What animal do you often associate with ancient Egypt? Cats, Crocodiles or even Cobras? I bet that it isn’t dogs. But the ancient Egyptians were also dog lovers. As it was recently International Dog day it seemed like it was time I covered our four legged friends. One of the words used for dog in… Continue reading Dogs in Ancient Egypt
Inspired by last week’s object that I added to my cabinet of curiosities on Instagram I thought I would explore the Kites of Nephthys and the role that these women played in the funeral processions of both gods and mortals. In order to figure out where these individual roles come from, we have to take… Continue reading The Kites of Nephthys
As I currently swelter in a heatwave, I began to daydream about being on a boat with a nice breeze cooling me down. And that got me thinking about boats and ships sailing up and down the river Nile with a gentle river breeze – yes, I know very romanticised but just give me this… Continue reading Ships and Boats in Ancient Egypt
Figure 1: Inherkha surrounded by his naked children from the tomb of Inherkha Deir el-Medina 18th Dynasty Strouhal, E. (1992) Life of the Ancient Egyptians. Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press Page 25 This week I had a little bit of fun with this week’s topic. With fun being the operative word as I decided to explore toys… Continue reading Toys in Ancient Egypt
Figure 1: A block of Lapis Lazuli named "The Owl" because of its distinctive shape from Afghanistan. (1 kg) https://www.gia.edu/lapis-lazuli-history-lore This week’s blog topic is Lapis lazuli, a semi-precious stone that the ancient Egyptians prized and used in various ways, including jewellery, bowls, and funerary provisions. It really is a brilliant looking gemstone so I… Continue reading Lapis Lazuli – prized gemstone and hair of the Gods
This week’s topic is a little bit of a random one but is something you will have seen throughout Egyptian collections in museums, architecture and myths. The lotus. Types of Lotus The lotus isn’t the botanical term for this plant but the one used by Egyptologists to refer to the water lily or seshen in… Continue reading The Lotus in Ancient Egypt
Last post I talked about the Goddess Neith and the multiple roles she played including holding the ‘Mistress of Bows’, ‘Ruler of Arrows’ and it got me thinking about ancient Egyptian weaponry. This isn’t a post all about arrows though. But a particular sword that appeared in Egypt during the New Kingdom known as a… Continue reading The Khepesh Sword
Figure 1: Bronze Figure of Neith EA11011 Late Period https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/Y_EA11011 This week I am exploring the goddess Neith. I first became interested in this goddess at university when I got to pick a topic for an assignment on ancient Egypt mythology. Over my years studying I found that I enjoyed researching topics around gender, coffins… Continue reading Neith – ‘The Great Mother’ and ‘Ruler of Arrows’
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
The Curious Egyptologist 