The God TatenenRelief depicting the god Tatenen.

Corner of niche from the tomb of Akhtihotep ca. 2575–2551 B.C. Old Kingdom.

Wall tiles from the funerary apartments of king Djoser ca. 2630–2611 B.C. Old Kingdom.

West wall of the chapel of Nikauhor and Sekhemhathor ca. 2465–2389 B.C. Old Kingdom.

Statuette of God Ptah.

Bronze statuette of Ptah standing and holding Was sceptre. The eyes still contain traces of gold plating that gives him an intense expression. Ptah is the chief god of Memphis, patron of artists and craftsmen. 

Late Period, ca. 664-332 BC. Now in the Royal Museum of Mariemont.

Model Ship with Figurine in a Fetal Position.

Belief in a physical afterlife endured for thousands of years. An early example from prehistoric Egypt, is a ceramic model of a boat with a man in a fetal position, sailing to the afterlife where he will be reborn.

Prehistoric Period, Naqada III, ca. 3500-3100 BC. Pottery, from Asyut. Now in the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, Leiden.

Ring Decorated with a Scarab.

This gold finger ring has a scarab shaped bezel that can swivel. The inscription reads: ‘May you become a praised one, enduring in the temples.’

The New Kingdom, 19th Dynasty or later, ca. 1292 BC or later. Now in the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, Leiden.

Stele of the Sculptor Bek with his wife TaheretBek or Bak (Egyptian for “Servant”) was the first chief royal sculptor during the reign of pharaoh Akhenaten.

Karnak Temple Statues 1.

This delightful detail from an Amarna stela features a doting mother—Queen Nefertiti.