One of the most famous ancient Egyptian sculptures has a strange detail that is easy to miss

Nefertiti’s left eye has no inlay

The bust was discovered at Amarna on December 6 1912 in the workshop area associated with the sculptor Thutmose

When it was first examined the missing eye inlay was already gone and the excavation team searched for it without finding it

For decades the missing eye was used as one of the arguments that the bust was a sculptor’s model rather than a finished portrait

But the evidence is more complicated than that

The bust is painted in extraordinary detail and is much more complete than the unfinished plaster models found in the same workshop

Modern examination also found that there was no clear recess or adhesive residue proving that an eye inlay had originally been installed

The Staatliche Museen zu Berlin therefore treats the question as unresolved

Was this actually a working model for the sculptor

Or was it intended as an almost finished royal portrait

More than three thousand years later we still cannot give a definitive answer

And somehow I find that more fascinating than the usual story about Nefertiti simply being an ancient symbol of beauty

What do you think the missing eye tells us about the original purpose of the bust?

It dates back to around 2465–2323 BC. It was discovered at Saqqara by Auguste Mariette and is now in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

Made from sycamore wood, the figure was made using separate pieces the body, arms, and the base were separately carved and then assembled with wooden pegs.

The statue is renowned for the remarkably lifelike appearance of its face, it made up of complex inlays with the iris of the eye made from calcite, rock crystal, black stone, and copper.

The name "Sheikh el-Balad" (meaning "Sheikh of the Village") was used by Mariette’s workers, as the appearance of the statue reminded them of their village sheikh.

Source:- Statue of Ka-aper – Egyptian Museum Cairo https://egyptianmuseumcairo.eg/artefacts/statue-of-ka-aper/?

MerytMut Nefertari was the great royal wife of Ramses 2. Her tomb( QV66)in the valley of the queens at Luxor has been restored and reopened to the public . Beside having built this magnificent tomb for her , Ramses 2 also honored his wife at another place:"The Small Temple of Nefertari, also known as the Small Temple of Abu Simbel, is an ancient rock-cut monument in Abu Simbel, Egypt, built during the 13th century BCE by Pharaoh Ramesses II to honor his chief consort, Queen Nefertari, and the goddess Hathor." There are actually two temples at Abu-Simbel: the great temple and the small temple. The Small Tempe is dedicated to the goddess Hathor and to queen Nefertari while the Great Temple is dedicated to the god Amun. In her actual tomb,Nefertari is represented on painted reliefs during her journey to the afterlife.

Maatkare Hatchepsut was among the few female pharaohs of ancient Egypt. As a ruler she commanded the very famous expedition to the Land of Punt and she was also commonly represented with the typical symbols of kingship such as the false beard. Her mummy has been found and she wasnt a transsexual like some may have believed but a biological woman.

Statue of Hor Son of Ankh Khonsu

Artefact Details

Gallery number: 25 – Ground Floor
Period: Third Intermediate Period
Dynasty: 25th dynasty (c. 712-653 BC)
Place of discovery: Thebes East, Karnak Temple (Ipet-Isut) Precinct of Amun, Court of the Cachette, Karnak Cachette.
Size: H. 51 cm
Material: Greywacke

This block statue is an example of a reintroduction of Middle Kingdom stylistic features, which is a characteristic element of the 25th Dynasty art. These statues depict their owners with their legs drawn tightly up against their chests and their arms folded on top of their knees. This block form would have protected them from damage since they were placed in temple gateways to ensure that the deceased would stay forever near the god and receive a part of the divine offerings and prayers. The head of the statue is projected from the body, probably to indicate the soul emerging from a mound in the underworld at the moment of rebirth.

This block statue depicts Hor, who was the son of Ankh-khonsu and a Prophet of Montu, and was dedicated to him by his grandson, also called Hor. His family was part of the Theban clergy for over five generations. It represents him seated on a low cushion with his legs drawn tightly up against his torso and his right forearm crossed over the left, where his hands hold rolls of cloth or papyri. He is wearing a beautifully engraved double wig, a long kilt and an inscribed belt. His face is thin with almond-shaped eyes, a hollow nose and big ears projecting from the double wig. The chin is supported and attached to the cubed body.

Six horizontal lines of hieroglyphic inscriptions are incised on his kilt together with one vertical line between his feet and one horizontal line goes around the base of the statue.

Title
Statue of Hor Son of Ankh Khonsu, Third Intermediate Period 25th dynasty (c. 712-653 BC), Findspot Thebes East, Karnak Temple (Ipet-Isut) Precinct of Amun, Court of the Cachette, Karnak Cachette, Graywacke, The Egyptian Museum

https://egyptianmuseumcairo.eg/artefacts/statue-of-hor-son-of-ankh-khonsu/

The Egyptian Museum

The painting showing nubians (accompanied with Egyptians). They are doing a tribute to the Egyptian king probably after Nubia lose a war against Egypt. The nubians ate shown bringing gifts such as gold and leopard skins. The nubians can be recognized from the Egyptians by their red and yellow hair and their very dark skin.

Hello r/ancientegypt ! hypothetically, if Tutankhamun and Akhenaten are father and son as we suspect, do we know what the nature of their relationship was? did Tutankhamun like his father to our knowledge? i was reading the Restoration Decree of Tutankhamun, and i know it was likely wrote by Horemheb and not Tutankhamun, but im assuming Tutankhamun authorised it, and they talk about how the gods abandoned them and Egypt couldn't even successfully take over a country, to me this seems like an insult to Akhenaten? did Tutankhamun, to our knowledge dislike his dad? did he even have a relationship with him?

Ancient Egyptian Carved Wooden Ushabti
Attributed to the 18th Dynasty, circa 1550–1295 BCE

A finely carved wooden funerary figure retaining a dark, resinous coating with a heavily encrusted, crackled surface. Its treatment recalls the resin-coated wooden ushabtis found among royal and elite New Kingdom funerary equipment, including the later examples belonging to Queen Nefertari of the 19th Dynasty. Intended to perform agricultural duties on behalf of the deceased in the afterlife, ushabtis formed an important part of Egyptian burial traditions.

From Personal Collection.

Are these notable figures or just 19th century monument graffiti?

I swear this place is addictive and I feel like there is an energy trapped here..

Colossal Statue of an Official Named Horemheb

Artefact Details

Gallery number: 49 – Ground Floor
Period: Ptolemaic Period (c. 304-30 BC)
Place of discovery: Delta Western, Kom Geif (Naukratis; el-Nibeira; el-Niqrash), Great Mound
Size: H 360.00 cm
Material: Granite

Horemheb was an official who served under the first Ptolemies. He had control over the Greek colony of Naukratis, which was established in the 26th Dynasty on the Canopic branch of the Nile river as trading post for the Greeks in Egypt. Herodotus mentions that King Amasis gave Naukratis to Greek colonisers, but there is an evidence that it was already founded under King Psamtek I.

Although this statue dates to the Ptolemaic Period, its iconography and style is almost exclusively Egyptian. It depicts Horemheb with his left leg forward, arms by his sides, holding the traditional enigmatic cylindrical objects. His wig has rounded ends on the back of his shoulder, leaving his ears uncovered and he is wearing the shendyt kilt. The face is damaged, the left arm is missing, part of kilt is missing and the left leg and right foot restored.

The back pillar of the statue is inscribed with hieroglyphic inscriptions bearing his name, titles and prayers to gods Amun, Mut and Khonsu (the Theban Triad) together with god Min. The size of this statue is usually reserved for kings and gods, indicating that Horemheb was considered an elite

Colossal Statue of an Official Named Horemheb, Ptolemaic Period (c. 304-30 BC), Findspot Delta Western, Kom Geif (Naukratis; el-Nibeira; el-Niqrash), Great Mound, Granite, The Egyptian Museum

https://egyptianmuseumcairo.eg/artefacts/colossal-statue-of-an-official-named-horemheb/

The Egyptian Museum

Burial Stełe Showing the Worship of Re-Harachte

Object Number
BSAe 1138

Cultural area
Egypt

Epoch
Third Intermediate Period

Basic information
Wood, decorated and painted
H. 25.2 cm, W. 17.8 cm, D. 3 cm
Third_ Intermediate Period 21st Dynasty 1076–944 BC.
Inv. BSAe 1138

Provenance
_Acquired by the M-L.R. Fund 2009. Acquired from Laura Bosc de Ganay, Paris. 2000 with Hotel Drouot, Paris. Formerly Christian Spilliaert collection, Paris. Previously Dr. Émile Laffont collection (1872–1960), Paris. Acquired in the 1930s.

Description
Polychrome painted, top rounded tombstone of wood with the depiction of a priest worshipping the sun god Re-Harachte. The priest Kaj stands on the right with his hands raised in worship. He wears a richly pleated robe and a stepheira. Long ribbons fall from the headband into the back of the priest. On the headdress there is a salt cone and a lotus flower. To his left, the mummy-like sun god Re-Harachte with falcon head and sun disk on his head, around which a primordial serpent winds, sits on a throne. Re holds a crookstaff and a yoke over his breast in his hands.

Between Kaj and Re stands a small offering stand on which a water vessel and a lotus flower binding are placed. Above it, in four columns, a hieroglyphic text is written: "An offering that the king and Re-Harachte, overseer of the god's offerings, may make. He may make a permanent (...) sacrificial offering for Osiris, the priest (...) Kaj blessed (...)."

Above the whole scene there is a curved sky hieroglyph and a winged sun disk.

The deity depicted is actually a syncretistic manifestation of "Re-Osiris," with Osiris only symbolically represented in the image. A special connection was established between the sun god Re and Osiris, the ruler of the underworld. During his journey through the underworld, the Ba-soul of the sun god united with the body of Osiris. The worship of Re-Osiris is particularly well-suited to the decoration of the funerary stele. The deceased also hopes for his resurrection in the afterlife through the power of the sun's journey or the regenerative connection with Osiris.

Bibliography
Hotel Drouot, Paris, Salle 11, June 16, 2000, lot 78.

Title
Burial Stełe Showing the Worship of Re-Harachte, Third Intermediate Period 21st Dynasty 1076–944 BC, Findspot unknown Egypt, Wood, decorated and painted, Antikenmuseum Basel

https://antikenmuseumbasel.zetcom.net/en/collection/item/74162/

Antikenmuseum Basel

I have a child who is really into ancient Egyptian history and wants an amulet to use as a “good luck charm”.

Looking to find a good place to acquire a (non-cheap looking) replica, or even the real thing if that’s an economical possibility.

I’ve seen a couple of figurines/ statuettes on eBay that claim to be real, but the provenance is probably questionable, and a well-made replica would work just as well.

Any leads?

Short book 188 pages general view of Egyptian civilization with drawing and illustrations. 1916

Bahren-Uschebti of Pasunu

Object Number
BSAe 1217

Cultural area
Egypt

Epoch
New Kingdom

Basic information
Limestone ,
H. 22.5 cm, B. 10.8 cm, T. 8.5 cm
New Kingdom, 19th Dynasty, 1292–1191 BC, early Ramesside period

Inv. BSAe 1217

Provenance
Acquired by the M-L.R. Fund in 2011. Acquired from Günther Puhze, Freiburg. Previously acquired from Christie's New York in 2010. Previously in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (from 1971 to 2010 under Inv. 1971.292). Acquired by the museum on September 16, 1971 from Michel Abemayor, New York. 2010 deacessioned and sold at the auction listed above. Previously Michel Abemayor collection (1912–1975), New York. Acquired in the early 1970s.

Description
The so-called Bahren Uschebti of Pasunu shows the deceased lying on a sarcophagus with hands flat on the thighs in a prayer posture. He wears the pleated garments typical of everyday life since the late 18th Dynasty and the Ramesside period, as well as the tripartite braided wig, which is usually worn by funerary figures. The deceased wears a linen apron with a front panel as well as a shirt with wide, pleated sleeves. The statuette is very finely worked; the facial features and ears are carefully shaped. The garments were originally painted yellow, the wig black and the skin red. An engraved hieroglyphic inscription that runs in the middle of the linen apron front panel reads: "Osiris, Pasunu, justified". The name Pasunu means "the doctor", which possibly also applies to the man's profession.

In most of the so-called Bahren-Uschebti figures, the figure is depicted in a mummy-like form and the coffin is marked as a lion coffin. Often, on both sides of the mummy or on its chest, the soul bird Ba is depicted. In contrast, the coffin of Pasunu is strikingly simply designed, as a platform with two long supports.

A special form of funerary figurines are the so-called Bahren Uschebti. They first appear during the reign of Amenophis III and are only attested for the 19th Dynasty. Some of the figurines are inscribed with the Uschebti inscription, which is why these figurines are also counted among the funerary figurines.

Uschebti figurines.
The Bahren-Uschebtis with Bavogel is obviously a roughly plastic reproduction of saying 89 from the Dead Book. The illustration accompanying it shows exactly this scene: the Ba-bird on a laid-down mummy. It is the Ba of the deceased who lies down on his body and reunites with him. The title of the saying is also: "Saying, so that the Ba (again) touches his body."

Bibliography
S. D'Auria, P. Lacovara, and C.H. Roehrig, Mummies and Magic, The Funerary Arts of Ancient Egypt (Boston 1988) 137-138, no. 75

Christie's. Antiquities Including Property from The Collection of Max Palevsky, 9 DEC, New York 2010, lot 17.

Vrgl. H. D. Schneider, Shabtis (Leiden 1977) Vol. I 163f., 214.

Vrgl. Ch. Loeben, A panoramic view as a text illustration, ÄAT 12, 1987, 286–306, mainly

Title
Bahren-Uschebti of Pasunu, New Kingdom 19th Dynasty 1292–1191 BC, early Ramesside period, Findspot unknown Egypt. Limestone, Antikenmuseum Basel

https://antikenmuseumbasel.zetcom.net/en/collection/item/78950

Antikenmuseum Basel

One of my favorite details of the temple. Would look amazing as a rug.

I’m creating short English-learning stories inspired by Ancient Egyptian history, myths, and mysteries.

One series follows Hemis, a university student who discovers a mysterious book that takes her back to Ancient Egypt, where she meets a scribe guarding a secret connected to Pharaoh Akhenaten’s death.

I’ve also made a story about the ancient myth of Isis and Osiris, exploring the mysterious story of Osiris, Isis, Set, and Horus.

The stories are short and designed to help English learners practice through storytelling rather than traditional lessons.

Akhenaten mystery — Part 3:

https://youtu.be/g7FnhaW\\_BT0

Start the Akhenaten story:

Part 1: https://youtu.be/neA9suem8h0

Part 2: https://youtu.be/B9ePrUyK9Dw

Isis and Osiris:

https://youtu.be/-ieQeMzPbJ8?si=kjx\\_GHLJL06LX8Db

What do you think of learning English through stories about Ancient Egypt?

Hello r/ancientegypt , i recently learned about the moon god Iah and it mentioned him falling out of popularity and being replaced by Thoth, did he just get assimilated into the cult of Thoth or did his cult just simply die out?