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> Egyptian Museum
part 1 - part 2 - part 3 - part 4
The Egyptian Museum, Cairo
part 1. The Old Kingdom
Once upon a time - some 5000 years ago - Pharaoh Menes united Egypt and became the first ruler of Upper and Lower Egypt. His family established the first dynasty in Egypt and this and the following dynasty lasted together for about four hundred years. Today these two dynasties are called the Early Dynastic period.
In the 3rd Dynasty we meet a Pharaoh named Zoser and it is his architect Imhotep who is the person behind the construction and building of the first pyramid in Egypt.
From this first pyramid and until the end of the 6th dynasty, more and more pyramids are being built with the pyramid of Kufu (4th Dynasty) as the largest and most known. This period is named the Old Kingdom, or the Pyramid Period of Egypt.
The last stone on the top of a pyramid was a mini-pyramid in granite, often covered with gold or electrum (an alloy of gold and silver). In the museum you will find several pyramideons in the first large hall straight ahead when entering the museum.
For location, all major pyramids was built around the ancient capital Hwt-ka-Ptah (Memphis) just south of todays Cairo. You can find a bit more about this and two Old Kingdom tombs in the "Pyramid areas of Cairo".
Turning left when entering the museum leads you into a corridor where more than 4000 year old statues and treasures from the pyramid period are found.
Some ask us where the sons of daughters of these great pyramids builders are. Then we have to remind that up to the revolution in 1952 Egypt had been ruled by other nations for a period of more than 2000 years. Just wait until these children whom today sit by the feet of their great forefathers grow up (-:
Hundred years ago a European art historian stood in front of a statue of Pharaoh Zoser in this museum. Looking Zoser in the eyes he said "Excuse me your Majesty, but Stone Age is something rather boring".
Other say the art is "stiff", "constructed" and so forth.
With all that in mind, take a close look at the face of this more than 4000 old statue. Boring, stiff, constructed? Guess he don't understand such sayings any more than we do.
Ancient Egyptian art is full of expressions, and most who take their time at this unique museum will come out feeling they have met persons who lived here by the Nile banks several thousand years ago. Some visitors have actually suggested to rename the museum to "The Egyptian Time machine"!
Here is a statue of a woman from the Old Kingdom making bread. As there were no slaves building the pyramids, bread was part of their payment. In fact it's recorded several strikes where the workers demand more bread, onions and beer for their work...
Just some few years ago the workers village by the pyramids was found. Remains here proves once and for all that the pyramids was not built by slaves but by professional workers and an added workforce from farmers and alike who could not work their land during the seasonal flooding of the Nile.
Fragment of a relief from Old Kingdom showing part of a man and under a dog hunting three foxes. Note how the dog bites the tail of the last fox.
What is special with this relief is that its not carved and painted as we are used to from Ancient Egyptian relief's, but the forms are carved out in the stone and filled with different coloured "stuffing's".
Two painted limestone statues showing Nofret and her husband Rahotep who was High Priest during the 3rd Dynasty. Note his moustache, as this was not usual in Ancient Egypt.
As the size often showed importance, children were often showed far smaller and often only knee height of their parents. Here wife and husband are showed with the exact same height, showing the importance of women in pharaonic times.
During Pharaoh Khafre the second largest pyramid of the Giza complex was built. Originally 145 meters (475ft) high and still today some of the limestone chasing is left near the top. In the valley temple 23 diorite statues of Khafre was found, all broken apart from this one today in the Egyptian Museum.
Here we see the face of Khafre and behind him a falcon folding its wings on each side of his head. The falcon is the god Horus, son of Osiris and Isis.
After Osiris was killed by his brother Seth and became ruler in Am Duat (the kingdom of the dead), Horus became the new ruler of mankind. In difference to previous gods and goddesses Horus did not rule directly, but incarnated in a human being and ruled through this human who then became a half-god or a Per-o (pharaoh).
From the statue we can clearly see Horus whispering state secrets to Pharaoh Khafre.
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Text & photo, Arnvid Aakre
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