back to overview
 


Antiquity


Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, Imperial Roman Period, Ancient Middle East.



6 subcategories
Ancient Egypt

ANCIENT EGYPT

Ancient Greece

ANCIENT GREECE

Ancient Israel

ANCIENT ISRAEL

Ancient Jordan

ANCIENT JORDAN

Ancient Middle East

ANCIENT MIDDLE EAST

Imperial Roman Period

IMPERIAL ROMAN PERIOD

7,469 photos
Obsidian amulet in the shape of two fingers, Egypt, Late Period, after 600 BC. The 'two-finger' amulet shows the index and middle fingers, with the nails and joints clearly indicated. They were placed on the mummy near the incision by which the internal organs were removed before embalming. This may suggest that the amulet was intended to reaffirm the embalming process, the fingers representing those of Anubis, the god of embalming. However, the amulet could also have been intended to 'hold' the incision sealed, to prevent malign forces from entering the body, like the plaques sometimes placed over the wound. 'Two-finger' amulets were mostly made of a dark hard stone such as basalt, obsidian (volcanic glass) or steatite. Black was associated with the Underworld. The hardness of the stones was symbolic of endurance. Amulets were made of such materials to ensure that their magical powers lasted for all eternity. EA, 59500
#03010210

Obsidian amulet in the shape of two fingers, Egypt, Late Period, after 600 BC. T...

Faience vessel decorated with a depiction of the god Heh, from tomb 61,Enkomi, cyprus. The vase is made in the form of a closed lotus flower and decorated with a picture of Heh. The first meaning of "Heh" was "millions", but heh was reansformed into the Egyptian god of infinity by association with symbols for year and for rebirth. The god is shown in his ususal guise as a kneeling man holding notched palm ribs in each hand. GR, 1897.4-1.999
#03010211

Faience vessel decorated with a depiction of the god Heh, from tomb 61,Enkomi, c...

Mummy of a cat, from Abydos, Upper Egypt Roman period, perhaps 1st century. Animals associated with deities were redularly mummified in later periods. The main concentration of cat burials was at sites with an association with a feline deity.It seems likely that a cult was made periodically in the temple catteries to provide subjects for mummification and sale to the pious. The purchase and burial of an animal mummy in a specially designed catacomb was seen as a pious act towards the deity represented by the animal. EA, 37348
#03010212

Mummy of a cat, from Abydos, Upper Egypt Roman period, perhaps 1st century. Ani...

Textile with winged figures in a boat, Egyptian, Hellenistic period,305-30 CE. Two Erotes are fishing in a boat; one steers the boat while the other holds a fishing net, below which a fish can be seen in the water. The use of colour to show modeling are characteristic of this period. The scene is surrounded by a border of interwoven plants which became a very popular motif in Roman and Coptic decoration. EA, 20717
#03010213

Textile with winged figures in a boat, Egyptian, Hellenistic period,305-30 CE. T...

Coffin of a woman, Egyptian, Early Roman period, 1st BCE- 1st CE. Anthropoid coffin made from gilded and painted papyrus. The deceased wears clothes fashionable at the end of the Hellenistic period. The contours of her figure are emphasized by the coloured bands of her clothes; a striped shawl is fastened at her chest. From Akhmim. EA, 29585
#03010214

Coffin of a woman, Egyptian, Early Roman period, 1st BCE- 1st CE. Anthropoid cof...

Terracotta figurine of a woman riding on a pig, Hellenistic, Egypt, 1st BCE. It shows a large pig, bearing on its back a fat woman riding side-saddle, naked apart from the tall headdress and the long veil that covers it. This object is a calathus, a measuring vessel for corn and the stele or shrine in her left arm shows that she may be linked to Demeter, goddess of corn and fertility. GR, 1926.9-30.48
#03010215

Terracotta figurine of a woman riding on a pig, Hellenistic, Egypt, 1st BCE. It...

Bronze head of Emperor Augustus, from Meroe, Sudan, 27-25 CE. Part of a statue of the Emperor, inset eyes of glass and stone. Coins and statues were the main media for propagating the image of the Roman emperor. The head was found at Meroe, buried beneath the steps of a native temple dedicated to victory. GR, 1911.9-1.1
#03010217

Bronze head of Emperor Augustus, from Meroe, Sudan, 27-25 CE. Part of a statue...

Osorkon I,pharaoh.Sandstone, H: 60 cm,end 19th BCE. This bust of Osorkon (around 924-895 BCE,21st dynasty) was consecrated by King Elibaal,his vassal,and stood in the temple of the Lady of Biblos,Goddess of the town. The dedication is in archaic Phoenician. From Biblos.
#03010219

Osorkon I,pharaoh.Sandstone, H: 60 cm,end 19th BCE. This bust of Osorkon (aroun...

Sphinx with proto-Sinaitic inscriptions, from Serabit el-Khadim, Sinai, Middle Kingdom, around 1800 BCE. The semi-precious stone turquoise was extracted here from the Middle Kingdom onwards. Hathor, the goddess associated with turquoise, is named in the hieroglyphic inscription on the right shoulder. The proto-sinaitic inscription includes a similar name, the inscriptions are therefore bilingial, like the Rosetta stone. EA 41748
#03010220

Sphinx with proto-Sinaitic inscriptions, from Serabit el-Khadim, Sinai, Middle K...

Pair of disc and amphora earrings, Hellenistic (Ptolemaic), c200 BC. Earrings with garnet amphorae with garnet, emerald, and pearl chain pendants. The long chain could have been worn either round the back of the neck or pinned across the chest. The amphorae have dolphin-shaped handles and are suspended from discs inlaid with garnets, topped with a stylized crown. The design of the crown conforms to the so-called 'Crown of Isis', a common motif in jewellery of the period: Ptolemaic queens were assimilated with the goddess Isis and both were associated with this type of crown which consists of a sun-disc capped by two feathered plumes that were originally inlaid with another material, now lost. The crown motif rests on the horns of a cow, a symbol usually associated with the Egyptian goddess Hathor. On these earrings the horns form a pattern beneath the plumes, and a garnet is placed in the crown. Jewellery with Egyptianized details, such as these earrings, is found throughout the Hellenistic world and was not exclusively manufactured in Egypt where these earrings were made. GR, 1906.4-11.1 (Jewellery 2331)
#03010222

Pair of disc and amphora earrings, Hellenistic (Ptolemaic), c200 BC. Earrings wi...

Rag doll, Roman, made in Egypt, 1st-5th century. This doll is fairly well-proportioned, and has a head and a body. The arms are made from a long roll of linen attached at the back. The doll is made of coarse linen and is stuffed with rags and pieces of papyrus. Coloured wool, now faded, was applied to parts of the face and body. The sex of the doll is unclear, although the presence of a small blue glass bead attached to the proper left side of the head suggests a hair ornament and therefore that it is probably intended to be female. As well as dolls, children had a wide range of toys and playthings, such as toy animals, soldiers, doll's houses with miniature furniture, spinning tops, hoops and marbles. In the ancient world dolls were usually made of rags, wood, bone or fired clay, and ranged from simple home-made playthings such as this example to miniature works of art, with finely worked features and jointed bodies. GR, 1905.10-21.13
#03010223

Rag doll, Roman, made in Egypt, 1st-5th century. This doll is fairly well-propor...

Scene in the swamps of the Nile river Around 1450-1400 BCE (in the middle of the 18th dynasty) Thebes, tomb of Neferhetep paint on mud, 43 x 74,50cm E 13101
#03010224

Scene in the swamps of the Nile river Around 1450-1400 BCE (in the middle of th...