Tales from the Two Lands

Posted on 3rd Mar 2023 by Tales from the Two Lands

Metal Vessels from a Temple Deposit

These 3 metal vases are called situlas and form part of a set used for drinking wine. You can just see the edge of the associated wine strainer at the left of the picture (wine in ancient times had more solid bits than it does now, so you strained it like you do loose tea today).

They are rather beautiful, as well as being made of precious metals (silver for the rear two, electrum in front and gold for the strainer). As well as elegant shape two of them are also decorated around the rim and one at the base with leaf and flower motifs.

They were found in the temple of Bastet at Bubastis as part of a collection of objects that had been buried in antiquity – probably because they were no longer in use for rituals but were still considered sacred so couldn’t just be binned.

The rituals they were used for were probably Festivals of Drunkenness which became a particular part of the worship of Bastet and other goddesses like Hathor in the New Kingdom (which is when these vessels date to), and emulated the drunkenness that pacified these goddesses.

Metal Vessels from a Temple Deposit. From Bubastis. New Kingdom, Dynasty 19, reign of Ramesses II, c. 1279-1213 BCE. Acc. No.s: Jars: 07.228.17, 07.228.18, 07.228.22

They are now in the Met Museum, acc. no.s: 07.228.17, 07.228.18, 07.228.22 (and 30.8.369 for the strainer).

See it on my photo site: https://photos.talesfromthetwolands.org/picture.php?/820/category/6

I have re-told the story of Sekhmet and her rage being pacified with booze (in that case beer) on the blog before: https://talesfromthetwolands.org/2019/07/11/and-she-blew-through-the-towns-like-the-hot-desert-wind/

Jigsaw Puzzles:
easier: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=10055e81ffa7
harder: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=3feb812d2ed5

Posted on 17th Feb 2023 by Tales from the Two Lands

Relief Fragments from the Tomb of Neferu

Neferu was the first wife of Montuhotep II (who reunited Egypt at the start of the Middle Kingdom), and these relief fragments come from her tomb (TT319) in Montuhotep II’s temple complex at Deir el-Bahri. They are now in the Met Museum, acc. no. 26.3.353a.

These fragments are part of a scene that graphically lists various ritual items used in the funerary rites. They don’t show actual rituals, and the people and items are not drawn to the same scale (nor are the different items drawn at the same scale).

To the top left of this scene there are four men carrying what I thought was a shrine or some sort of roof until I read the museum information – that is, in fact, a bracelet! As I said, not to scale. To the right of that bracelet is a single man holding up a funerary boat.

You can also spot some graffiti to the left of that man’s head. This is ancient – the tomb was open to visitors during Hatshepsut’s reign & afterwards, and many of those visitors left their mark on the walls. This was not regarded as destructive like we would think today.

Relief Fragments from the Tomb of Neferu. From temple of Montuhotep II, Deir el Bahri, Thebes. Middle Kingdom, Dynasty 11, reign of Montuhotep II, c.2051-2010 BCE. Acc. No.: 26.3.353a

See it on my photo site: https://photos.talesfromthetwolands.org/picture.php?/1313/category/6

I’ve written about Montuhotep on the blog before: https://talesfromthetwolands.org/2019/09/11/the-one-who-unites-the-two-lands/

Jigsaw Puzzles:
easier: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=2d95092b5a40
harder: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=1da788cbbe7f

Posted on 10th Feb 2023 by Tales from the Two Lands

Lentoid Bottle Inscribed for God’s Father Amenhotep

This rather finely carved vessel is called a lentoid bottle (because of its shape) or a New Year’s Bottle because in Ancient Egyptian culture these vessels were filled with some sort of liquid and given as gifts in the celebration associated with the New Year.

The inscription on the front asks the Theban Triad (Amun, Mut, Khonsu) to give protection to the God’s Father Amenhotep, son of God’s Father Iufaa, and two inscriptions on the sides also ask Montu and Amun-Re to give him a happy new year.

It looks a bit dull today, though you can see that the carved decoration retains some of its original colour. When new it would’ve been much brighter – the original glaze was a bright turquoise against which the dark blue decoration would’ve stood out.

Lentoid Bottle Inscribed for God’s Father Amenhotep. Late Period, c.664-350 BCE.

It’s not known where it was found, but it dates to the Late Period and is now in the Met Museum acc. no. 30.8.214.

See it on my photo site: https://photos.talesfromthetwolands.org/picture.php?/1435/category/6

Jigsaw Puzzles:
easier: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=1088c3150e9f
harder: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=30f432573f4d

Posted on 27th Jan 2023 by Tales from the Two Lands

Stela of Khety and His Wife Henet

This bright and eye-catching stela belonged to a man called Khety (in the centre) and his wife Henet (behind to the left). It shows them receiving offerings from their son Montuhotep (to the right). These people lived around 4000 years ago, at the beginning of the 12th Dynasty.

If you look closely at the photo you can see traces of the red gridlines the artist used to line everything up, it’s most clear at the left but you can see it elsewhere too. Using this means that the figures all have the same proportions, which unifies the composition.

Full gridlines like this were an innovation in the early Middle Kingdom – in the Old Kingdom they used horizontal rules to line up various features but didn’t elaborate the system into as fixed a canon of proportions as was done in the Middle Kingdom.

I like the details in the offerings and the way the artist has used the paint to enhance the carved shapes, like the way the skin on the leg of beef is black & white, or the way you can see feathers and the scaly legs of the goose that flops across the table.

Stela of Khety and His Wife Henet. Provenance unknown. Middle Kingdom, early Dynasty 12, c.1981-1917 BCE. Acc. No.: Kunsthistorisches Museum Ägyptisch Sammlung INV 202

It’s not known where this was found, but it is now in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, acc. no. 202.

See it on my photo site: https://photos.talesfromthetwolands.org/picture.php?/1626/category/8

Jigsaw Puzzles:
easier: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=0e541b4df3e0
harder: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=16898e8de288

Posted on 20th Jan 2023 by Tales from the Two Lands

Anthropoid Sarcophagus of Usermontu

This is a relatively unusual object – it’s a human shaped granite sarcophagus, which is not unusual in itself but it belonged to a private individual who lived during the New Kingdom and at that period it was generally only royalty who got stone sarcophagi.

The man who was once buried in it was called Usermontu, and he held a suite of high ranking titles including High Priest of Montu and Overseer of the Treasury. This reinforces the impression of very high status that’s implied by the sarcophagus.

And he didn’t just have one stone sarcophagus – in his tomb (TT382) there’s another larger black one, into which this one presumably fitted (this one wasn’t found in the tomb, it was originally bought in Egypt from an antiquities dealer in 1913).

Yet another indicator of his prestige is the size of his tomb, which is bigger than the others around it. That tomb was known at the beginning of the 20th Century, but somehow misplaced and only rediscovered in 2010 when some modern buildings were demolished.

Anthropoid Sarcophagus of Usermontu. Probably from Theban Tomb 382. New Kingdom, Dynasty 19, reign of Ramesses II, c. 1279-1213 BCE. Acc. No.: 17.190.2042 a-c

This sarcophagus is now in the Met Museum, acc. no.: 17.190.2042

See it on my photo site: https://photos.talesfromthetwolands.org/picture.php?/991/category/6

Jigsaw Puzzles:
easier: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=138c3b85c13d
harder: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=2346e2af6372

Posted on 13th Jan 2023 by Tales from the Two Lands

Wig Belonging to Nany

This is a 3,000 year old wig, which was found inside the coffin of a woman called Nany. She held the title “King’s Daughter of His Body”, and Egyptologists think her father was Pinedjem I (a High Priest of Amun who used the title “King” during the 21st Dynasty).

The wig is (probably) made of human hair, and then coated in beeswax. You can see that it’s made of a collection of braids which are gathered together along the central parting and would’ve fallen to either side of the head, the longest braid is 25cm long.

Egyptian art shows Egyptians with black hair, yet this wig is brown. I’m not sure why that is (and couldn’t find an answer), it might be that the colour choice in art is more conventional than realistic or it might be that this wig has faded over time.

It wasn’t intended to cover up baldness, but instead seems to be a fashion accessory – if you look closely at 3D depictions of women on coffins or as statues then you will often see the woman’s real hair depicted as poking out along the forehead from under her wig.

Wig Belonging to Nany. From TT358 in Deir el Bahri, Thebes. Third Intermediate Period, Dynasty 21, reign of Psusennes I, c.1040-992 BCE. Acc. No.: 30.3.35

It was found in TT358 at Deir el Bahri, and is now in the Met Museum, acc. no.: 30.3.35

See it on my photo site: https://photos.talesfromthetwolands.org/picture.php?/1552/category/6

Jigsaw Puzzles:
easier: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=3c73e7e564eb
harder: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=03cbf164b279

Posted on 6th Jan 2023 by Tales from the Two Lands

Bowl Buried with Rennefer wife of Noferkhawt

This bowl was found inside the coffins of Rennefer next to her head. She lived during the reign of Thutmose III and her husband, Noferkhawt, was a scribe – she’s buried in his tomb (MMA 729, excavated by the Met in 1935 and this piece is now in that museum acc. no.: 35.3.78).

It’s decorated with a marsh scene – the square in the centre is the water, with lotus plants growing from it. Some of these are in flower, while some are still just buds. There are also some marsh birds (6 in total tho I think only see 4 in the photo) and 2 tilapia fish.

It has become rather discoloured over the course of the 3500 years it’s existed, but you can still see some of the original turquoise colour of the faience on the left of the photo. When new this would’ve been vivid and shiny, and really rather nice to look at.

The design is notable given the find context. The marshes are a place of fertility, the lotus flower is associated with rebirth and the tilapia fish is associated with Osiris. So it was included in her funerary goods as part of the process of getting her into the afterlife.

Bowl Buried with Rennefer wife of Noferkhawt. From a tomb east of Deir el Bahri, Thebes. New Kingdom, Dynasty 18, reign of Thutmose III, c. 1479-1425 BCE. Acc. No.: 35.3.1 – 35.3.105 (some)

See it on my photo site: https://photos.talesfromthetwolands.org/picture.php?/1152/category/6

Jigsaw Puzzles:
easier: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=17290a22b444
harder: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=18a34f22dd8e

Posted on 23rd Dec 2022 by Tales from the Two Lands

Jar with Lid Decorated with a Frog

This jar (acc. no.: 22.2.33) is part of a set of four that the Met Museum bought in 1922. Because they were purchased there’s no record of where they were found but they are thought to date to the reign of Amenhotep III, because similar ones were found in the tomb of his in-laws.

Each jar has a different carving on the lid, a frog in this case and the others are an ibex, a calf or bull and the god Bes. They are clearly not canopic jars (wrong animals/deities, wrong shape) and because there are no inscriptions I don’t think it’s known what they were for.

The frog has a long history in Egyptian iconography, and a strong association with fertility, rebirth and large numbers. It is associated with Heket, the goddess of childbirth, as well as with the male members of the Ogdoad (central gods in one of the creation myths).

It’s a shame we don’t know more about these jars. Were they just a fleeting fashion in elite circles? Were the contents linked to the decoration? And many more questions!

Jar with Lid Decorated with a Frog. New Kingdom, Dynasty 18, possibly reign of Amenhotep III, c. 1390-1352 BCE. Acc. No.: 32.2.33

See it on my photo site: https://photos.talesfromthetwolands.org/picture.php?/1118/category/6

I’ve talked about frogs before on the blog: https://talesfromthetwolands.org/2019/12/21/hundreds-of-thousands/

Jigsaw Puzzles:
easier: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=3649e0973060
harder: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=067bd73eb340

Posted on 16th Dec 2022 by Tales from the Two Lands

“Literacy in Deir el-Medina: Signs, Marks and Tallies” Daniel Soliman

In December Daniel Soliman spoke to the Essex Egyptology Group about his work on literacy at Deir el-Medina. Click through to read my write up of his talk on my sister blog, Other People’s Tales.

Posted on 9th Dec 2022 by Tales from the Two Lands

Inner Coffin of Khonsu

This is the inner coffin of a man called Khonsu, who lived in Deir el Medina and worked in the Valley of the Kings during the reign of Ramesses II (around 3200 years ago). He was found buried in his father’s tomb, and his coffins were sold to the Met in 1886 (acc. no.: 86.1.2).

The portion I’ve photographed here includes the goddess Nut kneeling and spreading her arms and wings around Khonsu’s chest to protect him. She’s wearing a red dress with a yellow (or white?) belt tied round her waist, mirroring a red sash in her hair.

You can tell it’s Nut, not just because it’s normally her depicted in this place on coffins, but also because her name and some titles are written above her head. I think it translates as “Nut, greatest of (the horizon?). Nut, lady of the sky, mistress of the gods.”

The three characters immediately above her head are her name: to the left is a small pot, which stands for the syllable “nw” (the type of pot it is) and to the right is a small semi-circular bread loaf that is the letter t. These spell nwt or Nut.

Underneath there’s a third symbol that represents the sky, it does have sounds associated with it in other contexts but here it’s a determinative. It’s a feature of the writing system not the language and tells you what sort of word you’re looking at: in this case a “sky” word.

Which makes sense, because Nut is the mistress of the sky. And you can see the sky determinative turns up again to the right of her name, at the bottom of a short column, indicating that the two symbols above (p and t) are to be read as pt which is the word for sky.