I am the type of person that loves jewelry, and a lot of the jewelry that I wear is inspired by ancient Egypt ππ ππ! Rings are my absolute favorite type of jewelry to wear, and I love looking at the jewelry of the ancient Egyptians πππππͺ in museums! I may be biased, but I think that Egyptian jewelry is the most beautiful type of jewelry! The pharaohs ππ»π¦ sure knew how to accessorize!
These scarab π£ rings bear the cartouche of the pharaoh ππ» Thutmosis III π³π π£. Scarab π£ rings like these were extremely popular during the New Kingdom. I love how the different colors of the scarab π£ pair so beautifully with the gold ππππ. Also these are swivel rings, meaning they spin! How cool is that??!!
Here are some of the scarabs that have both the names of Hatshepsut π³π¦π and Thutmosis III π³π π£.
The three πΌ scarabs at the top are inscribed with the cartouche of Thutmosis III, π³π π£ while the scarab at the bottom has both of their cartouches. Itβs very interesting to see objects with both of their cartouches on it, and these would most likely date from their joint rule before Hatshepsut π³π¦π declared herself as the pharaoh ππ».
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 πππππͺ used molds to make small objects a lot of the time, but the craftsmanship is incredibly impressive! Iβm such a bad artist and have zero artistic talent, so I have so much respect πππ for the people who created all of these beautiful works of art that I get to study and admire.
I am with a statue πππππΎ of a cowβs π€ππππ head, which of course is representative of the goddess πΉπ Hathor π‘.
Hathor π‘ is one of the most prominent goddesses πΉπΉπΉπ of the Egyptian pantheon. Along with Isis π¨ππ₯, she is regarded as the βdivine motherβ of the pharaoh ππ», but is also the goddess πΉπ of love, joy, music, and dance – basically the fun things in life! Hathor is also the wife of Horus π π, and the daughter of Ra π³πΊπ. Hathor π‘ is usually associated with cows π€πππππ¦ and can take the form of a cow π€ππππ in many forms of Egyptian art.
Fun fact: the words βbeautiful womanβ and βcowβ are super similar in hieroglyphs πΉππͺ- only the determinative at the end is different! They are even pronounced the same (nfrt) Why? Probably because of Hathor π‘! I find this hysterical – you probably donβt want to mess these two words up (in English at least π). Even my family knows this fact about hieroglyphs πΉππͺ, because I bring it up all the time!!
Hathor π‘ was the goddess of music, and music has been something that I have loved throughout my entire life. From listening to classic Italian music with my Nonno, to discovering artists myself, music has always been healing to me. I cannot go a day without listening to my favorite artists. Music has not only been essential to my life, but it was also culturally essential in ancient Egypt ππ ππ!
The piece in the picture is a sistrum πππππ£ with Hathorβs π‘ head depicted. A sistrum πππππ£ was almost like an ancient tambourine or rattle – while the part that makes the music is often not found intact, the handle with Hathorβs π‘ face usually is. Sistrums πππππ£πͺ can be found dating back to the Old Kingdom, but most that are found are usually from the Late – Graeco/Roman periods. We donβt know much about the songs that were sung in Egypt ππ ππ because the Egyptians πππππͺ did not have any form of musical notation, however, archaeologists have been able to replicate various types of instruments based on archaeological findings and try to figure out how they would sound! Musicians were often associated with a temple πππ or a particular god πΉ/goddess πΉπ, and they usually held a decently high place in the social hierarchy.
My absolute favorite artists are No Doubt, Il Volo, BTS, and One Direction! I also listen to a lot of other Italian artists, Broadway cast recordings, and classic rock music! Do you guys have some favorite musicians that you listen to?
Before Horemheb π³π¦π£πΌπ³ππ became the last pharaoh ππ» of the 18th Dynasty, he was a general under the pharaohs Tutankamun ππ πππ ±ππΉπΎπΊπ and Ay π³π£π£πͺπΉππ.
This large statue πππππΎ (and a second similar one) at the MET would have been placed in a temple – either the temple of Ptah πͺπππ± at Memphis or the temple of Amun-Ra ππ ππΊπ³ at Karnak.
It was standard for high officials to show themselves in a seated position with a papyrus scroll π πππ on their lap. In the Old Kingdom, the statues πππππΎπͺ usually showed the official reading, but in the New Kingdom, the statues always showed the official writing πππ₯. Horemheb π³π¦π£πΌπ³ππ is writing πππ₯ a hymn to the god Thoth π €π(who is the god of writing πππ₯).
The hieroglyphs πΉππͺ around the base of the statue πππππΎ mention Horemhebβs π³π¦π£πΌπ³ππ many titles. The hieroglyphs πΉππͺ on the βpapyrusβ π πππ that is on Horemhebβs π³π¦π£πΌπ³ππ lap can actually be read, but it was so difficult to get a pictureππ ±π/actually read them because I could not get close enough to the statue!
These two π» wooden π±ππΊ statues πππππΎπͺ were something my Nonno always made sure I appreciated when we went to the MET. My Nonno loved the Egyptian pieces that were made out of wood π±ππΊ because wood is difficult to preserve. Since wood is organic, in heat and humidity it will break down, especially over thousands of years. He always wanted me to appreciate how well preserved these two π» wooden π±ππΊ statues were!
These two π» wooden π±ππΊ statues πππππΎπͺ are from the 5th Dynasty and depicts the Governor Merti and his wife. They are both wearing wigs and nice clothing garments. Eleven ππΊ wooden statues were found in his tomb ππ«ππ at Saqqara and all of them were in incredible condition.
Though it is difficult to see in my picture ππ ±π, Merti is carrying the Sekhem Scepter, depicted similarly by the hieroglyph π, which translates to βpower.β That particular hieroglyphic symbol is also part of the goddess πΉπ Sekhmetβs πππ ππ name, and her name translates to βshe of might.β
Itβs no secret that Anubis πππͺπ ±π£ (Inpu in Egyptian – the name Anubis is actually Greek) is my favorite of the Egyptian gods πΉπΉπΉ! I have always been a fan of mummies ππΉπ ±πΎπͺ, so it makes sense that the god of embalming, tombs, cemeteries, etc ended up being my favorite! Anubis πππͺπ ±π£ also could act as a guide to souls in the Underworld πΌπΏππ(referenced in the Pyramid Texts of Unas).
The inscription (which is read from left to right on this particular text) states: πππ΅ππππͺπ ±π£πΆπΊππ ππΆπ ±πππ.
The translation is: πππ΅π – An offering the king gives πππͺπ ±π£- Anubis πΆπΊππ – Upon his hill/mountain ππΆπ ±πππ – He who is in the mummy wrappings
The title βπΆπΊππβ refers to Anubisβ role as the protector of the tombs while β ππΆπ ±πππβ refers to Anubisβ importance as the god πΉ of embalming/mummification.
I am standing in front of the Name Panels for the Middle Kingdom Pharaoh ππ» Senwosret I ππ΄ππππ at the MET. These panels were originally part of his pyramid ππ ππ΄ complex and were reconstructed from excavated pieces.
Senwosret Iβs ππ΄ππππ throne name Kheperkare π³π£π is seen multiple times along with his Horus name βπΉπβ which means βliving in births.β
These panels were originally part of his pyramid ππ ππ΄ complex and were reconstructed from excavated pieces.
A lot of Egyptian art was designed to be in three layers. The falcon god πΉ Horus π π is seen at the top of all the panels which represent the world πΎπΎ according to Egyptian religious beliefs – at the top is the realm of Horus π π, then beneath that is the realm of the pharaoh ππ».
This is probably going to sound strange to some, but I was so excited to see the back of the Hatshepsut ππ ππΉππππΌπͺ statue πππππΎ at the MET!
Usually when the statue πππππΎ is displayed you canβt see the back of it, but since the statue is part of the special exhibition of the 150th anniversary of the MET, itβs 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 π πππ that I have from the special exhibition βHatshepsut: From Queen to Pharaohβ 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 π ππ color!
These clay model houses ππ₯ were found by Petrie, but they are in the MET!
When Petrie found these, he gave them the name βSoul Housesβ due to them being very close to tombs/burials. These Soul Houses ππ₯ are usually found in or near Middle Kingdom burials. These clay models ensured that the deceased π ππ± had access to shelter and food π¬ππ ±ππ₯ in the afterlife πΌπΏππ. They are thought to take the place of offering tables – since offering tables were usually for the wealthy, the Soul House ππ€ was a more affordable option for people.
I have always been a person who likes tiny things, and the Soul Houses are no exception! I used to call them βEgyptian Dollhousesβ π – (not going to lie, I still refer to them as dollhouses!!)
