Tag: egypt
-
The Coffins of Nespawershefyt, Egyptian Official, 990-940 BC
The coffin and mummy board of Nespawershefyt (also known as Nes-Amun) dates from the Third Intermediate Period of Egypt, between 990-940 BC. It is decorated in the ‘yellow coffin’ style, with elaborate religious scenes and bands of text. Nespawershefyt was Chief of Scribes, a high-ranking civil servant in the Temple of Amun Re at Karnak.…
-
Hetepni, an Ancient Egyptian Tax Collector
Hetepni was an accountant and tax collector in the revenue office of the king over 4000 years ago in Egypt. Found in Saqqara, this mortuary statue tells us that he was was responsible: ‘…for the counting of everything that crawled or flew in the water and in the marshland‘. The statue dates from the…
-
King Khasekhemwy, Second Dynasty Pharoah
Khasekhemwy (ca. 2690 BC) was the final king of the Second dynasty of Ancient Egypt. This statue of him in the Ashmolean Museum is the oldest example of royal statuary from Egypt. It shows him wearing the White Crown of Upper Egypt. Save
-
30th Dynasty Canopic Jars
These exceptional canopic jars from the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford belonged to Zenbastef’onkh, son of Harwoz and Nakhtubasteran. They date from the 30th dynasty (380-343 BC). Above is seen Imsety, the human-headed protector of the liver, and Hapi the baboon-headed protector of the lungs. Below is Duamutef, the jacket-headed protector of the stomach. Save
-
An Ancient Computer: The Antikythera Mechanism
The highlight of a recent trip to Athens was a visit to the National Museum of Archaeology. The museum had a special gallery for the finds from the Antikythera shipwreck, a boat carrying luxury goods from around 75–50 BC which was wrecked in a storm. It was discovered in 1900 by sponge divers. The highlight…
Wonderful Things 