#egyptian antiquity

[thehereticpharaoh]

Arguably one of the most famous Ancient Egyptian deities recognized in the modern world, Anubis (jnpw), known to the Egyptians as Anpu, is an icon of the ancient world. From books to movies, his likeness still remains a favourite, and he is recognized worldwide, often springing to mind when Ancient Egypt is mentioned in entertainment or even in passing conversation.

Even those least knowledgeable on Ancient Egyptian history are aware of his image; the famous black jackal headed man or full-bodied jackal laying proudly like a sphinx has been etched in the human psyche, and he remains a symbol of Egypt past and present.

Since the earliest days of Ancient Egypt, Anubis was a protector of the dead, guide of the Underworld, protector of graves and the god of embalming.

It is thought that the jackal became associated with death due to their roaming presence around the Pre Dynastic cemeteries and burial sites. It is thought that the idea of the jackal being a protective deity for the dead came from this. It is easy to believe that a roaming pack of wild dogs warning off grave robbers or perhaps delinquent spiritual entities became rather comforting to those mourning their loved ones. However, this is of course impossible to know and is conjecture at best.

Despite Anubis being depicted more often than not with his jackal form, be it full bodied or head alone, there is a rare glimpse of Anubis in human form that appears within the Temple of Ramesses II at Abydos. In this wonderful photograph taken by Manna4u at flickr, you have a wonderful, high quality glimpse at an absolutely rare depiction of the god Anpu/Anubis.

Anubis firmly stands in pop culture as the jackal headed god, yet recent studies have somewhat shaken this idea, as DNA analysis of the Egyptian Jackal, actually proves their species descends from the wolf, and is of the gray wolf family.

[sharksandjays]

I know this isn't ninjago guys but I finished this 17 hour painting for my art class and I was proud of it so...enjoy.

I love Egypt fun fact about me. :) [ID: a detailed, realistic painting of the hathor columns at the dendera temple complex in dendera, egypt. /end ID]

[the-cricket-chirps]

Egyptian

Game of Hounds and Jackals

Middle Kingdom, ca. 1814-1805 B.C.E.

[jstor]

Egyptian cat amulet for your viewing pleasure :3

Image: Cat Amulet. 664–525 B.C. Faience, blue, H. 1.8 × W. 0.7 × D. 1.2 cm (11/16 × 1/4 × 1/2 in.). Cat Amulet [08.202.41c]. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

[mote-historie]

Frank Xavier Leyendecker, Life Magazine cover, The Flapper, 2. February 1922

[memories-of-ancients]

Amethyst figurine of the goddess Taweret, Egypt, 18th Dynasty, 1500-1392 BC

from Phoenix Ancient Art

[blueiscoool]

An Egyptian Bronze Oxyrhynchus Fish Late Period, 26th-30th Dynasty, 664-343 B.C.

[sixteenseveredhands]

2,000-Year-Old Fayum Portraits from Roman Egypt: also known as "mummy portraits," these funerary paintings were often fastened to the coffins of the people they depicted

Above: Fayum portrait of a woman from Roman-occupied Egypt, c.100-110 CE

Fayum portraiture was a popular funerary practice among the upper-class families of Roman Egypt from about 50 CE to 250 CE. Given the high mortality rates for children during this period, many of these portraits depict children and youths, but adults were often featured, too.

Above: portrait of a youth wearing a golden wreath, c.130-150 CE; the wreath and the background of the portrait are both gilded

The population of the Faiyum Delta, where most of these portraits were found, largely contained individuals with both native Egyptian/North African and Greek heritage. The Greek lineages can be traced back to the Ptolemaic period, when the Greeks gained control of Egypt and began to establish settlements throughout the region, gradually leading to a cultural diffusion between the Greek and Egyptian populations. The Romans eventually took control of Egypt in 31 CE, absorbing it into the Roman Empire and colonizing much of North Africa, but the demographics of the Faiyum Delta remained largely unchanged.

Above: portrait of a man with a mole on his nose, c.130-150 CE

Many of these Fayum portraits reflect the same blend of ethnic and cultural roots, depicting individuals with both Greek and native Egyptian heritage (a claim that is supported by both archaeological and genetic evidence). Some portraits may also depict native Egyptians who did not have any European ancestry, but had been integrated into Greco-Roman society.

Above: portrait of a bearded man, c.170-180 CE

These representations of native Egyptians provide us with unique insights into the actual demographics of Roman-occupied Egypt (and the ancient world at large). Non-European peoples are rarely included in depictions of the classical world; it's also interesting to see the blend of cultural elements that these portraits represent.

Above: portrait of a priest of Serapis, c.140-160 CE; the man in this portrait is shown wearing a fillet/crown that bears the seven-pointed star of the Greco-Egyptian god, Serapis

As this article explains:

In the 1800s and early 1900s, Western art historians didn’t know what to make of these portraits. Scholars of Roman history labeled them Egyptian. Scholars of Egyptian history labeled them Greco-Roman. These binary academic classifications failed to capture the true complexity of the ancient (or, indeed, modern) Mediterranean. In reality, Fayum portraits are a syncretic form, merging Egyptian and Greco-Roman art and funerary practices. They reflect the cosmopolitanism of both Roman and Egyptian history.

Above: portrait of a man, c.80-100 CE (left); portrait of a bearded officer, sometimes referred to as "Perseus," c.130-175 CE (right)

Above: portrait of a young woman in red, c.90-120 CE

Nearly 1,000 of these portraits are currently known to exist.

Above: portrait of a man wearing a gilded ivy wreath, c.100-150 CE

Above: portrait of a bearded man, c.150-170 CE

Sources & More Info:

Curationist: Fayum Portraits

Harvard Art Museums: Giving the Dead their Due: an Exhibition Re-Examines Funerary Portraits from Roman Egypt

Getty Museum: APPEAR Project

Getty Museum: Faces of Roman Egypt

National Geographic: Ancient Egypt's Stunning, Lifelike Mummy Portraits

The Athens Centre: The Myth of Whiteness in Classical Sculpture

Forbes: Whitewashing Ancient Statues: Whiteness, Racism and Color in the Ancient World

[samawael1]

[cleopatrastruth]

[useless-denmarkfacts]

Fun fact: Unlike most other ancient pantheons, the Nordic Gods have exactly zero instances of direct familial incest

[thehereticpharaoh]

"The country's ancient rulers are referred to today as "pharaohs," although in ancient times they each used a series of names as part of a royal titular, wrote Ronald Leprohon, a professor emeritus of Egyptology at the University of Toronto, in his book "The Great Name: Ancient Egyptian Royal Titulary" (Society of Biblical Literature, 2013). The word pharaoh originates from the Egyptian term "per-aa," which means "the Great House," Leprohon wrote. The term was first incorporated into a royal title during the rule of Thutmose III (reign circa. 1479 to 1425 B.C.), Leprohon wrote."

[illustratus]

The Age of the Pharaohs by Georges Rochegrosse

[the-cricket-chirps]

Egyptian

Sphinx of Amenhotep IlI, (possibly from a Model of a Temple)

New Kingdom, ca. 1390-1352 B.C.E.

[howamidrivinginlimbo]

Artifacts of Pompeii, in Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli

1. Fresco of Bacchus and Mount Vesuvius. 2. Roman amphora with cupids and Dionysian harvesting. 3. Roman padlock, fibula and other tools. 4. Fresco of Serapis between two cobras, from the Temple of Isis.

[thebaffledcaptain]

Hey. Don't cry. Ancient Egyptian jerboa figurines from ca. 1850 BC, ok?