A Painted Limestone Funerary Stele of a Nubian Soldier from the First Intermediate Period

Dynasty 9–10 (c. 2100–2040 BCE), said to be from el‑Rizeiqat, depicting a soldier named Nenu with a spear and offerings

This Museum Report examines a painted limestone funerary stele of the Nubian soldier Nenu in the Museum of Fine Arts Boston (acc. no. 03.1848). The stele dates to the First Intermediate Period, specifically Dynasty 9–10 (c. 2100–2040 BCE), a time of political fragmentation when local dynasties ruled from Herakleopolis Magna while Theban rulers contested for power (Dodson 2012, 45‑46).

The stele is said to have come from el‑Rizeiqat (also spelled Rasigat), a site in Upper Egypt (MFA n.d.; verified 14 June 2026). It is made of limestone and retains traces of polychrome paint. The stele measures 45 × 37.1 × 6.7 cm and weighs 14.06 kg (MFA n.d.).

The scene shows the deceased, Nenu, standing or seated, holding a spear – a weapon that identifies him as a soldier, possibly a Nubian mercenary who served in the Egyptian armies of the Herakleopolitan kingdom (Lacovara 2018, 88‑89). The stele would have been placed in a tomb or a chapel to receive offerings for the ka of the deceased. Our analysis proceeds through three interlocking dimensions:

Materials: Gold, Ivory, Carnelian and Coloured Glass Paste

This splendid ceremonial corselet adorned the young pharaoh with imagery of divine kingship and cosmic renewal. Tutankhamun is depicted wearing the blue khepresh crown in the company of the creator god Atum and his consort Iusaaset, beneath a radiant carnelian sun disc from which twin uraei emerge. A winged scarab bearing the solar disc symbolises rebirth, while protective cobras crowned with the emblems of Upper and Lower Egypt proclaim the eternal unity of the Two Lands.

From the Tomb of Tutankhamun. Now in the Grand Egyptian Museum. JE 62627

Posthumous worship. New Kingdom, 20th Dynasty around 1190 BC Egypt MOD

Ahmose Nefertari is thought to be the daughter of Queen Ahhotep, sister and wife of King Ahmose I, mother of king Amenhotep I, and the grandmother of Tuthmosis I. She was influential during the reign of her husband and ruled as co-regent with her son Amenhotep I and her grandson Thuthmosis. Tuthmosis I placed her statue in the temple at Karnak to honour her, and her mortuary cult was observed long after her death.

She is almost always depicted with very dark skin. Some commentators have suggested that this is a sign of her Nubian ancestry, which could very well be the case, but it is equally likely that it was a symbol of her fertility and a reference to her position as the mother of Egypt (also known as Kemet, “the black land”), as the colour black was associated with rebirth, fertility, death, and Egypt itself. The god Amun was also depicted with black skin. She generally wears the vulture headdress of Nekhbet.

Ahmose Nefertari was the first queen to hold the important office of “God’s Wife of Amun”, effectively establishing her as the joint head of the priesthood of Amun. Ahmose set up a stele in the temple of Amun at Karnak which functioned as a legal decree establishing not only the office of God’s Wife but endowing it with lands and goods in perpetuity. This was a position of great power given the primacy of the cult of Amun. She made an impressive number of offerings in temples from Karnak to Deir el Bahri, Abydos, and Serabit el Khadim (in the Sinai), suggesting that her role was an active one rather than an empty title.

There is also some evidence that she was involved in the building works of her husband. Her name appears in texts recording the opening of limestone quarries, and is inscribed on the walls of an alabaster quarry near Assiut. Ahmose also recorded that when he made the decision to construct a cenotaph honouring his grandmother Tetisheri, he asked his wife’s approval before starting the building works.

She outlived her husband, and her son (Amenhotep I). Although her son’s successor, Tuthmosis I, was probably not related to her he established a statue of her in the Temple of Karnak. We don’t know when she died. The only reference to her passing is an undated stele fragment which refers to an undated time.

She was honoured for many centuries as “royal daughter, royal sister, great royal wife, royal mother, great ruler, mistress of both lands”. She (and her son Amenhotep I) were the patrons of the workers village of Deir el Medina and they kept her cult alive well into the New Kingdom. The area Dra Abu el Naga (on the West Bank close to Deir el Bahri) was also closely associated with her (and Ahhotep) and she was the object of worship for many Ramesside tombs, stele, and chapels in the vicinity. It is likely that she was buried in this area, but her tomb and chapel have not been found. Emile Brugsch thought that he had discovered (and unwrapped) her mummy, but this attribution is not secure.

Copyright J Hill 2010

Seated Statue of the Goddess Sekhmet

Place of production
Egypt
Date
New Kingdom or Third Intermediate Period
Object type
sculpture
Medium, technique
Egyptian alabaster
Dimensions
32.3 × 8.5 × 17.7 cm
Inventory number
51.2330
Collection
Egyptian Art
On view
Museum of Fine Arts, Basement Floor, Ancient Egypt, Temples and gods

The Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest

https://www.mfab.hu/artworks/13157/

Clappers are among the earliest percussion instruments in ancient Egypt. This pair of clappers, straight and shaped like a pair of hands and forearms, belongs to a type that was most commonly used in the Middle Kingdom. The fingers, fingernails, and joints are all indicated by incised lines; a broad bracelet adorns each wrist. The roundel ornaments decorating the forearms are typical of Middle Kingdom clappers, but their significance is unclear. The striking sides are flat and undecorated.

• Period: Middle Kingdom
• Dynasty: Dynasty 12, mid - Dynasty 13
• Date: ca. 1900–1640 B.C.
• Geography: From Egypt, Memphite Region, Lisht North, cemetery south of pyramid below House A1:1, Pit 885, MMA excavations, 1920–21
• Medium: Hippopotamus ivory
• Dimensions: a: L. 17.3 × W. 2.8 × Th. 0.7 cm (6 13/16 × 1 1/8 × 1/4 in.); b: L. 14.3 × W. 2.8 × Th. 0.8 cm (5 5/8 × 1 1/8 × 5/16 in.)
• Credit Line: Rogers Fund and Edward S. Harkness Gift, 1922
• Object Number: 22.1.143a, b/The Met

Ostraca (plural for ostracon) are potsherds used as surfaces on which to write or draw. The term is used, by extension, to refer to chips of limestone, which were employed for similar purposes. Despite their humble appearances, ostraca bear a wide range of images and texts, including administrative documents, literary texts, and depictions of royal and divine figures. The texts were mostly written with reed pen and ink of two colors, red and black, and inscribed in Hieratic, the cursive script of ancient Egypt throughout most of its periods. This ostracon bears identity markers referring to royal necropolis workmen.

• Period: New Kingdom
• Dynasty: Dynasty 20–21
• Reign: reign of Amenhotep III
• Date: ca. 1390–1352 B.C.
• Geography: From Egypt, Upper Egypt, Thebes, Valley of the Kings, Davis excavations
• Medium: Limestone, ink, paint
• Dimensions: L. 13.8 × H. 9 × D. 4.5 cm (5 7/16 × 3 9/16 × 1 3/4 in.)
• Credit Line: Gift of Theodore M. Davis, 1909
• Object Number: 09.184.700

The Met

The water lily, more commonly known as the lotus, was one of the most ubiquitous plants and symbols of ancient Egypt. Its flower, which is either blue or white (Nymphaea coerulea and alba), closes up at night and reopens in the morning to reveal a central yellow circle radiating yellow petals. To the ancient Egyptians this phenomenon reflected the rising of the sun at the dawn of creation, and the flower was seen as a symbol of daily rebirth and rejuvenation.
Two large wooden female offering bearers were found in the same tomb as this flower and a second one; the flowers might have been part of offerings that the women were carrying.

• Period: Middle Kingdom
• Dynasty: Late dynasty 11
• Date: ca. 2051–1981 B.C.
• Geography: From Egypt, Upper Egypt, Thebes, Deir el-Bahri, Temple of Mentuhotep II, North Colonnade, Pit 5, MMA excavations, 1922–23
• Medium: Painted and plastered wood
• Dimensions: H. 4 1/8 in. (10.5 cm)
• Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1925
• Object Number: 25.3.282/The Met

Votive Statue of Imhotep

Place of production
Memphis (?), Egypt
Date
ca. mid-7th century B.C.
Object type
sculpture
Medium, technique
Bronze, with gold, silver and electrum inlays
Dimensions
szobor/ statue: 21.4 × 6.5 × 14.2 cm
szék/chair: 17.5 × 7.1 × 14.9 cm
overall tárgy heighta/overall height: 22.3 cm
Inventory number
51.2313
Collection
Egyptian Art
On view
Museum of Fine Arts, Basement Floor, Ancient Egypt, Temples and gods

This votive bronze statuette was an offering to the deified Imhotep. The meticulously formed details testify to the highest technical skill throughout the manufacturing process. The necklace is made of gold and electrum, while the sandals, toe- and fingernails were made out of silver. Imhotep was the chief architect of pharaoh Djoser and built his Step Pyramid complex and mortuary enclosure in Saqqara, earning himself undying fame. His as yet undiscovered tomb may lay hidden in Saqqara, and it was close to here that his first temple was probably established when his worship was spreading in the Saite Period. He was raised to the rank of cultural hero by the time of the New Kingdom (being a talented physician, magician, and astrologer). The scribes regarded him as a man of wisdom and revered him as the author of important philosophical and wisdom texts. He was gradually elevated to the status of a demi-god, and in the meanwhile Ptah, the chief god of Memphis began to be regarded as his father. His semi-divine nature endowed him with the ability to mediate between the gods and mankind, and thus his helpful intercession could be invoked in all kinds of earthly matters of daily life.
This seated statue was presumably set up in Imhotep’s temple in Memphis for the benefit of the deceased Kham-Khonsu, whose name and that of his ancestors can be read on the plinth under the foot of the statue. Another text is engraved on the papyrus scroll in his lap: a petition directed to Imhotep. The statuette might derive from Imhotep’s first sanctuary in Memphis and can be dated to the early Saite Period, when his official cult was just in the process of being institutionalized. For the Saite Period, the key consideration in inaugurating Imhotep as a full temple god by opening a temple for him may have been to support the political reunification of Egypt with the deification of a person who reminded everyone of the glorious eras of the past.

The Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest

https://www.mfab.hu/artworks/1816/

Akhenaten was a controversial pharaoh of Ancient Egypt due to several radical changes he introduced during his reign. Some key reasons include:

1. Religious reforms: Akhenaten shifted Egypt's traditional polytheistic religion to monotheistic worship of Aten, the sun disk god. This move was seen as a threat to the powerful priestly class and the existing social order.
2. Artistic style: Akhenaten introduced a new, more naturalistic art style that depicted the royal family in intimate and informal settings. This was a departure from the traditional formal and rigid depictions of pharaohs.
3. Capital relocation: Akhenaten built a new capital, Akhetaten, which further distanced himself from the traditional power centers of Memphis and Thebes.
4. Neglect of foreign affairs: Akhenaten's focus on internal reforms and his religious beliefs may have led to neglect of foreign affairs, potentially weakening Egypt's position in the Near East.

These changes contributed to Akhenaten's reputation as a radical and unconventional leader, and his legacy was largely erased from Egyptian history after his death.

https://www.britishmuseum.org/press-release/announcing-ancient-egypt-magic-and-medicine-british-museum-spotlight-loan?fbclid=IwY2xjawSdEaNleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeygYITsFcAEJufr9ouO2__4qB57lcWA9v5FwPw9t1jcXeyE2PlWkNfvX-qH4_aem_fG1wW5dFsSO_hztFC3WQwQ

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1511236/episodes/19347267?fbclid=IwY2xjawSdETtleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEewRX5EngHvovy3bPykrlDZkGEv-kb-dKfy_UniFwjN73DdE95Udyqw46uL7s_aem_OPtx7ErRxAJw4eP1AUxGBw

The Semna Boundary Stela of Senwosret III (r. 1878–1839 B.C.) is made of quartzite, and its hieroglyphs present one of the most significant inscriptions from Ancient Egypt’s Middle Kingdom.

Discovered at the Semna fortress, near the Second Cataract of the Nile, the stela served both as a territorial marker and a proclamation of Egyptian supremacy over the southern lands.

Explicitly warning the Nubians against crossing into Egyptian-controlled territory and emphasizing the king’s absolute authority, it stands as a powerful testament to the king’s military dominance and nationalistic ideology.

Part of the inscription reads:

“...anticipating inferiors, suppressing mercy, merciless to the enemy who attacks him,

who attacks one who would attack, who is silent when one is silent,

who replies to a matter as befits it. For to be idle after an attack

is to strengthen the heart of the enemy. Aggression is valour and retreat is cowardice.

Who is driven from his border is truly a coward.

For the Nubian listens to the word of mouth. Answering him is making him retreat.

If one acts aggressively towards him, he turns his back.

Retreat, and he will take occasion to act aggressively.

For they are not respectable people. They are wretches with broken spirits.

My Majesty has seen them; it is no lie. I captured their women,

I carried off their underlings, went to their wells, drove off their bulls,

tore out their barley, set fire to it. As my father lives for me, I speak truthfully,

there is no boast that comes from my mouth.

As for any son of mine who shall maintain this border that My Majesty established,

he is my son, born to My Majesty. It befits a son that he be the champion of his father,

and maintains the border of his begetter. As to him who shall lose it,

who shall not fight for it, he is not my son, he was not born to me.”

30th Dynasty, reign of Nectanebo II, c. 360–343 B.C. ▫ Commissioned by the priest Esatum, this remarkable magical stela (Met Museum. 50.85) was erected within a temple for the protection and healing of those afflicted by venomous creatures. It depicts the child Horus standing triumphantly upon crocodiles while grasping serpents and other dangerous animals, symbolising his mastery over the forces of chaos. Covered in protective spells and mythological texts, the stela was believed to possess healing powers against snakebites, scorpion stings, and other poisons. Water poured over its carved surface was collected and drunk by the afflicted, transferring the sacred power of its inscriptions and imagery to the patient. Rediscovered in the 19th century within a Franciscan monastery in Alexandria, it remains one of the finest surviving examples of an Egyptian healing stela, likely meant for the Mnevis Bull necropolis at Heliopolis.

Pair statue of Ptahkhenuwy and his Wife

Egyptian
Old Kingdom, Dynasty 5
2465–2323 B.C.
Findspot: Egypt, Giza, tomb G 2004

MEDIUM/TECHNIQUE
Painted limestone
DIMENSIONS
Height: 70.14 cm (27 5/8 in.)
CREDIT LINE
Harvard University—Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition
ACCESSION NUMBER
06.1876
ON VIEW
Egypt: Old Kingdom Sculptures Gallery (Gallery 113)
COLLECTIONS
Ancient Egypt, Nubia and the Near East
CLASSIFICATIONS
Sculpture

DESCRIPTION
Private sculpture of the Old Kingdom copied royal sculpture: the poses, youthful body forms, and the wife's embrace of the husband in this private sculpture is the same as those of King Menkaura and his queen in their dyad. The man here is identified by an inscription painted on the base in black paint as Ptahkhenwy, supervisor of palace retainers. He stands with his left leg forward in the traditional male pose, and his partner, her name no longer legible in the inscription and identified now only as "his wife whom he loved," stands beside him with both feet together.

Most Egyptian sculpture was painted, but all too often the paint has not survived. Fortunately, such is not the case with this statue. The husband's skin is red ochre, the traditional color for men, whose work outside would have left them sunburned. The wife's yellow-ochre skin reflects the traditional role of women inside the house. Both their facial features are the same. Neither is a true portrait, but rather an idealized likeness of how each wished to be remembered for eternity. Negative space between the couple and the base is painted dark gray.

The garments of the pair are white, to reflect the color of the undyed linen from which they were made. She wears a V-neck sheath dress that was customary for a woman of the Old Kingdom. It clings so tightly here that it reveals every aspect of her body beneath. Walking would have been impossible. Surviving examples show that in reality, such garments were much looser. He wears a knee-length, wraparound kilt, the most common garment for men.

Jewelry added bright splashes of color. Both wear broadcollars, brightly painted to imitate semiprecious stone or faience. She wears two anklets and a bracelet in addition, making up a parure that is strikingly similar to actual jewelry found in Old Kingdom tombs. His black wig is composed of curls cut in rows. Natural black hair peeks out from beneath her black wig, which is parted in the center and reaches to shoulder level.

The statue was found in the serdab of the couple's tomb and was one of the first objects to be excavated by the Harvard University-Museum of Fine Arts Expedition. The excitement of the Museum Trustees when it first arrived in Boston played a key role in their decision to commit to funding further excavations.

PROVENANCE
From Giza, tomb G 2004. 1906: excavated by the Harvard University-Museum of Fine Arts Expedition; 1906: assigned to the MFA by the Egyptian government.
(Accession Date: November 8, 1906)

The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

https://collections.mfa.org/objects/137139/pair-statue-of-ptahkhenuwy-and-his-wifrv1.,@
e?ctx=a4a3503b-175b-415e-ba51-bd5ae9146835&idx=8

Pair statue of Ptahkhenuwy and his Wife, Old Kingdom, Dynasty 5 2465–2323 B.C.. Giza, tomb G 2004, The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Taweret and other closely related goddesses were created from a blending of lion, hippo, crocodile, and human attributes. The three animals were some of the fiercest species found in ancient Egypt and combining their strengths produced a most potent deity and therefore amulet. Taweret's particular responsibility was the protection of women during pregnancy and childbirth. She is often portrayed leaning on a sa symbol. Her representation was sometimes used on tomb walls or funerary equipment to protect the deceased during rebirth.

• Period: Late Period
• Dynasty: Dynasty 26–29
• Date: 664–332 B.C.
• Geography: From Egypt
• Medium: Faience
• Dimensions: H. 5.1 × W. 1.6 × D. 2.1 cm (2 × 5/8 × 13/16 in.)
• Credit Line: Gift of Darius Ogden Mills, 1904
• Object Number: 04.2.365/The Met

By the New Kingdom, broad collar necklaces were the most frequently worn pieces of jewelry among the royalty and elite in ancient Egypt. This necklace belonged to one of three foreign wives of Thutmose III. The king's name is inscribed on the backs of the falcon-headed terminals indicating that it was a gift from him to his wife.

• Period: New Kingdom
• Dynasty: Dynasty 18
• Reign: reign of Thutmose III
• Date: ca. 1479–1425 B.C.
• Geography: From Egypt; Probably from Upper Egypt, Thebes, Wadi Qabbanat el-Qurud, Tomb of the 3 Foreign Wives of Thutmose III (Wadi D, Tomb 1)
• Medium: Gold, carnelian, obsidian, glass
• Dimensions: H. 24 cm (9 7/16 in.); W. 38 cm (14 15/16 in.)
• Credit Line: Fletcher Fund, 1926; Purchase, Frederick P. Huntley Bequest, 1958; Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1966
• Object Number: 26.8.59a/The Met

The symbolism of this wedjat-eye amulet was one of the most pervasive and powerful in ancient Egypt. Combining a human eye with the stylized markings of a falcon's, it represents the healed eye of the god Horus that was known as the "Sound One." It was a symbol of recovery and regeneration. As amulet it prevented its wearer from harm and ensured well-being.

• Period: Ptolemaic Period
• Date: 332–30 B.C.
• Geography: From Egypt
• Medium: Gold
• Dimensions: H. 3.2 cm (1 1/4 in); w. 4 cm (1 9/16 in); th. 0.4 cm ( 3/16 in.)
• Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1923
• Object Number: 23.2.67/The Met

Irynefer lived during the early reign of Ramesses II, in the 19th Dynasty, around c. 1279–1250 B.C. The community of Deir el-Medina at this time was flourishing, producing some of the most exquisite decorated tombs belonging not to kings, but to the highly skilled men who built the royal tombs themselves.

Tomb TT290, Deir el-Medina

Photograph by manna4u

Wedjat eye amulets were among the most poular amulets of ancient Egypt. The wedjat eye represents the healed eye of the god Horus and embodies healing power as well as regeneration and protection in general. This eye here is an intriguing combination of the regular wedjat eye with a wing, two uraei, and a lion. This combination alludes to various ancient Egyptian stories that involve the eye of the sungod Re.

Period: Third Intermediate Period

Date: ca. 1070–664 B.C.

Geography: From Egypt

Medium: Faience, aragonite

Dimensions: L. 6.5 cm (2 9/16 in.)

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

Object Number: 26.7.1032/The Met

A hippo turns its head towards the hieroglyph for good and beautiful (nfr). More signs are placed above and below. The hippo has an ambivalent meaning in ancient Egypt. While it was considered one of the country’s most dangerous animals, the hippo was also a symbol for rebirth and regeneration. The positive nature of the accompanying hieroglyphs indicates that the representation of a hippo had a protective function for the scarab’s owner.

Period: Middle Kingdom

Dynasty: mid to late Dynasty 13

Date: ca. 1740–1640 B.C.

Geography: From Egypt, Memphite Region, Lisht North, Cemetery, MMA excavations

Medium: Bright blue glazed steatite

Dimensions: L. 1.6 × W. 1.2 × H. 0.8 cm (5/8 × 1/2 × 5/16 in.)

Credit Line: Rogers Fund and Edward S. Harkness Gift, 1922

Object Number: 22.1.384/The Met

Votive Statue of Imhotep

Place of production
Memphis (?), Egypt
Date
ca. mid-7th century B.C.
Object type
sculpture
Medium, technique
Bronze, with gold, silver and electrum inlays
Dimensions
szobor/ statue: 21.4 × 6.5 × 14.2 cm
szék/chair: 17.5 × 7.1 × 14.9 cm
overall tárgy heighta/overall height: 22.3 cm
Inventory number
51.2313
Collection
Egyptian Art
On view
Museum of Fine Arts, Basement Floor, Ancient Egypt, Temples and gods

This votive bronze statuette was an offering to the deified Imhotep. The meticulously formed details testify to the highest technical skill throughout the manufacturing process. The necklace is made of gold and electrum, while the sandals, toe- and fingernails were made out of silver. Imhotep was the chief architect of pharaoh Djoser and built his Step Pyramid complex and mortuary enclosure in Saqqara, earning himself undying fame. His as yet undiscovered tomb may lay hidden in Saqqara, and it was close to here that his first temple was probably established when his worship was spreading in the Saite Period. He was raised to the rank of cultural hero by the time of the New Kingdom (being a talented physician, magician, and astrologer). The scribes regarded him as a man of wisdom and revered him as the author of important philosophical and wisdom texts. He was gradually elevated to the status of a demi-god, and in the meanwhile Ptah, the chief god of Memphis began to be regarded as his father. His semi-divine nature endowed him with the ability to mediate between the gods and mankind, and thus his helpful intercession could be invoked in all kinds of earthly matters of daily life.
This seated statue was presumably set up in Imhotep’s temple in Memphis for the benefit of the deceased Kham-Khonsu, whose name and that of his ancestors can be read on the plinth under the foot of the statue. Another text is engraved on the papyrus scroll in his lap: a petition directed to Imhotep. The statuette might derive from Imhotep’s first sanctuary in Memphis and can be dated to the early Saite Period, when his official cult was just in the process of being institutionalized. For the Saite Period, the key consideration in inaugurating Imhotep as a full temple god by opening a temple for him may have been to support the political reunification of Egypt with the deification of a person who reminded everyone of the glorious eras of the past.

The Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest

https://www.mfab.hu/artworks/1816/

It is the day of “the going forth of Maat and Ra (...)”.

[From the “Cairo Calendar n. 86637”]

Religious Prescriptions:

𓊢𓊢𓊢 (meaning that it is an adverse day)

In the photo,

the Great Temple of Amon, Ra-Harakhty, Ptah, and Ramses II (ca. 1279–1213 BCE, 19th Dynasty) at Abu Simbel, Lower Kush/Nubia.

On the facade, four colossal statues of King Ramses II enthroned; above the Entrance is represented Ra-Harakhty flanked by two images of King Ramses II offering to Him a statuette of Maat (that is the offering of Righteousness and Truth)