This week, I will look at the life of the Pharaoh Horemheb last ruler of the 18th Dynasty. The inspiration for this weeks topic actually came from my last blog on the goddess Nut. As I used an image of Nut from his tomb in the Valley of the King – I had forgotten how… Continue reading Horemheb
Figure 1: Pectoral of the Sky Goddess Nut, with her name circled. From the Tomb of Tutankhamun (KV62), Valley of the Kings, West Thebes. Now in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo. JE 61944https://old.egypt-museum.com/post/638403734538518528/pectoral-of-sky-goddess-nut This week I decided to explore an ancient Egyptian goddess who played a pivotal role in Egyptian mythology and the cosmos at large. This goddess… Continue reading Nut – Mistress of the Heavens
This week I am taking a look at one type of object and how it changed over the course of ancient Egyptian history. The object I have chosen ? Shabtis. If you have been to a museum with an ancient world or ancient Egyptian collection chances are you have seen a shabti. Shabtis are small… Continue reading The Shabti – a helper for everyday of the year
I promised this a few weeks back and now it's the time for me to cash in on that promise. As March is Women's History month it seems appt to write about one of my favourite ancient women. This week’s blog is all about Nefertari Royal Wife of Ramesses II otherwise known as Ramesses the… Continue reading Nefertari – for whom the sun does shine…
This week I am delving into the world of cosmetics, perfumes and makeup in Ancient Egypt. Now, let’s see how you get glamourous like an Egyptian. From early in dynastic Egypt both men and women included cosmetic items among there funerary equipment; including oils, perfumes, cosmetic palettes and eye paints. The inclusion of these items… Continue reading Cosmetics in Ancient Egypt
With Valentine’s day recently been and gone love is still on the mind and with that I thought, I would explore the world of romance in ancient Egypt through the art they produced to reflect romance. Orientalist thoughts have led us to believe one of two views about the world of romance in ancient Egypt.… Continue reading Romance in Ancient Egypt
This week I am exploring the ‘Two Ladies’ Nekhbet and Wadjet. Now you may be wondering who these two ladies are, take a guess for me. Are they a pair of famous Queens, heroines from myth or something completely different all together? I will clarify, the Two Ladies are goddesses for ancient Egypt. They are… Continue reading The Two Ladies – Nekhbet and Wadjet
This week I am exploring the relationship between ancient Egyptians and the hippopotamus, a creature that sadly no longer calls the Nile home disappearing in antiquity around ca.1550-107 BCE. The ancient Egyptians had a wary relationship to hippopotami and that is reflected in the stark distinction they made between the males and females. Ancient Egyptians… Continue reading Hippopotami in Ancient Egypt
Figure 1: A map of the processional ways in the New Kingdom. Kemp, B., 1991. Ancient Egypt Anatomy of A Civilisation. 2nd ed. London: Routledge, p.266. After taking a break for the holidays. I am now back with the second half of my two-part blog focussing on festivals in Ancient Egypt. In the first part… Continue reading Festivals in Ancient Egypt – The Beautiful Festival of the Valley
As our thoughts turn to winter festivities it has got me thinking about festivals in ancient Egyptian. The ancient Egyptians had a number of festivals across the year and in general centred around the ritual procession of a deity’s statue from one temple to another. These festivals performed both an opportunity for commoners to come… Continue reading Festivals in Ancient Egypt – The Opet Festival
The Curious Egyptologist 