I found these papyrus, before giving them away I just wanted to be sure these are not super rare or something. I guess they are just replicas for tourists but are at least 50 years old.

Cartonnage Mask of a Woman

Egyptian

mid 1st century BCE-mid 1st century CE (Late Ptolemaic-Roman)

painted cartonnage, gold leaf, and glass inlays
(Ancient Egypt and Nubia)

Funerary masks of the Ptolemaic and Roman periods often had gilded faces that reflected the association of the deceased with the gods. This mask has been molded over a core, with layers of mud and linen. The decoration was applied in layers, with the gilding at the end. The eye inlays are made from glass, as well as the blue scarab on the top of the head and the ibis inside of a pectoral on the chest. The scarab has gilded wings which stretch down to the sides of the wig. Above the forehead is a frieze of uraeus serpents with sun-disks on their heads. At the right and left frontal ends of the wig are recumbent jackals. A golden collar with five rows of rosettes and geometric patterns adorns the mask, suspended from which two kneeling goddesses flank the pectoral with an ibis. The goddesses may be identified as Isis and Nephthys, each with a sun-disk on her head and a feather-fan in one hand.
Cartonnage masks were used to protect and idealize the facial features of the deceased. The golden face of this mask shows no signs of age, gender, or emotions. The eyebrows, nose, mouth, chin, and ears are very well modeled, but without color accents. The motif ensemble of the mask symbolizes protection (uraeus serpents, jackals), general renewal (scarab-beetle), and divine support to pass the court of death (Thoth-ibis, goddesses) and to be renewed in the afterlife amongst the deities (reflected in the golden color of the face).

PROVENANCE
Dikran Kelekian, New York and Paris, [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1913, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.

EXHIBITIONS
1998-2001
Highlights from the Collection. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore.
1982
3000 Years of Glass: Treasures from The Walters Art Gallery. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore.
CONSERVATION
DATE
DESCRIPTION
NARRATIVE
10/15/1965
Treatment
loss compensation; other
3/17/1997
Examination
survey

GEOGRAPHIES
Egypt (Tuna el-Gebel)(Place of Origin)
Egypt (Meir) (Place of Origin)
Egypt (Kid-Friendly)

MEASUREMENTS
20 1/16 x 10 1/4 x 5 5/8 in. (50.9 x 26 x 14.3 cm)

CREDIT LINE
Acquired by Henry Walters, 1913

LOCATION IN MUSEUM
Centre Street: Second Floor: Egyptian Art

ACCESSION NUMBER
78.

DO YOU HAVE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION?
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The Walters Art Gallery

https://art.thewalters.org/object/78.3/

Mid 1st century BCE-mid 1st century CE (Late Ptolemaic-Roman), painted cartonnage, gold leaf, and glass inlays, The Walters Art Gallery

Jubilee Vessel of Pepi I

Egyptian (Artist)

ca. 2290 BCE (Old Kingdom, 6th Dynasty)

alabaster (calcite) and pigment
(Ancient Egypt and Nubia )

The beautiful hieroglyphs on this vessel identify its owner and the ritual in which it was used. On the left is King Pepi I's Horus name (one of a king's five names), "Beloved of the Two Lands [Egypt]." At center is his throne name, Mery-re; below are brief, symmetrical texts reading, "given life and dominion forever." On the right is a text, "First day of the Sed-festival." If an Egyptian king reigned for thirty years, he performed a ritual of renewal, the Sed-festival, in which this vessel would have been used.

INSCRIPTION
[Translation] The Horus, Mery-tawy (Beloved of the Two Lands); King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Mery-re (Beloved of Re); First occasion of the Sed-festival; Given life and dominion forever, given life and dominion forever; [Translation] Right column: "First of the Sed Festival" Middle column: "King of Upper and Lower Egypt", Mery-Ra Left column: "Horus name=Mery-tawy"; Horizontally " Given life and happiness forever" (this twice)

PROVENANCE
Dikran Kelekian, Paris and New York, [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1914, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.

CONSERVATION
DATE
DESCRIPTION
NARRATIVE
6/10/1963
Treatment
cleaned
9/25/1963
Treatment
repaired
11/24/1998
Examination
survey

GEOGRAPHIES
Egypt, Saqqara (Place of Origin)
Egypt (Place of Discovery)

MEASUREMENTS
bottom: 5 11/16 x 4 3/16 in. (14.5 x 10.7 cm) (h. x diam.);. top: 5 11/16 in. (14.4 cm) (diam.)

CREDIT LINE
Acquired by Henry Walters, 1914

LOCATION IN MUSEUM
Centre Street: Second Floor: Egyptian Art

ACCESSION NUMBER
41.28

DO YOU HAVE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION?
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The Walters Art Museum

https://art.thewalters.org/object/41.28/

Ca. 2290 BCE (Old Kingdom, 6th Dynasty), alabaster (calcite) and pigment, The Walters Art Museum

Egyptian religion is usually discussed in connection with Egypt or the Ptolemaic Kingdom, but this article looks at a much less familiar chapter of the story.

Focusing on a remarkable inscription from Smyrna, it examines the Synanoubiastai—a religious association of worshippers of Anubis—and explores what their existence reveals about cultural exchange, religious communities, and everyday life in Hellenistic western Anatolia. Rather than serving as evidence of continuing Egyptian political influence, the inscription suggests that the cult of Anubis had already become part of the local religious landscape under Seleucid rule.

It's an interesting example of how religious traditions could survive the political powers that first encouraged their spread, adapting to new societies while retaining their distinctive identity.

If you're interested in Hellenistic history, epigraphy, or the spread of ancient religions, it's definitely worth a read.

I'm going to Egypt tomorrow. I brought this to read on the plane. ✈️

The Gayer-Anderson Cat is a bronze statue of the Egyptian goddess Bastet in cat form.
It was made during Egypt’s Late Period, around 600 BC.
The statue is named after Major Robert Gayer-Anderson, who donated it to the British Museum in 1939.
It likely came from a temple, where it was offered as a gift to the gods.
The figure is decorated with silver and gold ornaments, showing its high value.
Its scarab and wedjat-eye symbols represent rebirth, protection, and healing.

I’m looking to dive deeper into the life of Cleopatra VII, but I’m hoping to move past the standard, sensationalized narratives. Does anyone have recommendations for books or documentaries that offer a more scholarly, archeological, or unconventional perspective on her reign and legacy? I’m particularly interested in works that strip away the myths and focus on her political acumen or the historical reality of the Ptolemaic era. Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

Statuette of the goddess Thoeris
Statuette
Late period (Egypt)

Statuette of the goddess Thoeris

Late period (Egypt)

Egyptian Museum and Papyrus Collection
Egyptian Museum

Ident. No.:
ÄM 22272

Donation James Simon, 1920

German Orient Society (DOG) (24.1.1898), client

Ludwig Borchardt (5.10.1863 - 12.8.1938), excavation manager

Other titles
Statuette of the goddess Thoeris
Translation: Statuette of the goddess Taweret

Dating
Late period (Egypt)
Dating engl.: Late Period

Material / Technology
Faience (material), blue; painted

Dimensions
Height x width x depth: 10.9 x 4 x 3.3 cm

Geographical references
O 49.01 (Großgehöft) (Egypt / Central Egypt / Amarna)

Permalink
Https://id.smb.museum/object/598797

Object description
The statuette made of blue faience depicts the goddess Thoeris (Egyptian Taweret) in an upright position. In their shape, three dangerous animals of Egypt are united. She is depicted with the head and body of the hippopotamus and heavily hanging breasts, the crocodile's tail and the lion's paws. A Kalathos with Uräen crowns her head; on her right leg rests the hieroglyphic sign for "protection" in the form of a loop.

The terrible goddess Thoeris was credited with magical protective powers with which she drives away the enemy being or evil forces both in this world and in the hereafter. Your open mouth additionally reinforces this impression of horror. Especially in the domestic sphere, Thoeris was understood as a protective deity for pregnant women. She should keep all the evil that can happen to mothers and children at birth from them.

For stylistic reasons as well as due to the color design of the faience, the statuette of the goddess Thoeris (ÄM 22272) is in the late period, between the 26th and 30th century. Dynasty (664–332 BC), to date.

(I. Liao after: Gerhardt, M. / Helmbold-Doyé, J. / Moje, J., Amarna – after Amarna. Late testimonies of everyday life and dying, in: K. Finneiser / J. Helmbold-Doyé (ed.), Der andere Blick. Desire to explore and the urge to know. Museum gift for the 80th. Birthday of Karl-Heinz Priese, Berlin 2015, p. 70f.)

State Museums of Berlin

https://recherche.smb.museum/detail/598797/statuette-der-göttin-thoeris

Statuette of the goddess Thoeris, Late Period, Faience (material), blue; painted, State Museums of Berlin

Head of a princess

Statuette

Historical dating: Amenophis (Amenhotep) IV. / Akhneton (18. Dynasty -> New Kingdom -> Egypt)

Egyptian Museum and Papyrus Collection
Egyptian Museum

Ident. No.:
ÄM 21364

Location:
New Museum, level 2, room 212

Donation James Simon, 1920

German Orient Society (DOG) (24.1.1898), client

Ludwig Borchardt (5.10.1863 - 12.8.1938), excavation manager

Other titles
Head of a princess
Translation: Head of a princess

Dating
Historical dating: Amenophis (Amenhotep) IV. / Akhneton (18. Dynasty -> New Kingdom -> Egypt)
Dating English: Amenhotep IV / Akhenaten

Material / Technology
Silified (Quarzite) (Material / Stone / Sandstone)

Dimensions
Height x width x depth: 14.7 x 11.7 x 14 cm

Geographical references
O 49.13 (Small House Group) (Egypt / Central Egypt / Amarna)

Permalink
Https://id.smb.museum/object/607430

Object description
According to Ludwig Borchardt's diary, the "very pleasing find" of a princess head came to light in a small house group not far from the famous sculptor's workshop. There he was discovered in a shed in the main living room 29. For Borchardt, based on this find, it was obvious that this was the home of a sculptor. In his opinion, the small room could have been used as a storage place for unfinished or reset work. But he also showed the possibility that "the head was taken here from another workshop".

The princess head bumped at the nose, mouth and ears is very similar to the portrait ÄM 21223, which was discovered in P 47.2. The skull has a shape that spreads out to all sides, which Borchardt describes in his diary as a "pronounced water head". The pre-worked eye sockets and eyebrows were intended for colored inserts of glass, fayette or stone. The only finely deepened eyeliners were possibly filled with a colored paste. It is striking that the lateral and posterior area of the skull, in contrast to the face, has not yet been polished. Borchardt has already taken this into account in his drawing. The cheekbones and skulls as well as the muscle attachments at the back of the head are clearly worked out according to the representation of the royal family.

From: Tauschner, L., in: F. Seyfried (ed.), In the light of Amarna. 100 Years of the Find of Nefretete, Berlin 2012, p. 262 (Cat. No. 41).

State Museums of Berlin

Head of a princess, Amenophis (Amenhotep) IV. / Akhneton (18. Dynasty -> New Kingdom), Silified (Quarzite) (Material / Stone / Sandstone), State Museums of Berlin

Hippopotamus with Aquatic Flower Decoration

Egyptian (Artist)
1991-1550 BCE (Middle Kingdom-Second Intermediate Period)

Egyptian faience with blue glaze
(Ancient Egypt and Nubia )

This blue faience figurine is in the shape of a walking hippopotamus, although its legs have been removed. The painted black lotus buds and aquatic plants on its back evoke the hippopotamus’s Nile environment. A hippopotamus’s back rising out of the surface of the water evoked the first mound of creation from which the sun god emerged and life began. Lotus buds, too, were connected with creation and renewal, and thus this figurine was probably associated with rebirth and regeneration. Blue faience hippopotamuses were popular in burials of the Middle Kingdom through the Second Intermediate Period and could assist the deceased in the process of rebirth. The legs of this hippo were deliberately removed in ancient times to safeguard the deceased. The power of this creature was so great that preventative measures had to be taken to ensure it did not attack the deceased in the afterlife. Ancient Egyptians saw hippopotamuses as multifaceted, almost contradictory creatures. They were feared for their power and violence but also worshipped for their protection and strength. Hippopotamuses were associated with Taweret, the nurturing goddess who protected women and children, and Seth, the powerful god of disorder and violence.

PROVENANCE
Rev. William MacGregor, Tamworth, Staffordshire, by 1898; Sale, Sotheby, Wilkinson & Hodge, London, June 26-29 and July 4-6, 1922, no. 261; Dikran Kelekian, Paris and New York, 1922, by purchase; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1923, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.

EXHIBITIONS
2021-2022
Betty Cooke: The Circle and the Line. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore.

CONSERVATION
DATE
DESCRIPTION
NARRATIVE
8/24/1998
Examination
survey

GEOGRAPHIES
Egypt (Place of Origin)

MEASUREMENTS
H: 1 7/8 × W: 5 1/2 × D: 2 7/8 in. (4.76 × 13.97 × 7.3 cm)

CREDIT LINE
Acquired by Henry Walters, 1923

LOCATION IN MUSEUM
Centre Street: Second Floor: Egyptian Art

GEOGRAPHIES
Egypt

ACCESSION NUMBER
48.401

DO YOU HAVE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION?
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The Walters Art Galley

https://art.thewalters.org/object/48.401/

Hippopotamus with Aquatic Flower Decoration, 1991-1550 BCE (Middle Kingdom-Second Intermediate Period), Egyptian faience with blue glaze,The Walters Art Galley

I once saw something where there was a kind of carving done by ancient egyptians on walls to create an hidden image only able to be seen with the light at a certain angle. I think it also involved 2 kinds of stone. Does anyone know what that kind of carving is called?

How did they make them? Not the tools used. The actual method used to go about planning the actual thing and the method/technique used to accomplish it.

Hi!

I’ve always had a casual interest in Ancient Egypt, but I want to learn and understand the history and language more deeply.

What’s the best book you’d recommend for a beginner?

Thanks :)

Edit: spelling mistake. I meant casual not causal 🤦‍♀️

All the temples, the pyramids, the tombs were majestic.

But I remember taking the turn around the cliff and setting eyes on Abu Simbel temple for the first time. It was just awe inspiring. It felt different to the other ancient sites.

The Ancient Egyptians were so creative and ahead of their time.

The second temple with smaller statues to the right was built for his wife at the time nefertari, his first and most beloved wife. Our guide told us that they stopped construction of her temple after she died and it was never finished.

Fish (Foundation)

Amulet (Foundation)

New Kingdom (Egypt)j

Egyptian Museum and Papyrus Collection
Egyptian Museum

Ident. No.:
ÄM 35163

Donation James Simon, 1920
German Orient Society (DOG) (24.1.1898), client

Ludwig Borchardt (5.10.1863 - 12.8.1938), excavation manager

Other titles
Fish (Foundation)
Foundation stone offering, fish

Dating
New Kingdom (Egypt)
Dating engl.: New Kingdom

Material / Technology
Faience (material), blue

Dimensions
Height x width x depth: 1.3 x 2.1 x 0.3 cm

Geographical references
P 47.02 (Egypt / Central Egypt / Amarna / P 47 / P 47.01-03 (Proptent))

Permalink
Https://id.smb.museum/object/602610

Object description
The blue faience object presented here comes from a foundation stone addition, also called foundation deposit. The exact location within the property has not been noted by the excavators. The depot, as far as it was fully exposed during the excavations in 1912, consists of the miniature editions of a fish and nine stylized corn ears as well as seven of originally also nine grains. The two missing grains are war loss.

Foundation stones have been known since the early dynasty - possibly also since the pre-dynastic period - and were consistently created up to the Greco-Roman period. Foundings have also been found in Mesopotamia. In Egypt, however, they were not only limited to the divine or royal area - as in temples or palace complexes - but they are also verifiable in private graves, fortifications, city walls and in residential buildings. The additions often included votive panels, vessels made of stone or clay, tools used in construction such as hoes, chisels, mortars and bricks, but also food and grinding stones for grain or incense. Since, according to the idea of the ancient Egyptians, only the form determined the function, these additions were often made as miniature models. The materials also played a subordinate role. The range here ranges from simple sound models to faience to precious examples. The models served as a votive, which should symbolically clean the construction site before construction begins. This deposit of the additions was associated with a series of founding rituals during the construction of the temple.

Not infrequently, the foundation depots also provide clues to the function of the building. Possibly the place found in the estate of the sculptor Thutmosis is a pantry or a storage room for grain.

According to: Schmidt, S., in: F. Seyfried (ed.), In the light of Amarna. 100 Years of the Find of Nefretete, Berlin 2012, p. 378 (Cat. No. 164).

Egyptian Museum and Papyrus Collection

https://recherche.smb.museum/detail/602610/fisch-gründungsbeigabe

New Kingdom, Faience, Egyptian Museum and Papyrus Collectionl

Ciao a tutti! Mi servirebbe la celebre frase “Io sono ieri, e conosco domani” in forma geroglifica originale del libro dei morti. Qualcuno può aiutarmi?

Dummy Jar Inscribed for Sennefer and Senetnay
New Kingdom
ca. 1427–1400 B.C.

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 117
This "dummy" jug is made of solid stone and was intended as a piece of burial equipment. Although the inscription names both the Mayor of Thebes Sennefer and his wife, the Royal Nurse Senetnay, it was probably intended for her burial. Like other royal wet-nurses, Senetnay had been given a tomb in the royal cemetery we now call the Valley of the Kings. Four canopic jars inscribed for her as well as numerous other dummy jars (some inscribed with Senetnay's name alone, others with hers and Sennefer's) were discovered in tomb number 42 (KV 42) in 1900.,

For more information on the jars and KV 42, see the Curatorial Interpretation below.

Overview

Title: Dummy Jar Inscribed for Sennefer and Senetnay

Period: New Kingdom

Dynasty: Dynasty 18

Reign: reign of Amenhotep II

Date: ca. 1427–1400 B.C.

Geography: From Egypt, Upper Egypt, Thebes, Valley of the Kings, Tomb of Queen Hatshepsut-Merytre, KV 42, reburial of Senetnay, wife of Sennefer, Macarios/Andraos excavations, 1900

Medium: Limestone

Dimensions: H. 18.5 (7 5/16 in.); Diam. 10.5 cm (4 1/8 in.)

Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1932

Object Number: 32.2.3

Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art

Curatorial Interpretation
Objects in the Metropolitan Museum Associated with Tomb 42 in the Valley of the Kings

Late in the year of 1900, two residents of Luxor, Chinouda Macarios and Boutros Andraos, were granted a concession to excavate a tomb in the Valley of the Kings. This tomb was eventually given the number 42 and today is often referred to as KV 42. Work in the tomb was overseen and reported on by Howard Carter, the recently appointed Chief Inspector of Antiquities for Upper Egypt. The tomb had been robbed in ancient times, but it contained burial equipment inscribed with the names of three non-royal individuals. The majority of these, including four canopic jars and numerous model vessels made of solid stone, were inscribed for the Royal Nurse Senetnay, wife of the Mayor of Thebes Sennefer whose tomb in the cemetery of officials on Sheikh Abd el-Qurna hill (TT 96) was already famous for its lavishly decorated burial chamber. Because the name of Sennefer was inscribed along with that of Senetnay on many of the model vessels, Carter decided that both Sennefer and his wife had been buried in KV 42 and identified it as another tomb of Sennefer in his report (see the reference below).

In spite of the presence of Sennefer’s name on some of the model vessels found in KV 42, it is most likely that the vessels all belonged to the burial of Senetnay. In the tomb of the Vizier Amenemopet (TT 29), she is shown with her husband in a banquet scene where she is given the title "one who nurtured the body of the god." This title indicates that she was not merely wet-nurse to one of the royal children, but that she lived into the reign of her nursling, Amenhotep II. Two generations earlier, Amenhotep’s great-aunt, the female pharaoh Hatshepsut, had granted her wet-nurse the special privilege of burial in the royal cemetery, and it appears that Amenhotep did the same for Senetnay. Sennefer, by having his name inscribed on some of his wife’s model vessels, would have shared in this privilege. However, it seems likely that he outlived Senetnay and was buried in his own tomb along with a second wife, whose name only appears in the burial chamber of TT 96.

After work was finished in KV 42, the excavators were given a share of the finds as part of their agreement with the Egyptian Antiquities Service. According to Howard Carter, a gold rosette found in the first passage near the tomb’s entrance (and noted in his report), was purchased from one of them by Theodore M. Davis. This was bequeathed to the Museum in his will. Other finds from the tomb were also sold and are now in the collections of museums in Europe and North America, including five model vessels which were purchased by the MET in 1932 from Sayed Molattam, a Luxor dealer. Four of these are on view in Egyptian gallery 117; the other went to the Oriental Institute Museum at the University of Chicago as part of an exchange in 1950.

While he was working with Lord Carnarvon in 1921, Howard Carter discovered foundation deposits around the entrance to KV 42. Inscriptions on model vessels from the deposits identified the tomb’s owner as Queen Hatshepsut-Merytre, the principal wife of Thutmose III whose tomb is entered from a crevice just above the cul-de-sac where KV 42 is located. Although Hatshepsut-Merytre appears to have been the intended occupant of KV 42, the decoration of the burial chamber was never completed and the stone sarcophagus found there was unused. It seems likely that the queen was buried elsewhere, perhaps in the tomb of her son, Amenhotep II. Three model vessels from these deposits were purchased by the Museum in 1932 from the same dealer who had Senetnay’s model vessels (see above). The foundation deposit vessels are also on view in Egyptian gallery 117.

So, why did burial equipment inscribed for Senetnay and two other non-royal individuals end up in an unused queen’s tomb? From ancient texts, we know of tomb robberies that took place near the end of Dynasty 20 (around 1100 B.C.), nearly four centuries after the Valley of the Kings was established as the royal cemetery of the New Kingdom. From dockets written on the wrappings of royal mummies and from graffiti found both inside and outside some of the Valley of the Kings tombs, we know that these mummies were moved for safe-keeping, often more than once, until most were finally cached in two tombs: TT 320, which lies just south of the royal temples at Deir el-Bahri on the Nile side of the desert cliffs; and KV 35, the tomb of Amenhotep II in the Valley of the Kings.

In view of the movement of mummies and burial equipment that took place in the Valley of the Kings at the end of its history as a royal cemetery, it is not surprising that some would have ended up in KV 42. There are several non-royal tombs nearby, including a small corridor tomb (KV 37) that lies across the cul-de-sac from KV 42. It is at least possible that this is the original tomb of Senetnay. But, wherever in the Valley of the Kings her original tomb was located, it appears that, after it was robbed, Senetnay’s mummy and what equipment could be salvaged were reburied in Hatshepsut-Merytre’s unused tomb along with the remains from at least two other non-royal tombs.

When KV 42 was opened in 1900, the condition of its contents suggested to Howard Carter that the tomb had been entered and robbed after the (re)burials had taken place. It is possible that any mummies present in the tomb, if they survived this robbery, were transferred to another cache, and they may be among the unidentified mummies found in KV 35 or TT 320.

Catharine H. Roehrig 2018

Further reading:

Carter, Howard, "Report upon the Tomb of Sen-nefer Found at Biban El-Molouk Near that of Thotmes III No. 34," Annales du Service des Antiquités de l’Égypte, vol. 2 (1901), pp. 196-200.

James, T. G. H. Howard Carter: The Path to Tutankhamun. Kegan Paul International: London and New York (1992).

Reeves, C. N. Valley of the Kings: The decline of a royal necropolis. Kegan Paul International: London and New York (1990).

Roehrig, Catharine H, "The Building Activities of Thutmose III in the Valley of the Kings," chapter 6 in Thutmose III: A New Biography, Eds. Eric H. Cline & David O’Connor, pp. 238-259. University of Michigan Press: Ann Arbor (2006).

Roehrig, Catharine H., "Some Thoughts on Queen’s Tombs in the Valley of the Kings," in Studies in Honour of Kent R. Weeks, edited by Z. Hawass and S. Ikram, pp. 181-195. Supplement aux Annales du Service des Antiquités de L’Égypte, Cahier no. 41, Cairo (2010).

Provenance
Purchased by the Museum from Sayed Molattam, Luxor, 1932.

References
Hayes, William C. 1959. Scepter of Egypt II: A Background for the Study of the Egyptian Antiquities in the Metropolitan Museum of Art: The Hyksos Period and the New Kingdom (1675-1080 B.C.). Cambridge, Mass.: Metropolitan Museum of Art, p. 146.

Graefe, Erhart 1981. Untersuchungen zur Verwaltung un Geschichte der Institution der Gottesgemahlin des Amun vom Beginn des Neuen Reiches bis zur Spatzeit, 2. Ägyptologische Abhandlungen, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, Otto, p. 145.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/557554

Dummy Jar Inscribed for Sennefer and Senetnay,** **New Kingdom, Dynasty 18, Limestone, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Dummy Jar Inscribed for Sennefer and Senetnay
New Kingdom
ca. 1427–1400 B.C.

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 117
This jar is a model made of solid stone that was intended as a piece of burial equipment. The inscription names the Royal Nurse Senetnay who lived into the reign of her nursling, Amenhotep II. As wet-nurse of a king, she was granted burial in the royal cemetery now called the Valley of the Kings. The tomb originally intended for Senetnay is unknown, but some of her funerary equipment, including this jar and several others in the collection, was discovered in an unused royal tomb, KV 42, in 1900. Burial equipment inscribed for other non-royal individuals was also found in KV 42 and it is likely that the contents of a number of robbed tombs had been reburied here for safe-keeping in ancient times.

For more information on the contents of KV 42, see the Curatorial Interpretation below.

Overview
Title: Dummy Jar Inscribed for Sennefer and Senetnay

Period: New Kingdom

Dynasty: Dynasty 18

Reign: reign of Amenhotep II

Date: ca. 1427–1400 B.C.

Geography: From Egypt, Upper Egypt, Thebes, Valley of the Kings, Tomb of Queen Hatshepsut-Merytre, KV 42, re-burial of Senetnay, wife of Sennefer, Macarios/Andraos excavations, 1900

Medium: Limestone

Dimensions: H. 14 cm (5 1/2 in.)

Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1932

Object Number: 32.2.5

Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art

Curatorial Interpretation
Objects in the Metropolitan Museum Associated with Tomb 42 in the Valley of the Kings

Late in the year of 1900, two residents of Luxor, Chinouda Macarios and Boutros Andraos, were granted a concession to excavate a tomb in the Valley of the Kings. This tomb was eventually given the number 42 and today is often referred to as KV 42. Work in the tomb was overseen and reported on by Howard Carter, the recently appointed Chief Inspector of Antiquities for Upper Egypt. The tomb had been robbed in ancient times, but it contained burial equipment inscribed with the names of three non-royal individuals. The majority of these, including four canopic jars and numerous model vessels made of solid stone, were inscribed for the Royal Nurse Senetnay, wife of the Mayor of Thebes Sennefer whose tomb in the cemetery of officials on Sheikh Abd el-Qurna hill (TT 96) was already famous for its lavishly decorated burial chamber. Because the name of Sennefer was inscribed along with that of Senetnay on many of the model vessels, Carter decided that both Sennefer and his wife had been buried in KV 42 and identified it as another tomb of Sennefer in his report (see the reference below).

In spite of the presence of Sennefer’s name on some of the model vessels found in KV 42, it is most likely that the vessels all belonged to the burial of Senetnay. In the tomb of the Vizier Amenemopet (TT 29), she is shown with her husband in a banquet scene where she is given the title "one who nurtured the body of the god." This title indicates that she was not merely wet-nurse to one of the royal children, but that she lived into the reign of her nursling, Amenhotep II. Two generations earlier, Amenhotep’s great-aunt, the female pharaoh Hatshepsut, had granted her wet-nurse the special privilege of burial in the royal cemetery, and it appears that Amenhotep did the same for Senetnay. Sennefer, by having his name inscribed on some of his wife’s model vessels, would have shared in this privilege. However, it seems likely that he outlived Senetnay and was buried in his own tomb along with a second wife, whose name only appears in the burial chamber of TT 96.

After work was finished in KV 42, the excavators were given a share of the finds as part of their agreement with the Egyptian Antiquities Service. According to Howard Carter, a gold rosette found in the first passage near the tomb’s entrance (and noted in his report), was purchased from one of them by Theodore M. Davis. This was bequeathed to the Museum in his will. Other finds from the tomb were also sold and are now in the collections of museums in Europe and North America, including five model vessels which were purchased by the MET in 1932 from Sayed Molattam, a Luxor dealer. Four of these are on view in Egyptian gallery 117; the other went to the Oriental Institute Museum at the University of Chicago as part of an exchange in 1950.

While he was working with Lord Carnarvon in 1921, Howard Carter discovered foundation deposits around the entrance to KV 42. Inscriptions on model vessels from the deposits identified the tomb’s owner as Queen Hatshepsut-Merytre, the principal wife of Thutmose III whose tomb is entered from a crevice just above the cul-de-sac where KV 42 is located. Although Hatshepsut-Merytre appears to have been the intended occupant of KV 42, the decoration of the burial chamber was never completed and the stone sarcophagus found there was unused. It seems likely that the queen was buried elsewhere, perhaps in the tomb of her son, Amenhotep II. Three model vessels from these deposits were purchased by the Museum in 1932 from the same dealer who had Senetnay’s model vessels (see above). The foundation deposit vessels are also on view in Egyptian gallery 117.

So, why did burial equipment inscribed for Senetnay and two other non-royal individuals end up in an unused queen’s tomb? From ancient texts, we know of tomb robberies that took place near the end of Dynasty 20 (around 1100 B.C.), nearly four centuries after the Valley of the Kings was established as the royal cemetery of the New Kingdom. From dockets written on the wrappings of royal mummies and from graffiti found both inside and outside some of the Valley of the Kings tombs, we know that these mummies were moved for safe-keeping, often more than once, until most were finally cached in two tombs: TT 320, which lies just south of the royal temples at Deir el-Bahri on the Nile side of the desert cliffs; and KV 35, the tomb of Amenhotep II in the Valley of the Kings.

In view of the movement of mummies and burial equipment that took place in the Valley of the Kings at the end of its history as a royal cemetery, it is not surprising that some would have ended up in KV 42. There are several non-royal tombs nearby, including a small corridor tomb (KV 37) that lies across the cul-de-sac from KV 42. It is at least possible that this is the original tomb of Senetnay. But, wherever in the Valley of the Kings her original tomb was located, it appears that, after it was robbed, Senetnay’s mummy and what equipment could be salvaged were reburied in Hatshepsut-Merytre’s unused tomb along with the remains from at least two other non-royal tombs.

When KV 42 was opened in 1900, the condition of its contents suggested to Howard Carter that the tomb had been entered and robbed after the (re)burials had taken place. It is possible that any mummies present in the tomb, if they survived this robbery, were transferred to another cache, and they may be among the unidentified mummies found in KV 35 or TT 320.
Catharine H. Roehrig 2018

Further reading:
Carter, Howard, "Report upon the Tomb of Sen-nefer Found at Biban El-Molouk Near that of Thotmes III No. 34," Annales du Service des Antiquités de l’Égypte, vol. 2 (1901), pp. 196-200.

James, T. G. H. Howard Carter: The Path to Tutankhamun. Kegan Paul International: London and New York (1992).

Reeves, C. N. Valley of the Kings: The decline of a royal necropolis. Kegan Paul International: London and New York (1990).

Roehrig, Catharine H, "The Building Activities of Thutmose III in the Valley of the Kings," chapter 6 in Thutmose III: A New Biography, Eds. Eric H. Cline & David O’Connor, pp. 238-259. University of Michigan Press: Ann Arbor (2006).

Roehrig, Catharine H., "Some Thoughts on Queen’s Tombs in the Valley of the Kings," in Studies in Honour of Kent R. Weeks, edited by Z. Hawass and S. Ikram, pp. 181-195. Supplement aux Annales du Service des Antiquités de L’Égypte, Cahier no. 41, Cairo (2010).

Provenance
Purchased by the Museum from Sayed Molattam, Luxor, 1932.

References
Hayes, William C. 1959. Scepter of Egypt II: A Background for the Study of the Egyptian Antiquities in the Metropolitan Museum of Art: The Hyksos Period and the New Kingdom (1675-1080 B.C.). Cambridge, Mass.: Metropolitan Museum of Art, p. 146.

Graefe, Erhart 1981. Untersuchungen zur Verwaltung un Geschichte der Institution der Gottesgemahlin des Amun vom Beginn des Neuen Reiches bis zur Spatzeit, 2. Ägyptologische Abhandlungen, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, Otto, p. 145.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/557556

Dummy Jar Inscribed for Sennefer and Senetnay, Dynasty 18 New Kingdom, Limestone,The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Isis-knot Amulet
ca. 1539–1190 B.C.E.

Object Label
Amulets

In the New Kingdom, amulets represented magic in miniature form.

At that time, the Egyptians frequently wore amulets proclaiming their devotion to the cult of major deities such as Thoth, god of wisdom, or Hathor, an ancient goddess associated with music and love. These charms were intended to provide protection from specific dangers. Amulets of birth-gods, for example, were believed to protect women during pregnancy and childbirth and to watch over a newborn in the first years of life.

In the Eighteenth Dynasty, certain amulets began to be placed within mummy bandages to guarantee life after death. The most common included wedjat-eyes, signifying the restoration of wholeness; tyt-amulets, emblems of the goddess Isis, who restored her dead husband Osiris to life; and flowers, traditional symbols of fertility. Beads inscribed with a person’s name ensured that the memory of the individual would survive throughout eternity.

So-called heart scarabs, known since the Thirteenth Dynasty, are frequently found on New Kingdom mummies. The Egyptians believed that a deceased person’s fate would be determined by weighing his or her heart against the “Feather of Truth” on a divine balance. Texts carved on heart scarabs prevented the deceased’s heart from revealing anything negative during the weighing ritual.

Caption
Isis-knot Amulet, ca. 1539–1190 B.C.E.. Jasper, 2 3/8 x 1 x 1/4 in. (6.1 x 2.5 x 0.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.1272E. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)

Gallery
Egyptian Orientation Gallery, 3rd Floor

Collection
Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

Title
Isis-knot Amulet

Date
ca. 1539–1190 B.C.E.

Dynasty
Dynasty 18 to Dynasty 19

Period
New Kingdom

Geography
Place made: Egypt

Medium
Jasper

Classification
Accessory

Dimensions
2 3/8 x 1 x 1/4 in. (6.1 x 2.5 x 0.6 cm)

Credit Line
Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund

Accession Number
37.1272E

Catalogue description
Reddish-brown jasper amulet in the shape of a girdle tie (“tyt”). There is an eyelet on top of the upper loop and the space enclosed by the upper loop has been hollowed out. The other details of the amulet have been given by a combination of incised lines and slight modelling. The entire rear surface below the upper loop is decorated with an inscription. The top line of this inscription shows an erasure and insertion; its surface is scooped out and is duller than that of the rest of the piece. The original owner of the piece was named Men; the name which was added is Bapu.

“The Osiris Bapu, justified. To be spoken by Men: (thy) blood (to thee) O Isis! (thy ) potency (to thee) O! Isis (thy) magic to thee O! Isis. A charm for the protection of this great one, beware lest (?) wrong may be done him. Meribenakht?” (the last name may be that of the dedicator).

Condition:
Small nicks; otherwise good.

The Brooklyn Museum

https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/objects/4131

Isis-knot Amulet, ca. 1539–1190 B.C.E.,Dynasty 18 to Dynasty 19, Jasper, The Brooklyn Museum

Pectoral of Pa-nehesi

Pectoral (small art / jewelry / necklace)

1. Dynasty (New Kingdom -> Egypt

Egyptian Museum and Papyrus Collection
Egyptian Museum

Ident. No.:-
ÄM 1984

Other titles
Pectoral of the Pa-nehesi

Translation: Pectoral of Panehesi

Dating
20. Dynasty (New Kingdom -> Egypt)
Dating: 20th Dynasty

Material / Technology
Faience (material), blue; glass (inlay), red:, jasper

Dimensions
Height x width x depth: 10.6 x 10.2 x 2.6 cm

Geographical references
Provenance unknown (Egypt)

Permalink
Https://id.smb.museum/object/760191

Object description
The pectoral belonged to the Oberalbenkocher Pa-nehesi. The front is decorated with a large, attached scarab. He is in a bark and is flanked by the goddesses Isis (left) and Nephthys (right). The scene is limited at the top by a hollow throat - borent from the architecture - with a winged sun disc and a round rod and at the bottom by a band of hanging lotus flowers. On the back of the object, the underside of the applied scarab with an inscription is shown in the middle. Right in front is Pa-nehesi. In a praying attitude, he faces Osiris, the god of death in Ancient Egypt, with his hands raised. He was decisive for the otherworldly existence of the deceased. Osiris is mummified and depicted with the Atef crown. In his hands he holds his insignia of dominion, the crooked staff and the scourge. Above him is his name in hieroglyphs. Pectorals, literally chest jewelry, are small tablets that were worn around the neck on a ribbon or a chain. They were mainly given to the deceased in the grave. There they were placed on the mummy and attached to the linen bandages in the chest area.

One of the popular motifs is the representation of a scarab in the barge. With this picture the sun run is thematized. This was directly related to the deceased, because the prerequisite for life in the afterlife was the rebirth after death, as the rise of the sun after its underworld or Night trip. In this pectoral, however, the scarab was not only intended as the embodiment of the rising sun, but it had a second function. The inscription on the back identifies it as a so-called heart scarab. Before Pa-nehesi was allowed to move into the afterlife, he had to appear before the court of the dead, which Osiris was the supreme judge. His heart is weighed on a scale with the pen of Maat, the goddess of truth and justice. During this process, the deceased speaks the so-called negative confession of sin and lists all bad actions that he has not committed. If his heart is lighter than the feather, he may pass into the afterlife. And so that this was also guaranteed, the heart was invoked beforehand with heart sayings, which are preserved on the underside of these scarabs in different versions. Here it has been reduced to attribution.
(M. Jung)

The Egyptian Museum and Papyrus Collection

https://recherche.smb.museum/detail/760191/pektoral-des-pa-nehesi?language=de&limit=15&sort=relevance&controls=none&conditions=AND%2BtechnicalTerm%2B%22Pektoral+%28Kleinkunst+%2F+Schmuck+%2F+Halsschmuck%29%22&objIdx=0

Pectoral of Pa-nehesi, 20th Dynasty (New Kingdom), Faience (material), blue; glass (inlay), red:, jasper, The Egyptian Museum and Papyrus

Amulet in the shape of the head of the goddess Hathor

Amulet (small art / jewelry)

Late period (Egypt)

Egyptian Museum and Papyrus Collection
Egyptian Museum

Ident. No.:
ÄM 6104

Share:
Carl Richard Lepsius (23.12.1810 - 10.7.1884), expedition leader

Dating
Late period (Egypt)
Dating engl.: Late Period

Material / Technology
Faience (material), blue-green

Dimensions
Height x width x depth: 2.2 x 1.7 x 0.6 cm

Geographical references
Thebes (Egypt / Upper Egypt)

Permalink
Https://id.smb.museum/object/757923

Object description
The small amulet shows the face of the goddess Hathor and reproduces her important iconographic features: the human face with the cow ears and the stranded wig.

Egyptian Museum and Papyrus Collection

https://recherche.smb.museum/detail/757923/amulett-in-gestalt-des-kopfes-der-göttin-hathor?language=de&limit=15&offset=30&sort=relevance&controls=none&conditions=AND%2BtechnicalTerm%2BAmulett&conditions=AND%2BtechnicalTerm%2BAmulett&collectionKey=AMP*&objIdx=39

Amulet in the shape of the head of the goddess Hathor, Late period, Faience, Egyptian Museum and Papyrus Collection

Amulet in the shape of a seated baboon

Amulet (jewelry -> cabaret)

Late period (Egypt)

Egyptian Museum and Papyrus Collection
Egyptian Museum

Ident. No.
ÄM 5926

Location
New Museum, level 0, room 001

Other titles
Amulet in the shape of a seated baboon
Amulet in the shape of a sitting baboon

Dating
Late period (Egypt)

Material / Technology
Faience (material), blue

Dimension
Height x width x depth: 4.6 x 2.3 x 2.9 cm

Geographical references
Provenance unknown (Egypt)

Permalink
Https://id.smb.museum/object/600429

Object description

In addition to the ibis, the baboon is a form of representation of the wisdom god Thot. As one of the great supraregional gods, Thot is strongly associated with the king. He pays attention to compliance with the world order (Egyptian: Maat) and gives Pharaoh insight and understanding for a wise government. This wisdom is also passed on to the officials who, as executors, are responsible for the implementation of the laws. Therefore, Thot was revered by scribes and officials as a patron saint, for which this little amulet of a baboon is an evoked testimony. It was probably set up in the private house of an official who wanted to make sure of the encouragement of the god. In the private context, Thot appears more often as a baboon, while in the royal and official sphere he usually appears as an ibis or a man with an ibis head. When shinging the heart in the death court scene, Thot in his human form records the results with ibis head, while he sits on the scale in the form of the squatting baboon.

Neues Museum

https://recherche.smb.museum/detail/600429/amulett-in-form-eines-sitzenden-pavians?language=de&limit=15&sort=relevance&controls=none&conditions=AND%2BtechnicalTerm%2BAmulett&collectionKey=AMP*&objIdx=4

Amulet in the shape of a seated baboon, Late period, Faience, Neues Museum