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Model Boat from the Tomb of Meketre

This rather busy model boat came from the tomb of Meketre, who lived at the tail end of the 11th Dynasty and into the beginning of the 12th Dynasty. He was a very important official, and was buried at Sheikh Abd el-Qurna (near Deir el-Bahri) around 4,000 years ago.

Like so many Egyptian tombs Meketre’s funerary goods were removed by looters before archaeologists got there, in this case in antiquity. However when Winlock excavated it for the Met his team discovered a previously unknown chamber which was full of wooden models.

This boat is one of those models, one of a pair which ensured that the deceased perpetually made the pilgrimage to Abydos for the cult procession of Osiris every year during his afterlife. This boat depicts the way home, as it once had a sail to allow him to sail back to Thebes.

The action happens after death, as the main figure underneath the canopy (who you can’t quite see) is a statue not the living Meketre. What you can see is someone presenting a leg, presumably from a calf, whilst another person holds a scroll for the ritual to be read from.

Model Boat from the Tomb of Meketre. From the tomb of Meketre (TT280), South Asasif, Thebes. Middle Kingdom, Dynasty 12, early reign of Amenemhat I, c. 1981-1975 BCE. Acc. No.: Met Museum 20.3.4

Once found the models were split between the Cairo Museum & the Met Museum (which Winlock was associated with), and this one is in the Met Museum with acc. no.: 20.3.4.

See it on my photo site: https://photos.talesfromthetwolands.org/picture.php?/1634/category/8

I’ve talked about other non-boat tomb models on my blog before: https://talesfromthetwolands.org/2020/11/01/tomb-models/

Jigsaw Puzzles:
easier: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=1033f58e41d7
harder: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=1fa1c96ac3ac

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Relief Fragment from the Tomb of Khety

Khety was a high official during the reign of Montuhotep II at the beginning of the Middle Kingdom and was buried in a finely decorated tomb (TT311) near the mortuary temple of the king. It was excavated in 1923 by the Met Museum and some pieces from it are now in the Met.

This piece is from the entrance corridor, but it wasn’t removed by the excavators – instead some time in antiquity (after the tomb was no longer in active use for remembering Khety) the nice white limestone he’d used to line its corridor was hacked out for re-use.

This piece seems to’ve been intended to have a second life as some sort of bowl or platter, you can see it’s hollowed out at the top with a nice curved rim. But for some reason the person working on it discarded it before it was finished, perhaps due to the crack across the body?

Which is nice from our perspective, because it means that the desert hunting scene carved on it hasn’t entirely vanished! In the remaining section we can see a gazelle (avatar of chaos) being brought down by Khety’s arrows and hunting dog as he imposes order on the world.

Relief Fragment from the Tomb of Khety. From Tomb of Khety (TT311, MM508), Deir el Bahri, Thebes. Middle Kingdom, Dynasty 11, reign of Montuhotep, c.2051-2011 BCE. Acc. No.: 23.3.173

It’s now in the Met Museum, acc. no.: 23.3.173.

See it on my photo site: https://photos.talesfromthetwolands.org/picture.php?/1288/category/6

Jigsaw Puzzles:
easier: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=1629a3d28f17
harder: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=21d268a55a87

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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

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Inscription of Khaemwaset on the Pyramid of Unas

Ancient Egyptian history didn’t just happen an awfully long time ago, but their civilisation also lasted an almost unimaginable length of time. It’s often noted that Cleopatra is closer to our time than she was to the time of the builders of the pyramids at Giza.

And the Egyptians knew it. They didn’t have tales of giants building the ancient monuments, they didn’t think it was some vanished race of superhumans, they knew that this was their ancestors constructing these buildings in the same way that their own king commissioned his own.

This is one of the ways that we know this – the vaguely pyramid shaped heap of stone on the left of the picture is the pyramid built by Unas, who ruled around 2350 BCE as the last king of the 5th Dynasty during the Old Kingdom.

And the cleaner looking slabs laid up against it are a (reconstructed) inscription commissioned by a man called Khaemwaset (who was one of the many, many sons of Ramesses II) around 1250 BCE during the 19th Dynasty in the New Kingdom.

The inscription talks about how he found that the pyramid was in ruin, so restored it and made sure that Unas’s name was on it once more. This ruined pyramid wasn’t just a heap of rubble to him, but was known to be the tomb of a specific king some 1200 years after it was built.

Inscription of Khaemwaset on the Pyramid of Unas.

See it on my photo site: https://photos.talesfromthetwolands.org/picture.php?/713/category/5

Jigsaw Puzzles:
easier: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=0cea0019c3a5
harder: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=14ff0a1e6e2f

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Labels from Tomb U-j

At first glance this is a collection of rather unprepossessing little objects. Squares of ivory, with a small hole and hieroglyphic sign or two etched onto the surface. They’re not terribly big, just about the size of the museum’s number for the objects.

And that juxtaposition illustrates what they are – they are labels. Very very old labels with some of the first evidence for the use of hieroglyphs. They were found in Tomb U-j at Abydos, which had been looted in the distant mists of time but some of the labels remained.

It’s thought that they were attached to the various funerary goods that were buried with the tomb’s owner. There are numbers on some of them, others are thought to name towns – including what looks like the names of a couple of towns in the Delta region far to the north.

It’s not entirely certain whose tomb this is, but it probably belongs to a ruler called Scorpion – probably not the one with the famous macehead but an earlier one, who may’ve unified Upper Egypt around 3150 BCE.

Labels from Tomb U-j. From Tomb U-j, Abydos. Predynastic Period, Naqada III, c. 3100-2900 BCE.

These are now in the Cairo Museum, but I don’t have accession numbers for them.

See it on my photo site: https://photos.talesfromthetwolands.org/picture.php?/479/category/4

I’ve written about Egyptian writing on the blog before: https://talesfromthetwolands.org/2020/10/01/write-like-an-egyptian/

Jigsaw Puzzles:
easier: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=1c8ebb4a5b53
harder: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=03521a781453

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Bead Shroud of Tabakenkhonsu

800 years after Hatshepsut built her temple at Deir el Bahri it was still in use as a temple, and also served as the final resting place for the Priests of Montu and their families. Tabakenkhonsu was the daughter of one of these priests and was probably married to another.

Her burial was found intact in 1894-5 by the Egypt Exploration Fund’s excavation and given to the Met Museum (acc. no.: 96.4.5) in exchange for their earlier funding. This photo is a detail of the bead shroud that was sewn onto the outer wrapping of her mummy inside her coffins.

The beads are made of faience, a manufactured ceramic which was used a lot by the ancient Egyptians, and they are strung together to make a lattice. Additional decoration is worked into the basic lattice, like the Four Sons of Horus protecting her abdomen and internal organs.

You can also see at the top of the photo a winged scarab, sitting over her heart like a scarab amulet would. I’m not sure (as the museum website doesn’t discuss her mummy) whether or not she would also have had amulets inside her wrappings or if this bead net replaced those.

Bead Shroud of Tabakenkhonsu. From the pit in the Hypostyle Hall of the Hathor Shrine at the Temple of Hatshepsut, Deir el Bahri. Third Intermediate Period, Dynasty 25, c. 680-670 BCE. Acc. No.: 96.4.5

See it on my photo site: https://photos.talesfromthetwolands.org/picture.php?/1488/category/6

I’ve previously shared a photo of a mummy board belonging to Henattawy which has a representation of a bead net on it: https://talesfromthetwolands.org/2022/06/24/mummy-board-of-henettawy/

Jigsaw Puzzles:
easier: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=159e6ec4c569
harder: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=1d15c2d405aa

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Coffins of Nephthys

In these rather splendid coffins was buried a woman called Nephthys, who held the title of Mayor’s Daughter and lived during the Middle Kingdom in the reigns of Senwosret I & Senwosret II (so around 4000 years ago). She was found in her coffins in an intact burial at Meir.

She wasn’t the original owner of the coffins – her name looks added into the inscription later, and previously the coffin was inscribed for a man called Ukhhotep. You can’t see it on this photo, but the text of the name is in a subtly different colour to the rest.

The outer coffin (box shaped) is made of wood – sycomore and ziziphus wood, which are both (I think!) found in Egypt. So not the highest quality of wood (that would be imported woods like cedar) but the planks look pretty straight and even so it was an expensive coffin.

The inner coffin is made of cartonnage (which is like papier-mâché but made with linen and plaster) and has a gilded face, and a broad collar made of inlaid stones. I particularly like the colour of the gold, which gives the effect of being both golden and skin coloured.

Coffins of Nephthys. From Cemetery of Meir. Middle Kingdom, Dynasty 12, reign Senwosret I – Senwosret II, c. 1961-1878 BCE. Acc. No.s: 11.150.15a-c

The coffins (and Nephthys) are now in the Met Museum, acc. no.s: 11.150.15a-c.

See it on my photo site: https://photos.talesfromthetwolands.org/picture.php?/1249/category/6 and go one to the right for an angle where you can see the text alteration.

Jigsaw Puzzles:
easier: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=1b0777118e57
harder: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=03da66950fbb

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Reliefs from the Tomb of the Vizier Bekenrenef

In the reign of Psamtik I, in the 26th Dynasty, the Vizier of Lower Egypt was a man called Bekenrenef. He built his tomb at Saqqara, cut into the cliff face at the eastern desert edge. The stone there isn’t great quality so he lined it with Tura limestone before decorating it.

The tomb was found early in the history of Egyptology, by Lepsius who published what it looked like in the middle of the 19th Century. Sadly before the end of the 19th Century most of the reliefs had been removed from the tomb and dispersed around the world.

It takes a bit of imagination to see it as it was when it was new. The limestone would be gleaming white – this is the same stone as was used for the outermost layer of the Great Pyramid. And the decoration was all painted, blue for the text and reds & yellows for the figures.

The decorative scheme of the tomb was heavy on texts, and light on figures. I believe these are magic spells, and come from the antechamber to the innermost room (which was presumably the most sacred part of the tomb).

Reliefs from the Tomb of the Vizier Bekenrenef. From the Tomb of Bakenrenef, east of the Step Pyramid, Saqqara. Late Period, Dynasty 26, reign of Psamtik I, c. 664-610 BCE. Acc. No.: 11.150.50d1-9 (left) and 11.150.50c (right)

It was purchased, along with other reliefs from the tomb, by the Met Museum in the early 20th Century and is displayed there (acc. no. 11.150.50). They have quite a detailed description of the tomb if you expand the “Curatorial Interpretation”: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/549495

See it on my photo site: https://photos.talesfromthetwolands.org/picture.php?/1469/category/6 and go to the right for more pictures.

Jigsaw Puzzles:
easier: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=12dd3533e6e7
harder: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=2a6466ed0316

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Mummy Mask of the Mistress of the House Iynaferty

Iynaferty (or Iineferty) rejoiced in the title of “Mistress of the House”, which actually just means she was a housewife but sounds rather grander. She was buried at Deir el Medina in her husband Sennedjem’s tomb (and presumably lived at Deir el Medina too!).

Sennedjem also had a fabulous title – he was “Servant in the Place of Truth”, which means he was one of the people who worked on building the royal tombs in the nearby Valley of the Kings. Given the richness of his tomb, probably quite a senior figure in the workforce.

This is Iynaferty’s mummy mask and it’s quite beautiful. I particularly like the lotus flower motif on the top of her head. She’s also depicted as having natural hair poking out from the wig, with two little pigtails framing her face. Perhaps a glimpse into contemporary fashions?

Mummy Mask of the Mistress of the House Iynaferty. From the tomb of Sennedjem (TT1), Deir el Medina. New Kingdom, Dynasty 19, reign of Rameses II, c.1279–1213 BCE. Acc. No.: 86.1.6

It was found in TT1 at Deir el Medina, and is now in the Met Museum (acc. no.: 86.1.6). It dates to the reign of Ramesses II.

See it on my photo site: https://photos.talesfromthetwolands.org/picture.php?/1587/category/6 and go one to the right for a close up of the head.

Jigsaw Puzzles:
easier: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=2514110b5c84
harder: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=1d65d50953a8

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Head of the Anthropoid Coffin of Heribsenes

The head of this coffin is interesting – at first glance it’s a rather fine piece of work, but as you look more closely you can see it doesn’t look like it was made all in one go! The face doesn’t quite seem to match the surrounding wig, and looks rather nicer quality.

The coffin itself is inscribed for a woman called Heribsenes who lived in the 26th Dynasty, but the Met Museum’s website dates the face to the New Kingdom based on the style. So anything from 500 to 1000 years older than the rest of the piece.

But this doesn’t appear to be a modern frankenstein of a coffin – the wig is nicely shaped round the face, for instance. So this is ancient re-use: Heribsenes (or those burying her) saw this fine old coffin fragment and thought it would look rather nice on her coffin.

Head of the Anthropoid Coffin of Heribsenes. Provenance unknown. Late Period, Dynasty 26, c. 664-525 BCE. Acc. No.: 33.5

It’s not known where it was found, but it is now in the Met Museum, acc. no.: 33.5

See it on my photo site: https://photos.talesfromthetwolands.org/picture.php?/949/category/6

Jigsaw Puzzles:
easier: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=37b16342bb5d
harder: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=0f08432526b5