Antiquities Exhibits

Napata was founded by Thutmose III in the 15th century BCE after his conquest of Kush. Napata’s location as the southernmost point in the empire led it to become an important religious center and settlement. In 750 BCE, during the political instability of the Third Intermediate Period, the Kushite ruler, Kashta, attacked Upper Egypt. His policy was pursued by his successors Piye, and Shabaka (721–707 BCE), who eventually brought the whole Nile Valley under Kushite control and ruled Egypt as the Twenty-fifth Dynasty. Religion, the arts, and architecture were restored to their Old, Middle, and New Kingdom forms under such pharaohs as Taharqa who built or restored temples and monuments throughout the Nile, including at Memphis, Karnak, Kawa, Jebel Barkal, and elsewhere. However the dynasty was relatively brief. Taharqa and his successor cousin, Tantamani were constantly in conflict with the Neo-Assyrian Empire. Neo-Assyrian emperor Esarhaddon conquered Lower Egypt about 670 BCE then enlis...

This block originally formed part of a screen wall that connected the four front columns and the sidewalls of the temple of Harendotes ("Horus the Avenger") on the island of Philae. The relief represents the "Baptism of Pharaoh," a purification ritual that was part of Egyptian coronation ceremonies. The gods Horus (not preserved) and the ibis-headed Thoth, god of wisdom, pours water, represented by streams of the hieroglyphs ankh (life) and was (dominion), over the head of the king. The pharaoh whose head is partially preserved is a Claudian emperor, most probably either Claudius or Nero as defined in the strip of hieroglyphs along the top of the relief. As Pharaoh of Egypt, Nero adopted the royal titulary Autokrator Neron Heqaheqau Meryasetptah Tjemaahuikhasut Wernakhtubaqet Heqaheqau Setepennenu Merur ('Emperor Nero, Ruler of rulers, chosen by Ptah, beloved of Isis, the sturdy-armed one who struck the foreign lands, victorious for Egypt, ruler of rulers, chose...

Yesterday I finished editing and uploading the last of my images of artifacts in the Egyptian gallery of the University of Pennsylvania's Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (Penn Museum) to Wikimedia Commons. Next I'll be working on uploading my images of their Greco-Roman collection. Here are some of my favorites from their Egyptian collection: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Egyptian_antiquities_in_the_University_of_Pennsylvania_Museum Head of King Osorkon II of Egypt excavated at Tunis 874-850 BCE Black Granite Head of a colossal statue of Ramesses II King of Egypt from Abydos 1290-1224 BCE New Kingdom Dynasty 19 Head of a colossal statue of Ramesses II King of Egypt from Abydos 1290-1224 BCE New Kingdom Dynasty 19 Closeup of Bronze statue of a cat with gold leaf Dynasty 22 Egypt 945-712 BCE Basalt Baboon Egypt Dynasty 20 1182-1151 BCE Statue of Ramesses III Limestone Egypt 1187-1156 BCE (Reign of Ramesses III, Dynasty 20) Ka statue of the Royal Acquaintanc...

The young Egyptian kinglet stands with his arms by his sides and hands clenched holding cylinders. His hair is in a naturalistic Roman style and he wears a narrow diadem with uraeus. His eyes were originally inlaid. Could this be one of the few portrayals of Caesarion, Cleopatra's son by Julius Caesar? There is actually little historical mention of Caesarion as a young man until he is named in the Donations of Antioch in 36 BCE. Surprisingly, Octavian gave public approval to the Donations of Antioch, which have been described as an Antonian strategy to rule the East making use of Cleopatra's unique royal Seleucid lineage in the regions donated. However, Octavian did not greet the news of the Donations of Alexandria with a positive response. In that ceremony, Marc Antony proclaimed Caesarion to be a god, son of a god, and "King of Kings" as well as Caesar's true son and heir. Octavian used Roman resentment over the Donations of Alexandria ...

Egypt: The Time of Pharaohs  through August 18, 2019 at the Cincinatti Museum Center in Cincinatti, Ohio.  Egypt: The Time of Pharaohs unveils the mysteries of life in ancient Egypt using 350 original artifacts, some more than 4,500 years old, detailed models of ancient structures and new holographic technology. Discover how the people of this amazing ancient world lived, worked, worshiped and died.  Beginning with Menes, running through Amenhotep III and Ramses II, and ending with Cleopatra VII, Egypt was ruled by about 170 pharaohs.  Meet six pharaohs through their massive construction projects, their military ability and their dazzling tombs, and discover how our modern understanding of ancient Egypt is shaped by the pharaohs’ 31 dynasties.  Image: Ancient Egyptian necklace courtesy of the exhibit coordinators.  Egyptian bodies were temples. Beauty in ancient Egypt aimed for perfection, and both men and women would pursue that ideal with elabora...

King Tut: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh through September 15, 2019 at the Grande Halle de la Villette in Paris, France.  An exhibit said to be the last touring exhibit of actual King Tut artifacts, is now on display in Paris, France.  Although King Tut: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh does not include the famous golden death mask, but it does include gold jewelry, sculptures, and ceremonial objects the king personally used such as gilded ushabti figurines, inlaid storage chests, Canopic utensils, the statue of Tutankhamun's ka, and vessels crafted of alabaster.  Sixty of the 150 objects have never left Egypt before.   The Louvre in Paris has loaned one of its top Egyptian pieces to the show, a statue of Amon, the king of the gods, to protect the pharaoh. Image: Guardian statue from the tomb of King Tutankhamun.  Image courtesy of "King Tut: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh" media relations.

Egypt: The Time of Pharaohs opening February 15 at the Cincinnati Museum Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. This sprawling 15,000-square-foot exhibit takes visitors through an immersive experience of the lives of ancient Egyptians — from queen to commoner. On view are artifacts of personal and public import, from jewelry to burial tombs and religious items. Through educational displays, visitors will learn about such things as religious c eremonies, the complex irrigation systems along the Nile, and the architectural designs of ancient pyramids. One impressive centerpiece of the Egypt exhibit is the Sphinx head of Queen Hatshepsut. An important figure in ancient history, Queen Hatshepsut was the longest-ruling female pharaoh. She is one of a handful of pharaohs featured in the exhibit. Visitors will also see a large cast of battle relief of Pharaoh Seti I from the temple of Karnak in Egypt. In addition to the ancient artifacts, the exhibition also features more than 20 interactive media sta...