs

The Egyptian Star

Egyptian Star
The Egyptian Star hieroglyph might have been inspired by the starfish that live in the Red Sea

The five pointed Egyptian Star 𓇼 is one of my absolute favorite hieroglyphic symbols! The star hieroglyphic 𓊹𓌃 symbol 𓇼 was used very frequently in words as well and there are different variations of star symbols (𓇻, 𓇽). You’ll mostly see it in words like “Duat 𓇼𓄿𓏏𓉐.” Sometimes “Duat” is represented with just the “𓇽” symbol too! 

Egyptian Star
A painted and a carved hieroglyphic Egyptian star!

What I also love about the Star 𓇼 is that not only does it function as a hieroglyph, but it is also used as artistic decoration. 

Egyptian Star
Egyptian Stars on the Middle Kingdom Canopic Jar Case of Ukhotep (MET)

The night sky/star design appears on the ceilings of tombs 𓇋𓐫𓊃𓉐𓏪 (Seti I’s 𓊪𓏏𓎛𓁣𓇌𓌸𓈖 tomb 𓇋𓐫𓊃𓉐 comes to mind), temples 𓉟𓏏𓉐𓏪 (Hatshepsut’s 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓎹𓏏𓄂𓏏𓀼𓏪 temple 𓉟𓏏𓉐 at Deir el-Bahri 𓂦𓂋𓂦𓏥𓉐) and even on funerary objects 𓈎𓂋𓋴𓏏𓏏𓊭 like canopic jar cases and in the Book of the Dead 𓉐𓂋𓏏𓂻𓅓𓉔𓂋𓏲𓇳𓏺𓍼𓏺! 

Egyptian Star
Stars in the Book of the Dead of Sobekmose (Brooklyn Museum)

The five pointed star hieroglyph (𓇼), while used to represent stars 𓋴𓃀𓄿𓇼𓏦 in the sky 𓊪𓏏𓇯, actually resembles the starfish 𓇼𓈙𓇼 that inhabit the Red Sea! Egyptologists and archaeologists think that the star hieroglyph (𓇼) originally represented the starfish 𓇼𓈙𓇼 but then evolved to represent stars 𓋴𓃀𓄿𓇼𓏦 in the sky 𓊪𓏏𓇯 as well. 

Egyptian Star
Stars in the Book of the Dead of Imhotep (MET) 

What I find fascinating is that the ancient Egyptian language (𓇼𓈙𓇼), English (starfish), and Italian (stella marina) all equate these beautiful 𓄤 sea animals to the stars in the sky! The ancient Egyptians had a deep understanding of astronomy and the stars 𓋴𓃀𓄿𓇼𓏦 and it’s so cool that they saw starfish 𓇼𓈙𓇼 in the Red Sea and thought that they looked like the bright objects in the sky 𓊪𓏏𓇯! 

Egyptian Star
A Starfish at EPCOT in Disney World – it definitely looks like a five pointed Egyptian Star!

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost. 

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Egyptian Artifacts

Magical Stela or Cippus

This magnificent piece is known as a “Magical Stela,” or a “Cippus of Horus.” Normally, stela 𓎗𓅱𓆓𓉸 were used to commemorate the dead but Cippus pieces are like a protective amulet 𓊐𓊪𓅆 in the shape of a stela 𓎗𓅱𓆓𓉸. 

Me with the Cippus at the MET

This cippus was used by the living for protection 𓅓𓂝𓎡𓀜. Since the Old Kingdom, Horus 𓅃𓀭 was called upon as a defender against snake or scorpion bites. Placing the cippus on a wound would evoke its magical and healing powers. 

Smaller versions of Cippus stela 𓎗𓅱𓆓𓉸 were usually kept in homes 𓉐𓏺, but this one here at the MET is a lot more elaborate and was actually commissioned by a priest 𓊹𓍛 to be displayed in public! It’s difficult to see in pictures, but the hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪 are carved so exquisitely and I love just looking at them! 

A closeup of the top of the Cippus at the MET

The top panel on the front of the Cippus depicts Horus 𓅃𓀭 standing on two 𓏻 crocodiles 𓅓𓋴𓎛𓆌𓏥 and holding other dangerous animals such as snakes 𓇋𓂝𓂋𓏏𓆘𓏪, a lion 𓌳𓁹𓄿𓄛, an antelope 𓃲𓏺 and scorpions 𓋴𓂋𓈎𓏏𓆫𓏪 in each hand. Surrounding Horus 𓅃𓀭 are other deities. On Horus’ 𓅃𓀭 left there is Isis 𓊨𓏏𓁥, Ra-Horakhty 𓅊𓏔𓏔𓏤, and then on Horus’ 𓅃𓀭 right is Thoth 𓅝𓏏𓏭𓀭. The god 𓊹 Bes 𓃀𓋴𓄜 also appears above Horus’ 𓅃𓀭 head 𓁶𓏺. Bes 𓃀𓋴𓄜 was known to ward off evil 𓃀𓇋𓈖𓏏𓅨 and bad luck. 

This piece is dated to the Late Period (30th Dynasty). Considering everything, I figured this would be a fitting post for today! 

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost. 

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Video

Ushabtis are My Favorite – Video

Nonno and I are co-presidents of the Ushabti 𓅱𓈙𓃀𓏏𓏭𓀾 fan club! As much as I also love the Temple of Dendur at the MET, nothing beats seeing all of the different types of ushabti 𓆷𓄿𓍯𓃀𓏏𓏮𓀾 figures on display! Seeing the ushabtis 𓅱𓈙𓃀𓏏𓏭𓀾 makes me so happy! 

@ancientegyptblog

Nonno and I are co-presidents of the Ushabti 𓅱𓈙𓃀𓏏𓏭𓀾 fan club! As much as I also love the Temple of Dendur at the MET, nothing beats seeing all of the different types of ushabti 𓆷𓄿𓍯𓃀𓏏𓏮𓀾 figures on display! Seeing the ushabtis 𓅱𓈙𓃀𓏏𓏭𓀾 makes me so happy! Fun Facts about Ushabti 𓅱𓈙𓃀𓏏𓏭𓀾 figures: 1. The ushabtis 𓆷𓄿𓍯𓃀𓏏𓏮𓀾 served as substitutes for the deceased 𓅓𓏏𓏱 and would perform labor or jobs for them in the afterlife 𓇼𓄿𓏏𓉐. 2. Ushabtis are usually inscribed with specific spells 𓎛𓂓𓏛𓏦 which assigned each ushabti 𓆷𓄿𓍯𓃀𓏏𓏮𓀾 to a certain task! The most popular one is the “Shabti Spell.” 3. Ushabtis can be made of many different types of materials such as faience 𓋣𓈖𓏏𓏸𓏼, wood 𓆱𓏏𓏺, clay 𓊪𓈖𓋴𓈇, limestone 𓇋𓈖𓈙𓌉 and rarely even bronze 𓈔𓏤𓈒𓏦! 4. People who could afford it were buried with over 400 𓏲𓏲𓏲𓏲 ushabtis 𓅱𓈙𓃀𓏏𓏭𓀾𓏪! Usually there were 365 𓏲𓏲𓏲𓎆𓎆𓎆𓎆𓎆𓎆𓏾 worker ushabtis 𓅱𓈙𓃀𓏏𓏭𓀾𓏪 (one for each day of the year) and then overseer ushabtis! My Nonno loved ushabtis 𓅱𓈙𓃀𓏏𓏭𓀾𓏪 so much and would tell my sister 𓌢𓈖𓏏𓁐 and I stories about them! I love these statues so much and I may be among their biggest fans – I cannot get enough of them! Follow me to learn all about ancient Egypt, hieroglyphs, Egyptian mythology, art, culture and more! This is my personal ideo and original text. DO NOT repost. #ancientegypt #egyptianhistory #egyptologist #ancient_egypt #metropolitanmuseumofart #ushabti #ushabtis #shabti #shabtis #templeofdendur #historytok #egyptology

♬ Le Monde – From Talk to Me – Richard Carter

Fun Facts about Ushabti 𓅱𓈙𓃀𓏏𓏭𓀾 figures: 

  1. The ushabtis 𓆷𓄿𓍯𓃀𓏏𓏮𓀾 served as substitutes for the deceased 𓅓𓏏𓏱 and would perform labor or jobs for them in the afterlife 𓇼𓄿𓏏𓉐. 
  2. Ushabtis are usually inscribed with specific spells 𓎛𓂓𓏛𓏦 which assigned each ushabti 𓆷𓄿𓍯𓃀𓏏𓏮𓀾 to a certain task! The most popular one is the “Shabti Spell.” 
  3. Ushabtis can be made of many different types of materials such as faience 𓋣𓈖𓏏𓏸𓏼, wood 𓆱𓏏𓏺, clay 𓊪𓈖𓋴𓈇, limestone 𓇋𓈖𓈙𓌉 and rarely even bronze 𓈔𓏤𓈒𓏦! 
  4. People who could afford it were buried with over 400 𓏲𓏲𓏲𓏲 ushabtis  𓅱𓈙𓃀𓏏𓏭𓀾𓏪! Usually there were 365 𓏲𓏲𓏲𓎆𓎆𓎆𓎆𓎆𓎆𓏾 worker ushabtis 𓅱𓈙𓃀𓏏𓏭𓀾𓏪 (one for each day of the year) and then overseer ushabtis!

My Nonno loved ushabtis 𓅱𓈙𓃀𓏏𓏭𓀾𓏪 so much and would tell my sister 𓌢𓈖𓏏𓁐 and I stories about them! I love these statues so much and I may be among their biggest fans – I cannot get enough of them! 

This is my personal video and original text. DO NOT repost. 

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Egyptian Artifacts Video

Talatat – Video

These small 𓈖𓆓𓋴𓅩 limestone 𓇋𓈖𓈙𓌉 blocks are called “Talatat” and were used solely during the reign 𓋾𓈎𓏏 of the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 Akhenaten 𓇋𓏏𓈖𓇳𓅞𓐍𓈖! These were used in the construction of the Aten 𓇋𓏏𓈖𓇳 temple 𓉟𓏏𓉐 at Karnak (this construction started when he was still Amenhotep IV 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓊵𓊹𓋾𓌀) and the palace 𓂝𓎛𓏏𓉥𓉐 at Akhetaten 𓈌𓏏𓉐𓇋𓏏𓈖𓊖. Akhetaten 𓈌𓏏𓉐𓇋𓏏𓈖𓊖 was the capital of Egypt 𓆎𓅓𓏏𓊖 during the reign 𓋾𓈎𓏏 of Akhenaten 𓇋𓏏𓈖𓇳𓅞𓐍𓈖. 

@ancientegyptblog

These small 𓈖𓆓𓋴𓅩 limestone 𓇋𓈖𓈙𓌉 blocks are called “Talatat” and were used solely during the reign 𓋾𓈎𓏏 of the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 Akhenaten 𓇋𓏏𓈖𓇳𓅞𓐍𓈖! These were used in the construction of the Aten 𓇋𓏏𓈖𓇳 temple 𓉟𓏏𓉐 at Karnak (this construction started when he was still Amenhotep IV 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓊵𓊹𓋾𓌀) and the palace 𓂝𓎛𓏏𓉥𓉐 at Akhetaten 𓈌𓏏𓉐𓇋𓏏𓈖𓊖. Akhetaten 𓈌𓏏𓉐𓇋𓏏𓈖𓊖 was the capital of Egypt 𓆎𓅓𓏏𓊖 during the reign 𓋾𓈎𓏏 of Akhenaten 𓇋𓏏𓈖𓇳𓅞𓐍𓈖. These limestone 𓇋𓈖𓈙𓌉 blocks were unique because they were so small 𓈖𓆓𓋴𓅩 a single worker could carry them and put it into place. This was meant to expedite construction and make building a lot faster. The Talatat are also unique because they were only used during the reign 𓋾𓈎𓏏 of Akhenaten 𓇋𓏏𓈖𓇳𓅞𓐍𓈖, and were never used again. Even though originally from Amarna 𓈌𓏏𓉐𓇋𓏏𓈖𓊖, these Talatat were actually found at Hermopolis because after Akhenaten’s 𓇋𓏏𓈖𓇳𓅞𓐍𓈖 reign 𓋾𓈎𓏏, his monuments 𓏠𓏍 were destroyed and building materials were used by other pharaohs 𓉐𓉻𓏦! These Talatat at the MET were once brightly painted in striking colors, as was most of the Egyptian monuments 𓏠𓏍. A lot of the colors you see on these blocks are restored and not necessarily the original colors. Tens of thousands of Talatat have been found across Egypt 𓆎𓅓𓏏𓊖. Follow me to learn all about ancient Egypt, hieroglyphs, Egyptian mythology, art, culture and more! This is my personal video and original text. DO NOT repost. @ancientegyptblog #ancientegypt #egyptianhistory #egyptologist #historytok #egyptology #ancient_egypt #pharaoh #akhenaten #metropolitanmuseum #egypt

♬ Epic Music(863502) – Draganov89

These limestone 𓇋𓈖𓈙𓌉 blocks were unique because they were so small 𓈖𓆓𓋴𓅩 a single worker could carry them and put it into place. This was meant to expedite construction and make building a lot faster. The Talatat are also unique because they were only used during the reign 𓋾𓈎𓏏 of Akhenaten 𓇋𓏏𓈖𓇳𓅞𓐍𓈖, and were never used again. 

Even though originally from Amarna 𓈌𓏏𓉐𓇋𓏏𓈖𓊖, these Talatat were actually found at Hermopolis because after Akhenaten’s 𓇋𓏏𓈖𓇳𓅞𓐍𓈖 reign 𓋾𓈎𓏏, his monuments 𓏠𓏍 were destroyed and building materials were used by other pharaohs 𓉐𓉻𓏦! 

These Talatat at the MET were once brightly painted in striking colors, as was most of the Egyptian monuments 𓏠𓏍. A lot of the colors you see on these blocks are restored and not necessarily the original colors. 

Tens of thousands of Talatat have been found across Egypt 𓆎𓅓𓏏𓊖. 

This is my personal video and original text. DO NOT repost. 

Follow me @ancientegyptblog on Instagram and TikTok to learn all about ancient Egypt, hieroglyphs, mythology, culture and more! 

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Egyptian Artifacts

Monkey Statue from Amarna

How cute is this blue 𓇋𓁹𓏏𓄿𓏸𓏥 faience 𓋣𓈖𓏏𓏸𓏼 statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾 of a monkey 𓎼𓄿𓆑𓃸?

Monkey Statue
A blue faience monkey statue from Amarna on display at the Brooklyn Museum

This statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾 is from Amarna 𓈌𓏏𓉐𓇋𓏏𓈖𓊖 and is dated to Akhenaten’s 𓇋𓏏𓈖𓇳𓅜𓐍𓈖 reign 𓋾𓈎𓏏 in the 18th Dynasty. This piece strikes me as interesting for an Amarna-era piece because it doesn’t look like the “typical” Amarna-era art style! It’s more realistic looking instead of having exaggerated features! 

One really cool feature about this monkey 𓎼𓄿𓆑𓃸 statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾 is that his ears are pierced! It’s possible that in antiquity the statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾 had earrings – how cool is that? The Brooklyn Museum has speculated that the presence of an earring would be an indication that this statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾 represented a household pet. If a person had a monkey 𓎼𓄿𓆑𓄛 as a household pet in ancient Egypt 𓆎𓅓𓏏𓊖, that meant that the person was extremely wealthy because monkeys had to be imported into Egypt 𓆎𓅓𓏏𓊖 from far away and were extremely expensive! 

The monkey 𓎡𓇌𓃸 also seems to be holding something round in his hands – my guess is that it’s some type of fruit! 

There are a lot of different ways to write the word for “monkey” in hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪, however, a lot of these variants are similar except for the determinative used at the end! Here’s a list of some of the variants here (there are actually too many to list): 

𓎼𓄿𓆑𓃻

𓎼𓄿𓆑𓃸

𓎼𓄿𓆑𓄛

𓎼𓄿𓆑𓄜

𓎡𓇌𓃸

𓆓𓎛𓆓𓎛𓃻

Thank you to my sister 𓌢𓈖𓏏𓁐 for taking this wonderful picture 𓏏𓅱𓏏!

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost. 

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Egyptian Artifacts

Animals in Ancient Egypt

Happy World Animal Day! Let’s learn about the significance of Animals in Ancient Egypt!

Animals in Ancient Egypt
Me with a blue faience hippo at the Brooklyn Museum! The blue faience hippos are one of my absolute favorite types of artifacts!

Believe it or not, there is no Middle Egyptian word for “animal” – there was the word “𓌚𓅓𓄛” but it translates more accurately to “beast” than to all animals in general. What I love about language 𓂋𓏺 is that even a small detail such as this can show us so much about the culture of the people who spoke it! 

Animals in Ancient Egypt
An ibis on display at the MET

In ancient Egypt 𓆎𓅓𓏏𓊖, Animals were usually referred to by their name 𓂋𓈖 instead of as a singular category. What I love about Middle Egyptian is that the name 𓂋𓈖 the animal was given was sometimes very similar to the sound the animal made! For example, the Middle Egyptian word for cat is 𓅓𓇋𓅱𓃠 (miu) which can be pronounced similarly to “meow.” The word for dog is 𓃛𓅱𓃛𓅱𓃥 (iwiw) which can almost sound like “woof woof.”

Animals in Ancient Egypt
A cat mummy on display at the MET

Why is this significant? It shows that the Egyptians 𓆎𓏏𓀀𓁐𓏪 didn’t regard animals as different from humans or less than humans (unlike the Greeks and Romans, and eventually Western cultures). Animals were living things that contained a ba 𓅡𓏺 (part of the soul that is active in this world and the spiritual world). They could become gods 𓊹𓊹𓊹 through death 𓅓𓏏𓏱 and mummification 𓋴𓂧𓐍𓅱𓐎 just like humans. 

Animals in Ancient Egypt
Hathor in her cow form from the Book of the Dead of Imhotep at the MET

Animals like cats 𓅓𓇋𓅱𓃠𓏪, ibises 𓉔𓃀𓅤𓏪, cows 𓄤𓆑𓂋𓏏𓃒𓏦, snakes 𓇋𓂝𓂋𓏏𓆘𓏪, hippos 𓌉𓏏𓃯𓏦, and many others were held in high regard due to the gods 𓊹𓊹𓊹 and goddesses 𓊹𓊹𓊹𓏏 who could take the form of those animals! 

Animals in Ancient Egypt
A fish bowl on display at the Brooklyn Museum

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost. 

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Egyptian Artifacts

The Rainbow Fish

My sister 𓌢𓈖𓏏 has always said that this piece reminds her of the children’s book “The Rainbow Fish,” and thanks to her that’s how I always refer to this piece! 

The Rainbow Fish
Do you think this little fish rattle at the Brooklyn Museum looks like The Rainbow Fish?

This beautifully 𓄤 colored fish 𓂋𓅓𓆛 represents a tilapia 𓇋𓆛𓈖𓏏𓆛! The Egyptians 𓆎𓏏𓀀𓁐𓏪 viewed the tilapia 𓇋𓆛𓈖𓏏𓆛 as a symbol of regeneration and rebirth 𓄟𓍿𓅱. Both of these concepts were super important in the Egyptian religion, so they held tilapia 𓇋𓆛𓈖𓏏𓆛 in very high regard! 

What is so cool about this piece is that it is actually a rattle! There are little clay 𓊪𓈖𓋴𓈇 pellets inside of it, which represents the eggs. This was most likely a ritual object; either played during childbirth or placed in a tomb 𓇋𓐫𓊃𓉐 to help the deceased 𓅓𓏏𓏱 with their rebirth 𓄟𓍿𓅱! 

The blue 𓇅𓆓𓏛 coloring on the fish 𓂋𓅓𓆛 is purely decorative as tilapia 𓇋𓆛𓈖𓏏𓆛 are not this color in real life! However, these particular colors used (blue 𓇅𓆓𓏛, red 𓂧𓈙𓂋𓅟 and black 𓆎𓅓) are very typical of the color palette used at Amenhotep III’s 𓇳𓁧𓎠 palace at Malqata and at Amarna 𓈌𓏏𓉐𓇋𓏏𓈖𓊖 during Akhenaten’s 𓇋𓏏𓈖𓇳𓅜𓐍𓈖 reign. This piece is estimated to be from the late 18th Dynasty and is thought to be from Saqqara 𓏠𓈖𓄤𓆑𓂋𓉴𓊖. 

From a hieroglyphic standpoint, the tilapia symbol 𓆛 is the main determinative for “fish 𓂋𓅓𓆛!” This demonstrates just how important the Egyptians viewed the tilapia – a lot of their fish related words contained the tilapia 𓆛! Tilapia also has its own word which is “𓇋𓆛𓈖𓏏𓆛.” 

The Rainbow Fish
The Rainbow Fish with the word for “tilapia” in hieroglyphs!

Thanks 𓋴𓏏𓍯𓄿𓀢 to my sister 𓌢𓈖𓏏 for taking this picture 𓏏𓅱𓏏!

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost. 

@ancientegyptblog on Instagram and TikTok

Categories
Video

Inner Cartonnage of Gautseshenu – Video

This stunningly painted piece is the Inner Cartonnage of a person named Gautseshenu. This piece would have been placed inside a larger coffin and is made of cartonnage (ancient paper mache). It is dated to the 25th Dynasty (Third Intermediate Period). It was found in Thebes 𓌀𓏏𓊖 and it’s amazing how well preserved it is and how bright the colors are. 

The Weighing of the Heart scene from the Book of the Dead 𓉐𓂋𓏏𓂻𓅓𓉔𓂋𓏲𓇳𓏺𓍼𓏺 is my absolute favorite type of religious art from ancient Egypt 𓆎𓅓𓏏𓊖. As a kid, I loved it because Anubis 𓇋𓈖𓊪𓅱𓁢 was the central god 𓊹 in the scene, and Anubis 𓇋𓈖𓊪𓅱𓁢 is my favorite Egyptian god 𓊹 . As an adult, I love what the scene represents and the symbolism behind it.

For those unfamiliar with the context of the scene, Anubis 𓇋𓈖𓊪𓅱𓁢 weighs the heart 𓇋𓃀𓄣 of the deceased 𓅓𓏏𓏱 against Maat’s 𓌴𓐙𓂣𓏏𓁦 feather. If Anubis determines there’s balance between the two, then the deceased would be presented to Osiris 𓁹𓊨 𓀭 by Horus 𓅃𓀭. The simplified version of the scene represented on this cartonnage is missing Thoth 𓅤𓀭 and Ammit 𓂝𓅓𓅓𓏏. 

If you’re looking at the inner cartonnage/coffin 𓅱𓇋𓀾 from the front, you can see Khepri 𓆣𓂋𓇋𓁛(the winged beetle) and the Four Sons of Horus beneath him. I feel like this coffin 𓅱𓇋𓀾 is the Sparks Notes version of the Book of the Dead 𓉐𓂋𓏏𓂻𓅓𓉔𓂋𓏲𓇳𓏺𓍼𓏺 – it kinda gives you some of the most important parts of it in a very small amount of space! 

You can also watch this video (with music) on TikTok!

@ancientegyptblog

This stunningly painted piece is the Inner Cartonnage of a person named Gautseshenu. This piece would have been placed inside a larger coffin and is made of cartonnage (ancient paper mache). It is dated to the 25th Dynasty (Third Intermediate Period). It was found in Thebes 𓌀𓏏𓊖 and it’s amazing how well preserved it is and how bright the colors are. The Weighing of the Heart scene from the Book of the Dead 𓉐𓂋𓏏𓂻𓅓𓉔𓂋𓏲𓇳𓏺𓍼𓏺 is my absolute favorite type of religious art from ancient Egypt 𓆎𓅓𓏏𓊖. As a kid, I loved it because Anubis 𓇋𓈖𓊪𓅱𓁢 was the central god 𓊹 in the scene, and Anubis 𓇋𓈖𓊪𓅱𓁢 is my favorite Egyptian god 𓊹 . As an adult, I love what the scene represents and the symbolism behind it. For those unfamiliar with the context of the scene, Anubis 𓇋𓈖𓊪𓅱𓁢 weighs the heart 𓇋𓃀𓄣 of the deceased 𓅓𓏏𓏱 against Maat’s 𓌴𓐙𓂣𓏏𓁦 feather. If Anubis determines there’s balance between the two, then the deceased would be presented to Osiris 𓁹𓊨 𓀭 by Horus 𓅃𓀭. The simplified version of the scene represented on this cartonnage is missing Thoth 𓅤𓀭 and Ammit 𓂝𓅓𓅓𓏏. If you’re looking at the coffin 𓅱𓇋𓀾 from the front, you can see Khepri 𓆣𓂋𓇋𓁛(the winged beetle) and the Four Sons of Horus beneath him. I feel like this coffin 𓅱𓇋𓀾 is the Sparks Notes version of the Book of the Dead 𓉐𓂋𓏏𓂻𓅓𓉔𓂋𓏲𓇳𓏺𓍼𓏺 – it kinda gives you some of the most important parts of it in a very small amount of space! This is my personal video and original text. DO NOT repost. #ancientegypt #egyptianhistory #egyptologist #historytok #egypt #brooklynmuseum #anubis #bookofthedead

♬ snowfall – Øneheart & reidenshi

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost. 

@ancientegyptblog on Instagram and TikTok

Categories
Egyptian Artifacts

Hippopotamus Statues

My sister 𓌢𓈖𓏏𓁐 sent me this picture 𓏏𓅱𓏏 that she took at the Brooklyn Museum and I immediately knew that I had to share it with all 𓎟 of you! 

Hippopotamus Statues
Hippopotamus Statues from the Middle Kingdom on display at the Brooklyn Museum

It’s no mystery that I love the ancient Egyptian hippopotamus 𓌉𓏏𓃯 statues 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾𓏪! My favorites are the blue 𓇋𓁹𓏏𓄿𓏸𓏥 faience 𓋣𓈖𓏏𓏸𓏼 ones that are typically dated to the Middle Kingdom time period! 

What I love about this picture 𓏏𓅱𓏏 is it shows the diversity of the art that was created during the Middle Kingdom! The blue 𓇋𓁹𓏏𓄿𓏸𓏥 faience 𓋣𓈖𓏏𓏸𓏼 hippopotamus 𓐍𓃀𓃯 statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾 is a lot more detailed and refined, while the clay 𓊪𓈖𓋴𓈇 hippo 𓌉𓏏𓃯 statues 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾𓏪 are a little rougher! 

The hippo 𓐍𓃀𓃯 statues 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾𓏪 in the forefront of the image 𓏏𓅱𓏏 are made out of clay 𓊪𓈖𓋴𓈇 and were most likely used as a kind of offering during the “Feast of the White Hippopotamus.” During this festival, a hippopotamus 𓌉𓏏𓃯 was dragged on a sled before the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻. The base that these two 𓏻 hippo 𓌉𓏏𓃯 statues 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾𓏪 have are representative of that sled! 

The blue 𓇋𓁹𓏏𓄿𓏸𓏥 faience 𓋣𓈖𓏏𓏸𓏼 hippopotamus 𓐍𓃀𓃯 statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾 is always a treat to see and I love seeing them across various museums! There are lotus flowers 𓆸𓆸𓆸 painted on the sides of the hippo 𓌉𓏏𓃯 to represent the different plants that grew along the Nile 𓇋𓏏𓂋𓅱𓈗𓈘𓈇𓏺! The legs on this statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾 are actually restored! 

FUN FACT: did you know that most blue 𓇋𓁹𓏏𓄿𓏸𓏥 faience 𓋣𓈖𓏏𓏸𓏼 hippopotamus 𓌉𓏏𓃯 statues 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾𓏪 have broken feet because they were broken on purpose so the hippo 𓌉𓏏𓃯 would not be a threat to the deceased person it was buried with? 

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost. 

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