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DISCOVERY
This material was compiled by the Education Services
Department of the Art Gallery of South Australia
Glossary
Afterlife: final destination after death and a perfect reflection of the living
world.
Amulet: small token that was believed to have protected the dead person on
their journey through the Underworld and into the Afterlife.
Ankh: symbol of eternal life represented by a T shape with a loop at the top.
Ba: often shown as a human-headed bird, the ba was the part of the dead
person able to move between the tomb and the land of the living.
BCE: Before the Common Era is the period of time measured before year one
on the Gregorian calendar.
Book of the Dead: funerary text that was used in burial chambers from about
1500 BCE. It contained spells, passwords and images to be used by the dead in
the Underworld.
Canopic jars: preserved the internal organs (lung, stomach, intestines, liver)
that a deceased person would need in the Afterlife.
Cartonnage: hardened cases made to protect a mummy. Cartonnages were in
use between 1069–664 BCE.
CE: Common Era is the period of time measured from the beginning of year
one on the Gregorian calendar.
Crook: staff with a curved end often shown in a pharaoh’s left hand to
symbolise protection of the Egyptian people.
Djed pillar: symbol of the backbone of Osiris, representing stability and
strength.
Dynasties: a series of rulers from the same family.
Egyptian blue: material made by boiling quartz, copper and calcium.
Embalming: process of preserving a dead body using chemicals.
Faience: material made by mixing crushed quartz, lime, plant ash or natron. It
was then moulded, glazed and fired.
Falcon: bird of prey with sharp, hooked beak and long pointed wings.
Flail: rod with three beaded strands often shown in a pharaoh’s right hand to
symbolise protection of the Egyptian people.
Funerary: relating to the rituals surrounding death.
Hieroglyphics: symbols representing single letters, letter blends, words or
ideas.
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198
Mummified cat
[Momie de chat]
Late Period, 525–332 BCE
organic remains, painted linen
Acquired before 1852
Archeologists have discovered animal mummies of almost
every species that lived in ancient Egypt, the most common
being cats. Animals were mummified for different reasons.
Mummified animals were often preserved for the Afterlife
and buried in tombs. Some people chose to be buried with
their carefully mummified pets for eternal company. Others
animals were mummified as meat for the Afterlife.
The ancient Egyptian people saw particular animals as
earthly representations of gods or goddesses. Sculptures
or drawings often showed gods and goddesses with animal
heads or whole animal bodies. Sacred animals were
cared for in temples until death. They were then carefully
mummified and given special burials.
Mummified animals could be bought as offerings to the
gods and goddesses. In the later periods many animals
were bred especially for this purpose. X-rays have shown
that some of these offerings were poorly mummified,
containing only parts of an animal or just stones.
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Immortal: everlasting and not subject to death.
Ka: often shown as a pair of raised arms, the ka was the part of the dead
person’s life force that stayed in the tomb.
Lapis lazuli: blue mineral with golden flecks.
Mummification: process of preserving the remains of the deceased.
Mummy: preserved body of a person or animal. The word mummy comes from
the Arabic word, mummiya meaning ‘tar’ or ‘bitumen’.
Offspring: the child/children of particular parents.
Osiris: Lord of the Underworld, also god of vegetation and the annual Nile
flood, closely associated with death, resurrection and fertility.
Papyrus: writing material made using pith from the stalks of papyrus plants.
Pharaoh: ruling king or queen of Egypt who was seen as the living god or
goddess by the Egyptian people.
Pyramidion: stone cap that was placed on top of a tomb.
Re: Sun-god and Lord of Heaven, also seen as father of the gods/goddesses,
and creator of the earth.
Rebirth: cycle of renewed life.
Sarcophagus/sarcophagi: outer container, often made of stone, used as
extra protection for a mummified body.
Scarab: symbol based on the dung beetle found in Egypt, representing
creation and the movement of the sun through the heavens.
Shroud: piece of cloth used to wrap or cover the dead.
Solar barge/solar barque: sacred boat believed to have carried the sun
through the sky during the day and through the Underworld at night.
Sphinx: symbol based on the face of a pharaoh and the body of a lion,
representing strength and wisdom.
Symbol: representation of an idea or shared meaning.
Tomb: place to lay the dead to rest.
Tribunal: group responsible for judging evidence and making decisions.
Underworld: realm of Osiris, the dangerous place through which the spirit of
the deceased travelled to reach the Afterlife.
Ushabti/shabti: small funerary statuettes that served the dead in the
Afterlife.
Vignette: small part of a larger story.
Wedjat eye: eye of the god Horus and a symbol of healing and protection.
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169
Re
[Le dieu Ré]
Sphinx of Nectanebo I
[Sphinx du roi Nectanebo I]
Ptolemaic Period, 3rd century BCE
basalt
Late Period, 378–361 BCE
painted sandstone
Acquired 1860, Fould collection
Acquired 1826, Salt collection
Ancient Egyptians believed that the god Re created
himself from a lotus flower out of the dark waters of
chaos. Re, the Lord of Heaven, is said to have created
humankind. He ruled the living and maintained the order
of the universe.
Horus was the last god to rule the people of Egypt.
Pharaohs then ruled the land as the link between people
and gods. Sphinxes were usually created with the facial
features of the pharaohs who ruled when the statues were
made. Materials were carefully chosen to last for eternity.
Sphinxes were positioned to guard and protect important
places such as entrances to temples.
Cycles were an important part of ancient Egyptian
culture: life and death, night and day, the rise and fall of
the River Nile. The sun was central to these cycles. It gave
light, warmth and growth, yet also caused drought and
death. It was believed that Re carried the sun in his solar
barge through the cycle of night and day. He began his
journey through the sky at sunrise in the east. At sunset
he entered the Underworld in the west, bringing comfort
to the dead.
One way for pharaohs to be remembered for eternity was
to record their name on many monuments. People passing
by would ensure the pharaoh’s immortality by saying the
name. This sphinx has the name and face of the pharaoh
Nectanebo 1. He had a strong interest in the arts and
architecture, and was responsible for building the famous
avenue of sphinxes at Karnak.
The ancient Egyptians had many different symbols for the
sun-god Re. You will find some of these throughout the
exhibition:
• a man crowned with a sun-disc
• a scarab beetle holding a sun-disc
• a falcon with a sun-disc above its head
• a falcon-headed man with a sun-disc above his head
• a sun-disc in a barge
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156
Shroud with a representation of a coffin
[Linceul avec la répresentation d’un cercueil]
Late Period, 378–341 BCE
linen
Acquired 1907, Cabinet des Médailles collection
Preparing for the Afterlife could be very expensive.
People’s burials depended not only on the amount of
money they could afford to spend but also on the methods
used at the time. Burials ranged from simply being rolled
in a mat and preserved in the hot desert sand, through to
richly decorated coffins placed in expensive stone tombs.
Coffins, called the chest of life, were often covered
with prayers, spells and pictures of important gods and
goddesses. Some people could afford both an inner and
outer coffin. A shroud with a sarcophagus painted onto
the linen was a less expensive choice.
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Osiris
[Le dieu Osiris]
Late or Ptolemaic Period, 3rd century BCE
bronze
Acquired before 1852
The ancient Egyptians’ belief in many gods and goddesses helped them
to understand their daily lives and the cycles of life and death. These
beliefs and the stories that were told changed over thousands of years.
Osiris was one of the most important gods in ancient Egypt. This story
is one version of how he became the first mummy, and the ruler of the
Underworld.
Geb, god of the earth, and Nut, goddess of the sky, had four children. Their eldest
son Osiris was made king of Upper and Lower Egypt. He ruled as a wise and popular
king beside his sister/wife, Isis. His younger brother Seth, was jealous. To make
himself king Seth murdered Osiris, scattering the body parts all over Egypt.
Isis was devastated by Osiris’ death and searched throughout Egypt with her sister
Nephthys to collect his remains. The jackal-headed god Anubis embalmed the body,
and Nephthys wove strips of linen to make Osiris the first mummy. Isis breathed life
back into Osiris for one day, long enough to conceive their son Horus, the rightful
heir to Osiris’ kingdom on earth.
After his death Osiris became the Lord of the Underworld, judging the souls of the
dead. Mummies were wrapped with their hands crossed over their chests in the
same way as the mummy of Osiris.
Horus eventually challenged Seth’s right to be king, and they fought many battles.
Finally Horus won, becoming the king of Upper and Lower Egypt. Seth was sent to
the desert as the god of chaos and terrible storms.
Osiris appears many times throughout this exhibition, showing how
important he was in ancient Egyptian culture.
You can recognise him by looking for a figure with all of these features:
• a green or black face
• white mummy wrappings
• a long pharaoh’s beard
• the white crown of Upper Egypt
• crossed arms holding a crook and flail
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128
Cartonnage of Djed-Khonsou-iou-ef-ankh
[Cartonnage du dénommé Djed-Khonsou-iou-ef-ankh]
Pyramidion of Senres
[Pyramidion du dénommé Senrès]
Third Intermediate Period, 1069–715 BCE
plastered, painted and gilded linen
New Kingdom, 1295–1186 BCE
limestone
Acquired 1826, Salt collection
Acquired 1948, transferred from the Musée Guimet
This cartonnage was the first protective layer over the body
of Djed-Khonsou-iou-ef-ankh before it was placed into one or
more wooden coffins. The cartonnages of this time were made
of linen or papyrus strips held together and hardened with
plaster and resin, then covered in painted decorations.
Tombs were a way of preserving the body as well as an
important place for the living to preserve the memories
of the dead. A person could spend many years building
and preparing a tomb, and each tomb looked very
different from the next. Tombs were usually built on the
western bank of the River Nile in the Land of the Dead.
Coffins were designed to protect the physical body in this
world and the spiritual body in the Afterlife. They were often
covered with important symbols and text such as elements
from the Book of the Dead. The layers of symbolism within the
works of art add to our understanding of the people of ancient
Egypt.
Egyptian artists used colour as one way to represent certain
meanings:
•
Black: night, death, the Underworld and fertility
•
Blue: sky, water and heaven
•
Green: youth, health, vegetation and new life
•
Red: fire, sun, blood, life, anger, victory and destruction
•
White: purity, simple and sacred things
•
Yellow/gold: sun, permanence and eternity
The world of the living existed side by side with the
world of the dead. Visitors would often leave offerings
of food and drink for the ka that lived inside the tomb.
They would say the name of the dead person to give
the spirit extra strength.
A man called Senres had this pyramidion made for his
tomb. It is shaped like the rays of the sun to form a
bridge between heaven and earth. It includes an image
of Senres kneeling beside his wife.
Observe how colour has been used on this cartonnage.
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108
Vignette of the Book of the Dead of Nesmin:
the tribunal of Osiris
[Vignette du Livre pour sortir le jour (Livre des morts) du
dénommé Nesmin: le tribunal du dieu Osiris]
Late Period, 525–332 BCE
painted papyrus
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Canopic jars of Ta-remetch-en-Bastet
[Vases à viscères (ou vases-canopes)
de la dame Ta-remetch-en-Bastet]
Late Period, 525–332 BCE
calcite
Acquired 1948, transferred from the Musée Guimet
Acquired before 1852
Careful preparation would take a person safely from the
land of the living to the Underworld’s Hall of Judgement
to face the tribunal of Osiris. In these final tests a dead
person would need to prove that they had earned the right
to live in eternal happiness in the Afterlife.
The ancient Egyptians believed that an individual was made
up of several elements including their ba (personality and
soul) and ka (life force). The ba and ka left the body at the
time of death. Preserving a person’s body ensured that their
ba and ka had a home to return to in the Afterlife.
Firstly, forty-two judges who represented the forty-two
provinces of Upper and Lower Egypt tested the conscience
of the deceased. The Book of the Dead guided the
deceased to know what to do and say with each judge in
order to prove their innocence.
Throughout history the Ancient Egyptians have used
different methods to preserve bodies. The most important
organ, the heart, was left in the mummy. It was seen as the
home of the soul and centre of thought and wisdom. The
brain was thrown away. Canopic jars were used to preserve
the lungs, stomach, intestine and liver. The sons of Horus:
Imsety, Qebehsenuef, Duamutef and Hapy, each guarded
one of these organs. Spells were often written on the jars
as extra protection for the organs. Over time the methods
of mummification changed and the organs were no longer
placed in these hollow jars. Solid, beautifully decorated
‘dummy’ jars were used in their place.
The second test was called ‘The Weighing of the Heart’.
This important organ held the records of a person’s actions
over a lifetime. Horus placed the heart on a set of scales,
weighing it against a feather of Maat. This feather was
a symbol of truth. Anubis checked the scales to see if
the heart was pure. If the scales balanced the deceased
passed the test. If the scales were unbalanced the heart
was fed to Ammit the devourer, who was part lion, part
hippopotamus, and part crocodile. Thoth recorded the
results and gave them to Osiris. A person who passed both
tests was taken to Osiris and then invited into the Afterlife.
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49
87
Reconstruction of a set of amulets for a mummy
[Reconstitution d’un trousseau
d’amulettes pour la momie]
Ushabti troop of Nefer-ib-Re-em-heb
[Troupe de serviteurs funéraires du dénommé
Nefer-ib-Ré-em-heb]
Late Period, 525–332 BCE
faïence, stone, semiprecious stone, gold, glass
Late Period, Saite Period, 664–525 BCE
faïence
The journey through the Underworld between death
and arrival in the Hall of Judgement could be long and
dangerous. Dead people took a range of funerary items
to keep them safe. These included amulets, magical
spells and blessings from the gods. As the mummy was
wrapped in linen strips amulets were placed on the
body as protection. Each amulet had a special meaning
that was created by carefully choosing its colour, shape
and material.
Amulet 49.30 shows the ba as a human-headed bird.
The ba was able to fly between the mummy, the tomb,
and the Underworld. A ba without a home to return to
could enter the body of the living and make them sick.
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Acquired before 1852
Ancient Egyptians saw life as a process of making
changes, where death was the last change. The final
destination looked like the everyday world of the
living, with crops, rivers and sky. A person’s everyday
items were often placed in their tomb to help them
in the Afterlife. Besides food, clothing, tools and
entertainment, the deceased would need servants to
help them with a range of tasks such as caring for their
crops. These funerary servants were called ushabti,
which means ‘the one who answers’.
The Book of the Dead (seen around the walls of this
room) was a manuscript of spells, passwords and
incantations used by a person on their perilous
journey through the Underworld. One part of this book
included a spell to wake the ushabti.
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