The Stephen Chan Library of Fine Arts NEW YORK UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES A private university in the public service INSTITUTE OF FINE ARTS BRITISH MUSEUM. A GUIDE TO THE Third and Fourth Egyptian Rooms. Predynastic Antiquities, Mummied Birds and Animals, Portrait Statues, Figures of Gods, Tools, Implements and Weapons, Scarabs, Amulets, Jewellery, and other Objects connected with the Funeral Rites of the Ancient Egyptians. WITH 8 PLATES AND 131 ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE TEXT. PRINTED BY ORDER OF THE TRUSTEES. 1904. PRICE ONE SHILLING AND SIXPENCE. \_All rights reserved.'] A GUIDE TO THE THIRD AND FOURTH EGYPTIAN ROOMS. BRITISH MUSEUM. r'l^w A GUIDE TO THE Third and Fourth Egyptian Rooms. Predynastic Antiquities, Mummied Birds and Animals, Portrait Statues, Figures of Gods, Tools, Implements and Weapons, Scarabs, Amulets, Jewellery, and other Objects connected with the Funeral Rites of the Ancient Egyptians. WITH 8 PLATES AND 131 ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE TEXT. PRINTED BY ORDER OF THE TRUSTEES. 1904. [All rights reserved.} INSTITUTF NEW YORK UNIVERSITY" DT ^1 lW> HARRISON AND SONS, PRINTERS IN ORDINARY TO HIS MAJESTY, ST. MARTIN'S I.ANE, LONDON. This Guide contains a description of the pre- dynastic and archaic antiquities, portrait statues, and figures of the gods, tools, implements and weapons, scarabs, amulets, jewellery, porcelain objects of all kinds, furniture, and other miscel- laneous objects connected with the Funeral Rites of the Ancient Egyptians, dating from B.C. 4500 to a.d. 250. With the view of making the important and comprehensive collection of scarabs exhibited in the Fourth Egyptian Room more useful to collectors, for purposes of comparison and verification, the cartouches containing the names and prenomens of all the principal kings who are commemorated on scarabs have been given in hieroglyphic type, together with transliterations into English letters. The visitor should note that the descriptions are numbered according to the numbers painted in red on the top left-hand corners of the labels and plinths. In the preparation of this Guide I have been helped by Mr. H. R. Hall, M.A., Assistant in the Department. E. A. WALLIS BUDGE. Department of Egyptian and Assyrian Antiquities, British Museum, Junz u, 1904. A 2 LIST OF PLATES AND ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE TEXT. I.—PLATES. i. Coffin and mummy of the Christian period, about a.d. 400 ........ 3 2. Fowling scene . 37 3. Inspection and counting of cattle .... 38 4. Inspection and counting of geese .... 38 5. Egyptian toys ........ 180 6. Diorite, breccia, and granite vases of the archaic period 244 7. Alabaster vases inscribed with royal names . 248 8. A group of vessels in polished red ware . 252 II.— ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE TEXT. Axe-head of Amen-hetep II. 6 Axe-head of Karnes 6 Flint dagger in its original wooden handle 7 Embroidered Coptic stole fragment . 24 »» >j »» • 25 Bronze kneeling figure of a king 3° Egyptian wig and wig-box 35 VII! ILLUSTRATIONS IN Till. TI-.XT. PAGE S. Iron sickle 4' 9- Wooden mallet 45 10. Miscellaneous flint weapons and implements 5« 1 1. Mummy of an Apis bull . 61 12. Mummied cats 63 *3- Bronze mummied hawk case OS 14. Ivory pillow of Kua-tep . 7' IS- Wooden pillow inlaid with ivory 72 16. Wooden stele of Nesui 84 i7- Funeral boat . 89 18. Limestone figure of Nefer-hi 90 19. Statue of Ptah-em-sa-f-senb-tefi 92 20. Statues of Mera 93 21. Limestone head of an official 95 22. Statue of Teta-khart 96 23- Limestone kneeling figure of a priest with a stel 97 24. Figures of Urt-nefert and her husband 99 25- Portrait relief of Amen-hetep IV. 100 26. Limestone figure of a princess . 101 27. Figure of Harua, an official of Queen Amenartas 102 28. Figure of the overseer of the treasury of Amen 103 29. Portrait statue of Heru-utchat-pe-shere-Bastet 106 30. Statue of an official inscribed in demotic 106 3 1 - Red terra-cotta sepulchral cone 107 32- Wooden hoe ..... 109 33 Model of a house .... in 34- Painted sepulchral box of Kua-tq> . 113 35- Ushabtiu box of Nesi-neb-taui . 114 Gods and Goddesses of Egv The god Temu .... 1 j 1 37- The god Heru-ur (Haroeris) . 127 38. The god Heru-Behutet . 12S 39- Heru-Behutet spearing a hippopotamus 128 40. The sun-god Ra .... 129 4T. The god Menthu-Ra. 13° ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE TEXT. IX The Gods and Goddesses of Memphis. 42. 1 1.1 I STRATIONS IN Till: TEXT, I lathor, the goddess oi the dead, in the form <>l tin- 74. ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE TEXT. XI PAGE 106. Harp ..... .!73 107. Sistrum .... 174 108. Ivory amulet of the Lady Seneb 176 109. Wooden spoon 177 1 10. Wooden spoon 177 in. Wooden model of a granary . 182 112. View of the interior of a granary 183 113. View of the interior of a house 186 114. The god Khepera 188 115 Scarab inscribed with the names and titles of Amen hetep III. and Queen Thi 191 116. Scarab of Amen-hetep III., recording the slaughter of 102 lions ...... 191 117. Scarab inscribed with the names and titles of Amen hetep III. and Queen Thi 192 118. Scarab of Ani ...... 196 119. Pectoral and scarab of the Lady Pen-seneb 197 120. Toilet box ....... 227 121. Red breccia bowl ...... 246 122. Alabaster table and vessels of Atena 247 123. Alabaster head-rest of Atena .... 247 124. Red breccia bull ...... 248 125. Group of variegated stone and glass and painted vessels ....... 252 126. Faience boomerang ..... 2 55 127. Ushabti figure of Seti I. .... 258 128. Blue glazed faience bowl .... 2 59 129. Brick stamped with the prenomen of Rameses II 266 130. Bronze mirror and ivory and glass stibium tubes 272 131. Model of a woman carrying a tray of cakes . 278 THE EGYPTIAN ALPHABET A ra II A H A KH or \\ I I S f] or @ U SH J B K P A Q F K or M T w«v> or \/ N T or DH <cz> or Jg^s R and L or > TH ^ TCH A GUIDE TO THE THIRD AND FOURTH EGYPTIAN ROOMS. THIRD ROOM. The collections of Egyptian antiquities exhibited in this room are of a miscellaneous character, and the greater number of them illustrate in a very important manner the funeral ceremonies of the ancient Egyptians, and afford us an idea of the contents of the tombs of the best periods of dynastic civilization. The oldest objects here displayed will be found in Table-Cases L and M, where is ex- hibited a valuable collection of predynastic antiquities, which date from the latter part of the Neolithic Period, before B.C. 4500, and from the time of the first six dynasties. They should be examined in connexion with the Pre- dynastic and Archaic Egyptian antiquities exhibited on the Landing of the North- West Staircase, and with the magnificent group of early jars in stone of many varieties in Wall-Cases 194-197 of the Fourth Egyptian Room. At the west end of the Third Room are the mummies of sacred animals and birds ; at the east end is a fine group of funeral chests, etc., from B.C. 2600 to the Roman Period ; on the north side are sepulchral boats, painted and inscribed wooden stelae, and a very fine collection of B .? THIRD EGYPTIAN ROOM—SUMMARY 01 CONTENTS, typical portrait figures of Egyptian kings, officials, priests, etc., from B.C. 4OOO to A.D. IOOj and on the south side is, perhaps, the largest and most representative collection of figures of Egyptian gods in the world. A good series of weapons, tools, and implements of various kinds is to be seen in Table-Cases B and K, and an extremely interest- ing group of frescoes from Egyptian tombs of the XVI I Itli dynasty is in Cases D and I. The art of writing in all its branches is illustrated by the palettes, ink-wells, coloured earths, pens, papyrus, and the drafts of literary composi- tions in the hieratic character in Table-Case C. Fine specimens of Egyptian linen work, which date from the first portion of the XVIIlth dynasty, about B.C. 1700, and come down to so late a period as A.D. 900, are exhibited in Table-Cases E and J, and the rare example of silk-work (No. 25) in Table-Case J is of special interest. In Table- Case H are selections from the figures of gods in gold, silver, and bronze, and several specimens of fine metal work inlaid in gold ; with these are exhibited figures of Egyptian sacred animals, e.g., an Apis Bull (No. 37,448), with his characteristic marks, and a rock-crystal figure of the hippopotamus goddess Thoueris (No. 24,395), which date from the Xllth dynasty, or earlier. Of the series of glass vessels the most important are those of Thothmes III. (Xo. 4762) and Amen-hetep II. (No. 36,34? . The Egyptian wig and the reed-case in which it was found are objects of great rarity. Of interest too are the funeral offerings, which consist of pomegranates, figs, dates, and raisins, crushed wheat, or barley, bread cakes, ornamental pastry {e.g., a cake in the form of a crocodile's head, No. 5362), and a duck, and bread cakes (No. 5340), and reed stand. On Cases F and G is mounted a series of reproductions of all the important vignettes of the Book of the Dead as found in the Papyrus of Ani. This work was written at Thebes, about B.C. 1450, for the scribe Ani, who held the important office of Registrar for the offerings made at Thebes and Abydos, and is the fullest and finest illustrated funeral papyrus known.