Alethea's Excellent Adventures: Pyramids & Palm Trees

Alethea's Excellent Adventures: Pyramids & Palm Trees



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TOUR EGYPT 4 LESS: Tour Egypt 4 Less

TOUR EGYPT 4 LESS: Tour Egypt 4 Less

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Queen Tiya

Queen Tiye

Queen Tiye is shown wearing a heavy thick hair wig that leaves her ears exposed. This wig is surmounted with the vulture cap, as the vulture's head appears on her forehead flanked by two cobras, but the vulture's beak is now broken. Thus, the queen is protected by the great patron goddesses, the vulture-goddess "Nekhbet" (Nhbt) of Upper Egypt and the cobra-goddess "Wadjet" {W3dt} of Lower Egypt. The vulture is surmounted with tlie White, Crown of Upper Egypt, while the two cobras are surmounted with th&.Red..CrowiL of Lower Egypt.

*The facial features:

The   queen  is  represented, with  her characteristic facial features, which show some Influence of the Amama style of art. This indicates that this head was probably carved during the latter period of her life.

She is shown with an oval face with curved eyebrows, narrow almond-shaped eyes, thin nose, high cheekbones, and broad mouth with fleshy lips.

Stylistically^ this portrait belongs to" the end of the reign of King Amenhotep III, and introduces an artistic tradition, which was to be embraced by the Amama Period.

King Montuhotep II

The statue of King Montuhotep II Neb hept Rea

  Material:

It is made out of painted sandstone.

  Dating:

This statue is dating back to the reign of King Nebhepetrea Montuhotep II of the 11^th Dynasty.

  Place of discovery:

This statue was discovered accidentally when Howard Carter was riding his horse and the legs of his horse fell into the shaft leading to the chamber where the statue was buried, and both the horse and Carter fell in to the chamber.

The chamber was part of the beautiful terraced mortuary temple of Montuhotep built at el Deir el Bahari on the West Bank of Thebes, to the south, left, of the famous mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut.

It is believed that Senmut, the architect of Hatshepsut, got the idea of building Hatshepsut's temple from that earlier temple.

Up till now this area is known in Arabic as Bab el Hosan or "Gate of the Horse"

  Historical background about the King:

This is the statue of king Montuhotep II the strongest ruler of 11^th Dynasty and the founder of the Middle Kingdom. His cartouche together with king Narmer and Ahmose has a larger size in the Ramaseum temple as they were the three kings who came from the South and unified Upper and Lower Egypt.

He ruled for 51 years, 41 as king of Upper and Lower Egypt after he controlled the region of Ahnasia.

He sent campaigns against the Nubian, Libyans tribes of the west desert and the tribes of the north east desert;

  Royal and Titles:

• MnTw-Htp Montuhotep: means god of war Montu is satisfied.

This name was used by many kings of this dynasty as they fought a lot and needed the support of god Montu.

•  nb Hpt ra Neb hept Rea: the lord the rudder of Rea.

This name was found on a lot of his monuments.

• King Montuhotep II started giving his SA-Ra name more importance and declining the use of the good god NTr Nfr, as a way to be related more to the people he ruled as a semi divine god and not a full divinity.

  Description:

• The king is represented seated on a royal stool with no back pillar to support the back of the statue, which shows the skill of the artist.

• The king is wearing a knee length jubilee mantle or Heb Sed dress. He is also wearing the red crown of Lower Egypt.

• The king is represented wearing the curved false beard symbol of dead kings who turned into god Osiris after their death that is why he is having crossed arms like god Osiris.

• Both hands were found hollow, it is believed that the statue held the golden crook and flail symbols of royalty and of god Osiris, but both were lost or stolen.

• The statue is coloured black not because the king was black in colour but this colour was symbol of death, resurrection, mummification and the colour of god Osiris as the god of the under world.

• The face shows the face of a very determined king, with his eyes showing a high lighted pupil with the white color surrounding it.

• His legs is represented massive in size either because it is a symbol of power and strength as the power of the king was always in his feet, that is why we always find the enemies of Egypt were under his feet or because he was suffering from elephantites disease but this was not the fact since this disease affect the entire body. It was also suggested that the artist was not very skillful in representing the feet, although the fact that he represented the statue with a free standing back denies this suggestion.

• This statue was found wrapped in linen just like a mummy. That is why it is believed that his statue acted as a cenotaph.

• The facial representation of the king features suggests a strong provincial style in sculpturing.

  Art:

• Art of the Old Kingdom is known of its high quality and idealism specially when it was representing the divine king, but the art declined a lot under the First Intermediate Period.

• With the beginning of the Middle Kingdom the artists were trying to get back some of the splendor of the Old Kingdom art.

• Although the statue is made of sandstone which is not to be compared in strength and quality with the other kinds of stone used by kings of the Old Kingdom like granite, schist or diorite, yet the artist was a very skillful one.

  Colorus:

The colours in ancient Egypt were always brought from natural materials and substance, the Egyptians can find in their environment.

Example:

White: white limestone. 

Red: red ochre. 

Green: green ochre.

Black: black raisin or obsidian.

The Sarcophagus of Dagi

The Sarcophagus of Dagi

Material:

It is made out of painted limestone.

   Discoverer and place of discovery:

It was discovered by Naville in the rock-cut tomb of Dagi, which is located to the north side of the funerary temple of king Montuhotep II Nebhepetrea at Deir el-Bahari on the west bank of Thebes.

At the time of its discovery, it was placed in the eastern side of the burial chamber of the rock-cut tomb of Dagi and behind this sarcophagus there was a false door which played an important role as a means of communication between the bA of the deceased and the outside living world as according to the ancient Egyptians religious beliefs the bA of the deceased comes out from the burial chamber through the false door in order to receive the offerings that are placed In front of it, then the b3 joins god Re during his journey across the sky, then at sunset the bA of the deceased returns back to earth and enters the burial chamber through the false door.

  Dating:

It dates back to the Middle Kingdom, the beginning of the 11^th dynasty, reign of King Montuhotep II Nebhepetrea.

Who is Dagi?

Dagi was the chancellor or the seal bearer of the king of Lower Egypt "sDAwty-bity" and the sole companion "smr-waty" during the reign of king Montuhotep II, 11^th dynasty.

F   Introduction about the sarcophagus in ancient Egypt
:

1- The names of the sarcophagus:

The ancient Egyptian people called the sarcophagus "NbJnh" which means "the lord of life" and this name indicates the religious beliefs and conceptions of the ancient Egyptians according to which they believed that the sarcophagus was the place of rebirth, life and resurrection.

On the other hand the Greeks called it "sarcophagus" which means" the flesh eater" and this name indicates the religious beliefs and conceptions of the Greeks according to which they believed that "the sarcophagus" was the place of death unlike the ancient Egyptians.

So there are two names for the sarcophagus one of them was mentioned by the ancient Egyptians, while the 2^nd one was mentioned by the Greeks, and these two names reflect the difference between the religious beliefs of the ancient Egyptians and those of the Greeks.

2- The development of the sarcophagus in ancient Egypt:

i- During the Predynastic Period:

During that period the deceased was placed inside a basket made of the plant's stems, then he was buried in a pit in a position looks like that of the embryo inside the womb of his mother.

ii- During the Archaic period and the 3"¹ dynasty:

Most of sarcophagi during that period were made out of wood in simple rectangular forms without any decorations.

iii- During the 4^th Dynasty:

Most of sarcophagi during that period were made out of hard stones like granite and diorite in rectangular forms without any decorations.

iv- During the 5^th dynasty:

Most of sarcophagi during that period were made out of hard stones like diorite and granite and the exterior part of the sarcophagus was depicted with "the facade of the palace".

v- During the 6^th dynasty:

Most of sarcophagi during that period were made out of hard stones and the periphery of the exterior part of the sarcophagus was inscribed with horizontal lines of hieroglyphic signs around it containing "the Htp di nswt formula" or "the magical offering formula", while the eastern exterior part of the sarcophagus was depicted with the representation of the two wd3t eyes of god Horus, indicating the two eyes of the deceased and the eastern interior part of the sarcophagus was depicted with the facade of the palace.

vi- During the Middle Kingdom:

Most of sarcophagi during that period were similar to those of the 6^th dynasty in their shape; however the interior sides of sarcophagi, which date back to the Middle Kingdom, were inscribed with the coffin texts, which represent some religious spells that were used as a means of protection and resurrection for the deceased.

vii- During the New Kingdom:

Most of the sarcophagi during that period were made out of wood, and their lids were formed in anthropoid shapes i.e. in the shape of the human body.

viii- During the Late period:

Most of sarcophagi during that period were similar to those of the New Kingdom in their shape, however they were made out of hard stones like granite and diorite.

3- The religious meaning of the sarcophagus in ancient Egypt:

According to the ancient Egyptians' religious conceptions and beliefs, the pyramid texts, the coffin texts, and the Book of the Dead, the sarcophagus had three religious significances in ancient Egypt as follows:

i- The sarcophagus as the living house of the deceased:

The evidence, which confirms and supports this idea, is that the exterior sides of some sarcophagi, which date back to the Old Kingdom are carved with representations of the facade of the palace, hence the deceased wishes that the sarcophagus would be transform into his palace in the Underworld where he can live comfortably.

ii- The sarcophagus as the mother of the deceased:

The evidences, which support and prove this idea, are as follows:

1- During the Old Kingdom the backsides of the lids of some sarcophagi are carved in the form of goddess Nut, goddess of the sky accompanied with stars as an indication for the birth of the deceased in the Underworld like god Rea every day.

2- The four corners of some sarcophagi were carved in the form of the four protective goddesses "Isis, Nephthys, Neith and Selket; in some other cases the front and rear parts of the sarcophagus' lid were depicted respectively with representations of goddess Isis and goddess Nephthys in order to protect the deceased.

iii- The sarcophagus as the boat of the deceased:

The ancient Egyptians believed that the sarcophagus will be transformed into the boat of the deceased in the Underworld, moreover they believed that the deceased will use this boat to sail with the sun god Re every day "every morning" during his journey across the sky.

F  Development of the religious texts:

a- During the Old Kingdom and exactly during the 5^th and the 6^th dynasties:

King Unas of the 5^th dynasty is considered to be the first king in ancient Egypt to inscribe the religious texts on the interior walls of his pyramid at Saqqara, these texts are known as the "Pyramid Texts" that continued to be inscribed on the interior walls of some of the pyramids which date back to the 6^th dynasty like the pyramid of king Teti and that of king Pepy I, the main purpose of these texts was to protect the mummy of the king and insure the king' eternal life in the Hereafter.

b- During the Middle Kingdom:

During the Middle Kingdom all the Egyptians became like god Osiris in the Underworld, therefore all of them had the full right to inscribe these religious texts on the interior sides of their sarcophagi and coffins as a kind of protection for their mummies to insure eternal life in the Hereafter and prevent or resolve the dangers facing the deceased in the afterlife, and as a result of that the name of these texts changed from "the Pyramid Texts" to be as "the Coffin Texts", represent spells and formulae which were derived in part from the older Pyramid Texts.

c- During the New Kingdom:

During that period the name of these religious texts changed from the Coffin Texts to be as the "Book of the Dead" which was derived in part from the "Coffin Texts", the religious spells of that book were written on papyri rolls.

F  Position "attitude" of the deceased's mummy inside the sarcophagus:

The deceased's mummy was placed inside the sarcophagus lying by side, his head was placed facing the representation of the two wd3t eyes which are depicted on the exterior eastern part of the sarcophagus and also facing the false door which is depicted on the interior eastern side of the of the sarcophagus, while his legs were placed facing his sandals.

F  Description:

Middle Kingdom private sarcophagi and coffins show a variety of forms and sizes, depending on the social status of their owner or the "style" of a particular necropolis.

§  Description of the exterior sides of the sarcophagus:

It takes a rectangular form, its the exterior sides are inscribed with one band or one horizontal line of hieroglyphic signs around its periphery, which contains the Htp-dt-nswt formula "the magical offering formula" addressed to the gods Osiris on one side and Anubis on the other, accompanied with the name of the deceased and his titles, the exterior eastern side of the sarcophagus, to which the mummy was turned is carved with a pair of wDAt eyes that enable the deceased to see the outside living world as it considered a means of communication between the bA and the outside living world, while the interior eastern part of the sarcophagus is depicted with a painted representation of a false door corresponding to the eyes, through this false door the bA of the deceased could come out from the sarcophagus and return back to it.

§  Description of the interior sides of the sarcophagus:

The interior sides are also inscribed with a band or horizontal line of colored hieroglyphic signs around the periphery of the sarcophagus repeating the previously mentioned offering formula.

On both one long wall and one short wall, the middle frieze "register" is depicted with painted scenes represent objects and various kinds of daily-use offerings. The rest of the walls and even the bottom of the sarcophagus are inscribed with the "Coffin Texts", spells numbers 12 to 17, 63 to 74 and 179 to 180.                      

i- The painted scenes of offerings which are depicted on the middle register of the interior long wall of the sarcophagus:

This part of the wall is depicted with painted scenes of objects and offerings of everyday use they are respectively: a headrest, two mirrors (one of them is black awhile the 2^nd one is white), finished wsx collar, bracelets, unfinished wsx collar, figs, incense, HD jars, arrows inside quivers, bows, shields and finally a pair of sandals.

ii- The painted scenes of offerings which are depicted on the interior short   wall at the front side of the sarcophagus:

This wall is depicted with scenes representing the seven sacred oils jars, which were used during the process of mummification and purification of the deceased, accompanied with 2 hieroglyphic signs pronounced as "sSrw" they are referring to the linen clothes.

Each item of these painted offerings scenes have two powers "meaning" which are:

1- The materialistic power "meaning".

2- The abstract power "meaning".

I- Materialistic power of the painted offerings scenes:

The materialistic power of these painted offerings scenes indicate that all these scenes will turn into Teal offerings in front of the deceased through reciting the magical offering formula, furthermore it indicates that Dagi whished to have and enjoy all these kinds of offerings in the Underworld.

II- Abstract power "meaning" of the painted offerings scenes:

a- Abstract power "meaning" of the headrest:

The main function of the headrest (wrs in hieroglyphs) was to be used as a rest for the head, thus its abstract power was to be used as a means for rising-up the head of the deceased in the Underworld as an indication for his rebirth and resurrection.

b- Abstract power "meaning" of the 2 mirrors:

The abstract power of these 2 mirrors is that when the deceased sees his face on these 2 mirrors this means rebirth, resurrection and eternity for him in the Underworld, moreover the white mirror indicates morning, while the black one indicates night so both of them indicate the circle of the sun every day.

c- Abstract power "meaning" of the bracelets:

These bracelets were used as amulets in order to protect the arms and wrists of the deceased.

d- Abstract power "meaning" of the vvesekh collar:

According to their religious conceptions, the ancient Egyptians believed that "the wsx collar" would be transformed in the Underworld into "the two arms of the god Atum " the father of all gods and goddesses and head of the Heliopolitan Ennead, who would embrace the deceased in the Underworld with his arms to give him rebirth and resurrection, likewise he gave life to all gods and goddesses.

e- Materialistic power "meaning" of the hedj jars:

The materialistic power "meaning" of the hedj "HD" jars is that they were used for the purification of the deceased.

   f- Materialistic power "meaning" of the arrows inside quivers, bows and shields:

These three military' items started to be depicted on the interior walls of the sarcophagus from the Middle Kingdom onwards, and they are indicating the military life during the Middle Kingdom and especially during the reign of king Montuhotep II. Moreover they indicate the importance of the military posts which played a vital and effective role in the social life of the Egyptians at that time, as a result of the wars led by Montuhotep II against the armies of Lower Egypt, to unify Upper and Lower Egypt under his authority.

F   The attitude of the mummy of Dagi inside his sarcophagus:

According to the arrangement of the painted scenes of the offerings and objects of daily-use, which are depicted on the interior left wall of the sarcophagus, in addition to the place of the two wDAt eyes, and the false door we can guess the attitude of the mummy of Dagi as follows:

The mummy of Dagi was placed inside the sarcophagus lying by side his head against the headrest and his face just opposite to the false door depicted on the interior eastern side and the two wDAt eyes depicted on the exterior eastern side, while his feet were placed against his sandals.

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