The Department of Egyptian Antiquities of the Louvre (French: Département des Antiquités égyptiennes du Louvre) is a department of the
Louvre
The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...
that is responsible for artifacts from the
Nile
The Nile (also known as the Nile River or River Nile) is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa. It has historically been considered the List of river sy ...
civilizations which date from 4,000 BC to the 4th century.
The collection, comprising over 50,000 pieces,
is among the world's largest, overviews Egyptian life spanning
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt () was a cradle of civilization concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in Northeast Africa. It emerged from prehistoric Egypt around 3150BC (according to conventional Egyptian chronology), when Upper and Lower E ...
, the
Middle Kingdom, the
New Kingdom
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995
* "New" (Daya song), 2017
* "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...
,
Coptic art
Coptic art is the Christianity, Christian art of the Byzantine empire, Byzantine-Roman Egypt, Greco-Roman Egypt and of Coptic Orthodox Church, Coptic Christian Churches. Coptic art is best known for its wall-paintings, textiles, illuminated ma ...
, and the
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of Roman civilization
*Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...
,
Ptolemaic Ptolemaic is the adjective formed from the name Ptolemy, and may refer to:
Pertaining to the Ptolemaic dynasty
*Ptolemaic dynasty, the Macedonian Greek dynasty that ruled Egypt founded in 305 BC by Ptolemy I Soter
*Ptolemaic Kingdom
Pertaining t ...
, and
Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...
periods.
[Nave, pp.42–43]
History
The department's origins lie in the royal collection, but it was augmented by
Napoleon's 1798 expeditionary trip with
Dominique Vivant
Dominique Vivant, Baron Denon (; 4 January 1747 – 27 April 1825) was a French artist, writer, diplomat, author, and archaeologist. Denon was a diplomat for France under Louis XV and Louis XVI. He was appointed as the first Director of the Louv ...
, the future director of the Louvre.
[Mignot, pp 76, 77] After
Jean-François Champollion
Jean-François Champollion (), also known as Champollion ''le jeune'' ('the Younger'; 23 December 1790 – 4 March 1832), was a French philologist and orientalist, known primarily as the decipherer of Egyptian hieroglyphs and a founding figure ...
translated the
Rosetta Stone
The Rosetta Stone is a stele of granodiorite inscribed with three versions of a Rosetta Stone decree, decree issued in 196 BC during the Ptolemaic dynasty of ancient Egypt, Egypt, on behalf of King Ptolemy V Epiphanes. The top and middle texts ...
,
Charles X Charles X may refer to:
* Charles X of France (1757–1836)
* Charles X Gustav (1622–1660), King of Sweden
* Charles, Cardinal de Bourbon (1523–1590), recognized as Charles X of France but renounced the royal title
See also
*
* King Charle ...
decreed that an Egyptian Antiquities department be created. Champollion advised the purchase of three collections, formed by
Edmé-Antoine Durand,
Henry Salt and
Bernardino Drovetti
Bernardino Michele Maria Drovetti (January 7, 1776 – March 5, 1852) was an Italian antiquities looter, diplomat, and politician. He is best remembered for having acquired the Turin Royal Canon and for his questionable behavior in collecti ...
; these additions added 7,000 works. Growth continued via acquisitions by
Auguste Mariette
François Auguste Ferdinand Mariette (11 February 182118 January 1881) was a French scholar, archaeologist and Egyptologist, and the founder of the Egyptian Department of Antiquities, the forerunner of the Supreme Council of Antiquities.
Earl ...
, founder of the
Egyptian Museum
The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, commonly known as the Egyptian Museum (, Egyptian Arabic: ) (also called the Cairo Museum), located in Cairo, Egypt, houses the largest collection of Ancient Egypt, Egyptian antiquities in the world. It hou ...
in Cairo. Mariette, after excavations at
Memphis, sent back crates of archaeological finds including ''
The Seated Scribe
The sculpture of the ''Seated Scribe'' or ''Squatting Scribe'' is a famous work of Art of ancient Egypt, ancient Egyptian art. It represents a figure of a seated scribe at work. The sculpture was discovered at Saqqara, north of the alley of sphi ...
''.
Rooms of the Egyptian Antiquities Department
Guarded by the ''Large Sphinx'' (c. 2000 BC), the collection is housed in around 30 rooms. Holdings include art,
papyrus
Papyrus ( ) is a material similar to thick paper that was used in ancient times as a writing surface. It was made from the pith of the papyrus plant, ''Cyperus papyrus'', a wetland sedge. ''Papyrus'' (plural: ''papyri'' or ''papyruses'') can a ...
scrolls, mummies, tools, clothing, jewelry, games, musical instruments, and weapons.
Pieces from the ancient period include the ''
Gebel el-Arak Knife
The Gebel el-Arak Knife, also Jebel el-Arak Knife, is an ivory and flint knife dating from the Naqada II period of Egyptian prehistory (3500—3200 BC), showing Mesopotamian influence. The knife was purchased in 1914 in Cairo by Georges Aaron ...
'' from 3400 BC, ''
The Seated Scribe
The sculpture of the ''Seated Scribe'' or ''Squatting Scribe'' is a famous work of Art of ancient Egypt, ancient Egyptian art. It represents a figure of a seated scribe at work. The sculpture was discovered at Saqqara, north of the alley of sphi ...
'', and the ''Head of King Djedefre''. Middle Kingdom art, "known for its gold work and statues", moved from realism to idealization; this is exemplified by the
schist
Schist ( ) is a medium-grained metamorphic rock generally derived from fine-grained sedimentary rock, like shale. It shows pronounced ''schistosity'' (named for the rock). This means that the rock is composed of mineral grains easily seen with a l ...
statue of
Amenemhatankh and the wooden ''Offering Bearer''. The New Kingdom and Coptic Egyptian sections are deep, but the statue of the goddess
Nephthys
Nephthys or Nebet-Het in ancient Egyptian () was a goddess in ancient Egyptian religion. A member of the Great Ennead of Heliopolis in Egyptian mythology, she was a daughter of Nut and Geb. Nephthys was typically paired with her sister Isis ...
and the limestone depiction of the goddess
Hathor
Hathor (, , , Meroitic language, Meroitic: ') was a major ancient Egyptian deities, goddess in ancient Egyptian religion who played a wide variety of roles. As a sky deity, she was the mother or consort of the sky god Horus and the sun god R ...
demonstrate New Kingdom sentiment and wealth.
Rooms of the department are as follows:
*1. Crypt of the sphinx.
*2. Vestibule.
*3. The Nile River.
*4. Field labour. The mastaba.
*5. Animal husbandry, hunting and fishing.
*6. Writing and scribes.
*7. Materials and techniques.
*8. The home and furniture.
*9. Jewels, clothing, and body care.
*10. Leisure: Music and games.
*11. The forecourt of the temple.
*12. The temple.
*13. Crypt of Osiris. The royal tomb.
*14. Sarcophagi.
*15. Mummies, embalming and burial.
*16. Tombs.
*17. The Book of The Dead. L'équipement funéraire.
*18. Gods and magic.
*19. Animals and the gods.
*20. Naqaqa period. The end of prehistory
*21. Thinite period. The first two dynasties.
*22. The Old Kingdom. Seated Scribe.
*23. The Middle Kingdom.
*24. The New Kingdom.
*25. The New Kingdom: the period of Akhenaton and Nefertiti.
*26. The New Kingdom: Tutankhamun and his successors.
*27. The New Kingdom: The period of Ramses.
*28. The New Kingdom: The period of Ramses. Princes and courtisans.
*29. The Third Intermediate Period. The Saite period. The beginnings of Persian domination.
*30. From the last Egyptian Pharaohs to Cleopatra. The Nectenebos, Alexander the Great, and the Ptolemy dynasty. A: Roman Egypt. B: Coptic Egypt. C: The room Baouit.
File:Egypte louvre 324 sarcophage.jpg, Outer sarcophagus of Chancellor Nakhti, Room 16
File:Osiris Book of the Dead.jpg, Osiris Book of the Dead, Room 17
File:Nefertoum E3502 mp3h8834.jpg, Nefertoum, Room 18
File:Louvres-antiquites-egyptiennes-p1020061.jpg, Bastet Cats, Room 19
File:Egypte louvre 313.jpg, Ivory hippopotamus, Room 20
File:Egypte louvre 294.jpg, Miniature vase, Room 21
File:Louvre 032007 18.jpg, Stele, Room 22
File:King of the Middle Empire-E 12924-IMG 9954-gradient.jpg, Statue Head of Senusret III, Room 23
File:Queen Tiye-E 25493-IMG 0327-gradient.jpg, Queen Tiye, Room 24
File:Akhenathon and Nefertiti E15593 mp3h8771-gradient.jpg, Nefertiti and Akhenathon, Room 25
File:Piay-E 124-IMG 4189-gradient.jpg, Piaÿ, doorkeeper of the Palace, Room 26
File:Relief de Séthi I et Hathor - Musée du Louvre Antiquités Egyptiennes N 124 ; B 7 ; Champollion n 1.jpg, Hathor
Hathor (, , , Meroitic language, Meroitic: ') was a major ancient Egyptian deities, goddess in ancient Egyptian religion who played a wide variety of roles. As a sky deity, she was the mother or consort of the sky god Horus and the sun god R ...
and Seti I
Menmaatre Seti I (or Sethos I in Greek language, Greek) was the second pharaoh of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt during the New Kingdom of Egypt, New Kingdom period, ruling or 1290 BC to 1279 BC. He was the son of Ramesses I and Sitre, and th ...
, Room 27
File:Ram-headed falcon amulet-E 80-IMG 2503-with reflection-gradient.jpg, Amulet representing a ram-headed falcon, Room 28
File:Taharqa_presenting_god_Hemen_with_wine_E25276_mp3h9203.jpg, Taharqa presenting god Hemen with wine, Room 29
File:Copertura_della_mummia_di_tacheretpaankh,_stoffa_pressata,_stuccata_e_dorata,_III-I_sec._ac..JPG, Mummy, Room 30
Notable artifacts
Notable artifacts are as follows:
*
Akhenaton
Akhenaten (pronounced ), also spelled Akhenaton or Echnaton ( ''ʾŪḫə-nə-yātəy'', , meaning 'Effective for the Aten'), was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh reigning or 1351–1334 BC, the tenth ruler of the Eighteenth Dynasty. Before the ...
and
Nefertiti
Nefertiti () () was a queen of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, 18th Dynasty of Ancient Egypt, the Great Royal Wife, great royal wife of Pharaoh Akhenaten. Nefertiti and her husband were known for their radical overhaul of state religious poli ...
sculpture
*
Amenophis IV sculpture
*Amulet belonging to
Paser
*Angle harp
*Annals of
Thutmosis III
Thutmose III (variously also spelt Tuthmosis or Thothmes), sometimes called Thutmose the Great, (1479–1425 BC) was the fifth pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty of Egypt. He is regarded as one of the greatest warriors, military commanders, and milita ...
*Aphrodite Anadyomene
*Bas-relief of Prince
Khaemwaset
Prince Khaemweset (also translated as Khamwese, Khaemwese or Khaemwaset or Setne Khamwas) (c. 1281 BCE - 1225 BCE) was the fourth son of Ramesses II and the second son by his queen Isetnofret. His contributions to Egyptian society were remembered ...
*Apis Bull
*Bas-reliefs from the
Temple of Satet at
Elephantine
Elephantine ( ; ; ; ''Elephantíne''; , ) is an island on the Nile, forming part of the city of Aswan in Upper Egypt. The archaeological site, archaeological digs on the island became a World Heritage Site in 1979, along with other examples of ...
*Base and feet of a colossus of
Amenophis III
Amenhotep III ( , ; "Amun is satisfied"), also known as Amenhotep the Magnificent or Amenhotep the Great and Hellenized as Amenophis III, was the ninth pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty. According to different authors following the "Low Chronol ...
*Bastet
*Bead net for a mummy
*Beaker from a cemetery on
Sai Island
*Body of a Woman sculpture (probably Nefertiti)
*Book of mythological images
*Bowl of General
Djehuty
Thoth (from , borrowed from , , the reflex of " eis like the ibis") is an ancient Egyptian deity. In art, he was often depicted as a man with the head of an ibis or a baboon, animals sacred to him. His feminine counterpart was Seshat, and h ...
*Byzantine chandelier
*Cartonnage of Ankhpakhered
*Cat sculpture
*A chair from the 18th or 19th dynasty
*Chapel of the Tomb of Akhethotep
*Chelidona's Coffin
*Christ and Abbot Mena
*Coffin lid of King Antef
*Colossal statue of
Rameses II
Ramesses II (sometimes written Ramses or Rameses) (; , , ; ), commonly known as Ramesses the Great, was an Egyptian pharaoh. He was the third ruler of the Nineteenth Dynasty. Along with Thutmose III of the Eighteenth Dynasty, he is often re ...
*Comb
*Cosmetic spoon
*Couple in Wood
*Cubit rod
*Cupids Picking Grapes
*Dagger from
Gebel el-Arak
*Detachable headrest
*Divine standard
*Door lintel
*Drinking cup in the form of a lotus flower
*Eagle censer
*False door on the Stele of Sheshi
*Female Nude statue
*Figurine of a naked woman
*Figurine of a seated woman
*Foundation deposit from the Temple of Deir el-Bahri
*Four baboons adoring the rising sun
*Four Ramesses II vases
*Fragment of a funerary shroud, known as "Portrait of Ammonios"
*Fragment of a votive monument
*Fragment of the Book of the Dead
*Fragment of the Hunting Palette
*"Frog" oil lamp
*Funerary figurine of Ramesses IV
*Funerary furniture of Chancellor Nakhti
*Funerary hanging
*Funerary statue of a Priestess of
Isis
Isis was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingdom () as one of the main characters of the Osiris myth, in which she resurrects her sla ...
*Funerary stele
*Funerary stele of a father
*Funerary stele with two orant figures
*Furniture legs in the form of a nude woman
*Gaia with Cupids
*Game board in the form of a hippo
*Game box in the name of
Imenmes
*Gilded cartonnage of the lady Tasheret-pa-ankh
*
Great Sphinx of Tanis
*Guarded Lion of the Chapel of the Serapeum of Saqqara
*Head of a colossal statue of Amenophis III
*Head of a sphinx of King Djedefre
*Hippo figurine
*Hoe
*
Horus
Horus (), also known as Heru, Har, Her, or Hor () in Egyptian language, Ancient Egyptian, is one of the most significant ancient Egyptian deities who served many functions, most notably as the god of kingship, healing, protection, the sun, and t ...
sculpture
*Horus on horseback sculpture
*Hypocephalus of
Irethorrou
*Imhotep the Wise Deified
*Inventory and accounts from a temple of
Abusir
Abusir ( ; Egyptian ''pr wsjr'' ' "the resting place of Osiris"; ) is the name given to an ancient Egyptian archaeological pyramid complex comprising the ruins of 4 kings' pyramids dating to the Old Kingdom period, and is part of the ...
*Jar with portrait
*Jonah wall-hanging
*Khabekhent's funerary servant and ushabti chest
*Knucklebones
*Kohl pot in the form of a Nubian porter *Kohl Recipient:the god Bes
*Krater
*Large bottle with vine-leaf decoration
*Large statue of Chancellor Nakht
*Legging
*Lintel from the tomb of Pairkep
*Mask of a Woman of the 1st century
*Mortuary Mask of Khaemwaset
*Mummy in painted shroud
*Mummy label
*Mummy Mask of the early 12th Dynasty
*Mummy mask of a boy
*Mummy mask of a man with headrest
*Mummy mask of a woman
*Mummy of a man
*Mummy of a woman with portrait
*Mummy shroud and mask
*Mummy's head
*Necklace with fish pendants
*Nile fishing scene
*Nude male statuette
*Offering table found at
Meroe
*Offering-bearer of the 12th Dynasty
*Ostrakon with a royal profile
*Paintings from the tomb of Metjetji
*Paintings from the tomb of Unsu
*Pair of clappers
*Pair of sandals
*Palm column of King Unas
*Panel of the Virgin Annunciate
*Panel portrait of a man
*Patera
*Pendant of King
Osorkon II
Usermaatre Setepenamun Osorkon II was the fifth pharaoh, king of the Twenty-second dynasty of Egypt, Twenty-second Dynasty of Ancient Egypt and the son of King Takelot I and Queen Kapes. He ruled Egypt from approximately 872 BC to 837 BC from Ta ...
*Pendant falcon of Ramesses II
*Pilgrim flasks
*Pillar believed to be from
Bawit
*Pinudjem's necklace
*Portraits of men and women
*Processional way of sphinxes
*Pyxis or pyx
*Queen Ahmose Nefertari figure
*Queen Cleoptrat Making an Offering
*Queen Khenemet-Nefer-Hedjet figurine
*Queen Tiye
*Ram Pendant
*Ramesses II breastplate
*Recipient with bowls
*Reconstruction of a tomb of the cemetery of
Deir el-Medina
Deir el-Medina (), or Dayr al-Madīnah, is an ancient Egyptian workmen's village which was home to the artisans who worked on the tombs in the Valley of the Kings during the 18th to 20th Dynasties of the New Kingdom of Egypt (ca. 1550–1080 BC). ...
*Red terracotta canopic jars
*Relief from the Temple of Monthu at Tod
*Ring of Horemheb
*Ring with horses
*Royal and divine triad
*Royal Sphinx of Pharaoh Achoris
*Sarcophagus box of Ramesses III
*Sarcophagus of Abu Roash
*Sarcophagus of Dioscorides
*Sarcophagus of Iniuia
*Scene in the Nile marshes
*Scribe's palette
*Sennerfer's necklace
*Sennefer, the king's head
*Senusret, chief of the treasury
*Shabti of Amenophis III
*Shroud of a child's mummy
*Sistreum of Henuttawy
*Sobek-Re
*Southern Church of Bawit
*Spoon in the form of a bound ibex
*Spoon in the form of a young girl
*Sprang cap
*Square of fabric
*St. Menas
*Statue of a priest of Bastet
*Statue of Amenemhetankh
*Statue of Karomana
*Statue of King
Nectanebo II
Nectanebo II (Egyptian language, Egyptian: ; ) was the last native ruler of ancient Egypt, as well as the third and last pharaoh of the Thirtieth Dynasty of Egypt, Thirtieth Dynasty, reigning from 358 to c.340 BC.
During the reign of Nectanebo ...
*Statue of
Nakhthorheb
*Statue of Osiris
*Statue of Pendua and his father
*Statue of Rakherka
*Statue of the god Bes
*Statue of the goddess
Sekhmet
In Egyptian mythology, Sekhmet ( or Sachmis , from ; ) is a warrior goddess as well as goddess of medicine.
Sekhmet is also a solar deity, sometimes given the epithet "the Eye of Ra, eye of Ra". She is often associated with the goddesses Hatho ...
*Statue of Wahibre
*Statue of Sepa and Nesa
*Statuette de femme nue
*Statueette of a young boy
*Statuette of King Ammenemes III
*Statuette of Taharqa
*Statuette of the crocodile-headed god Sobek
*Statuette of Tuy
*Statuette of Isis nursing Horus
*Stele dated to Ramesses II
*Stele of the master craftsman of the 11th Dynasty
*Stele of the Serpent King of the 1st Dynasty
*Stele of Princess Nefertiabet (4th dynasty) eating
*Tablet of an apprentice scribe
*Tamutnefret's coffins
*The four canopic jars of Horesmsaf
*The god Amun protecting Tutankhamun
*The goddess Hathor welcomes Sethos
*The harpist's stele
*The sarcophagus of Madja
*The Scribe Nebmeretef
*
The Seated Scribe
The sculpture of the ''Seated Scribe'' or ''Squatting Scribe'' is a famous work of Art of ancient Egypt, ancient Egyptian art. It represents a figure of a seated scribe at work. The sculpture was discovered at Saqqara, north of the alley of sphi ...
*The Tod Treasure
*The Tyre of Constantinople
*The Zodiac of Dendera
*Three cups from the Tod treasure
*Three throwsticks
*Torso of a Ptolemaic King
*Toy
*Tunic of pleated linen
*"Twenty Squares" game board
*Two-sided stele of Dedia
*Vase in the form of an ibex
*Vase in the form of the god Bes
*Vase with the name of King Wenis
*Wall from a temple of Ramessus II
*Wall of the tomb of Akhetaa
*Wall tile from the 20th Dynasty
*Water jars and stand
*Water pot in the name of the vizier Paser
*Woman in a Cloak statue
*Woman's shroud
References
{{Authority control
Departments of the Louvre
Egyptological collections in France
Charles X of France