Author: ancientegyptblog7

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Egyptian Artifacts

Ushabti Box

I love ushabtis π“…±π“ˆ™π“ƒ€π“π“­π“€Ύπ“ͺ and so did my Nonno (we have so many pictures 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓏦 of them)! During the Ramesside period and onward, due to the increasing number of ushabti π“…±π“ˆ™π“ƒ€π“π“­π“€Ύ figures that people were buried with, the Egyptians π“†Žπ“π“€€π“π“ͺ started putting them in boxes! Like the example in the picture 𓏏𓅱𓏏, the Ushabti Boxes were used to hold hundreds of ushabti π“…±π“ˆ™π“ƒ€π“π“­π“€Ύ figures for the deceased 𓅓𓏏𓏱.

Much like sarcophagi, ushabti π“…±π“ˆ™π“ƒ€π“π“­π“€Ύ boxes usually look different for different people! Some were only single compartment, but some ushabti π“…±π“ˆ™π“ƒ€π“π“­π“€Ύ boxes could have up to three 𓏼 compartments full of the figures! Some were elaborately decorated, but this one is just a plain wooden 𓆱𓏏𓏺 rectangular box with six 𓏿 columns of hieroglyphic text π“Ÿπ“›π“₯ on the front. Unfortunately due to the angle of the picture 𓏏𓅱𓏏, I can’t translate the text – but I can see the Offering Formula (π“‡“π“π“Š΅π“™) on the first column on the right! I can also see that some of the ushabtis π“…±π“ˆ™π“ƒ€π“π“­π“€Ύπ“ͺ have a dedication to Osiris π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­ on them!

Usually people were buried with over 400 𓏲𓏲𓏲𓏲 of the figures – one for each day of the year. Fun Fact: the ancient Egyptians π“†Žπ“π“€€π“π“ͺ had calculated the year to be 365 π“²π“²π“²π“Ž†π“Ž†π“Ž†π“Ž†π“Ž†π“Ž†π“Ύ days, and then they revised it to 365.25 days – which is the actual length modern scientists calculated! How incredible is that?!

The ushabtis π“…±π“ˆ™π“ƒ€π“π“­π“€Ύπ“ͺ that you see in this box are worker ushabtis π“…±π“ˆ™π“ƒ€π“π“­π“€Ύπ“ͺ and you can tell because they are holding tools (π“ŒΊ) in their hands 𓂝𓏦! The remaining overseers ushabtis π“…±π“ˆ™π“ƒ€π“π“­π“€Ύπ“ͺ were there to make sure all of the others were doing their work!

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Reading Hieroglyphs

Bronze Blade with Hatshepsut’s Cartouche

Believe it or not, this seemingly plain piece was probably one of my favorite objects that I saw in the Petrie Museum. I was so excited when I saw it, because Hatshepsut’s 𓇳𓁦𓂓 throne name appears on it! Since I absolutely love anything to do with Hatshepsut 𓇳𓁦𓂓, I was incredibly excited to see something with her name π“‚‹π“ˆ– on it. I also think this piece is unpublished, so it was a total surprise for me to see that it even existed! Since her name π“‚‹π“ˆ–appears on the blade, it means that it was most certainly made during her time as pharaoh 𓉐𓉻.

While it doesn’t look like much, this piece is actually a bronze π“ˆ”π“€π“ˆ’π“¦ blade that was once attached to a handle.

Let’s read some hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ!

π“„€π“ŠΉ – Great God

(𓇳𓁦𓂓) – Maatkare (Hatshepsut’s Throne Name – translates to β€œTruth 𓁦 is the Soul π“‚“ of Re 𓇳.”)

π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ– – Amun

𓏃𓂦𓂦- Holiest of Holies (the name given to Hatshepsut’s temple at Deir el-Bahri. It can also be written as 𓏃𓂦𓂦𓉐 or most commonly as 𓂦𓂋𓂦π“₯𓉐).

π“ŒΊπ“‡Œ – Beloved

Put together, the inscription reads: π“„€π“ŠΉ(𓇳𓁦𓂓)π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ƒπ“‚¦π“‚¦π“ŒΊπ“‡Œ β€œThe Great God Maatkare, Beloved of Amun, Holiest of Holies.”

Interestingly, Hatshepsut π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ is referred to as β€œThe Great God π“„€π“ŠΉβ€ instead of the β€œGreat Goddess π“„€π“ŠΉπ“β€ as she usually is in inscriptions π“Ÿπ“›π“₯. I honestly think this is a spacing issue because the blade is so small π“ˆ–π“†“π“‹΄π“…©. A lot of the words on this blade are the shortened version. For example, Amun is written as π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ– instead of π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“€­, and Holiest of Holies is very shortened to the point of almost being unrecognizable (𓏃𓂦𓂦 instead of 𓂦𓂋𓂦π“₯𓉐). There are also many variations of Beloved π“ŒΊπ“‡Œ, but this shortened version of the word is very commonly seen in inscriptions π“Ÿπ“›π“₯.

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Egyptian Artifacts

Symbolism on Hatshepsut’s Statue

No surprise here, but I am back speaking about the white π“Œ‰π“†“π“‡³ limestone π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“ˆ™π“Œ‰ statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ of Hatshepsut π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ! I want to highlight a detail on the side of the statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ that I have not spoken about yet on this account!

𓋍 – this symbol on the side of the statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ is a combination of many different things! Most prominently, it is thought to be representative of the lungs π“Šƒπ“Œ΄π“„₯π“…±π“„Ί and the windpipe π“„₯. The lungs π“Šƒπ“Œ΄π“„₯π“…±π“„Ί are a symbol of Upper Egypt 𓇓 and the windpipe π“„₯ was a symbol of Lower Egypt 𓆀. The pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 was always referred to as the β€œLord of the Two Lands π“ŽŸπ“‡Ώπ“‡Ώβ€ or β€œKing of Upper and Lower Egypt π“†₯” because Upper 𓇓 and Lower 𓆀 Egypt, although united, were in fact very different from each other. They each had their own natural resources, cultures and local gods π“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“ŠΉ.

Just like how the lungs π“Šƒπ“Œ΄π“„₯π“…±π“„Ί and the windpipe π“„₯ need to work together in order for a person to survive, Upper 𓇓 and Lower 𓆀 Egypt needed to be unified in order for Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š– to be a strong country!

The lung π“Šƒπ“Œ΄π“„₯π“…±π“„Ί and windpipe π“„₯ design 𓋍 was usually found on objects that belonged to the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻. In this case, it is on the side of one of Hatshepsut’s π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ most beautiful π“„€ statues π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύπ“ͺ!

The design 𓋍 also contains elements that look like lilies 𓇕𓇕𓇕 and papyrus 𓇉𓇉𓇉! It’s such a cool design 𓋍 with so much to interpret! I remember being so puzzled by it as a kid when I saw it for the first time!

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Egyptian Artifacts

Stelae

Here are two 𓏻 beautifully π“„€ decorated stelae from the British Museum. Nonno always loved looking at the various stelae π“Ž—π“…±π“†“π“‰Έπ“ͺ in the museums. They were among his favorite artifacts – and he of course passed that love on to me!

In ancient Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š– stela π“Ž—π“…±π“†“π“‰Έ were often used to commemorate the deceased 𓅓𓏏𓏱 and keep their memory alive. That is one of the things I am doing for my Nonno through this account – keeping his memory alive and sharing what an amazing person he was with the world 𓇾𓇾. In addition, I am also keeping his name π“‚‹π“ˆ– alive because in Egyptian culture the name π“‚‹π“ˆ– was one of the most important elements of a human. In order to exist, a person needed to have five 𓏾 essential elements: the body π“Ž›π“‚π“„Ό, the shadow 𓆄𓏏𓅱𓋼, the Ba 𓅑𓏀, the Ka (soul/life force) 𓂓𓏀, and the name π“‚‹π“ˆ–.

On the stela π“Ž—π“…±π“†“π“‰Έ on the left, there is a Ba 𓅑𓏀 statue attached to the top, which was a very popular style during the Ptolemaic Period (c. 332–30 B.C.E.), so I am going to assume that stela π“Ž—π“…±π“†“π“‰Έ is Ptolemaic. The Ba 𓅑𓏀 is the impression that an individual makes on others – everything except the physical body π“Ž›π“‚π“„Ό. The Ba 𓅑𓏀 can also be thought of as an individual’s personality. When a person died, the Ba 𓅑𓏀 was the only part of the person that would be able to travel out of the tomb π“‡‹π“«π“Šƒπ“‰, but it did have to return eventually to be reunited with the mummy 𓇋𓁹𓅱𓀾.

I like the combination of the Ba 𓅑𓏀 and the stela π“Ž—π“…±π“†“π“‰Έ because they are connected – the stela π“Ž—π“…±π“†“π“‰Έ was meant to commemorate the deceased, while the Ba 𓅑𓏀 was part of their soul. It makes sense for the Egyptians π“†Žπ“π“€€π“π“ͺ to attach the two 𓏻 together!

I wish I had closer pictures 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓏦 of both stela π“Ž—π“…±π“†“π“‰Έ, but it was probably difficult with the glass. On the stela π“Ž—π“…±π“†“π“‰Έ on the left, the deceased 𓅓𓏏𓏱 is making an offering π“Š΅π“π“Šͺ𓏏𓏔𓏦 to Osiris π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­. On the stela π“Ž—π“…±π“†“π“‰Έ with the Ba 𓅑𓏀, there is so much happening! I would probably need to make three 𓏼 posts to interpret it all!

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Egyptian Artifacts

Amarna Art (Part 1)

One of the reasons I loved the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology so much was because of the amount of pieces from Amarna (the modern name of Akhenaten’s capital of Egypt) that are in the collection! While Hatshepsut π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ is my favorite pharaoh 𓉐𓉻, Akhenaten π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“‡³π“…œπ“π“ˆ– is my second favorite! I seem to like the β€œuntraditional” pharaohs 𓉐𓉻𓏦 who didn’t play by the rules!

One of the many charms of the Petrie Museum is that most of the pieces aren’t considered striking or grand when you first look at them. This museum is for those who truly appreciate ancient Egyptian culture as a whole, not just the shiny gold π“‹žπ“ƒ‰π“ƒ‰π“ƒ‰ pieces or jewels.

This piece is a quartzite inlay or either Akhenaten π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“‡³π“…œπ“π“ˆ– or Nefertiti π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“‡³π“„€π“„€π“„€π“„€π“„€π“‡π“π“­. Quartzite is a very difficult rock π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“‚‹π“ˆ™ to work with because it is so dense and strong. Quartzite is a metamorphic rock π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“‚‹π“ˆ™ that is formed when heat and pressure is applied to the rock π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“‚‹π“ˆ™ sandstone π“‚‹π“…±π“‚§π“π“Œ—π“ˆ™. A process called recrystallization occurs due to the heat and pressure, which causes the sand grains in the sandstone π“‚‹π“…±π“‚§π“π“Œ—π“ˆ™ to increase in size and become more dense! As a person who knows her geology, always amazes me when the Egyptians π“†Žπ“π“€€π“π“ͺ worked with quartzite! Quartzite is usually found in quarries π“Ž›π“π“π“‰π“¦ in Aswan π“‹΄π“ƒΉπ“ˆ–π“Œπ“²π“Š–, as is granite π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“ˆ™π“ˆ–π“Œ³π“Ώ!

Egyptologists can’t tell if the inlay was supposed to be Akhenaten π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“‡³π“…œπ“π“ˆ– or Nefertiti π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“‡³π“„€π“„€π“„€π“„€π“„€π“‡π“π“­ because they were usually represented very similarly; the style during Akhenaten’s π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“‡³π“…œπ“π“ˆ– rule π“‹Ύ was very different than the traditional Egyptian art styles, which makes it so weird and wonderful in its own way! While this piece itself was an inlay, a stone π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“‚‹π“Šͺ was most likely supposed to go in the hole that represents the eye 𓁹𓏀! So this is two 𓏻 inlays in one 𓏺!

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Egyptian Artifacts

Amarna Art (Part 2)

Something I love about visiting various museums is seeing similar pieces of Egyptian history no matter where I go! The Brooklyn Museum has a wonderful collection of Amarna-era pieces (many of which were found by Petrie), so it’s no surprise that I have seen similar pieces in various museums around the world!

In the middle of the display, you can see a red quartzite inlay of Akhenaten π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“‡³π“…œπ“π“ˆ–. Inlays are part of what archaeologists call β€œcomposite statues,” or statues π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύπ“¦ that are composed of many different parts that would come together to form a single statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ! The part that would be the crown, and the stone π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“‚‹π“Šͺ that was supposed to go in the hole that represents the eye 𓁹𓏀 are both missing. Either the statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ was never finished or both were lost in antiquity.

Next to the inlay of Akhenaten π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“‡³π“…œπ“π“ˆ–, there is another quartzite composite statue but it is a head 𓁢𓏀 of possibly Smenkare π“‡³π“‹΄π“Šπ“‚“π“‚¦π“†£π“ͺ, the mystery pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 that ruled π“‹Ύ for a short period of time in between Akhenaten π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“‡³π“…œπ“π“ˆ– and Tutankhamun π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“π“…±π“π“‹Ήπ“‹Ύπ“‰Ίπ“‡“. The statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ is in very bad condition, so it is really difficult to gather much information about it. However, at the time the statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ was made, it was made with high quality workmanship!

The style during Akhenaten’s π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“‡³π“…œπ“π“ˆ– rule π“‹Ύ was very different than the traditional Egyptian art styles, which makes these pieces so weird and wonderful in their own way! I will never get tired of studying Amarna art!

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Book Recommendations

Book Review – “The Tomb of Queen Nefertari”

Today I am reviewing β€œThe Tomb of Queen Nefertari” by Ruth Shilling! This book is an overview of the tomb in regards to the gods and goddesses that appear in the art. Overall, I would recommend the book, however, I wrote about the stuff I didn’t like too much as well!

Some things I love about the book:
The pictures of Nefertari’s tomb are absolutely gorgeous! This is one of the most beautifully decorated tombs in all of Egypt, and the pictures are wonderful. It was worth the price of the book just for the pictures!

When it comes to starting to learn to read hieroglyphs, my philosophy is to to just jump right in with ancient Egyptian texts. You’ll never learn if you just get a book and study vocabulary. This book fits in with that philosophy because it teaches vocabulary (names of deities, popular phrases) in terms of Nefertari’s tomb. This book is great for kids because the explanations are not complex at all, and it’s also great for adults who might just be starting and grammar books/intro books are intimidating.

I like how it focused on the gods/goddesses in the tomb. It gave the book a good focus and allows the reader to see an overview of the Egyptian pantheon.

Some things I didn’t like:
It was very simple and didn’t go into much detail. For example, when showing the names of gods/goddesses in the hieroglyphs, it usually does not include determinatives and only shows the name that appears in the tomb, as opposed to the more common ways to write the name that would allow for recognition in other pieces/places. Also, there is a mistake on one of the pages (shows that 𓇓 = king, but it’s part of the word for King’s Wife π“‡“π“π“ˆž/π“‡“π“π“π“ˆž).

While it is great for kids and for adults who are just beginning their hieroglyphic reading journey, for someone who is more advanced, this book offers no new information and is almost too surface level sometimes, even for a beginner.

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Egyptian Artifacts

Thoth as a Babboon

This is a limestone π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“ˆ™π“Œ‰ statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ of Thoth 𓅝𓏏𓏭𓀭! The god π“ŠΉ Thoth 𓅝𓏏𓏭𓀭 was usually depicted as a man π“Šƒπ“€€π“€ with the head of an ibis 𓉔𓃀𓅀, but was also commonly depicted as a baboon. The name π“‚‹π“ˆ– Thoth 𓅝𓏏𓏭𓀭 is actually the Greek version of his name π“‚‹π“ˆ–; the ancient Egyptians referred to him as Djehuty (𓅝-Djhu 𓏏- t, y-𓏭, π“€­).

While Thoth 𓅝𓏏𓏭𓀭 is mainly known as being the patron of scribes π“Ÿπ“€€π“ͺ, the god π“ŠΉ of writing π“Ÿπ“›π“₯, and the creator of language 𓂋𓏺, he is also considered the god π“ŠΉ of the sciences π“‚‹π“π“π“œπ“¦ and the moon π“‡‹π“‚π“Ž›π“‡Ή. The moon π“‡‹π“‚π“Ž›π“‡Ή could be thought of as a β€œnight sun,” which places him as an opposite of the sun 𓇳𓏺 god π“ŠΉ Ra 𓇳𓏺𓁛. Thoth π“…€π“€­ is also credited with inventing the 365-day calendar!

Since the moon π“‡‹π“‚π“Ž›π“‡Ή is commonly a symbol of wisdom, Thoth π“…€π“€­ was also associated with being very wise. Thoth π“…€π“€­ has also provided guidance to the other gods π“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“ŠΉ and can also be associated with truth π“™π“Œ΄π“‚£π“π“†„ and justice π“™π“Œ΄π“‚£π“π“†„π“œ. Thoth π“…€π“€­ was thought to have invented writing π“Ÿπ“›π“₯, and was thus the god π“ŠΉ of all record keeping. These characteristics are why he is the bookkeeper in the Weighing of the Heart Ceremony from the Book of the Dead. The scene acted as the β€œLast Judgment” of the deceased 𓅓𓏏𓏱.

Due to his vast knowledge, Thoth π“Ÿ was thought to know magic π“Ž›π“‚“π“„Ώπ“œ and secrets π“ƒ€π“‹΄π“†Ÿπ“›π“¦ that were unknown to the rest of the gods π“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“ŠΉ in the Egyptian pantheon. This made him an extremely powerful figure!

Thoth can be written as: π“…€π“€­, 𓅝𓏏𓏭𓀭, π“Ÿ. He also had various titles such as β€œLord of the Divine Words,” β€œThree Times Great,” and β€œLord of Ma’at” amongst many others!

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Egyptian Artifacts

The Marriage Scarab and Senet

I love this display at the Brooklyn Museum because it’s so blue 𓇋𓁹𓏏𓄿𓏸π“₯ – blue 𓇋𓁹𓏏𓄿𓏸π“₯ is my favorite color (and it was a favorite of the ancient Egyptians π“†Žπ“π“€€π“π“ͺ too – for various religious reasons)! Both of these pieces are dated to the reign of Amenhotep III π“‡³π“§π“Ž  (Dynasty 18).

The first piece is a scarab 𓆣 that is known as a β€œMarriage Scarab,” even though it doesn’t mention marriage! During his reign π“‹Ύ, Amenhotep III π“‡³π“§π“Ž  commissioned the production of her 200 𓏲𓏲 scarabs 𓆣𓆣𓆣 that recorded important events. Fifty-six π“Ž†π“Ž†π“Ž†π“Ž†π“Ž†π“Ώ of the scarabs 𓆣𓆣𓆣, like this one pictured, contained information such as Amenhotep III’s π“‡³π“§π“Ž  complete list of names/titles, the boundaries of the empire and Queen Tiye’s official names and titles/the names of her parents. The mention of Queen Tiye and her relation to Amenhotep III π“‡³π“§π“Ž  is what led Egyptologists to call these the β€œmarriage scarabs.”

Senet π“Šƒπ“π“ˆ–π“  is the world’s oldest board game – there’s evidence of its existence all the way back to the First Dynasty (though this particular board is dated c. 1390-1353 B.C.E.). During the New Kingdom, the game represented the journey of the Ka π“‚“ (soul) to the afterlife/Duat 𓇼𓄿𓏏𓉐. The word β€œSenet” π“Šƒπ“π“ˆ–π“  actually means passage or gateway! If you look really closely, you can see details of the Djed Pillar π“Š½ and the Tyet π“Ž¬ (Isis Knot) painted on the sides!

Senet π“Šƒπ“π“ˆ–π“  is still a game that can be played today, though some of the rules are debatable! I find it so interesting that board games have been around for so long in history! Some things a about humanity have not changed!

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Egyptian Artifacts

Paddle Dolls

Here are two 𓏻 examples of paddle dolls – contrary to popular belief, these were not toys used by children π“π“‡Œπ“€•π“¦ (as a kid I thought they were dolls that Egyptian π“†Žπ“π“€€π“ children π“π“‡Œπ“€•π“¦ played with)!

A paddle doll is usually made of a flat piece of wood 𓆱𓏏𓏺 that shows a very rough representation of a head 𓁢𓏺, face, neck and torso of usually a woman π“Šƒπ“π“‚‘π“π“. The bodies of the paddle dolls are usually pained in various designs, which are thought to represent either textile patterns or tattoos! The β€œbeads” that you see coming off of the head 𓁢𓏺 are made of mud pellets, which is representative of hair π“²π“ˆ–π“­. They would also make noise when shaken, similarly to that of a sistrum π“Šƒπ“ˆ™π“ˆ™π“π“£. Sometimes paddle dolls are associated with the goddess π“ŠΉπ“ Hathor 𓉑 because of this!

The shape of the body (which is noticeably missing legs) is thought to be similar/representative of the menat necklace π“ π“ˆ–π“‡‹π“π“‹§ that is usually worn by women π“Šƒπ“π“‚‘π“π“π“¦ during religious ceremonies. These paddle dolls, were thought to be part of religious ceremonies due to this connection. It is also possible that these dolls were used as fertility figures, as some of them have been found with painted images of Taweret 𓏏𓄿𓅩𓂋𓏏𓆗 or Bes π“ƒ€π“‹΄π“„œ; both deities are associated with fertility.

The paddle dolls in this picture 𓏏𓅱𓏏are dated to Dynasties 11-13 of the Middle Kingdom (c. 2081-1700 B.C.E.).