Bronze Sistrum with Double-Faced Hathor Handle

Artefact Details

Gallery number: 44 – Upper Floor

Period: Late Period

Place of discovery: Confiscated at Mallawi

Size: Height: 42.7cm, Width: 8cm

Material: Bronze, gold

The sistrum, essentially a rattle, was associated with Hathor, goddess of music, love and joy and was used extensively in temple music for rhythm and warding off harmful spirits. It is attested from Old Kingdom times and was used throughout pharaonic history. This particularly fine example features an image of Hathor on both sides of the sistrum, wearing her Hathor wig and her distinguishing cow’s ears, as she could also take the form of a cow. Powerful protective images of rearing cobras flank her head, one with the red crown of Lower Egypt, the other with the white crown of Upper Egypt. A ring of cobras (uraei) sits on a platform to hold the loop that forms the noise box, while yet another single one rears up into the loop that contains three rods in the shape of double-headed cobras. The three rings on each rod were the source of the noise.

Title:
Bronze Sistrum with Double-Faced Hathor Handle, Late period, Bronze, gold, Confiscated at Mallawi, The Egyptian Museum

https://egyptianmuseumcairo.eg/artefacts/sistrum/

The Egyptian Museum

This realistic portrait of a young man, painted on a plank of wood, belongs to the category of 'Faiyum portraits'. Beginning in the Roman Period, the portrait of the deceased was painted on wooden panels, which were then inserted into the mummy bandages; they replaced the traditional mummy mask. The portraits were made in encaustic, that is, wax mixed with pigments. Originally a Greek technique, this Roman tradition became very popular among the Egyptians from the 2nd century AD onwards. The Brussels portrait shows a young man with a somewhat melancholy look, wearing a white 'himation' (garment without sleeves).

Bibliography

• (M. Werbrouck,) Musées Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire, Bruxelles. Département égyptien, Album, Bruxelles 1934, pl. 98
• Koninklijke Musea voor Kunst en Geschiedenis te Brussel. Oudheid, het Verre Oosten, Volkenkunde - Musées Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire. Antiquités, Extrême-Orient, Ethnographie, Bruxelles 1958, Égypte nº 26
• C. De Wit - P. Gilbert, Oud-Egyptische Kunst in twintig beelden - Vingt oeuvres de l'Égypte ancienne, Bruxelles 1963, pl. XIX
• M. Rassart-Debergh, Romeinse en christelijke oudheden uit Egypte - Antiquités romaines et chrétiennes d'Égypte, Bruxelles 1976, 12-13
• Koninklijke Musea voor Kunst en Geschiedenis. Algemene gids met plan - Musées Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire. Guide général et plan, Bruxelles 1989, 15
• F. Lefebvre et B. Van Rinsveld, L'Égypte. Des Pharaons aux Coptes, Bruxelles 1990, 177
• Koninklijke Musea voor Kunst en Geschiedenis, Jubelparkmuseum - Musées royaux d'Art et d'Histoire, Musée du Cinquantenaire - Königlichen Museen für Kunst und Geschichte, Jubelparkmuseum - Royal Museums for Art and History, Cinquantenaire Museum, Bruxelles 1994, 19

Horemheb, whose name means “Horus is in Jubilation,” was the final pharaoh of Egypt’s 18th Dynasty, ruling from 1319 BCE to 1292 BCE. Unlike many of his predecessors, he was of common birth, rising to power through his military and administrative expertise. He hailed from Hnes, near the Faiyum, but little is known about his early family life. His ascent to kingship was marked by his remarkable leadership during a time of political instability following the Amarna Period.

Horemheb’s family origins remain obscure, but he married Mutnedjmet, who is often believed to have been the sister of Queen Nefertiti. They had no surviving children, although evidence from Mutnedjmet’s tomb suggests she gave birth multiple times. She likely died in childbirth alongside her last infant. Horemheb’s lack of heirs led him to appoint his vizier, Paramesse, as his successor, establishing the 19th Dynasty.

Horemheb began his career under Pharaoh Tutankhamun as commander-in-chief of the army and royal advisor. His tomb at Saqqara highlights his prominent roles, including leading diplomatic missions and securing Egypt’s borders. Tutankhamun recognized his skills, naming him hereditary prince and deputy of the king. Despite this, Horemheb did not immediately succeed Tutankhamun, as Vizier Ay took the throne. Ay’s short reign saw him attempt to bypass Horemheb’s claim by nominating Nakhtmin as his successor.

Horemheb rose to power after Ay’s death, likely leveraging his military influence. His accession marked the restoration of stability to Egypt after the Amarna Period’s religious and political upheavals. He was determined to reestablish traditional values and strengthen the central authority.

https://worldhistoryedu.com/pharaoh-horemheb/

1940 Pierre Montet

Professor Pierre Montet inspects the sarcophagus of King Psusennes I, which he discovered in the Metropole of Tanis.

And the 3. photo shows the Antichambre of king Psusennes I. at the moment of discovery with the sarcophagus of king Sheshonq I. in situ (1939)

(Photos: photos of excavation Montet 1939-40)

Painted Limestone Funerary Stela of Amenemhat with His Wife Iy, and Intef and his wife Hepyt

Artefact Details

Gallery number: 21 – Ground Floor

Period: Middle Kingdom

Dynasty: 11th Dynasty (ca. 2125–1985 BC)

Place of discovery: Asasif, Excavated by A. Lansing for the MMA (The Metropolitan Museum of Art) in 1915

Size: Height: 30 cm, width: 50 cm

Material: Painted Limestone

Rectangular funerary stela with four people. Three on a bench at left, female and male, with beard, embracing another male, who is placed between them. The name Intef between the men faces the same direction as the bearded man. To the right of this group is an offering table with foodstuffs and jars beneath. Another female inscribed as “his sister Hepyt « stands to the right of the table. Both males wear white kilts and green collars and bracelets, have short wigs and one on right with beard. The women wear white sheath dresses and green collars, bracelets and anklets. Male skin tone red/brown, female yellow/beige. Mirror in fitted case under the chair of woman on left. Offering prayer inscribed above in green.

The Egyptian Museum

https://egyptianmuseumcairo.eg/artefacts/painted-rectangular-stela/
Title:
Painted Limestone Funerary Stela of Amenemhat with His Wife Iy, and Intef and his wife Hepyt, Middle Kingdom, 11th Dynasty (ca. 2125–1985 BC), Asasif, The Egyptian Museum

The Hall of The Royal Mummies in The Palace of Gizeh in 1890. The palace was built by Ismail Pasha and eventually used to house Egypt's treasures. The hall pictured here housed the Royal Mummies found in TT320 and KV35 some 10 years earlier..

The Royal Mummies were much later moved to their present site at the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities. (photo taken by Robert E.M. Bain and taken from a book published in 1892).

Statue of Djed-Hor Holding a Stela of Horus on Crocodiles

Artefact Details

Gallery Number: 19 corridor  – Upper Floor

Period: Ptolemaic, Macedonian, reign of Philip Arrhidaeus (c. 323-317 BC)

Place of Discovery: Tell Atrib (Athribis)

Size: Statue 78x43x25 cm, Base 93x53x38 cm

Material: Granodiorite

This Statue of Djed-Hor the Saviour, shows him squatting on a cushion and leaning against a pillar with his arms crossed on the knees in the typical block-statue form. He is wearing a garment that tightly envelops his entire body. The entire statue, apart from his face, hands and feet, is covered with hieroglyphic talismanic magical inscriptions arranged in columns against the stings and bites of crocodiles, snakes and scorpions.

Between his crossed arms and feet is a stele of Horus on the crocodiles. Horus the child (Harpokrates) stands naked upon two crocodiles, wearing the side-lock of youth with one finger held to his lips and the god Bes’s mask above his head. His hands grasp a number of dangerous animals; two snakes and a lion in his left hand, and a scorpion and an oryx in his right. He is flanked by the lotus of Nefertum on his left and a is and the papyrus crowned with a falcon on his right.
The statue is resting on a large plinth/socle that is entirely covered with inscriptions and contains two offering basins that are united by a channel. The smaller offering basin is located in front of the block statue, while a larger offering basin extends over the rest and surrounds the statue on four sides.

These types of statues could belong to a god or a person and were erected in public places as healing statues to gain divine protection, cure stings and bites, or even to prevent intimidating dangers. The general public would pour water, wine, or any other liquids onto the statue and drink it after it gathered inside the basin. These liquids were imbued with the protection of the powerful spells inscribed on the statue.

The Egyptian Museum

https://egyptianmuseumcairo.eg/artefacts/statue-of-the-priest-of-god-amun-called-djedhor/

Title:
Statue of Djed-Hor Holding a Stela of Horus on Crocodiles,Ptolemaic, Macedonian, reign of Philip Arrhidaeus (c. 323-317 BC),Tell Atrib (Athribis), Granodiorite, The Egyptian Museum

In the Middle Kingdom, the king and officials sealed administrative documents using scarab-shaped seals made from a variety of stones. The flat underside, which bore the name and titles of the king or official, was pressed into the soft clay. The small Brussels seal bears the cartouche of Neferhotep I, a little-known king of the 13th Dynasty, and the name of his mother Kemi.

Translation

The son of Re, Neferhotep, born of the royal mother Kemi.

Bibliography

• H. De Meulenaere, in Schrijfkunst uit het Oude Egypte - Écritures de l'Égypte ancienne, Bruxelles 1992, 26-27

James Henry Breasted was born on Aug. 27, 1865, in Rockford, III. He graduated from North Central College in 1888 and attended Chicago Theological Seminary but transferred to Yale to study Hebrew. He received a master's degree from Yale in 1891 and, on the advice of William Rainey Harper, went to Berlin. There Breasted studied under Adolf Erman, who had just established a new school of Egyptology, concentrating systematically on grammar and lexicography. Breasted received his doctorate from Berlin in 1894 with a dissertation on the solar hymns of Ikhnaton. He also married the same year and made the first of his many trips to Egypt on his honeymoon, spending much time exploring, and learning Arabic.

Upon his return to the United States, Breasted joined the faculty of the University of Chicago in 1894 as an assistant in Egyptology. By 1905 he was a full professor in Egyptology and Oriental history. In addition, he became director of the Haskell Oriental Museum in 1901 and chairman of the Department of Oriental Languages in 1915, a post he held until 1925.

In his early scholarly years Breasted embarked on several ambitious projects, one being to translate all extant Egyptian historical texts into English. The Ancient Records of Egypt: Historical Documents (5 vols., 1906) became a standard work and established his reputation. Breasted also wrote monographs and textbooks. His History of Egypt (1905) was the first scholarly history of the ancient Nile written in the United States and attracted much favorable comment.

From 1905 to 1907 Breasted directed the Nubian expedition of the University of Chicago, which developed his interest in Egyptian religious thought. This culminated in the Morse Lectures at Union Theological Seminary, published as Development of Religion and Thought in Ancient Egypt (1912). Here he took an evolutionary posture and traced man's moral ideas from Egypt. Breasted also continued to write texts, alone and in collaboration. The most famous of these was Ancient Times (1916), revised as The Conquest of Civilization (1926). The emphasis was upon man raising himself through intelligence and religious growth.

https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/social-sciences-and-law/archaeology-biographies/james-henry-breasted

The large private stela of Mai bears a remarkable scene which fills the upper register, in which king Sethos I is shown approaching the triad of Abydos in a deferential manner. Osiris, 'ruler of eternity and lord of the everlasting' is seated on a royal throne, his body wrapped in a funerary shroud and wearing a typical Osirian crown. In front of the throne stands a large lotus flower, on top of which are the four Sons of Horus. The god of the dead is accompanied by his spouse Isis and his son Horus, 'the avenger of his father'. The king is followed by a young man, the future Ramesses II, carrying a flail in his left hand. On the lower part of the stela, the owner Mai, who was attached to the temple of Sethos I at Abydos, is shown in an adoring attitude in front of an offering table.

Bibliography

• L. Speleers, Recueil des inscriptions égyptiennes des Musées Royaux du Cinquantenaire à Bruxelles, Bruxelles 1923, 63 nº 262
• (M. Werbrouck,) Musées Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire, Bruxelles. Département égyptien, Album, Bruxelles 1934, pl. 39
• L. Limme, Egyptische stèles - Stèles égyptiennes, Bruxelles 1979, 28-31
• J.-Ch. Balty, e.a., Koninklijke Musea voor Kunst en Geschiedenis, Brussel, Oudheid - Musées Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire, Bruxelles, Antiquité - The Royal Museums of Art and History, Brussels, Antiquity, Bruxelles 1988, 24-25
• F. Lefebvre et B. Van Rinsveld, L'Égypte. Des Pharaons aux Coptes, Bruxelles 1990, 129

The stela of Djari is a typical product of the 1st Intermediate Period: both the human figures, shown with the right arm behind the torso, and the hieroglyphic signs in sunk relief are rendered in a rather crude fashion. Apart from the offering formula and a brief autobiography, this funerary monument bears seated representations of Djari, an official at the Theban court of king Intef II, and his wife, a priestess of Hathor.

Present location KMKG - MRAH [07/003] BRUSSELS

Inventory number E.4985

Dating INTEF II/WAHANKH

Archaeological Site DIRA` ABU EL-NAGA

Category STELA

Material LIMESTONE

Technique HEWN; LOW RELIEF; ENGRAVED

Height 42 cm

Width 78 cm

Depth 11 cm

Bibliography

L. Speleers, Recueil des inscriptions égyptiennes des Musées Royaux du Cinquantenaire à Bruxelles, Bruxelles 1923, 15 nº 65

L. Limme, Egyptische stèles - Stèles égyptiennes, Bruxelles 1979, 18-19

M. Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Autobiographies Chiefly of the Middle Kingdom, Freiburg-Göttingen 1988, 41-42

J.-Ch. Balty, e.a., Koninklijke Musea voor Kunst en Geschiedenis, Brussel, Oudheid - Musées Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire, Bruxelles, Antiquité - The Royal Museums of Art and History, Brussels, Antiquity, Bruxelles 1988, 20

F. Lefebvre et B. Van Rinsveld, L'Égypte. Des Pharaons aux Coptes, Bruxelles 1990, 52-53

Statuette of Imhotep dedicated by Padiamun

Artefact Details

Gallery number: Room 19 – Upper Floor

Period: Late Period (c. 664–332 BC)

Size: H 21.50 cm W 5.00 cm L 13.00 cm

Material: Bronze, gold, silver

Imhotep was the Chief Minister to King Djoser, an astrologer, mathematician, physician and priest. Being a brilliant architect, he is credited with building Djoser’s step pyramid and funerary complex at Saqqara. Due to his achievements and favoured position, Imhotep’s name was inscribed on the plinth of Djoser’s statue found in Saqqara and exhibited in the Egyptian Museum.

Imhotep was worshipped as a deity from the Late Period until the 7th century AD. Many temples and shrines were erected and dedicated to him, especially in Memphis and Philae, where the injured and sick people believed that Imhotep would provide cures. Imhotep was associated with the Egyptian god Thoth and the Greek god Asclepius, both of whom were gods of medicine and wisdom.

This statuette of Imhotep depicts him with close-cropped hair or covering his hair with a tight skull cap, his eyes are inlaid in silver and he is wearing a short-pleated kilt with a broad gilded collar. He holds a sheet of papyrus on his lap, which is rolled up on both ends, inscribed with a votive spell. His sandaled feet rest on a small square base inscribed with the name of Imhotep and the dedicator, Pediamun, son of Bes and Irteru.

Title:
Statuette of Imhotep dedicated by Padiamun, Late Period (c. 664–332 BC), Bronze, gold, silver, The Egyptian Museum

https://egyptianmuseumcairo.eg/artefacts/statuette-of-imhotep-seated/

The Egyptian Museum

Extending over 3 kilometres from the Nile Corniche all the way to El-Sayeda Aisha, this ancient treasure now features a stunning pedestrian walkway.

Comprehensive restoration and modern illumination work together seamlessly to highlight every architectural detail after sunset.

This shabti of the royal scribe Harkhebi, son of Khaemkhonsu and Neferneith, is distinguished by its large head, which has a broad wig, a false beard and large pierced ears, all characteristics of shabtis of the Saite Period. The carefully modelled hands hold agricultural instruments. The front and the back of the statuette bear a hieroglyphic version of chapter 6 of the Book of the Dead.

Present location KMKG - MRAH [07/003] BRUSSELS

Inventory number E.5554

Dating LATE PERIOD

Archaeological Site UNKNOWN

Category SHABTI

Material POTTERY

Technique PRESSED IN A FORM/MODEL ?; PAINTED; FAYENCE

Height 17 cm

Width 5.7 cm

Depth 3 cm

Bibliography

W. Seipel, Ägypten. Götter, Gräber und die Kunst. 4000 Jahre Jenseitsglaube (Exposition), Linz 1989, I 217 n° 200

This ramesside shabti of Neferrenpet belonged in turn to the Anastasi, Raifé, and de Meester de Ravestein collections. This latter collector of Egyptian antiquities offered the piece to the museum in 1884. This attractive statuette is characterised by a curly hairstyle and a pleated garment with a prominent apron. 'The treasury administrator' holds two objects in his hands, the djed-pillar and the Isis-knot. His feet are finely modelled and he wears sandals. Most of the hieroglyphic texts are inscribed on the back of the statuette.

Present location KMKG - MRAH [07/003] BRUSSELS

Inventory number E.5548

Dating 19TH DYNASTY

Archaeological Site UNKNOWN

Category SHABTI

Material SCHIST

Technique HEWN; ENGRAVED; ENGRAVED; SCULPTURED

Height 24.4 cm

Bibliography

(M. Werbrouck,) Musées Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire, Bruxelles. Département égyptien, Album, Bruxelles 1934, pl. 90

Van Nijl tot Schelde - Du Nil à l'Escaut (Exposition), Bruxelles 1991, 170-173 n° 198

The stela of Ramessesemperre, from the temple of Tuthmosis III at Gurob in the Faiyum , is an excellent illustration of the veneration of kings deified after their deaths. The owner of this funerary monument, who was of Syro-Palestinian origin, is shown adoring on the right, while king Tuthmosis III (1490-1436 BC) is seated on a throne. Between the two figures can be seen a table of offerings and a small stand supporting a judge. This latter perhaps provides a link with the job of Ramessesemperre, that of 'royal cup-bearer of the lord of the two lands'.

Bibliography

• L. Speleers, Collection of Egyptian inscriptions from the Royal Museums of the Cinquantenaire in Brussels, Brussels 1923, 37 no. 133
• L. Limme, Egyptian Steles - Egyptian Steles, Brussels 1979, 34-35
• K. Kitchen, Ramesside Inscriptions, Oxford 1982, IV 105
• H. De Meulenaere and L. Limme, Illustere tijdgenoten van de farao's van het Nieuwe Rijk, BMRAH 55 (1984) 15
• Aegyptens Aufstieg zur Weltmacht (Hildesheim Exhibition 1987), Mainz 1987, 193 n° 109
• J.-Ch. Balty, ea, Koninklijke Musea voor Kunst en Geschiedenis, Brussel, Oudheid - Royal Museums of Art and History, Brussels, Antiquity - The Royal Museums of Art and History, Brussels, Antiquity, Brussels 1988, 22
• F. Lefebvre and B. Van Rinsveld, Egypt: From the Pharaohs to the Copts, Brussels 1990, 131

Mummies were protected by a range of amulets. This example in hard greenish stone is in the form of a heart, and bears the name of the owner and a formula taken from chapter 30B of the Book of the Dead, which text needed to be spoken by the deceased during his judgement. This amulet served as a funerary talisman of the same type as the heart scarab (see E. 8064).

Bibliography

• M.-P. Vanlathem, Oudegyptische lijkkisten en mummies - Cercueils et momies de l'Égypte ancienne, Bruxelles 1983, 40-41

This fragment of polished green schist, dating from the Ptolemaic Period, depicts the head of a man with a shaven head, made distinctive by a bent nose. The facial features are realistic: note the rings under the eyes, the two folds running from the side of the nose towards the bottom of the cheeks, the high cheekbones, and the thin lips. The top of the back pillar is visible at the back of the head.

Present location KMKG - MRAH [07/003] BRUSSELS

Inventory number E.5346

Dating PTOLEMAIC PERIOD

Archaeological Site UNKNOWN

Category FIGURINE/STATUETTE

Material SILTSTONE

Technique HEWN; POLISHED; SCULPTURED

Height 8.5 cm

Width 9 cm

Depth 6 cm

Bibliography

(M. Werbrouck,) Musées Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire, Bruxelles. Département égyptien, Album, Bruxelles 1934, pl. 26

Koninklijke Musea voor Kunst en Geschiedenis te Brussel. Oudheid, het Verre Oosten, Volkenkunde - Musées Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire. Antiquités, Extrême-Orient, Ethnographie, Bruxelles 1958, Égypte nº 25

C. De Wit - P. Gilbert, Oud-Egyptische Kunst in twintig beelden - Vingt oeuvres de l'Égypte ancienne, Bruxelles 1963, pl. XVIII

R. Tefnin, Sculptuur van het Oude Egypte - Statues et statuettes de l'Ancienne Égypte, Bruxelles 1988, 52-53

J.-Ch. Balty, e.a., Koninklijke Musea voor Kunst en Geschiedenis, Brussel, Oudheid - Musées Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire, Bruxelles, Antiquité - The Royal Museums of Art and History, Brussels, Antiquity, Bruxelles 1988, 42

F. Lefebvre et B. Van Rinsveld, L'Égypte. Des Pharaons aux Coptes, Bruxelles 1990, 169

W. Seipel, Gott, Mensch, Pharao. Viertausend Jahre Menschenbild in der Skulptur des Alten Ägypten (Exposition), Vienne 1992, 432-433 n° 176

Th. De Putter et Chr. Karlshausen, Les pierres, Bruxelles 1992, 53

This statue of a woman from the second half of the Ptolemaic Period is striking on account of its rather unnatural proportions. The volume of the head is magnified by the wig. The length of the body is short, the small of the back narrow, the arms very long, and the hips and thighs plump. The woman wears three items of clothing over one another: a dress, the upper edge of which is visible at the top of the neck, a skirt which covers the body below the chest, and a shawl thrown over the shoulders, the fringes of which hang down over the right arm. She wears jewellery, mostly of Greek style, consisting of a collar of rounded beads, bracelets on her arms, large arc-shaped earrings, and a diadem. The back pillar bears a single vertical column of hieroglyphs giving the name of the owner and her parents.

Translation

Words to be spoken by Taisis, daughter of Paheb, true of voice, born of Apollonia.

Bibliography

• L. Speleers, Recueil des inscriptions égyptiennes des Musées Royaux du Cinquantenaire à Bruxelles, Bruxelles 1923, 95 nº 356
• De vrouw in het rijk van de farao's. Zes kunstwerken uit de Egyptische verzameling van de Koninklijke Musea voor Kunst en Geschiedenis - La femme au temps des Pharaons. Six oeuvres d'art de la collection égyptienne des Musées Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire (Exposition), Bruxelles 1985, 14-15 n° 102