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Statue of Ramesses II, Seated between the God Amun and the Goddess Mut

DESCRIBE their distinctive crowns and personal adornments. Where are the similarities and differences? What message does this sculptural group communicate?

DISCUSS the techniques used to fashion this granite sculpture, noticing the differences in low and high relief. What does this very hard stone suggest about the subject?

EXPLORE a map of the massive temple complex dedicated to Amun at Karnak, where this statue once stood. Built over the course of several centuries, the complex included a great colonnaded hall, towering statues, and a sacred lake. It’s considered one of the wonders of the world!

RESEARCH the long reign of Ramesses II (c. 1279–1213 BCE) to learn more about his celebrated building campaigns, including marvels at Karnak and Abu Simbel, and his favorite queen, Nefertari.

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Statue of the Goddess Sekhmet

LIST some of the characteristics that you associate with lions and the sun. Which ideas relate to what you see in this over-eight-foot-tall sculpture?

COMPARE the lion-headed goddess Sekhmet with her “tame” counterpart, Bastet, the goddess of domestic joy. How do these two feline deities complement each other?

IMAGINE a large temple surrounded by hundreds of identical statues representing Sekhmet. Every morning and evening of the year, priests would ask a different sculpture for protection from the fiery power of this daughter of the sun.

WRITE an acrostic poem using Sekhmet’s name, with each word referring to an aspect of her mighty, yet terrifying power.

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Block Statue of Keret, Overseer of the Women’s Palace

NOTICE which parts of the sculpture attract the most attention. How does the artist simplify the form to create emphasis? What techniques were used?

DESCRIBE the figure’s expression. What ideas does the sculpture communicate? What pose would you choose for all eternity?

CONSIDER the important responsibilities of an administrator in the women’s palace. Overseen by the Great Queen, the palace staff would manage an agricultural estate, the manufacturing of textiles and other luxury goods, and a private school for noble and elite boys and girls.

SKETCH the shapes of different hieroglyphs found in this standard inscription that records the dedication of this statue by Keret’s son Amenhotep, who was a letter-writing scribe.

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Stela with the Face of the Goddess Hathor

NOTICE important details that identify this head as Hathor, including her wig headdress with curling ends, rectangular modius crown, and cow ears. How does this compare with other depictions of the goddess?

CONSIDER the importance of papyrus in ancient Egypt, its cultivation in the Nile delta region, and its use as the primary writing material by ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans.

WRITE a news article describing an ancient Egyptian procession honoring Hathor. Include details about locations, the participants, music and dancing, and special offerings to the goddess.

CREATE a stylized depiction of your favorite native plant, inspired by these papyrus stalks. What special uses or properties are associated with your plant?

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Statuette of Ahmose-Nefertari

OBSERVE the details of her elegant costume, including the fine linen robes, jewelry, and feathered crown linking her to the vulture goddess Nekhbet. What do these items tell you about her?

STRIKE A POSE that imitates her stance. Notice how the sculpture suggests subtle movement. What do you think she once held in her hand?

DESIGN a base to replace the one that is missing here. Include her name and inscriptions that celebrate her status and numerous accomplishments.

RESEARCH the ancient site of Deir el-Medina, where this votive statue was found. This settlement was home to the craftsmen who worked on the royal tombs. Ahmose-Nefertari was venerated there, along with her son Amenhotep I, for nearly five centuries.

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Kohl Pot of Queen Tiye

LIST some of the objects that you use almost every day. What do you think researchers 3,000 years from now would learn from them?

CONTINUE LOOKING to see where you find evidence of the kohl makeup used by ancient Egyptians. They took personal hygiene seriously!

FIND the two oval-shaped cartouches identifying Amenhotep III and his wife Queen Tiye. Their son Akhenaten radically altered political, social, and religious practice for a brief period during the New Kingdom.

COMPARE this object with other types of materials. Faience was prized by ancient Egyptians and closely linked to fertility, life, and the gleaming sun.

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Shabti of Pharaoh Seti I

DISCUSS how this object is decorated. Which elements help to identify its purpose? What does his body language suggest?

IMAGINE the types of jobs that shabtis would perform for the deceased in the afterlife. How might these responsibilities reflect daily life in ancient Egypt?

LEARN more about Pharaoh Seti I, whose military triumphs and building campaigns firmly established the 19th dynasty for his son and successor, Ramesses II.

DESIGN your own shabti. What jobs would you like your shabti to perform? What tools would they need?

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Djed-Pillar Amulet

COMPILE a list of your favorite symbols from ancient Egypt, with details about their meaning and connection to politics, religion, or the afterlife.

READ the story of Osiris, the god who rules the underworld, to understand this object’s connection to stability and eternal life.

CONSIDER the magical properties associated with amulets that were worn or placed in tombs by ancient Egyptians from all social classes. Spells were recited to activate an amulet for use.

WATCH the video exploring Queen Nefertari’s tomb to see where this amulet and other precious objects were placed over 3,200 years ago. It was discovered in 1904 by the Italian archaeologist Ernesto Schiaparelli.

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Scarab Amulet

THINK about a special object that you associate with good luck. Is there a piece of jewelry that you or someone you know always wears? A lucky penny in your pocket?

LOOK at the details of this small amulet depicting a scarab beetle. Amulets were very popular in ancient Egypt. People believed that they carried magical properties that would help to ensure well-being. They often included an inscription or a spell that would activate their power.

LEARN about how the Egyptians associated the scarab beetle with the sun god’s journey across the sky and with life and rebirth.

NAME ideas you associate with the color blue. Ancient Egyptians believed that blue symbolized life, rebirth, and protection.

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Coffin of Asetemhat

OBSERVE the overall design and details of this beautifully painted inner coffin. What are its most distinctive features? How are images and hieroglyphs organized?

RESEARCH the ancient Egyptian practice of mummification. How many steps were required, and how much time did it take? Which gods and special objects were associated with this process?

IMAGINE the life experience of an elite woman in ancient Egyptian society, where women of every social class had the right to own property, run businesses, and bring cases to the courts.

CONSIDER the materials used to make this inner coffin. For larger objects, ancient Egyptians imported wood from Lebanon, central Africa, and Syria. Pigments were made by grinding common materials such as soot or lapis lazuli.

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Useful Terms

Acrostic A poem in which the first letter of each line spells out a word or message

Amulet Symbolic charm—often inscribed with a spell, magical incantation, or symbol—believed to protect or aid the wearer. It might be worn on the body (like a piece of jewelry), wrapped into mummy linens, or placed in the tomb

Afterlife A life after death. Ancient Egyptians believed � that their ka (life force) would live on forever in � an afterlife once their body died.

Amun Sun god that rose to prominence as the “king of the gods” during the New Kingdom, usually shown as a man wearing a crown with two vertical plumes

Ankh Hieroglyph for “life.” The symbol resembles a cross but has a loop on top.

Anubis Jackal-faced god who is associated with mummification and guides the deceased in the afterlife

Bastet Goddess associated with love, dance, music, and domestic joy. Also known as the protector of women and children, she appears in the form of a cat or a woman with a cat’s head; counterpart to Sekhmet, the goddess of divine wrath.

Cartouche An oval with a straight line on one end that contains hieroglyphs, indicating a royal name

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Coffin Container used to protect the body for the afterlife. Some bodies were placed inside multiple containers, including an outer stone sarcophagus, an outer coffin, and possibly a smaller inner coffin.

Djed-Pillar In the New Kingdom, this symbol was understood as a representation of the backbone of Osiris, ruler of the underworld. It also serves as a common hieroglyph for “stability.”

Dynasty One of thirty royal houses, or families, of ancient Egypt. Each dynasty represented a unique period in Egyptian history.

Faience Ceramic that forms a hard glaze on the outer layer when fired and is made in a range of bright colors, especially turquoise

Fertility The quality of being fertile or fruitful (as in the soil, or the imagination); productiveness; having an abundance of resources

Granite Very hard igneous rock often used for buildings or sculpture

Hieroglyphs Formal ancient Egyptian writing that represents sounds and ideas

Kohl Black eyeliner that emphasizes the shape of the eye, protects from the sun’s harmful rays, and helps to prevent infection

Lapis Semi-precious stone prized since antiquity for its Lazuli intense blue color

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Lotus In ancient Egyptian religion, this flower is a symbol of resurrection.

Modius Type of flat-topped cylindrical headdress crown found in ancient Egyptian art, associated with fertility

Mummification A process developed in ancient Egypt to preserve the remains of the deceased for the next life. Important internal organs were removed and preserved in canopic jars. The body was chemically cleansed, packed, perfumed, and wrapped in linens for placement in a coffin.

Mut Goddess whose name means “mother.” Wife of the sun god Amun, she was revered as the embodiment of the ideal Egyptian woman and “queen of the gods” during the New Kingdom.

Nekhbet Vulture goddess who was the protector of Upper Egypt and especially its rulers

Nemes A striped head cloth worn by royalty

Osiris In ancient Egyptian religion, ruler of the Underworld and resurrection. He was the first to be mummified and the first to be resurrected after being killed by his brother Seth.

Papyrus A tall, flowering plant that flourished in the marshes along the Nile River. The stalk of the plant was used to make household items (like baskets), to build small boats and rafts, and to make a light, smooth material (similar to paper) for writing.

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Relief In sculpture, refers to how far the forms project into space from the background

Scribe In ancient Egypt, someone who learned to read and write hieroglyphs as a profession

Shabti A funerary statuette intended to stand in for the deceased in the afterlife and to perform any necessary manual tasks such as planting fields and clearing irrigation ditches.

Soot A black powdery or flaky substance produced by the incomplete burning of organic matter

Stela A decorated slab, either carved or painted, that was placed upright as a monument and most commonly found in tombs

Temple Building that is devoted to worship or regarded as the home of a god or goddess

Tomb In ancient Egypt, the place where the mummified body was placed with provisions and protective objects. Spells and wall paintings were intended to help the dead on the dangerous journey to the afterlife.

Uraeus A rearing cobra worn on headdresses of ancient Egyptian deities and rulers; emblem of supreme power

Venerate To regard with great respect or to honor as a ritual act of devotion

Votive An object placed at a temple, shrine, or another statue religious site for devotional purposes

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Art in order of appearance

Statue of Ramesses II, Seated between the God Amun and the Goddess Mut, Temple of Amun, Karnak, New Kingdom, 19th dynasty, reign of Ramesses II (c. 1279–1213 BCE), granite. Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy

Statue of the Goddess Sekhmet, Temple of Amun, Karnak, New Kingdom, 18th dynasty, reign of Amenhotep III (about 1390–1353 BCE ), grandodiorite. Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy

Block State of Keret, Overseer of the Women’s Palace, unknown provenance, New Kingdom, 18th dynasty, reign of Amenhotep II or Thutmose IV (about 1425–1390 BCE), grandodiorite. Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy

Stela with the Face of the Goddess Hathor, unknown provenance, New Kingdom, 19th dynasty (about 1292–1190 BCE), painted limestone. Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy

Statuette of Ahmose-Nefertari, Deir el-Medina, New Kingdom, 18th dynasty (about 1539–1292 BCE), wood. Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy

Kohl Pot of Queen Tiye, unknown provenance, New Kingdom, 18th dynasty, reign of Amenhotep III (about 1390–1353 BCE ), faience. Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy

Shabti of Pharaoh Seti I, unknown provenance, New Kingdom, 19th dynasty, reign of Seti I (about 1290–1279 BCE), faience. Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy

Djed-Pillar Amulet, Tomb of Nefertari (QV66), Valley of the Queens, New Kingdom, 19th dynasty, reign of Ramesses II (c. 1279–1213 BCE), gilt wood and vitreous paste. Museo Egizio, Turin

Scarab Amulet, Tomb of Khaemwaset (QV 44), Valley of the Queens, Third Intermediate Period or Late Period (c. 1075–332 BCE), faience. Museo Egizio, Turin

Coffin of Asetemhat, Valley of the Queens, Late Period, 25th–26th dynasty (about 722–525 BCE), stuccoed and painted wood. Museo Egizio, Turin

Credits

Education department