Egyptian

Coffins in Egyptian times were highly decorated with inscriptions and representations of gods, like Anubis, who would protect the dead person on the journey to the next world. The body would be mummified before it was placed into the wooden coffin, as it...

Pharaohs and wealthy Egyptians were buried in ornamental coffins in decorated tombs with valuable objects such as statues and models of the Egyptian gods and animals. These included the cat god Bast and the scarab beetle god Khepri. Scrolls, called...

The Egyptians shared their environment with many different beasts, birds, fish and reptiles. These animals would appear on many objects including sculptures, jewellery and hieroglyphics. These animals were thought of as part of the ‘world...

The cat was sacred to the Egyptian goddess of love, fertility and joy, Bast or Bastet. These cats were characteristically upright yet at rest, confident of their power and beauty. The worship of Bast dates from at least 4000BC, reaching its height around...

This stunning miniature is based on the sculpture found in King Tutankhamen’s tomb. Originally thought to be based on the jackals that roamed cemeteries at night, Anubis was the god of embalming rituals and adopted a human form with a dog’s...

A cartouche was an oblong enclosure with a horizontal line at one end, indicating that the text enclosed within it was a royal name. Cleopatra VII (b. 69 BC) was the last effective pharaoh of Egypt's Ptolemaic dynasty. She reigned from 51 BC - 30 BC...

The Egyptians shared their environment with many different beasts, birds, fish and reptiles. These animals would appear on many objects including sculptures, jewellery and hieroglyphics. These animals were thought of as part of the ‘world...