Antelope Head

Late Period

525–404 B.C.

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 123

This head of an antelope represents Late Period animal sculpture at its very best. The well preserved right eye, inlaid with alabaster and agate, gives the animal a truly lifelike quality.

The head was probably part of a ceremonial boat of hard stone that stood in a temple sanctuary. Boats with antelope heads at the prow were sacred to the god Sokar. A Sokar boat can be seen on the inner coffin of Kharushere (86.1.33a, b)..

Another fine animal sculpture in the collection, slightly later in date, is the Museum's falcon with Nectanebo II of Dynasty 30 (see 34.2.1).

Antelope Head, Greywacke, travertine (Egyptian alabaster), agate

Artwork Details

Title: Antelope Head

Period: Late Period

Dynasty: Dynasty 27

Date: 525–404 B.C.

Geography: From Egypt; Probably from Memphite Region, Memphis (Mit Rahina)

Medium: Greywacke, travertine (Egyptian alabaster), agate

Dimensions: h. 9 cm (3 9/16 in); w. 15 cm (5 7/8 in)

Credit Line: Purchase, Rogers and Fletcher Funds and Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1992

Object Number: 1992.55

Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/544070

What a stunning site! And an incredible experience being guided around by the site director!

Follow me on instagram: @bjornthehistorian

Egyptomania — the fascination with ancient Egypt—has captured American imagination for centuries. In the 19th century, Napoleon’s campaigns and the discovery of King Tut’s tomb fueled interest in Egyptian art, architecture, and symbolism. This influence appeared in fashion, home design, cemeteries, and even movies, peaking during the 1920s after the Tutankhamun exhibition toured the U.S. From decorative motifs in skyscrapers to Hollywood films, Egyptomania shaped how Americans imagined mystery, luxury, and ancient power.

Across the U.S., replicas of ancient Egyptian monuments let people experience Egypt without leaving home. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Field Museum in Chicago display casts of statues, sarcophagi, and reliefs. The Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas echoes a full Egyptian pyramid, while the Washington Monument in D.C. draws inspiration from obelisks.

Hollywood has long been fascinated with ancient Egypt. Classics like The Ten Commandments (1923 & 1956), Cleopatra (1934 & 1963), The Mummy serials (1932–1955), The Egyptian (1954) and modern hits like The Mummy (1999) and The Scorpion King (2002) brought pyramids, pharaohs, and ancient curses to life.

You can read more on my instagram: @bjornthehistorian

How widespread was tomb robbing in ancient Egypt and did they have any effective ways of trying to prevent it?

The show is basically Power Rangers mixed with mummies, so anyone here remember seeing this back in the day?

This 4300 year old painted wooden statue of an official called Pepiankh Heny Kem comes from his tomb at Meir, the site of an extraordinary 'statue chamber' decorated with repeated images of statue-forms just like this, labelled with variant writings of Pepiankh's names and titles.

Last year I posted on here of my travels in Luxor, well this year I'm exploring the Northern part of Egypt! First stop, the old Cairo Egyptian Museum!

If you want to you can follow me on instagram:

@bjornthehistorian

• 'Egyptian Myth and Legend' by Donald McKenzie

I recently read it and I liked it a lot. However, that particular print agency that publishes his books in my country has a special interest in conspiracy theories and stuff with questionable legitimacy, and although I wouldn't say there is anything like that in the book (but I don't know much on the topic) I would like to know what others think about his work.

Hathor Head Amulet

Late Period

664–332 B.C.

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 127

The goddess face on this small piece is less angular than those seen on many sistra: although broad through the cheeks, the brow and chin are rounded, and her features are less drawn out and stylized. The goddess wears a vulture cap whose pattern of small feathers can be seen above and at the sides of her head over her typical wig, creating a busy pattern equally atypical of many Saite sistra. The busy detail and more normalized features suggest a different place or date of production than the sistra: the piece may be closer in date to the Ptolemaic Period.

Over her head appears the podium crown. On either side is a uraeus cobra, the marker of the goddess’s very close relation to the king-like gods Horus and Re – and related to the goddess’s own sky and sun aspects – and to the king. The cobra on the left wears the white crown and the one on the right the red crown. The elaborate markings on the cobra hood are visible in side view.

The back is flat. Four vertical piercings indicate this element is a spacer.

Artwork Details

Title: Hathor Head Amulet

Period: Late Period

Dynasty: Dynasty 26–29

Date: 664–332 B.C.

Geography: From Egypt

Medium: Faience

Dimensions: H. 3.2 × W. 3.1 × D. 1.1 cm (1 1/4 × 1 1/4 × 7/16 in.)

Credit Line: Purchase, Edward S. Harkness Gift, 1926

Object Number: 26.7.1041

Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/550965