Old Kingdom – Tales from the Two Lands

Posted on 26th Jan 2024 by Tales from the Two Lands

Statue of Ankh Pepi & His Wife

This is a statue of a man called Pepyankh or Ankh Pepi (or some other spelling variant of those two) and his wife. It dates to the 6th Dynasty, probably during the reign of Pepi II rather than Pepi I, so it’s around four & a half thousand years old.

It comes from Meir, so the day before I saw it in the Mallawi Museum I was quite possibly standing in the tomb it came from! However I’m not entirely sure as there are at least 3 Pepyankhs with tombs at Meir, and the museum label didn’t tell me which one this was.

Whichever Ankh Pepi he was, he was a pretty high ranking official – the rock cut tombs in that part of Meir are all for the Nomarchs (governors) of the local area, and more than one of the Ankh Pepi’s had titles that indicate they were in the central administration as well.

The statue itself indicates his high status – not everyone had access to large bits of stone & craftsmen to make statues of themselves. But you can also tell that Meir is not the centre of the Egyptian cultural universe at this point, the style is a bit on the clumsy side.

Statue of Ankh Pepi & His Wife. From Meir. Old Kingdom, c. 2700-2200 BCE.

The statue is in Mallawi Museum, but I don’t know what the accession number is.

See it on my photo site: https://photos.talesfromthetwolands.org/picture.php?/1881/category/14

Jigsaw Puzzles:
easier: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=20f6df9063f4
harder: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=2fb49444cc5f

Posted on 10th Nov 2023 by Tales from the Two Lands

False Door from the Tomb Of Pepyankh the Younger

This is a false door, which was an architectural feature that was particularly common in Old Kingdom tombs. This example is from the tomb of Pepyankh the Younger at Meir, and he lived during the reign of Pepi II around 4000 years ago.

It’s clearly not a functional door that could be used by living people, hence why Egyptologists call it a false door. But it was functional for a part of the soul of the deceased person – the ka could pass through from the afterlife and into the tomb.

The reason the ka did this was that this was the place in the tomb where food offerings would be placed. It was clear to the Egyptians that nothing was eating the food, instead they believed that the ka (or life force) of the deceased was nourished by the life force of the food.

And in order to ensure that offerings were there in perpetuity the inscriptions on the false door include the Offering Formula, a prayer that details the food, drink and all good things which the deceased would like to be offered to him in his afterlife.

So false doors were part of the pragmatic end of Egyptian afterlife beliefs – ensuring that the deceased was fed for eternity. Which is something that fascinates me, because it’s rather alien to my own cultural context: no-one frets about whether Grandma is eating well in heaven.

False Door from the Tomb Of Pepyankh the Younger. Tomb A2, of Pepyankh son of Niankhpepykem. Old Kingdom, Dynasty 6, reign of Pepi II, c. 2278-2184 BCE.

See it on my photo site: https://photos.talesfromthetwolands.org/picture.php?/1726/category/9

Jigsaw Puzzles:
easier: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=3695e65d0306
harder: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=315c4bff9f62

Posted on 22nd Sep 2023 by Tales from the Two Lands

Catching Birds on the Tomb Chapel of Raemkai

This scene is part of the wall of a tomb chapel constructed around 4,500 years ago in Saqqara, first for a man called Neferiretenes and then reused by a man called Raemkai within a century – the whole chapel has now been moved to the Met Museum (acc. no. 08.201.1).

This bit is from the West Wall which is mostly concerned with offerings for the deceased, and this shows a rather large group of unsuspecting waterfowl who are about to become part of those offerings.

The men catching the birds have set up a large net in a marshy pool, you can see the curved oval and the ropes. They’ve then waited for lots of birds to land in the water and now that the signalman is waving his scarf they will pull the net shut and trap all these birds.

I like all the details in these sorts of scenes – you can see several different sorts of birds in different poses, landing, taking off or just going about their business. There are also several plants shown in the net as well, conjuring up a whole marshland ecosystem.

Catching Birds on the Tomb Chapel of Raemkai. Raemki usurped this tomb chapel from Neferiretenes, but changed none of the scenes. From Saqqara, north of the Step Pyramid. Old Kingdom, Dynasty 5, original reigns of Neferirkare to Niuserre (c.2446-2389 BCE) but usurped before the beginning of reign of Isesi (c.2381 BCE). Acc. No.: 08.201.1

See it on my photo site: https://photos.talesfromthetwolands.org/picture.php?/1375/category/6 and you can see the men pulling the trap shut on the photo to the left of this one in the gallery.

Jigsaw Puzzles:
easier: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=33d3d00342fd
harder: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=2c0f94448a1c

Posted on 25th Aug 2023 by Tales from the Two Lands

Relief from Tomb of Pepyankh the Youngest at Meir

There are both Old Kingdom and Middle Kingdom tombs at Meir, and this photo is from one of the Old Kingdom tombs. It belonged to a man called Pepyankh who was also known as Heny-kem or Heny. He was one of the high officials during the reign of Pepi II in the 6th Dynasty.

I’m not entirely sure what is going on in this relief, but I think it shows several statues of Pepyankh – each figure is on a plinth and is holding a staff and a sekhem sceptre (which looks a little like a cricket bat), symbols of power and high office.

As far as I can see the hieroglyphs in front of each give a title and then the name Heny in a couple of different forms. The titles repeat, for instance you can see the hieroglyphs look the same in the leftmost one of the middle register and the second from the left below.

So I think these are probably a combination of recording Pepyankh’s achievements for eternity, a place for his ka to reside if both his body and his statues were destroyed, and a place to receive offerings for that ka.

Relief from Tomb of Pepyankh the Youngest at Meir. Tomb A2, of Pepyankh son of Niankhpepykem. Old Kingdom, Dynasty 6, reign of Pepi II, c. 2278-2184 BCE.

See it on my photo site: https://photos.talesfromthetwolands.org/picture.php?/1713/category/9

Jigsaw Puzzles:
easier: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=12c311d4605c
harder: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=3a2c5ea89fc8

Posted on 10th Mar 2023 by Tales from the Two Lands

Statue of Idi

This is a statue of man called Idi who lived around 4,200 years ago during the 6th Dynasty at the end of the Old Kingdom period of Egypt’s history. He was definitely a high official (which is no surprise, as limestone statues are a high status item) and may even have been Vizier.

As with a lot of Egyptian artifacts found before the 20th Century it’s not really known for sure where it came from – it was gifted to Commodore Matthew C. Perry by the Egyptians and subsequently Perry’s granddaughter sold it to the Met Museum in the 1930s (acc. no.: 37.2.2).

It may’ve come from Abydos as there’s a Vizier of the right name and time period buried there, but there’s a little bit of circular reasoning here as he’s thought to be a Vizier because of that tomb … however it’s a pretty rare name in the Old Kingdom so it’s plausible.

Statue of Idi. Possibly from Abydos. Old Kingdom, Dynasty 6, c.2200 BCE. Acc. No.: 37.2.2

See it on my photo site: https://photos.talesfromthetwolands.org/picture.php?/1328/category/6

Jigsaw Puzzles:
easier: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=0dc472446e74
harder: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=3d0e6bcccff6

Posted on 14th Oct 2022 by Tales from the Two Lands

Family Group Statue

I don’t actually know very much about this statue. It was in the Cairo Museum but unlabelled when I took the photo in 2016. Judging by the other items around it in the museum, and the way it looks, I’m guessing that it’s an Old Kingdom statue of a family group.

It’s suffered from the depredations of time, there’s an arm missing off both the two chaps where clearly it’s been bashed about at some point, and the paint is chipped and rubbing off. But despite that you can still see that this was once a pretty nice statue.

The three individuals have been represented as prosperous and well off. They’re dressed in fine white linen, carefully pleated for the men’s kilts and a close fitting sheath dress for the woman. They also all wear jewellery and look like they are healthy and well fed.

I particularly like all the detail on the woman’s dress and accessories. The dress, necklaces and bracelet clearly make a cohesive outfit, and I wonder if this was something she would’ve worn in life or an idealised outfit designed for eternity.

As I said, it’s in the Cairo Museum or at least it was in 2016, but I’ve no idea where it came from, when it was made, nor the accession number. If anyone has more information then do let me know! 🙂️

See it on my photo site: https://photos.talesfromthetwolands.org/picture.php?/508/category/4

Jigsaw Puzzles:
easier: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=2a6e469eb7bb
harder: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=0a0ad8957437

Posted on 7th Oct 2022 by Tales from the Two Lands

Inscription of Khaemwaset on the Pyramid of Unas

Ancient Egyptian history didn’t just happen an awfully long time ago, but their civilisation also lasted an almost unimaginable length of time. It’s often noted that Cleopatra is closer to our time than she was to the time of the builders of the pyramids at Giza.

And the Egyptians knew it. They didn’t have tales of giants building the ancient monuments, they didn’t think it was some vanished race of superhumans, they knew that this was their ancestors constructing these buildings in the same way that their own king commissioned his own.

This is one of the ways that we know this – the vaguely pyramid shaped heap of stone on the left of the picture is the pyramid built by Unas, who ruled around 2350 BCE as the last king of the 5th Dynasty during the Old Kingdom.

And the cleaner looking slabs laid up against it are a (reconstructed) inscription commissioned by a man called Khaemwaset (who was one of the many, many sons of Ramesses II) around 1250 BCE during the 19th Dynasty in the New Kingdom.

The inscription talks about how he found that the pyramid was in ruin, so restored it and made sure that Unas’s name was on it once more. This ruined pyramid wasn’t just a heap of rubble to him, but was known to be the tomb of a specific king some 1200 years after it was built.

Inscription of Khaemwaset on the Pyramid of Unas.

See it on my photo site: https://photos.talesfromthetwolands.org/picture.php?/713/category/5

Jigsaw Puzzles:
easier: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=0cea0019c3a5
harder: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=14ff0a1e6e2f

Posted on 23rd Aug 2022 by Tales from the Two Lands

Cast of an Architrave of Khafre

This is a modern cast of an architectural element probably from the court of the Pyramid Temple at Khafre’s pyramid at Giza, which was subsequently re-used in the pyramid of Amenemhat I some 500 years later and was so deeply embedded in that structure that it can’t be removed.

The inscription on it is damaged in an interesting way – someone has carefully chiselled little lines around the outline of most of the hieroglyphs and motifs on the block. But not in such as way as to obscure them, everything is still legible.

The Met Museum’s website has quite a long discussion of the piece in its curatorial interpretation – they think the damage may indicate that it was reused more than once, perhaps originally by Khafre moving it from the building it was originally in.

The reuse by Amenemhat I was probably partly for pragmatic reasons (why quarry another huge piece of stone if you can just re-use an old one), but it also probably had more symbolism than that – it would link Amenemhat I and his tomb to the great old kings of the Old Kingdom.

Cast of an Architrave of Khafre. This is a modern cast of an ancient original. Original was probably for Khafre’s Pyramid Temple and was reused in the entrance corridor of the Pyramid of Amenemhat I. Original from Dynasty 4, c.2520-2494 BCE. Acc. No.: 1999.4.1

This cast is in the Met Museum, acc. no. 1999.4.1 (see: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/551054), and the original is still in Amenemhat I’s pyramid at Lisht.

See it on my photo site: https://photos.talesfromthetwolands.org/picture.php?/1371/category/6

Jigsaw Puzzles:
easier: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=21d79d91289d
harder: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=162cb9def3fb

Posted on 22nd Jul 2022 by Tales from the Two Lands

Vase in the Shape of a Female Monkey and Her Young

This delightful little piece is only 7.5 inches tall and is inscribed with the name of Merenre I who ruled immediately before the better known Pepi II towards the end of the 6th Dynasty. This makes it over 4000 years old, and despite being that old it’s still in pretty good nick!

It’s made of alabaster and shows a mother monkey cuddling her baby. It’s thought to’ve been a vessel which once held oil or unguents, and may’ve been gifted to a woman of the court by the king. The imagery has connotations of the exotic and of fertility.

It also makes me think a bit of the small alabaster statue of Pepi II on his mother’s knee that’s in the Brooklyn Museum now, but I rather think no Ancient Egyptian would make that link!

Vase in the Shape of a Female Monkey and Her Young. Provenance unknown. Old Kingdom, Dynasty 6, reign of Merenre I, c.2255-2246 BCE. Acc. No.: 30.8.134

It’s not clear where it was found but it is now in the Met Museum (acc. no.: 30.8.1340.)

See it on my photo site: https://photos.talesfromthetwolands.org/picture.php?/1333/category/6
See also the statue of Pepi II and his mother: https://photos.talesfromthetwolands.org/picture.php?/282

I’ve talked about Pepi II on the blog before: https://talesfromthetwolands.org/2020/05/11/pepi-ii/

Jigsaw Puzzles:
easier: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=2545e4ca2e19
harder: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=15770af90f36

Posted on 12th Jul 2022 by Tales from the Two Lands

Fragmentary Face of Khafre

There’s something fascinating about damaged and fragmentary statue faces, and I frequently find myself photographing them in museums. They evoke the same feeling as Shelley’s Ozymandias, and I find the look of faded grandeur in the resulting photos compelling.

This face depicts Khafre, the fourth king of the 4th Dynasty and builder of the second biggest pyramid at Giza (put on a higher foundation than Khufu’s so that it would look bigger!). It was probably found in his pyramid complex (it’s now in the Met Museum, acc. no.: 26.7.1392),

It’s made of Egyptian alabaster (aka travertine, aka calcite). I particularly like the juxtaposition between the smooth, almost soft-looking, finished surfaces and the rough stone where it has broken apart. It must’ve been beautiful when originally made.