Depicted in the center of The Stele of Prince Ankh-nef-neb is the Prince standing at the right offering a table of gifts to three gods and goddesses. The deities can be identified from their appearances and symbols. Isis with the throne on his head, Horus with the head of a hawk and a crown of Egypt and Min with an erected penis and a flail. Their identities are reaffirmed by hieroglyphics that are carefully inscribed above them. Isis is regarded as the Queen of Goddesses, she was a great healer as well as a magician. Horus is known for ruling the whole of Egypt. His headdress comprises of both the crown of Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt. Min was worshipped by the Egyptians as a fertility and sexuality god. Upon close observation, one would notice that some parts of the stele have been erased. This was done with the purpose of reusing the stele. The visible band of hieroglyphs at the bottom of the stele reads, “We give life, prosperity, and health?”…
It was made during Pharaoh Ramses II twenty sixth year being the pharaoh. The Pendant, Falcon with Ram’s head was made as a piece of jewelry but had other uses such as it was made to help with a ritual for the rebirth of the Apis bull. The Apis bull is part of an Egyptian cult and is “The Apis bull was originally viewed as the manifestation of Ptah. The Apis was soon linked to Osiris when Ptah and Osiris merged and so Plutarch described the Apis as the fair and beautiful image of the soul of Osiris. According to one myth the Apis was the living embodiment of Ptah while he lived and Osiris when he…
The goddess Wadjet was emblematic of Lower Egypt- she was often portrayed with her counterpart in Upper Egypt, Nekhbet, handing their joint power to the pharaoh of the time. Other than those human depictions, she was usually shown as a cobra, which allows this piece to be dated- she was only pictured with the lioness head after her mythology was merged with that of Bast, the war goddess of Lower Egypt, in the Late Dynastic period. (source?) As a symbol of Lower Egypt, it can be surmised that she was holding a papyrus scepter in her left hand, and an ankh in…
Iconography, meaning of subject matter. Sticking with the scene, ankh is the hieroglyphic symbol for life and was shown as the god Amon-Ra handing it to her mother, Queen Ahmose. Hatshepsut statues showed herself as a man, each had tradition style headdress and beard and by having her hands lay flat made her stand out while a male would have clenched fist. Mortuary temple Deir el-Bahri, one of the main architectural structure Hatshepsut made. Hatshepsut made the temple for her father and her, reinforced her image as his successor. Hatshepsut showed iconography through her images in the temples. By looking at images of the Deir el-Bahri temple, you can see that the temple was well structured by the polygonal columns. The temple blending with the rocky site of Egypt. Although, Hatshepsut used images in her decoration of the temple. All images had her shown as a “man” as women were not common rulers. Once her time ruling Egypt was up, Thutmose III destroyed Hatshepsut temples and statue from her strong ruling. Even though, somewhere preserved or…
Willard, P. (2009). Egypt Secrets of an Ancient World. Retrieved September 18, 2010, from Explore the Pyramids: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/pyramids/index.html…
I chose to do my paper on a piece of art from the late middle ages called a Canopic jar. This is a handmade jar, made with stone, wood, and pottery. It is not a normal jar because the head of the jar is some type of unique animal. Pieces like these were made frequently from 712-600 BC to hold the internal organs of a dead person, whether they were royal or not. Then the canopic jar would be put into canopic boxes that were illuminated to resemble a coffin. This is similar to the 20th century because we cremate people, and put their remains in jars as well- so it’s basically the same thing except the Egyptian people did not burn their dead. These jars caught my interest because it was unique, and it’s similar to a lot of the things I see on television concerning the Egyptian times. Like in the movie, “The prince of Egypt” I saw little statues similar to these in the Pharaoh’s kingdom. During these times Egypt was a rich artistic atmosphere, as it still is today.…
As a general rule in Ancient Egyptian art, less respected people were portrayed with more realistic figures. In addition, the rarity of the materials used corresponded to the prestige of the person in question. Their status was also reinforced through the presence of various symbols and scale, especially in the case of god-kings. For example, the depictions seen in Khafre Enthroned, Seated Scribe, and Akhenaton from the temple of Aton reveal the respect received by the works’ subjects through these previously mentioned attributes.…
When one thinks of ancient Egypt, images of seated pharaohs like king Tutankhamun automatically come to mind, it seems strange to think of a female ruler as the male kings were the standard of the era, save for a few exceptions. One the exceptions to the standard male pharaohs, and the first of her kind, was Queen Hatshepsut- the first female pharaoh of ancient Egypt. Queen Hatshepsut reined Ancient Egypt between the years of 1473-1458 BCE, a reign that about two decades. Through the artifacts and temples that have been left behind, one is able to study her mighty reign. Yet, it is through the art that commemorated her reign that tells us the most about her and the way she ruled. One of the most interesting pieces of sculpture that put her rule into focus is one that was found at Deir el-Bahri. The Seated Statue of Hatshepsut (also known as Hatshepsut as King), found near Thebes at Deir el-Bahri in Egypt, is one that certainly exudes femininity and grace while remaining both power and strength. The Seated Statue of Hatshepsut uses an idealized, strong image that marks a propagandistic approach to her imagery hinting at political undertones. It is through Hatshepsut’s gaze, way of dress, and iconic representations of garb and blending of the male and female genders, along with the disputed locations or where this statue once stood that that the Queen Hatshepsut successfully creates an idealized image as propaganda.…
On a trip to the Johns Hopkins Archaeological Museum I got to experience seeing a wide variety of objects from Ancient Egypt. However, one object in particular stood out to me: Wedjat Eyes. This particular Wedjat Eye is also known as the Eye of Horus. The museum had several on display—representing its popularity. The one I decided to study was a pale turquoise color that was made from Egyptian faience from Thebes, Egypt which was dated between the 21st-26th Dynasty, ca 1069-525 BCE (Accession number: 3685). This object was very detailed in respect to the eyebrow and lines and was roughly 2-2.5 centimeters across. There seemed to be some browner almost rust like color as well which defined all the lines well. The eye itself was slanted and seems to have three dots inside the pupil. There is a lot of emphasis on the eyebrow and what seems to be cosmetic decoration under the eye as well. This may be to signify a sense of royalty. The eye itself does not appear to be fully human, rather as the name suggests to have a bird-like appearance which is to represent Horus. Egyptian faience was commonly used for small objects and is consistent with the idea that this particular Wedjat Eye was part of an amulet. Egyptian faience was invented around 2500 BCE, and the blue-green…
Ramses II was the son of Seti and is frequently called the greatest pharaoh as he ruled for a long time and was very strong militarily. He was known as the “Great Ancestor” or “Ramses the Great.”…
This piece features both the Uraeus headdress typically seen on pharaoh busts even centuries before; and a cornucopia, which originates from Greek mythology. The cornucopia in Greek mythology represents a goat’s horn overflowing with goods, or whatever its owner wishes. It symbolizes abundance and prosperity. The cornucopia fed Greek mythology’s most powerful god — Zeus. The headdress of Uraeus or serpent — is one of the most powerful symbols in the Ancient Egyptian religion and mythology, which represents the Egyptian goddess Wadjet — who protects the pharaoh or…
Egyptology has always been my passion since I was a child. When I first visited the UK in 2000, the first place I wanted to see was Gallery 4 of the British Museum where I met the Sun King, Akhenaten, for the first time. His sculpture the features of an unusual man who sported an elongated skull, a pot belly, and a peculiar set of eyes. The image was different from those perfectly chiselled statues of other Egyptian pharaohs. I was so intrigued that I decided to follow him to his homeland.…
Throughout Egypt, during the middle empire art evolved as a symbol for power and permanence featuring straight lines and powerful figures; as time passed art evolved again morphing from simply representational images of man to the more idealized and anatomically correct style of Roman art. As art became more and more prevalent through the late 3rd and early 4th century’s artists began to focus more on anatomical perfection and realism borrowing artistic elements from other cultures such as the Greeks. Though the artistic styles of ancient Egypt and early Roman art vary widely, the underlying symbolism remains the same. This is clear in both the Egyptian Sculpture Vizier (Figure 1) and the Roman sculpture Bust of and Unknown Man (Figure 2). Where the ideas and concepts of both sculptures are essentially the same, their vastly different styles are evident of the time periods in which they were made.…
The hands symbolize her openness and understanding and her stance symbolizes that she is subservient. Her pose has been elucidated as passive and dutiful standing supportively next to her powerful husband. Though this was a clear and defined role of women in Egypt during the predynastic period, it was not the only role. Women in Egypt enjoyed the same legal and economic rights as men therefor while many women were subordinate to men, many of them flourished as queens and other highly ranked positions. The busts of Queen Nefertiti and queen Tiye prove this assertion to be true.. One might wonder why a goddess would be used as a sex symbol, and the answer is quite…
One of the more impressive and wonderful artifacts was the Pharaoh’s tomb. The ruler Tutankhamun was a ruler who faced many political and social conflict between the pantheon of Egyptian gods. The artifacts are elegantly displayed on pedestals of simulated Egyptian granite. Available in America for the first time to a whole generation, this classic exhibition vividly brings to life the enigmatic opulent age of 18th Dynasty Egypt.…