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The apron is formed of a belt of tiny faience beads in a geometric pattern. The two semi-oval pieces were probably the clasp and may have been covered with a plate bearing the name of Neferuptah. This apron was probably placed around the abdomen of the mummy of the princess, over the bandages.
Blue frit and faience
Middle Kingdom, 12th dynasty
Tomb of Neferuptah, Hawara
(JE 90189)
NMEC National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, Fustat Cairo
Goddess Isis protects the deceased on the lid of Sennedjem's inner coffin.
Wood, pigment
New Kingdom, 19th dynasty
Tomb of Sennedjem, TT1
Deir el-Medina, Thebes
(JE 27308)
NMEC National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, Fustat Cairo
Clay
1st Intermediate Period
Egypt of Glory exhibition, Amos Rex Art Museum, Helsinki
From the collection of Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy
9.10.2020-21.3.2021
This funeral statuette depicts oxen being slaughtered. At the funeral ceremony, during the ritual of opening the mouth, the deceased was offered the foreleg and heart of a bovine as a sacrifice. Through them, the deceased would gain strength for the afterlife. During the ritual of opening the mouth, the priest would touch the mouth of the deceased with various instruments. Thus restoring the senses and bodily functions of the deceased - functions they would need in the afterlife.
Middle Kingdom
Egypt of Glory exhibition, Amos Rex Art Museum, Helsinki
From the collection of Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy
9.10.2020-21.3.2021
The jackal was a representation of the god Anubis. The deity was usually depicted lying on a shrine with his ears erect and forelegs stretched out before him. The statuette still has the black pigment that characterizes the jackal's body and it wears the traditional red ribbon around its neck. On the jackal's back is a hole used to attach the tail.
Wood, stucco
New Kingdom
Egypt of Glory exhibition, Amos Rex Art Museum, Helsinki
From the collection of Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy
9.10.2020-21.3.2021
You might think you’ve seen a lot of works like this before, but this one has quite the twist. What looks to be a naked woman reclining on a very soft cushion, well this is one God that would really screw around with the Christian right in America. Donald Trump is another.
But first take a look at the cushion upon which Hermaphroditus reclines that wasn’t actually part of the original. It was sculpted by the master of Italian Baroque art, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, and is widely considered one of the softest-looking cushions ever cut from stone.
The position of the divine God's wife of Amun was one of the most important priestly positions in the New Kingdom, which was limited to the women of the royal house only, as they wore royal crowns and wrote their names in cartouches and performed temple rituals and offering sacrifices.
The crown and the distinctive scepter in this statue indicate that it belongs to one of the divine god's wives in the Late Period.
Granite
Third Intermediate Period
Karnak
NMEC National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, Fustat Cairo
The top of the mask's head shows the god Khepri, god of the rising sun in the form of the scarab.
Linen, plaster
Greco-Roman Period
Provenance Asyut
S. 14723/1 Museo Egizio
Egypt of Glory exhibition, Amos Rex Art Museum, Helsinki
From the collection of Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy
9.10.2020-21.3.2021
High relief sculpted statues of Ramses II-Amon between anthropomorphic Atoum and Khepri at the bottom of a monolith naos sitting side by side, hands on knees, common bench seat as a throne.
Provenance: Tanis, Large Temple, North naos, between the third and fourth pairs of obelisks
Red sandstone
JE 37475 = CG 70003
Egyptian Museum, Cairo
Dummy canopic jars with hawk-headed Qebehsenuef and jackal-headed Duamutef
The mummification process changed with the times, and after the 3rd Intermediate period, canopic jars were not necessarily used to actually store the visceral organs. That is because the organs were sometimes left in place or returned to the abdominal cavity after mummification. Nevertheless, sets of empty so-called dummy canopic jars were still placed in the tomb, perhaps because of their symbolic value or because custom dictated so.
Limestone
Late Period
Egypt of Glory exhibition, Amos Rex Art Museum, Helsinki
From the collection of Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy
9.10.2020-21.3.2021
A set of the Twelve Caesars in gold. Includes the following aurei: ,bJulius Caesar / A. Hirtius (8.11 gm). CRI 56. Good VF // Augustus / Gaius and Lucius Caesars (7.90 gm). RIC 206. Good VF // Tiberius / Livia (7.77 gm). RIC 25. VF // Gaius Caligula / Divvs Augustus (7.60 gm). RIC 1. Fine, ex jewelry // Claudius / Pax (7.78 gm). RIC 38. VF // Nero / Jupiter seated left (7.73 gm). RIC 52. Good VF // Galba / Roma (7.66 gm). RIC 59. VF // Otho / Victory (7.25 gm). RIC 13. Fine, ex jewelry // ; A VITELLIVS GER IMP AVG P MAX TR P / VESTA P R QVIRITIVM (7.32 gm). RIC -. Near EF, a few scuff marks // Vespasian / Pax (7.10 gm). RIC 18. Fine // Titus, Caesar / Annona (5.44 gm). RIC 218 (Vespasian). Fine, ex jewelry // Domitian, Caesar / Domitian on horseback (7.01 gm). RIC 232. cngcoins.com
Augustus
Bust of AugustusBefore he died, Julius Caesar had designated his great nephew, Gaius Octavius (who would be named Augustus by the Roman Senate after becoming emperor) as his adopted son and heir. Octavius' mother, Atia, was the daughter of Caesar's sister, Julia Caesaris.
Octavian (not yet re-named Augustus) finished the civil wars started by his great-uncle, Julius Caesar. One by one, Augustus defeated the legions of the other generals who wanted to succeed Julius Caesar as the master of the Roman world. Suetonius includes descriptions of these civil wars, including the final one against Mark Antony that ended with the Battle of Actium. Antony had been Octavian's last surviving rival, but committed suicide after his defeat at Actium. It was after this victory in 31 BC that Octavian became master of the Roman world and imperator (or emperor). His declaration of the end of the Civil Wars that had started under Julius Caesar marked the historic beginning of the Roman Empire, and the Pax Romana. Octavian at this point was given the title "Augustus" (meaning "the venerable") by the Roman Senate.
After describing the military campaigns of Augustus, Suetonius describes his personal life. A large section of the entire book is devoted to this. This is partly because after Actium, the reign of Augustus was mostly peaceful. It has also been noted by several sources that the entire work of The Twelve Caesars delves more deeply into personal details and gossip relative to other contemporary Roman histories.
The Battle of Actium, by Lorenzo A. Castro, painted 1672.Suetonius describes a strained relationship between Augustus and his daughter Julia. Augustus had originally wanted Julia, his only child, to provide for him a male heir. Due to difficulties regarding an heir, and Julia's promiscuity, Augustus banished Julia to the island of Pandateria and considered having her executed. Suetonius quotes Augustus as repeatedly cursing his enemies by saying that they should have "a wife and children like mine."
According to Suetonius, Augustus lived a modest life, with few luxuries. Augustus lived in an ordinary Roman house, ate ordinary Roman meals, and slept in an ordinary Roman bed.
Bust of Mark AntonySuetonius describes certain omens and dreams that predicted the birth of Augustus. One dream described in the book suggested that his mother, Atia, was a virgin impregnated by a Roman God. In 63 BC, during the Consulship of Cicero, several Roman Senators dreamt that a king would be born, and would rescue the Republic. 63 BC was also the year Augustus was born. One other omen described by Suetonius suggests that Julius Caesar decided to make Augustus his heir after seeing an omen while serving as the Roman Governor of Hispania Ulterior.
Suetonius includes a section regarding the only two military defeats Rome suffered under Augustus. Both of these defeats occurred in Germany. The first defeat was inconsequential. During the second, the Battle of Teutoburg Forest, three Roman Legions (Legio XVII, Legio XVIII, and Legio XIX) were defeated by the West-Germanic resistence to Roman imperialism, led by Arminius. Much of what is known about this battle was written in this book. According to Suetonius, this battle "almost wrecked the empire." It is from Suetonius where we get the reaction of Augustus upon learning of the defeat. Suetonius writes that Augustus hit his head against a wall in despair, repeating, Quintili Vare, legiones redde! ('Quinctilius Varus, give me back my legions!') This defeat was one of the worst Rome suffered during the entire Principate. The result was the establishment of the rivers Rhine and Danube as the natural northern border of the Roman Empire. Rome would never again push its territory deeper into Germany. Suetonius suggests that Augustus never fully got over this defeat.
Augustus died on August 19, AD 14, a little over a month before his 76th birthday.
[edit] Tiberius
Bust of TiberiusSuetonius describes the early career of Tiberius, which included his command of several Roman armies in Germany. It was his leadership in these German campaigns that convinced Augustus to adopt Tiberius and to make him his heir. According to Suetonius, Tiberius retired at a young age to Rhodes, before returning to Rome some time before the death of Augustus. The ascendance of Tiberius to the throne was possible because the two grandsons that Augustus had died before Augustus, and the last grandson, Postumus Agrippa, although originally designated co-rule with Tiberius was later deemed morally unsound by Augustus.
Augustus began a long (and at times successful) tradition of adopting an heir, rather than allowing a son to succeed an emperor. Suetonius quotes from the will Augustus left. Suetonius suggests that not only was Tiberius not thought of highly by Augustus, but Augustus expected Tiberius to fail.
After briefly mentioning military and administrative successes, Suetonius tells of perversion, brutality and vice and goes into depth to describe depravities he attributes to Tiberius.
Despite the lurid tales, modern history looks upon Tiberius as a successful and competent Emperor who at his death left the state treasury much richer than when his reign began. Thus Suetonius' treatment of the character of Tiberius, like Claudius, must be taken with a pinch of salt.
Tiberius died of natural causes. Suetonius describes widespread joy in Rome upon his death. There was a desire to have his body thrown down the Gemonian stairs and into the Tiber River, as this he had done many times previously to others. Tiberius had no living children when he died, although his (probable) natural grandson, Tiberius Julius Caesar Nero (Gemellus), and his adopted grandson, Gaius Caesar Caligula, both survived him. Tiberius designated both as his joint heirs, but seems to have favored Caligula over Gemellus, due to Gemellus' youth.
[edit] Caligula
Bust of Caligula
A caliga.Most of what is known about the reign of Caligula comes from Suetonius. Other contemporary Roman works, such as those of Tacitus, contain little, if anything, about Caligula. Presumably most of what existed regarding his reign was lost long ago.
Suetonius refers to Caligula as Gaius during most of the work, his true name, Caligula -'little boots' - being the name given to him by his father's soldiers, because as a boy he would often dress in miniature battle gear and 'drill' the troops (without knowing the commands, but the troops loved him all the same and pretended to understand him). Caligula's father, Germanicus, was loved throughout Rome as a brilliant military commander and example of Roman pietas. Tiberius had adopted Germanicus as his heir, with the hope that Germanicus would succeed him. Germanicus died before he could succeed Tiberius in 19 AD.
Upon the death of Tiberius, Caligula became emperor. Initially the Romans loved Caligula due to their memory of his father. But most of what Suetonius says of Caligula is negative, and describes him as having an affliction that caused him to suddenly fall unconscious. Suetonius believed that Caligula knew that something was wrong with him.
He reports that Caligula married his sister, threatened to make his horse consul, and that he sent an army to the northern coast of Gaul and as they prepared to invade Britain, one rumour had it that he had them pick sea shells on the shore (evidence shows that this could be a fabrication as the word for shell in Latin doubles as the word that the legionaries of the time used to call the 'huts' that the soldiers erected during the night while on campaign). He once built a walkway from his palace to a Temple, so that he could be closer to his "brother," the Roman god Jupiter, as Caligula believed himself to be a living deity. He would also have busts of his head replace those on statues of different gods.
He would call people to his palace in the middle of the night. When they arrived, he would hide and make strange noises. At other times, he would have people assassinated, and then call for them. When they did not show up, he would remark that they must have committed suicide.
Suetonius describes several omens that predicted the assassination of Caligula. He mentions a bolt of lightning that struck Rome on the Ides of March, which was when Julius Caesar was assassinated. Lightning was an event of immense superstition in the ancient world. The day of the assassination, Caligula sacrificed a flamingo. During the sacrifice, blood splattered on his clothes. Suetonius also describes a comet that was seen shortly before the assassination. In the ancient world, comets were believed to foretell the death or assassination of important people. Suetonius even suggested that Caligula's name itself was a predictor of his assassination, noting that every Caesar named Gaius, such as the dictator Gaius Julius Caesar, had been assassinated (a statement which is not entirely accurate; Julius Caesar's father died from natural causes, as did Augustus).
Caligula was an avid fan of Gladiatorial combats and he was assassinated shortly after leaving a show by a disgruntled Praetorian guard captain.
[edit] Claudius
Bronze bust of ClaudiusClaudius was the brother of Germanicus, the father of Caligula. He was descended from both the Julian and the Claudian clans, as was Caligula. He was about 50 years old at the time of Caligula's murder. He never held public office until late in his life, probably due to his family's concerns as to his health and mental abilities. Suetonius has much to say about Claudius' apparent disabilities, and how the imperial family viewed them, in the Life of Augustus.
The assassination of Caligula caused great terror in the Palace and, according to Suetonius, Claudius, being frightened by the sounds of soldiers scouring the Palace for further victims, hid behind some curtains, being convinced that he would be murdered as well. A soldier checking the room noticed feet sticking out from underneath the curtains, and upon pulling back the curtains discovered a terrified Claudius. Upon the arrival of other soldiers to the room, they acclaimed Claudius emperor and hustled him out of the Palace. Claudius was taken to the Praetorian camp, where he was quickly proclaimed emperor by the troops.
We learn from Suetonius that Claudius was the first Roman commander to invade Britain since Julius Caesar a century earlier. Cassius Dio gives a more detailed account of this. He also went farther than Caesar, and made Britain subject to Roman rule. Caesar had "conquered" Britain, but left the Britons alone to rule themselves. Claudius was not as kind. The invasion of Britain was the major military campaign under his reign.
Suetonius says Claudius suffered from ill health all of his life until he became emperor, when his health suddenly became excellent. Claudius suffered from a variety of maladies, including fits and seizures, as well as several disagreeable personal habits like a bad stutter and excessive drooling. Suetonius accuses Claudius of cruelty and stupidity, assigning some of the blame to his wives and freedman.
Suetonius discusses several omens that foretold the assassination of Claudius. He mentions a comet that several Romans had seen shortly before the assassination. As mentioned earlier, comets were believed to foretell the deaths of significant people. Per Suetonius, Claudius, under suggestions from his wife Messalina, tried to shift this deadly fate from himself to others by various fictions, resulting in the execution of several Roman citizens, including some Senators and aristocrats.
Suetonius paints Claudius as a ridiculous figure, belittling many of his acts and attributing his good works to the influence of others. Thus the portrait of Claudius as the weak fool, controlled by those he supposedly ruled, was preserved for the ages. Claudius’ dining habits figure in the biography, notably his immoderate love of food and drink, and his affection for the city taverns.
His personal and moral failings aside however, most modern historians agree that Claudius generally ruled well. They cite his military success in Britannia as well as his extensive public works. His reign came to an end when he was murdered by eating from a dish of poisoned mushrooms, probably supplied by his last wife Agrippina in an attempt to have her own son from a previous marriage, the future emperor Nero, ascend the throne.
[edit] Nero
Bust of NeroSuetonius portrays the life of Nero in a similar fashion to that of Caligula—it begins with a recounting of how Nero assumed the throne ahead of Claudius' son Britannicus and then descends into a recounting of various atrocities the young emperor allegedly performed.
One characteristic of Nero that Suetonius describes was Nero's fascination with music. Suetonius describes Nero as being a gifted musician. Nero would often give great concerts with attendance compelled for upper class Romans. These concerts would last for hours on end, and some women were rumored to give birth during them, or men faking death to escape (Nero forbade anyone from leaving the performance until it was completed).
Nero's eccentricities continued in the tradition of his predecessors in mind and personal perversions. According to Suetonius, Nero had one boy castrated, and then had sex with him as though he were a woman. Suetonius quotes one Roman who lived around this time who remarked that the world would have been better off if Nero's father Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus had married someone more like the castrated boy.
It is in Suetonius we find the beginnings of the legend that Nero "fiddled as Rome burned." Suetonius recounts how Nero, while watching Rome burn, exclaimed how beautiful it was, and sang an epic poem about the sack of Troy while playing the lyre.
Suetonius describes Nero's suicide, and remarks that his death meant the end of the reign of the Julio-Claudians (because Nero had no heir). According to Suetonius, Nero was condemned to die by the Senate. When Nero knew that soldiers had been dispatched by the Senate to kill him, he committed suicide.
[edit] Galba
Bust of GalbaThe book about Galba is short. Galba was the first emperor of the Year of the Four Emperors.
Galba was able to ascend to the throne because Nero's death meant the end of Julio-Claudian dynasty.
Suetonius includes a brief description of Galba's family history. Suetonius describes Galba as being of noble birth, and born into a noble patrician family. Suetonius also includes a brief list of omens regarding Galba and his assassination.
Most of this book describes Galba's ascension to the throne and his assassination, along with the usual side notes regarding his appearance and related omens. Suetonius does not spend much time describing either any accomplishments nor any failures of his reign.
According to Suetonius, Galba was killed by Otho's loyalists.
About this time, Suetonius has exhausted all his imperial archival sources.
[edit] Otho
Bust of OthoHis full name was Marcus Salvius Otho. Otho's reign was only a few months. Therefore, the book on Otho is short, much as the book on Galba had been.
Suetonius used a similar method to describe the life of Otho as he had used to describe the life of Galba. Suetonius describes Otho's family, and their history and nobility. And just as Suetonius had done with prior Caesars, he includes a list of omens regarding Otho's reign and assassination.
Suetonius spends most of the book describing the ascension of Otho, his assassination, and the other usual topics. Suetonius suggests that as soon as Otho ascended the throne, he started defending himself against competing claims to the throne.
According to Suetonius, Otho suffered a fate similar to the fate Galba had suffered. It was the loyalists of another aspiring emperor (in this case, the next emperor Vitellius) who wanted to kill him. Suetonius claims that one night Otho realized that he would soon be murdered. He contemplated suicide, but decided to sleep one more night before carrying out a suicide. That night he went to bed, with a dagger under his pillow. The next morning he woke up, and stabbed himself to death.
[edit] Vitellius
Bust of VitelliusIn the book of the last of the short-lived emperors, Suetonius briefly describes the reign of Vitellius.
Suetonius says that it was the followers of Vitellius who had assassinated Otho.
This book gives an unfavorable picture of Vitellius; however it should be remembered that Suetonius' father was an army officer who had fought for Otho and against Vitellius at the first Battle of Bedriacum, and that Vespasian basically controlled history when he ascended to the throne. Anything written about Vitellius during the Flavian dynasty would have to paint him in a bad light.
Suetonius includes a brief description of the family history of Vitellius, and related omens.
Suetonius finally describes the assassination of Vitellius. According to Suetonius, Vitellius was dragged naked by Roman subjects, tied to a post, and had animal waste thrown at him before he was killed. However, unlike the prior two emperors, it was not the next emperor who killed Vitellius. The next emperor and his followers had been waging a war against the Jews in Judaea at the time. The death of Vitellius and subsequent ascendance of his successor ended the worst year of the early principate.
[edit] Vespasian
Bust of VespasianSuetonius begins by describing the humble antecedents of the founder of the Flavian dynasty and follows with a brief summary of his military and political career under Aulus Plautius Claudius and Nero and his suppression of the uprising in Judaea. Suetonius documents an early reputation for honesty but also a tendency toward avariciousness.
A detailed recounting of the omens and consultations with oracles follows which Suetonius suggests furthered Vespasian's imperial pretensions. Suetonius then briefly recounts the escalating military support for Vespasian and even more briefly the events in Italy and Egypt that culminated in his accession.
Suetonius presents Vespasian's early imperial actions, the reimposition of discipline on Rome and her provinces and the rebuilding and repair of Roman infrastructure damaged in the civil war, in a favourable light, describing him as 'modest and lenient' and drawing clear parallels with Augustus. Vespasian is further presented as being extraordinarily just and with a preference for clemency over revenge.
Suetonius describes avarice as Vespasian's only serious failing, documenting his tendency for inventive taxation and extortion. However, he mitigates this failing by suggesting that the emptiness of state coffers left Vespasian little choice. Moreover, intermixed with accounts of greed and 'stinginess' are accounts of generosity and lavish rewards. Finally Suetonius gives a brief account of Vespasian's physical appearance and penchant for comedy.
Having contracted a 'bowel complaint,' he tried to continue his duties as emperor from what would be his deathbed, but on a sudden attack of diarrhea he said "An emperor ought to die standing," and died while struggling to do so.
[edit] Titus
Bust of TitusTitus was the elder son of Vespasian, and second emperor of the Flavian dynasty. As Suetonius writes: "The delight and darling of the human race." Titus was raised in the imperial court, having grown up with Britannicus. The two of them were told a prophesy pertaining to their future where Britannicus was told that he would never succeed his father and that Titus would. The two were so close that when Britannicus was poisoned Titus who was present tasted it and was nearly killed. "When Titus came of age, the beauty and talents that had distinguished him as a child grew even more remarkable." Titus was extremely adept at the arts of "war and peace." He made a name for himself as a colonel in Germany and Britain; however, he really flourished as a commander under his father in Judea and when he took over the siege of Jerusalem. Titus' near six month siege of Jerusalem ended with the destruction of the Herod's Temple and the expulsion of Jews from Jerusalem. The resulting period is known as the Jewish diaspora (roughly from 70 till 1948). Titus had an love affair with the Jewish Queen Berenice, whom he brought briefly to Rome.
As Emperor he tried to be magnanimous and always heard petitions with an open-mind. And after going through a day having not granted any favors he commented that "I have wasted a day." During his reign he finished what would be the most enduring reminder of his family, the Flavian Amphitheater. His reign was tainted by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, a great fire in Rome, and one of the worst plagues "that had ever been known." These catastrophes did not destroy him, rather, as Suetonius remarks, he rose up like a father caring for his children. And although he was deified, his reign was short. He died from poison (possibly by his brother, Domitian), having only reigned for "two years, two months and twenty days." At the time of his death he "[drew] back the curtains, gazed up at the sky, and complained bitterly that life was being undeservedly taken from him-since only a single sin lay on his conscience." There is speculation about the "single sin," Suetonius believes it may have been attributed to an affair he allegedly had with his brother's wife. However, this is unlikely since she usually boasted about her infidelity and vehemently denied that she had slept with Titus.
[edit] Domitian
Bust of DomitianYounger brother of Titus, second son of Vespasian, and third emperor of the Flavian dynasty. Recorded as having gained the throne through deliberately letting his brother die of a fever. During Titus' rule he had caused dissent and had sought the throne through rebellion. From the beginning of his reign Domitian ruled as a complete autocrat, partly because of his lack of political skills, but also because of his own nature. Having led a solitary early life, Domitian was suspicious of those around him, a difficult situation which gradually got worse.
Domitian's provincial government was so carefully supervised that Suetonius admits that the Empire enjoyed a period of unusually good government and security. Domitian's policy of employing members of the equestrian class rather than his own freedmen for some important posts was also an innovation. The Empire’s finances, which the recklessness of Titus had thrown into confusion, were restored despite building projects and foreign wars. Deeply religious, Domitian built temples and established ceremonies and even tried to enforce public morality by law.
Domitian personally took part in battles in Germany. The latter part of his reign saw increasing trouble on the lower Danube from the Dacians, a tribe occupying roughly what is today Romania. Led by their king Decebalus, the Dacians invaded the Empire in 85 AD. The war ended in 88 in a compromise peace which left Decebalus as king and gave him Roman "foreign aid" in return for his promise to help defend the frontier.
One of the reasons Domitian failed to crush the Dacians was a revolt in Germany by the governor Antonius Saturninus. The revolt was quickly suppressed, but from then on, Suetonius informs us, Domitian's already suspicious temper grew steadily worse. Those closest to him suffered the most, and after a reign of terror at the imperial court Domitian was murdered in 96 AD, the group that killed him, according to Suetonius, including his wife, Domitia Longina, and possibly his successor, Nerva. The Senate, which had always hated him, quickly condemned his memory and repealed his acts, and Domitian joined the ranks of the tyrants of considerable accomplishments but evil memory. He was the last of the Flavian emperors, and his murder marked the beginning of the period of the so-called Five Good Emperors. SEE: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Twelve_Caesars
Granodiorite
New Kingdom
Karnak, Temple of Amun
The exhibition 'Nefertari and the Valley of the Queens' from the Museo Egizio, Turin' in the Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, 2017
This is one of 28 gilded wooden statuettes of deities wrapped in shrouds to look like mummies.
They were kept in shrines placed in the tomb to protect King Tutankhamun during his journey in the underworld. This statuette represents Gemehsu as a falcon sitting on an insignia, or symbol of rank. His back is adorned with the flail and the Neheh sign.
18th dynasty, from the Tomb of Tutankhamun, KV62
JE 60748, Carter 283c
Egyptian Museum, Cairo
This yellow coffin from the collection of the Finnish National Museum is one of the finest specimens of its kind in the world. It is from the period when the Egyptians ceased to build tombs and began to bury the dead in impressive coffins in communal graves. Painted on the coffins were illustrations that were originally meant for the walls of tombs.
Its occupant Ankhefenamun was one of the officials of the temple of Karnak. His title was Foreman of the Bearers of the Balanquin Shrine of the God in the Temple of Amun-Ra and as such he was quite an insubstantial figure. His wife, Tanetnebu, was a singer at the same temple.
The coffin was originally sent to Odessa to be delivered to Finland by Georg August Wallin (1811-1852) a well-known Finnish scholar of Arabic culture. The coffin was brought to Finland in the 1880s by a French sea captain called Devienne who took undeserved credit for this achievement. According to records it was received at the museum only after Wallin´s death in 1860.
The mummy that was inside the coffin is presumed to have vanished during the long sea voyage.
New Kingdom, 21st dynasty
From Thebes
Egypt of Glory exhibition, Amos Rex Art Museum, Helsinki
9.10.2020-21.3.2021
From the collection of the National Museum of Finland,
14460:660 Cat 173
A chapel, a small temple dedicated to Thermouthis, the Renoutet of the Egyptians, has been located by the mission but also other temples, dedicated to Osiris, Thoth and Isis, are known through texts.
1st AD
At Tebtunis Isis was assimilated with the Egyptian fertility goddess Renenutet; a small temple was dedicated to her just outside the Soknebtunis temple.
An ancient Egyptian cobra goddess, Renentutet was associated with fertility and was a special nurse and protector of the pharaoh. In her manifestation as Thermouthis, she was combined with Isis, mother of Horus, who also was regularly depicted nursing.
vm136.lib.berkeley.edu/BANC/Exhibits/ctp/religion-magic-a...
From the exhibition of 'Unexpected treasures - 30 years of excavations and cooperation in Tebtynis (Fayum)'
Egyptian Museum, Cairo
Detail of an Attic red figure kylix depicting a kopis-wielding hoplite in combat with a Persian warrior. Triptolemos Painter, c. 460 BC. On the depiction of kopides and scabbards on Attic red-figure pots, see
rosscowan.substack.com/p/but-two-swords-never
In the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh, UK. Snapseed edit.
www.nms.ac.uk/explore-our-collections/collection-search-r...
www.carc.ox.ac.uk/record/18E90B71-0CF0-4381-9658-78833F2E...
His mind expanding site here : www.flickr.com/photos/8628757@N03
My gallery of his work here : www.flickr.com/photos/brancusi/galleries/72157631110580054/
Bes is the ancient Egyptian god of childbirth, fertility, sexuality, humour, and war, but served primarily as a protector god of pregnant women and children. He is regularly depicted as a dwarf with large ears, long-haired and bearded, with prominent genitals, and bow-legged.
Carnelian
Late Period
Egypt of Glory exhibition, Amos Rex Art Museum, Helsinki
From the collection of Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy
9.10.2020-21.3.2021
The legs of the chair end in the form of ducks heads, made out of ebony inlaid with ivory. The sema-tawy motif of intertwined lotus and papyrus stalks representing a unified Upper and Lower Egypt once stood between them.
Ebony, gold, ivory, glass
New Kingdom, 18th dynasty
Valley of the Kings, Tomb of Tutankhamun KV62
JE 62030=SR1/1067=Carter 351
Egyptian Museum, Cairo
The apron is formed of a belt of tiny faience beads in a geometric pattern. The two semi-oval pieces were probably the clasp and may have been covered with a plate bearing the name of Neferuptah. This apron was probably placed around the abdomen of the mummy of the princess, over the bandages.
Blue frit and faience
Middle Kingdom, 12th dynasty
Tomb of Neferuptah, Hawara
(JE 90189)
NMEC National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, Fustat Cairo
The wooden anthropoid coffin of a man called "Aba son of Ankh Hor", ruler and governor of Upper Egypt and the Head of the treasury.
The coffin is fully decorated in the shape of a mummy resembling Osiris with the upturned ceremonial false beard and a wig. The eyes are inlaid with ivory and ebony. Iba wears a large multicoloured necklace, and the sky-goddess Nut appears on the chest area offering protection to the deceased. The coffin lid is also decorated with texts from the Egyptian Book of the Dead and the base shows hieroglyphic inscriptions.
Organic material, sycamore wood
Late Period, 26th Dynasty, Saite Period
Provenance Upper Egypt, Luxor (Thebes), West Bank, Qurna
BAAM 829
Antiquities Museum of Bibliotheca Alexandrina
Maiherpri was noble of Nubian origin. He probably lived during the rule of Thutmose IV. Amongst his titles were Child of the Nursery and fan-bearer on the right side of the king.
Maiherpri was placed in two anthropoid coffins and an outer wooden shrine of rectangular form. All three are painted black with gilded decorations.
A third anthropoid coffin was found next to this coffin ensemble with its lid placed next to the box. It seems that the 'extra' coffin was intended as the innermost one, but was too big to fit into the set and was, therefore, left unused next to it.
18th dynasty, from Valley of the Kings - KV36
CG 24004
Upper floor, room 17
Egyptian Museum, Cairo
Wooden gilded bier under the outer coffin, resting on the bottom of the sarcophagus
Heavy wooden bed-shaped bier, gesso gilt, having within outer framework an imitation webbing. On the front two heads of lions, on the back tails of lions; the legs, in like manner, represent the fore and hind feet of a lion. The head is of concave form to fit and receive the convex bottom of the anthropoid outer coffin. The under part of the imitation mesh webbing is varnished with black resin.
Egyptian Museum, Cairo
Body of a chariot recovered from the tomb of Thutmose IV (KV43)
The sides of the body are entirely closed with panels of wood, covered with canvas, stucco and fine linen modelled with scenes in low relief.
In the centre of the chariot is the name of Thutmose IV in a cartouche surmounted by a Ra sign and double ostrich feathers. In the space above is a lion-headed bird with wings opened; and holding in its claws symbols of life; upon its head is the sun's disc, with the twp pendent uraei. Before each uraeus is a Ω sign. Below the cartouche is the Symbol of joining sign which is bound according to the ordinary Egyptian convention of papyrus plants and lotus lilies. Tied to the centre of the sign on either side is a row of kneeling Asiatic prisoners.
Eighth king of the 18th Dynasty, Thutmosis IV had a short reign, of about 9 years (approx. 1419-1410 BC). The tomb of Tuthmosis IV contained the body of a chariot and some fragments of other parts and leather trappings, but no wheels.
Description of most of the ornamentation of the panels of the body: 'The Tomb of Thoutmôsis IV' by Carter and Newberry
NMEC National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, Fustat Cairo
This elaborately decorated and inlaid chair was found within the Annex, along with several other pieces of furniture. Its form is the most unusual of all the thrones found within the tomb. The bottom takes the shape of a stool with a vertical backrest added. Like the golden throne of Tutankhamun, this piece was fashioned early on in the monarch's reign: in the middle of the cobra frieze, there are two cartouches of the Aten's name surmounted by a sun-disk representing the Aten. Additionally, the vulture goddess Nekhbet is set between cartouches of the pharaoh, which use his birthname Tutankhaten (The Living Image of the Aten). The cobra frieze and vulture goddess on the top of the backrest along with the depiction of the vulture on the reverse side, all served to protect the pharaoh. The top of the inlaid seat is spotted to imitate an animal skin, perhaps of a leopard. The legs of the chair end in the form of ducks heads, made out of ebony inlaid with ivory. The sema-tawy motif of intertwined lotus and papyrus stalks representing a unified Upper and Lower Egypt once stood between them.
Ebony, gold, ivory, glass
New Kingdom, 18th dynasty
Valley of the Kings, Tomb of Tutankhamun KV62
JE 62030=SR1/1067=Carter 351
Egyptian Museum, Cairo
The innermost of Tutankhamun's four shrines was constructed from five separate sections. A representation in miniature of the prehistoric 'Palace of the North', the Per-nu, its roof is barrel-vaulted, decorated in bas-relief with kneeling figures of Isis, Nephthys, Selkis and Neith, alternating with wedjat-eyes, recumbent Anubis dogs and vultures, each on a pylon. The right and left side panels carry respectively a procession of Imsety, Anubis, Duamutef and Geb, and of Hapy, Anubis, Qebhsenuef and Horus between figures of Thot supporting the sky; the end panel and outside door panels carry protective images of the winged Isis and her sister Nephthys.
The ceiling of the innermost shrine is decorated with a magnificent representation of the goddess Nut, again with outspread wings, flanked by the falcon-headed Horus. Isis and Nephthys again guard the doors, while the interior wall panels carry the text of spell 17 from the Book of the Dead.
Egyptian Museum, Cairo
We weren't up for long before a car came crunching up the road, they must have gotten a really early start to get here so soon. Turns out they were climbers.
As we started up the trail Mrs M noticed their lines and pointed them out; they were already well on their way up and they were attempting the formation called "Ancient Art". If you have a television you've probably seen Ancient Art, it's featured in that insane Citi commercial where the young woman shops for fashion accessories then gets the rock she really wants:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gj_Ab4sxTDo
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Summer 2014 2nd leg: "Getting High"
July 10: Waking to onliness at Fisher Towers; finally getting back to Stanley's Arch; moving camp to Canyonlands.
The inner coffin of Sennedjem is made in the anthropoid form, where his mummy was placed inside.
The inner cover depicts Sennedjem in his worldly clothes as he wears a long kilt of white linen.
The coffin is decorated with funerary scenes of the protective goddesses from the Book of the Dead.
Wood, pigment
New Kingdom, 19th dynasty
Tomb TT1 Deir el-Medina, Thebes
NMEC National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, Fustat Cairo
Faience
3rd Intermediate Period
Egypt of Glory exhibition, Amos Rex Art Museum, Helsinki
From the collection of Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy
9.10.2020-21.3.2021
Sennedjem's inner coffin is anthropoid in shape.
The casket is adorned with funeral scenes of the Book of the Dead's protecting gods and goddesses.
Wood, pigment
New Kingdom, 19th dynasty
Tomb TT1 Deir el-Medina, Thebes
(JE 27308)
NMEC National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, Fustat Cairo
Thoth was worshipped in Egypt from the Early Dynastic Period until Roman times. He was the patron of the scribes and was venerated as the god of the moon, wisdom, science and medicine. He also had a significant role in the afterlife.
Thoth takes two iconographic forms: he was sometimes depicted as a squatting dog-headed baboon and sometimes as an ibis or ibis-headed human, often carrying the palette and the pen of the scribe. His headdresses include the crescent moon and disk, the Atef Crown, and the crowns of Upper and Lower Egypt.
The principal cult center of Thoth was at Hermopolis, ancient Egyptian Khemenu, near the modern town of El-Ashmunein in Minya.
As the moon god, Thoth regulated the seasons and counted the stars. Thus he was associated with astronomy, mathematics and accounting.
Thoth's medical reputation is attested in mythology: in the Osiris legend, he assists Horus and Anubis in reconstructing the body of Osiris and teaches Isis the spells necessary to revive him. In one version, he heals the infant Horus after Isis finds him dead of a scorpion bite. He is also said to have healed Horus's right eye, damaged by Seth, and to have replaced the head of Isis with the one of a cow after Horus cut it off in a rage.
Thoth was said to have intended the art of writing and as the god of the scribes, he bears the title of the "Lord of the Sacred Word". He also personified divine speech. In both baboon and ibis forms, he is portrayed overseeing and protecting the scribes. Hymns and prayers to Thoth, focusing on his role as patron of the scribes, were used as school texts and appear on statues of scribes.
In scenes of divine judgment, such as the vignettes accompanying the Book of the Dead, Thoth records the results of weighing the heart against Maat and announces the verdict typically appearing as an ibis-headed man, and sometimes as a baboon seated atop the scales of justice.
Bronze and wood
Late Period
Provenance Tuna el-Gebel, Minya
BAAM 636
Antiquities Museum of Bibliotheca Alexandrina
The inner cover portrays Sennedjem in his worldly attire, wearing a long white linen kilt.
Wood, pigment
New Kingdom, 19th dynasty
Tomb TT1 Deir el-Medina, Thebes
(JE 27308)
NMEC National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, Fustat Cairo
Funerary equipment of Sennedjem
New Kingdom, 19th dynasty
Tomb of Sennedjem TT1, Deir el-Medina
NMEC National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, Fustat Cairo
Bronze, lapis lazuli, gold
Late Period
Egypt of Glory exhibition, Amos Rex Art Museum, Helsinki
From the collection of Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy
9.10.2020-21.3.2021
Goddess Nephthys wearing a headdress in the shape of a house and basket watches over the lungs with Hapi.
Four goddesses with open arms watch over the organs of the sovereign. They are identified by the hieroglyphs on their heads and on the low reliefs of the sanctuary walls. Each goddess faces and is associated with one of the four children of Horus whose duty was to preserve the king's organs: the goddess Isis watches over the liver with Imset, Nephthys the lungs with Hapi, Neith the stomach with Duamutef and Selket the intestines with Qebehsenuf.
Characteristics typical of the art of Amarna can be seen in the slight rotation of the statues' heads (compared to the frontal tradition of Egyptian statuary), the long neck stretching forwards and the naturalistic modelling of the bodies.
Detail of Canopic Shrine of Tutankhamon
Wood lined with stucco and gilded, glass paste
Tomb of Tutankhamon, KV 62
Valley of the Kings
JE 60686
Egyptian Museum, Cairo
In Maiherpri's tomb, a papyrus was found depicting him with literally "blackish" skin, leading scholars to believe he was, in fact, Nubian or of Nubian descent. The papyrus in question was the Book of the Dead.
The mummy was unwrapped by Georges Daressy in March 1901, revealing a mummy whose dark skin matched that depicted on his copy of the Book of the Dead, and thought that this was likely Maiherpri's natural colour, unchanged by the mummification process. He also had tightly curled, woolly hair, which turned out to be a wig that had been glued to his scalp.
Funerary papyrus, Book of Dead of Maiherpri
New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, reign of Thutmose III
From Maiherpri's tomb KV36, Valley of the Kings, Thebes
CG 24095b - JE 33844
Egyptian Museum, Cairo
A model boat that originally carried eight sailors, four of whom are missing. The boat has no sail and the sailors were equipped with oars which were fixed in the holes made in their fists. The bow takes the shape of the head of a strange creature.
The democratization of funerary beliefs and customs in the First Intermediate Period inspired many less well off Egyptians to create representations of their own daily environment which they believed would continue in the afterlife. Unable to afford the scenes carved and painted on the tomb walls of wealthier Egyptians, poorer individuals purchased models representing various aspects of daily life and placed them in the tomb. The models included figures of household servants performing cooking tasks, farm labourers tending to animals and crops, and men involved in manufacturing processes. These models were believed, just like wall scenes, to magically sustain the dead in their afterlife within the tomb, providing the food, drink, clothing, and shelter which would be needed for continued existence.
Among the most important categories were model boats, as they were believed to provide transport along the River Nile, Egypt's main transportation route. They were found in tombs primarily in the First Intermediate Period and the Middle Kingdom, although examples are known both earlier and later. Two or more boats were usually included in the burial: at least one representing the crew sailing upstream with the prevailing winds and placed facing south, the other equipped for rowing north with the current of the river and placed with the bow facing north. The largest collection of boat models was found in the tomb of Djehuty-Nakht at Bersha which comprised fifty-five boats.
Some of the boat models had a religious significance. According to ancient Egyptian religious beliefs, Osiris's body was taken by a boat for burial at Abydos, his chief cult place. In their lifetime, many Egyptians either made a pilgrimage to Abydos or sent a votive stela or both. In death, they also wished to be buried there, or at least that their mummy should visit this sacred town. Usually, of course, not even this was possible, so a wooden model of the deceased's mummy on a boat or a representation of this journey on the tomb wall had to serve instead.
Wood
11th dynasty
BAAM 620
Antiquities Museum of Bibliotheca Alexandrina
Bust of the Roman emperor Carinus (AD 283-285) in Centrale Montemartini, Rome. Used as an illustration in Roman Legionary AD 284-337: The Age of Diocletian and Constantine.
Photographed in 1998 with a Ricoh R1 and, IIRC, some variety of Agfa Iso 400 film. Old scan from the print
Maiherpri was noble of Nubian origin. He probably lived during the rule of Thutmose IV. Amongst his titles were Child of the Nursery and fan-bearer on the right side of the king.
Maiherpri was placed in two anthropoid coffins and an outer wooden shrine of rectangular form. All three are painted black with gilded decorations.
A third anthropoid coffin was found next to this coffin ensemble with its lid placed next to the box. It seems that the 'extra' coffin was intended as the innermost one, but was too big to fit into the set and was, therefore, left unused next to it.
18th dynasty, from Valley of the Kings - KV36
CG 24004
Upper floor, room 17
Egyptian Museum, Cairo
Egyptian Museum, Cairo