This is a bust of Hatshepsut ππ ππΉππππΌπͺ in the form of Osiris πΉπ¨π (Osiride) and originally stood over 15 ππΎ feet high! This βstatueβ is originally from her temple πππ at Deir el-Bahri – this statue was not free-standing – it was actually carved from the blocks that were part of the temple πππ!!! Hatshepsut ππ ππΉππππΌπͺ holds the traditional crook πΎ and flail π across her chest along with an Ankh πΉ and scepter π. She once wore the white crown π of Upper Egypt on her head.
About twenty ππ years after Hatshepsut π³π¦π died, these statues were cut off of the temple πππ and thrown into a pit towards the front entrance. There, these Osiride portraits of Hatshepsut π³π¦π remained buried until they were discovered by excavators from the MET in the 1930s.
This statue is very interesting because it was originally made for the pharaoh ππ» Amenemhat II ππ ππ ππ during the 12th ππ» Dynasty. However if you look at the hieroglyphs πΉππͺ, the cartouches of Rameses II can be read! The pharaohs ππ»π₯ used to recycle statues all the time – this is a process known as usurping (taking one pharaohβs monuments, erasing their name, and putting yours!). Itβs kind of like ancient plagiarism!!
This statue is made of granodiorite, a type of volcanic (igneous) rock. It was quarried at Aswan and then transported up the Nile to Memphis, where it was sculpted.
The statue of Isis π¨ππ₯ feeding Horus π π as a baby is one of the most popular images ππ ±ππ¦ of the Late Period through the Ptolemaic Period. Symbolically, Isis π¨ππ₯ was thought to be the mother π ππ of the pharaoh ππ» (The Divine Mother), and was often associated with motherhood π ππ, the protection of women, and a user of magic. As Isis π¨ππ₯ became a more popular religious figure, she was associated with cosmological order and was considered to be the embodiment of fate by the Romans.
This image ππ ±π of a mother π ππ holding a child is thought to have inspired the well known Catholic images of the Virgin Mary holding Jesus as a baby. The amulet ππͺπ and statue was very popular in Roman households, most likely as a symbol of motherhood and family. My Nonno always made sure to point these statues out to us, as he felt they were really important due to the likely influence on Catholic symbolism.
ππΉπππ³π βGiven Everlasting Life for all Eternity.β
This is one of my absolute favorite Egyptian phrases – it appears a lot in hieroglyphic inscriptions πππ₯ whether its on stelae ππ ±ππΈπͺ or tomb/temple walls. The Egyptians πππππͺ spent their time on Earth preparing for the afterlife and their journey to the Underworld πΌπΏππ to meet Osiris πΉπ¨π. I interpret the phrase βππΉπππ³πβ two π» different ways. When they died, the Egyptians πππππͺ wanted to be remembered, hence the purpose of stelae ππ ±ππΈπͺ. Also, they believed death was the beginning of a journey to eternal life πΉπ.
π – Given πΉ – Life π – Everlasting/Eternal ππ³π – Eternity
Eventually everyone is going to get tired of me talking about Hatshepsut π³π¦π but I donβt care! I love anything that has her cartouche on it, and the scarab collection at the MET is no exception!! The MET has a new way of displaying the scarabs that makes it much easier to take pictures, and you can really see each one close up! There are a lot of the scarabs, so eventually you guys will see them all!
These two scarabs have very similar inscriptions carved into them, however one little symbol makes a total difference in the meaning of the inscription! The scarab on the left says βπ³π¦πππΏπΏβ which translates to βMaatkare, Lord of the Two Landsβ while the scarab on the right says βπ³π¦ππππΏπΏβ which translates to βMaatkare, Lady of the Two Lands.β
The symbol βπβ makes the phrase feminine! Itβs really interesting to see a scarab with just the symbol for Lord π because while Hatshepsut π³π¦π was the Pharaoh ππ», most of the inscriptions that pertain to her use the female form of words.
Who doesnβt have a fascination with King Tut??!! My Nonno had so many books on Tutankhamun ππ πππ ±ππΉπΎπΊπ and as a little kid I was enthralled by all of the pictures of the artifacts that were found in his tomb. I always loved hearing about how Howard Carter found and excavated the tomb ππ«ππ in the Valley of the Kings during the 1920s.
While to most this statue head may seem anti-climatic after seeing the Temple of Dendur, I have always loved it because it is a portrait of Pharaoh Tutankhamun ππ πππ ±ππΉπΎπΊπ. As a kid, seeing King Tut in the MET was just SO COOL. I still think itβs cool – even though Iβm an adult, I still canβt shake the child-like fascination I have with Tutankhamun ππ πππ ±ππΉπΎπΊπ
This limestone statue was made during Tutankhamunβs reign (18th Dynasty), and it shows that Tutankhamun ππ πππ ±ππΉπΎπΊπ brought back the old religion and traditional styles of Egyptian art and sculpture. The hand π§ππΊ that can be seen on the back of Tutankhamunβs head is the hand π§ππΊ of the god πΉ Amun ππ ππ. Since Amun ππ ππ (king of the gods πΉπΉπΉ) is touching Tutankhamunβs crown, it can be interpreted that Amun ππ ππ approved of Tutankhamunβs ππ πππ ±ππΉπΎπΊπ reign.
William the Hippo πππ― is kind of the unofficial mascot of the MET – probably because heβs so cute!
I always liked William because as a kid I was obsessed with the hippo πππ― that was in βItβs a Small Worldβ at Disney World! The first time I ever went to Disney at 4 years old I went with my Nonno and Nonna and Iβll never forget riding βItβs a Small Worldβ together and seeing the hippo πππ―!
William was made in the first part of the 12th Dynasty. In Egypt ππ ππ, hippos πππ―π¦ were both feared and respected πππ . They were feared because they were one of the most dangerous animals in the Nile Valley π. However, hippos πππ―π¦ were also thought to be powerful protectors π ππ‘π against evil! William has lotus flowers πΈπͺ painted all over him to associate it with rejuvenation! William is most likely painted blue π ππ to represent the Nile and rebirth.
Here is a small quartzite Sphinx of Thutmosis III π³π π£. This little statue is interesting for a couple of reasons. One of which is the way that Thutmosis III π³π π£ is commonly sculpted – he usually has a very child-like face. This is significant because it is thought that Thutmosis III π³π π£ was shown in a child-like way to visually justify the fact that Hatshepsut ππ ππΉππππΌπͺ was co-ruler and then eventually the sole pharaoh ππ».
Another interesting point is the inscription, which reads: π€πΉ(π³π π£) π»π. βThe great God, Menkhepra, beloved.β
The part of the inscription where Amunβs ππ π name should be, has been erased. The inscription should read: π€πΉ(π³π π£) ππ π π»π βThe great God, Menkhepra, beloved of Amun.β
Why was Amunβs ππ π name erased? Well, we can thank Akhenaten ππππ³π ππ for that! When Akhenaten ππππ³π ππ banned the worship of the traditional pantheon, he tried to have Amunβs ππ π name erased everywhere!
When I was little I absolutely loved this stone ππππͺ (quartz) statue πππππΎ of a lion π³πΉπΏπ cub because it reminded me of Simba from The Lion King! Only the main features of the lion cub are seen, but it is clear that this is a statue πππππΎ of a lion π³πΉπΏπ. This cute little lion π³πΉπΏπ is from the First Dynasty! During the Pre-Dynastic through Early Dynastic periods, statues πππππΎπͺ of animals were usually smaller. This statue πππππΎ though is almost like a transition piece towards the larger and grander statues πππππΎπͺ of the later dynasties.
PernebΒ πππππ was a palace administrator during the 5th Dynasty, and he had his tomb ππ«ππ built at MemphisΒ π ππ€πππ΄πΒ (modern day Saqqara). This type of tombΒ ππ«ππΒ is commonly referred to today as a mastaba, but in ancient Egyptian times they were referred to as a βHouse of EternityΒ ππ.β The word βmastabaβ is Arabic for the word βbench,β and these tombsΒ ππ«πππͺ got their modern name ππ due to their rectangular structure and flat roofs!Β
During the Old Kingdom, the Pharaoh ππ» and the palace were pretty much the center of the government/society, soΒ PernebΒ πππππΒ held quite an important role, hence the exquisite tombΒ ππ«ππ!Β
I am standing inside the mastaba ππ ofΒ PernebΒ πππππ at the MET in front of his False Door! I will never forget seeing it for the first time with my Nonno – the first time I saw it, there was no glass on the reliefs! Seeing this for the first time will always be one of my greatest memories! I love being inside the mastaba ππ because I feel like I am in Egypt –Β ππ ππΒ I love being in tombs ππ«πππͺ!
False Doors are an extremely important part of ancient Egyptian funerary practices. False Doors served as ways for the living relatives to make offerings π΅ππͺπππ¦ to the deceased π ππ± and there is a spot at the base of the False Door where offerings π΅ππͺπππ¦ are meant to be left.
The False Door acted as a link between the land of the living πΉππ and the land of the dead π ππ±. The ancient Egyptians πππππͺ believed that the soul π of the deceased π ππ± could travel between the two lands πΏπΏ through the False Door. They are also known as βka π doorsβ or βsoul π doors.β
