This beautiful ๐ค faience ๐ฃ๐๐๐ธ๐ผ piece is a foundation deposit brick with the cartouche of pharaoh ๐๐ป Rameses II ๐ณ๐๐ง๐ณ๐๐ written on it (19th Dynasty, c. 1279โ1213 B.C.E.). I chose this piece for today, because Rameses II ๐ณ๐๐ง๐ณ๐๐ is thought to possibly be the pharaoh ๐๐ป of the Exodus – there are many theories as to who the pharaoh ๐๐ป was that is mentioned in The Bible by Moses. The pharaoh ๐๐ป of the Exodus is only referred to as โthe pharaohโ in The Bible and not by name ๐๐, so historians and religious scholars can only make inferences based on The Bible and archaeological evidence.
It is all so fascinating and based on my research, I believe that the evidence lines up to Rameses II ๐ณ๐๐ง๐ณ๐๐ being the pharaoh ๐๐ป of the Exodus. Some of the specific references made in the text of Exodus seems to line up really well with the 19th Dynasty time period. Some scholars disagree and think the Exodus happened at a later time period, some believe it happened earlier.
Why would there be no historical record of the Exodus in writings ๐๐๐ฅ from Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐? Egyptian writing was full of propaganda and only the good stuff was mentioned. Something like the Exodus would have been kept on the down-low.
Foundation deposit bricks were ceremonial offerings that were placed at the corners of buildings, courts, temples ๐๐๐๐ฆ , tombs ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฆ, and pretty much the foundation of any building. They can almost be thought of as the ancient version of a ground-breaking ceremony. The foundation deposit bricks usually contained the cartouche of the pharaoh ๐๐ป that the building was constructed under on it! Iโm the early dynastic times, foundation deposits took the form of pottery, but later evolved into different versions of what you see pictured ๐๐ ฑ๐!
As we all know, Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ is the Egyptian god ๐น of embalming and tombs/cemeteries. This means that Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ was the main protector ๐ ๐๐ก๐ of the recently deceased ๐ ๐๐ฑ! During the New Kingdom, more specifically the 18th Dynasty, it became common for statues ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ๐ช of Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ to be placed in tombs ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฆ as a sort of protection ๐ ๐๐ก๐ for the dead! The most famous example is the โAnubis Shrine ๐ฃโ that was found in Tutankhamunโs ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ฑ๐๐น๐พ๐บ๐ tomb ๐๐ซ๐๐! The statue ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ in this picture ๐๐ ฑ๐ is from the Late Period.
Since I am in the process of reading the Bible, hereโs something very interesting about Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ I just learned recently! Did you know that some Bible/religious scholars believe that Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ is actually mentioned in Exodus!? When I was reading Exodus, and I caught what I thought was a reference to Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ, I was shocked and immediately had to start researching!
โBut not a dog shall growl against any of the people of Israel, either man or beast, that you may know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.โ (Exodus 11:7, English Standard Version) Another translation is “But against all the Israelites, whether man or beast, not even a dog will snarl.”
The plagues of Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐ can be interpreted as the Egyptian gods ๐น๐น๐น being powerless against God himself – such as when God blocked the Sun ๐ณ๐บ for three ๐ผ days during the ninth plague, Ra ๐ณ๐บ๐ was powerless to stop it. So, the mention of Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ can be interpreted as Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ having no power over life and death ๐ ๐๐ฑ, or that Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ will have no power over the death ๐ ๐๐ฑ of the people of Israel (Canaan ๐๐ฟ๐๐๐ญ in The Bible). It can also be taken as God (not Anubis) would bring death ๐ ๐๐ฑ to Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐, but not Israel ๐๐ฟ๐๐๐ญ.
Again, these are interpretations of the Bible (including some of my own), and Iโm sure many scholars and other readers have their own interpretations that are different and just as valid!
Iโm going to talk about the Second Plague of Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐ today: Frogs ๐๐๐๐๐ฆ! Many Biblical/religious scholars believe that the 10 Plagues of Egypt were not only directed by God against the Pharaoh ๐๐ป/people of Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐, but the Egyptian ๐๐๐๐ deities ๐น๐น๐น as well.
These frog ๐๐๐๐ figures are dated to the Early Dynastic Period (c. 3000-2675 B.C.E.) so these are quite old! Frogs ๐๐๐๐๐ฆ were not really written about at all during these predynastic times, and these statues ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ๐ช predate a lot of religious writing ๐๐๐ฅ and iconography , however, they are mentioned in Exodus (starting at 8:1).
The Egyptians ๐๐๐๐๐ช believed the frog ๐๐๐๐ to be a symbol of fertility because they would appear after the flooding of the Nile River ๐๐๐๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐บ, so they were associated with life ๐น/the regenerative qualities of water ๐. The frog ๐๐๐๐ is also associated with the fertility goddess ๐น๐ Heqet ๐๐๐๐ who is represented as a woman with a frog ๐๐๐๐ head.
Heqet ๐๐๐๐ also had the task of controlling the population of frogs ๐๐๐๐๐ฆ in Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐ by protecting the frog-eating crocodiles. Without Heqet ๐๐๐๐, the frog ๐๐๐๐ population would grow out of control! During the Second Plague, God overwhelmed Heqet ๐๐๐๐ hence the large amount of frogs ๐๐๐๐๐ฆ that appeared in Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐! It is God who controls fertility, not Heqet ๐๐๐๐ because The Lord is all powerful!
I was SO EXCITED to see the white limestone ๐๐๐๐ Sphinx ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ๐ค of Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช again! It has been so long since Iโve seen this piece; it was honestly like greeting an old friend! This Sphinx ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ๐ค used to be in the main Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช gallery at the MET, but for some reason itโs no longer there! Now it is hidden in one of the smaller galleries which is a shame because it is such a beautiful piece!
Most of Hatshepsutโs ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช statuary ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ that was excavated from her temple ๐ฆ๐๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ were carved from red granite ๐ ๐ณ๐๐ถ, however this one is carved from limestone ๐๐๐๐ – the red granite ๐ ๐ณ๐๐ถ sphinxes ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ๐ฆ and this Sphinx ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ๐ค are very different too. The white limestone ๐๐๐๐ sphinxes ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ๐ฆ have much more feminine features as compared to the red granite ๐ ๐ณ๐๐ถ ones most likely because they were used in different parts of the temple ๐ฆ๐๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ for different purposes.
This Sphinx ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ๐ค has been heavily reconstructed by using pieces that were modeled after the second Sphinx ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ๐ค just like this one, which is in the Cairo Museum. These two ๐ป sphinxes ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ๐ฆ most likely guarded the upper terrace of Hatshepsutโs ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช temple at Deir el-Bahri ๐ฆ๐๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ while the red granite ๐ ๐ณ๐๐ถ sphinxes ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ๐ฆ would have guarded the lower terrace.
Thanks to Hatshepsutโs ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช drive/intelligence and her architect Senemut ๐ข๐๐ ๐ผ, Hatshepsut will be remembered as one of the most prolific builders in Egyptian history! Itโs such a shame that she doesnโt get the same recognition that Rameses II ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ด๐ gets!
Instead of wearing the typical nemes ๐๐ ๐ด head cloth that most pharaohs ๐๐ป๐ฆ who were fashioned into sphinxes ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ๐ฆ wear, Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช is actually wearing a lionโs ๐ณ๐น๐ฟ๐ mane! This is very typical of Middle Kingdom art! This piece is dated to 1479โ1458 B.C.E., and I love seeing New Kingdom art imitate styles from the past!
Letโs read some hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช!
(๐ณ๐ฆ๐) – Maatkare ๐๐ ๐ – Amun ๐บ๐๐ – Beloved ๐น๐๐- Life Given ๐ – Eternity
โMaatkare, Beloved of Amun, Given Life for Eternity.โ
I know this is strange, but โGiven Lifeโ is written backwards! It should be โ๐๐นโ not โ๐น๐โ as itโs written (this inscription is read from right to left).
Thereโs also an added ๐, which makes it the feminine form! Thereโs a second sphinx ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ๐ค just like this one in the Cairo Museum, and on that sphinx ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ๐ค, there is no added ๐! Why would one sphinx ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ๐ค use the feminine form and one use the masculine?! We will probably never know!
This piece, titled the โOsiris Figure of Hatneferโ is dated to the joint reign of Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช and Thutmosis III ๐ณ๐ ๐ฃ (New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, c. 1479โ1458 B.C.E.).
This wooden ๐ฑ๐๐บ piece was found in Senemutโs ๐ข๐๐ฟ tomb ๐๐ซ๐๐, though it inscribed ๐๐ ฑ๐ with the name ๐๐ Hatnefer ๐๐ค๐. Hatnefer ๐๐ค๐ was Senemutโs ๐ข๐๐ ๐ผ mother ๐ ๐๐ and due to his status as Hatshepsutโs ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช most trusted advisor, he was able to give his mother ๐ ๐๐ a proper burial.
ThisโOsiris Figure,โ which represents resurrection, is almost a cross between a ushabti ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ(it contains the basic funerary text on it) and the popular Ptah-Sokar-Osiris figures of the Late Period. The Ptah-Sokar-Osiris figures always stood on a wooden base just like this. Ptah-Sokar-Osiris figures represented birth, death, and resurrection. Itโs interesting to see how the art has evolved over the years!
Letโs read some hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช! ๐ช๐๐ – Venerated (I believe this is a variant of ๐ช๐๐) ๐๐ – Before ๐ฉ๐น – Osiris ๐๐ค๐ – Hatnefer
I am always so amazed when wooden ๐ฑ๐๐บ pieces are still in such great condition – wood ๐ฑ๐๐บ is organic and it can break down very quickly as compared to a material like rock ๐๐๐๐.
๐ค๐๐๐ ฑ๐ญ๐๐ – How beautiful is this?!?!
This beautiful ๐ค bracelet ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ belonged to the princess Sithathoryunet, who is thought to be the daughter of the 12th Dynasty (c. 1887โ1813 B.C.E) Pharaoh ๐๐ป Senwosret II ๐๐ด๐๐๐๐. She is thought to be his daughter because her tomb ๐๐ซ๐๐ is linked to his. Flinders Petrie was actually the one to discover her tomb ๐๐ซ๐๐. Despite being robbed in antiquity, the tomb robbers left a chest full of beautiful ๐ค jewelry behind! The bracelet ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ is made out of gold ๐๐๐๐ and other beautiful stones like turquoise! I just love how the red ๐ง๐๐๐ , gold ๐๐๐๐ and blue ๐๐น๐๐ฟ๐ธ๐ฅ colors all look together!
Despite most likely being the daughter of Senwosret II ๐๐ด๐๐๐๐, the bracelet displays the cartouche of the pharaoh ๐๐ป Amenemhat III ๐ณ๐๐๐ณ๐๐.
Letโs read some hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช!
๐น๐ค – Great God ๐๐ฟ๐ฟ – Lord of the Two Lands ๐ณ๐๐๐ณ๐๐ – Amenemhat III ๐๐น – Given Life
Whatโs exciting about this inscription ๐๐๐ฅ is that these are all phrases that we have covered in the past! A lot of the same titles and phrases pop up on various types of objects!
There are over 200 ๐ฒ๐ฒ ushabti ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ figures that belonged to Akhenaten ๐๐๐๐ณ๐ ๐๐. It seems strange that Akhenaten ๐๐๐๐ณ๐ ๐๐ would be buried with ushabtis ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ๐ช because he completely changed the Egyptian religion from the traditional polytheistic worship ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ข to the monotheistic worship ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ข of the Aten ๐๐๐๐ณ. This shows that while he did completely change Egyptโs ๐๐ ๐๐ religion, some aspects of the old religion, such as belief in the afterlife ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐, did remain and persist throughout his rule ๐พ.
While most ushabtis ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ๐ช contain standard inscriptions ๐๐๐ฅ known as the โshabti spellโ or โshabti text,โ Akhenatenโs ๐๐๐๐ณ๐ ๐๐ ushabtis ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ๐ช only contain inscriptions ๐๐๐ฅ of his name ๐๐ and titles. This would make sense, since the โshabti spellsโ would be part of the traditional religion, and not the new one. Most of Akhenatenโs ๐๐๐๐ณ๐ ๐๐ ushabtis ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ๐ช are in various states of disarray, so this particular piece pictured ๐๐ ฑ๐ does not have any visible inscriptions ๐๐๐ฅ.
I love how blue ๐๐น๐๐ฟ๐ธ๐ฅ this ushabti ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ is! Iโve seen many of Akhenatenโs ๐๐๐๐ณ๐ ๐๐ ushabtis ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ๐ช in museums around the world, and this one is my favorite because of the color! Akhenatenโs ๐๐๐๐ณ๐ ๐๐ ushabtis ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ๐ช were probably made in different workshops throughout his reign, which is why there are so many different variations instead of a singular and uniform style.
I also love how the Ankhs ๐น๐น in his hands ๐ง๐๐ฆ are white ๐๐๐ณ and stand out against the blue ๐๐น๐๐ฟ๐ธ๐ฅ faience ๐ฃ๐๐๐ธ๐ผ. The ushabti ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ also shows the traditional Amarna-era artistic style that is seen on most of the work from this time period.
Another example of Akhenaten’s ushabtis at the MET
Most of Akhenatenโs ๐๐๐๐ณ๐ ๐๐ ushabtis ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ๐ช are in various states of disarray, only one of these pieces has part of an inscription ๐๐๐ฅ on it! While most ushabtis ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ๐ช contain standard inscriptions ๐๐๐ฅ known as the โshabti spellโ or โshabti text,โ Akhenatenโs ๐๐๐๐ณ๐ ๐๐ ushabtis ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ๐ช only contain inscriptions ๐๐๐ฅ of his name ๐๐ and titles. Letโs take a look at the partial inscription ๐๐๐ฅ!
You can see the inscription of โ๐ฅ,โ which as we have learned previously can translate to โHe of the Sedge and the Beeโ or โKing of Upper and Lower Egypt.โ As we know, this is a very popular title to be seen before a cartouche!
The โ๐ณโ in the cartouche is probably part of one of Akhenatenโs ๐๐๐๐ณ๐ ๐๐ throne names, which would most likely be โ๐ณ๐ค๐ฃ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ก๐,โ since that is the only one of Akhenatenโs ๐๐๐๐ณ๐ ๐๐ name ๐๐ variants that begins with a โ๐ณ.โ
Even though ๐ณ๐ค๐ฃ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ก๐ translates to โThe Beautiful One of the Manifestations of Ra, the Unique one of Ra,โ this variant was only seen after the name ๐๐ change from Amenhotep IV ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐น๐พ๐ to Akhenaten ๐๐๐๐ณ๐ ๐๐!
As I stated previously, Akhenatenโs ๐๐๐๐ณ๐ ๐๐ ushabtis ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ๐ช were probably made in different workshops throughout his reign, which is why there are so many different variations instead of a singular and uniform style. This picture shows a couple of the styles of ushabti ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ . While all of the ushabtis ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ๐ช look different, they all show the traditional Amarna-era artistic style that is seen on most of the work from this time period.
The large red granite ๐ ๐ณ๐๐ถ statue ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ of Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช in comparison to me! This statue ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ is tremendous in size and it so gorgeous ๐ค to look at! Hateshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช really does look regal in it!
Nicole (me) with the large red granite statue of Hatshepsut at the MET
Here’s some family history about Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช: Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช was the only child ๐๐๐ of her father ๐๐๐, Thutmosis I ๐ณ๐ป๐ฃ๐ and his principal wife ๐๐๐๐ Ahmose.
After the death ๐ ๐๐ฑ of Thutmosis I ๐ณ๐ป๐ฃ๐, Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช married her half brother, Thutmosis II ๐ณ๐ป๐ฃ๐ who had become the pharaoh ๐๐ป. While Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช was unable to produce a male heir, Thutmosis III ๐ณ๐ ๐ฃ was born to one of Thutmosis II’s ๐ณ๐ป๐ฃ๐ lesser wives.
Thutmosis II ๐ณ๐ป๐ฃ๐ died while Thutmosis III ๐ณ๐ ๐ฃ was still a child ๐๐๐, so Hatsheput ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช became his co-regent until she declared herself the pharaoh ๐๐ป. After Hatshepsut’s ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช death, Thutmosis III ๐ณ๐ ๐ฃ assumed the role of pharaoh ๐๐ป.
One of the many reasons I look up to Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช so much was because she was so intelligent and ambitious. Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช had an extremely prosperous reign because she was more concerned about expanding Egypt’s ๐๐ ๐๐ economy and taking up new building projects as opposed to conquering new lands with her large military.
Amulets ๐๐ช๐ ๐ช of Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ! One of Anubisโ ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ titles is, ๐๐ถ๐ ฑ๐๐๐, โHe who is in the mummy wrappingsโ – which reminds me of amulets ๐๐ช๐ ๐ช!
Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ amulets ๐๐ช๐ ๐ช were quite abundant during the Late – Ptolemaic Period (664โ31 B.C.E.). These are made of faience ๐ฃ๐๐๐ธ๐ผ, which was a popular material to make amulets ๐๐ช๐ ๐ช out of because faience ๐ฃ๐๐๐ธ๐ผ is both easy to work with and very cheap. It was very easy to mass produce these types of amulets ๐๐ช๐ ๐ช!
Funerary amulets ๐๐ช๐ ๐ช such as these were often made in the form of deities ๐น๐น๐น who had various roles in protecting ๐ ๐๐ก๐ the deceased ๐ ๐๐ฑ. Amulets ๐๐ช๐ ๐ช would be woven into the wrappings of the mummy ๐๐น๐ ฑ๐พ, and placed in specific locations in the wrappings depending on its function. Amulets ๐๐ช๐ ๐ช were magical ๐๐๐ฟ๐ items whose main role was protection ๐ ๐๐ก๐!
While some amulets ๐๐ช๐ ๐ช were worn by the living, an amulet ๐๐ช๐ of Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ would have been worn only by the dead ๐ ๐๐ฑ. As Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ is the god ๐น of embalming/mummification and tombs/cemeteries, he was tasked with protecting ๐ ๐๐ก๐ the dead ๐ ๐๐ฑ. Since the body of the deceased ๐ ๐๐ฑ needed to be preserved in order for them to reach the afterlife ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐, Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ had a significant role in the deceasedโs journey – which is where amulets ๐๐ช๐ ๐ช in his likeness came into play! Amulets ๐๐ช๐ ๐ช commonly took the form of the power that they represented!
This is an ointment jar that was found amongst many other artifacts in the foundation deposits of Hatshepsutโs ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช temple ๐๐๐ at Deir el-Bahri. While foundation deposits can be traced all the way back to the 3rd Dynasty, putting ointment jars in them date back to the 12th Dynasty. There are fourteen foundation deposits associated with Hatshepsutโs ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช temple ๐๐๐! In Hatshepsutโs ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช time, the temple was referred to as ๐ฆ๐๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ or the โHoliest of Holiesโ (or djeser-djeseru). There are many different hieroglyphic ๐น๐๐ช variations of the word as well!
Letโs read some hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช!
๐๐น๐ค – The Great Goddess ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฟ – Lady of the Two Lands ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ – Maatkare ๐น๐ – May She Live! ๐๐ ๐ – Amun ๐ – In ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ ฑ๐ – Holiest of Holies ๐บ๐๐ – Beloved
So all together, the inscription ๐๐๐ฅ reads: โThe Great Goddess, Lady of the Two Lands, Maatkare, May She Live! Beloved of Amun who is in the Holiest of Holies.โ
Fun fact about the word โ๐ !โ This one symbol, usually associated with the modern letter โm,โ can have many meanings such as: in, as, by, with, from, when, through, and what!
