Demotic Administrative Papyrus for drawing up a Marriage agreement
4th Century BC
Late Period (?)/ Graeco-Roman (?)
(Source: The British Museum)
Showing posts tagged ancient egypt
The Workman’s path between Deir el Medina and the Valley of the Kings
New Kingdom
Due to the fact that Deir el Medina was a relatively secluded community (members of said community had to apply for permission to see family and friends outside of the village area) and the secretive nature of their work in the Valley of the Kings, the workmen required a path to the valley that would lead them there without the knowledge of other people living in the vicinity of the nearby Mortuary temples.
To do this a road between the village of Deir el Medina and the Valley of the Kings was created so that the workmen could continue their work in secret. Along this road are huts in which the workmen would rest if the didn’t make it back to the village by nightfall.
This walk, for modern adventurers, is best done in the early morning to avoid the heat of the day and this is very likely the same time the workmen would have taken this route as their work day began with the sunrise. The workmen would have taken this route 8 days out of 10 as the Ancient Egyptian week was 10 days long, rather than our modern 7 day week.
Glass playing discs
In total 25 pieces all in different sizes and colours.
Found in Egypt.
Greco-Roman Period, 1st - 3rd century AD
Source: Leiden Museum of Antiquities
Collar of blue and black faience
Egyptian.
Middle Kingdom, 12th dynasty, 1981 - 1802 BC.
Found in Middle Egypt, Meir, Tomb of Hapi Akhtifi
Source: The Metropolitan Museum
Water bottle from Tutankhamun’s embalming cache
The neck looks like a papyrusplant opening and the decoration is Egyptian blue with floral images. The bottle was found in 1907, in a pit some 100m away from the tomb of Tutankhamun.
Egyptian pottery.
New Kingdom, 18th dynasty, reign of Tutankhamun, 1336 - 1327 BC.
Found in the Valley of the Kings.
Source: The Metropolitan Museum
Terracotta bottle shaped like a women feeding a baby
This vase contained mother’s milk, which was thought to be very magical and strong. It was used in many spells and potions, especially for spells for women trying to have a child. It could also be used as a remedy for sick women and children.
Egyptian.
Date and location unknown
Source: Leiden Museum of Antiquities
Saqqara
Saqqara is the most important cemetery that belongs to the ancient city of Memphis. The site is almost 6km long and up to 1,5km wide at the widest, however the neighboring cemeteries, especially Abusir, were in antiquity not seen as separate sites. This compartmentalizing of cemeteries is a very modern and western concept.
The history of the site runs back to the very first dynasty (2950-2775 BC) and continues all the way through history to the Greco-Roman period, in these 3 millennia there has been a lot of activity in the area.
Early dynastic Period (2950 – 2650 BC)
In the first dynasty there are no royal tombs at Saqqara but there are several objects with the name of Narmer on them. Narmer is the oldest royal name known from Egypt. The first mastaba ( Arabic for bench) is from the reign of king Aha, known as the founder of the legendary city of Memphis. Mastaba’s from the first dynasty are all located along the eastern line of the desert, just north of the Step Pyramid of Djoser, they belong to high officials and members of the royal family. These mastaba’s were fairly large, some even measuring up to 57 by 26 m. The chambers for funerary equipment were in the mastaba superstructure and the burial chambers and additional rooms were cut into the rock below the mastaba. Most of the early excavations were done by W.B. Emery between 1936 and 1956. The non-royal mastaba’s of the 2nd dynasty were build in the area west of the 1st dynasty mastaba’s without a clear order, these mastaba’s were considerably smaller than their 1st dynasty counterparts.
The first royal mastaba’s in Saqqara were found underneath the pyramid of Wenis, not much has survived but there are some clay inscriptions that suggest the tombs of king Reneb and Ninetjer were located here.
Old and Middle Kingdom (2650 – 1630 BC)
In this period Saqqara was a popular place to build the Pharaoh’s pyramid and no less than 14 pyramids are known from Saqqara, amazingly enough more pyramids are very likely to still be undiscovered.
The first is the Step Pyramid of Djoser (2650 BC), the first Egyptian Pyramid and the biggest structure in the world of its time. The pyramid was initially supposed to be a mastaba but the plans changed and the Egyptian ended up inventing the first stage of the pyramid. The design of the pyramid is attributed to the architect Imhotep. Around the Step Pyramid is a complex of buildings, most were meant for the celebration of the Kings’ sed-festival, a festival that celebrated a new phase in the kings reign. The second pyramid was found under the sand in 1950 and was left unfinished, it was initially build for king Sekhemkhet but the burial chamber was found empty. The third pyramid was build for the last king of the 4th dynasty and the fourth for Userkaf, the first king of the 5th dynasty. The fifth pyramid belongs to the largely unknown king Izezi but the sixth pyramid is very well known. This pyramid belongs to king Wenis, last king of the fifth dynasty and the walls of his pyramid are covered with Pyramid Texts on the inside. These texts are spells to help the deceased king in the afterlife, these spells are found in all later pyramids of the Old Kingdom. The seventh pyramid belongs to Teti, the first king of the 6th dynasty, and stands as the most northern pyramid in Saqqara. Pyramids 8 (of Pepy I), 9 (of Merenre) and 10 (of Pepy II) are all in the south of Saqqara. These pyramids belongs to pharaoh’s of the 6th dynasty. The eleventh pyramid was build for a mostly unknown king named Ibi of the 8th dynasty and this pyramid therefore belongs to the First Intermediate Period. In this period Egypt has no central government and power was held by local lords. The same is true for pyramid 12, which belongs to a king names Merykare, and was build in the 9th/10th dynasty, or the Herakleopolitan Period. The last two pyramids were build in the Middle Kingdom, the 13th dynasty, and were build with sun dried bricks.
Nonroyal tombs are plentiful in Saqqara because the elite wanted to be buried close to the royal tombs. From the 4th dynasty onwards pyramids began to be surrounded by nonroyal tombs, especially Djosers’, Wenis’ and Userkaf’ pyramids were popular to be buried around. Nonroyal tombs of the 6th dynasty and First Intermediate Period are in the vicinity of Teti’s pyramid and around pyramids in the south of Saqqara. Tombs from the Middle Kingdom are mostly around the pyramid of Teti, Wenis and in the south of Saqqara.
The New Kingdom
The most beautiful tomb from the New Kingdom in Saqqara is the tomb of Aperia, a vizier from the reign of king Amenhotep III (1390 – 1353 BC). South of the pyramid of Wenis is a large area of freestanding chapels. These chapels can be divided into two groups, a group that belongs to the Ramesside Period and a group in the area of the tomb of Horemheb. At the end of the 18th dynasty Saqqara was also very active and there are some very beautiful early post-Amarna reliefs in some tombs. The finest tombs date between the reigns of Tutanchamon and Ramses II. The most impressive find in the area was done by the Anglo-Dutch expedition of the Egypt Exploration Society and the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden, they found the private tomb of the Great Commander of the Army, Horemheb. Horemheb was the military force behind the throne in the aftermath of the Amarna Period. He was general in the army during the reigns of Tutanchamon and Aye, after this he himself became pharaoh and abandoned this tomb for a tomb in the Valley of the Kings.
Other important tombs in Saqqara is that of Maya (and his wife Merit), who served as treasury official during the reign of Tutanchamon. Another beautiful tomb is that of Tia, who lived during the reign of Ramses II (better known as Ramses the Great).
Serapeum
The cult of the Apis bull required the sacred bull, in which the Memphite god Ptah could be present, to be mummified and buried in Saqqara at the Serapeum. This was done from the reign of Amenhotep III onwards, well into the Greco-Roman Period. Because there was only one sacred bull at a time, an Apis bull burial occurred only once every 12 to 15 years. Ramses II created a long underground gallery in which the bulls could be placed, called the ‘Lesser Vaults’, which reached a length of 68m long. A second gallery was added in the 26th dynasty (called the ‘Greater Vaults’) by Psammeticus I, and this gallery reached a length of 198 meter and was cut in a right angle with the other gallery. The ‘Greater Vaults’ was used into the Greco-Roman Period. Saqqara is a well-known sacred animal necropolis because not just sacred bulls were buried here, also mummified cows, falcons, ibises and baboons were found in the vicinity of the Serapeum.
The Late Period and Greco-Roman Period
All most all of the tombs from these two periods are near the Step Pyramid of Djoser. To the north of the pyramid is the Serapeum and tombs of the 30th dynasty and later. To the south, and close to the pyramid of Wenis), is mostly 26th and 27th dynasty tombs, the east are mostly 26th dynasty tombs and lastly in the west are mostly Greco-Roman tombs.
Images:
1. Step Pyramid of Djoser
2. Map of Saqqara
3. Inscription of Horemheb receiving a necklace of honour
4. Detail of inscription in tomb of Horemheb
5. Relief from tomb of Horemheb
Inner coffin of Keku.
Texts are very clearly written.
Egyptian.
Date is unknown.
source: Leiden Museum of Antiquities
Toy dog made from elephant ivory
The lever underneath the dog can be used to open and close the dog’s mouth. When the mouth is open, teeth and a red tongue can be seen.
Egyptian
New Kingdom, 18th dynasty, Amenhotep III, 1390 - 1353 BC.
3cm high, 18cm long
Source: Metropolitan Museum
