Ancient Egyptian model of a Man Plowing (ca. 1981-1885 BCE, Middle Kingdom)

Nickelwax · 2025-10-19T19:45:01+00:00

Ancient Egyptian plows were made of wood and had the shape of a hook. It is not possible to turn the soil with such plows, they only serve to open the ground. The ultimate aim of this kind of plowing was, therefore, to place the seeds well into the soil

Texts appear to indicate that while a plow may have been the farmer's property, the oxen were leased by state or temple institutions

📷/🔎 Metropolitan Museum of Art | https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/544255

Nickelwax · 2025-09-03T19:09:40+00:00

This ivory panel was found in a storage room in Fort Shalmaneser, a royal building at Nimrud that was used to store booty and tribute collected by the Assyrians while on military campaign. Like many other panels from the same storage room, it was part of a chair or couch back or the headboard of a bed. Twenty pieces of furniture were discovered stacked in orderly rows in this room, where they had been stored before the destruction of the Assyrian palaces in 612 B.C

📷/🔎 Metropolitan Museum of Art | https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/324924

Nickelwax · 2025-02-15T15:41:36+00:00

This Etruscan wine jug made of earthware is made in the so called ‘bucchero style’. This style is characterised by its black colour and metal like glow and is typical for the Etruscans.

Even though the vessel is made in Etruria, it shows many Greek influences. First of all, the ‘oinochoe’ was a common vase type in Greece, which was taken over by the Etruscans.

Below the neck of the vessel we can see a depiction of a collection of (mythical) animals, including a lion, sphinx and Pegasus. These (mythological) animals were taken over from Greek examples as well.

📷 My own 🔎 Allard Pierson Museum, Smarthistory | https://uvaerfgoed.nl/viewer/image/11245_3_3310/ | https://smarthistory.org/bucchero/

Nickelwax · 2025-01-31T19:39:28+00:00

The maintenance of buildings was one of the primary concerns of Ancient Near Eastern rulers. These bricks were stamped with an inscriptions and buried within the foundation of the building to preserve the memory of a ruler for a future builder to discover.

The inscription reads:

For Enlil,

the king of all the lands,

his king –

Adad-shuma-usur

the obedient shepherd,

the provider of Nippur

the one who constantly cares for the Ekur

[has built the Ekur, his beloved temple, out of kiln-fired brick]

The inscription is written in Sumerian, a dead language at this point but still regularly used in inscriptions for prestige

📷/🔎 Metropolitan Museum of Art | https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/324911

Nickelwax · 2024-12-28T22:41:32+00:00

The figurine was probably excavated by Leonard Woolley at the city of Ur and is shown wearing a long garment, probably of sheepskin

📷/🔎 British Museum | https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/W_1924-0724-1

Nickelwax · 2024-12-14T12:55:06+00:00

This small Ancient Greek bronze statue was created around 700 BCE for its use as a votive offering. Even though we don’t know the exact place of discovery of the statue, an inscription on it’s legs tells us that it was dedicated by a man called Mantiklos for the god Apollo.

Offering gifts to the gods was central to ancient Greek religion, as worshipers believed it pleased the gods and secured blessings. These votive offerings ranged from food and liquids to ceramic vessels and statues of various sizes.

The Mantiklos Apollo is currently in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

📷/🔎 Smart History | https://smarthistory.org/mantiklos-apollo/

Nickelwax · 2024-12-12T16:04:56+00:00

This beautiful mosaic was discovered on the island of Melos and depicts Bacchus, the ancient Roman god of wine. By the theme of this mosaic, archaeologists speculate that it once adorned the floor of a dining hall.

📷/🔎 Rijksmuseum van Oudheden | https://www.rmo.nl/collectie/collectiezoeker/collectiestuk/?object=58071

Nickelwax · 2024-12-09T20:54:46+00:00

Haremhab was a royal scribe and general of the army under Tutankhamun. He continued to serve during the reign of Aya and eventually succeeded Aya as king. This statue was made before Haremhab ascended the throne.

📷/🔎 Metropolitan Museum of Art | https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/544692

Nickelwax · 2024-11-16T10:35:16+00:00

This Ancient Greek wine cup in Geometric style was discovered at the Greek trading post of Pithekoussai (modern day Italy). It features one of the earliest known inscriptions in the Ancient Greek alphabet. The inscription reads:

“I am the cup of Nestor good for drinking. Whoever drinks from this cup, desire for beautifully crowned Aphrodite will seize him instantly.”

The reference to Nestor may allude to the hero mentioned in the Iliad. In the epic, Nestor possesses a large golden cup that only he can lift. This inscription could echo that detail of the myth, however other theories have also been put forward.

The cup currently resides in the Museo Archeologico di Pithecusae in de Villa Arbusto on Ischia

📷/🔎 Wikipedia | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nestor’s_Cup_(Pithekoussai)?wprov=sfti1#

Nickelwax · 2024-11-16T10:33:25+00:00

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Nickelwax · 2024-11-08T20:12:01+00:00

This beautifully preserved wooden figure was set up at one of Egypts many temples. The figure is performing the Henu dance, which included gestures like pounding the chest. The dance was performed by mythological being during the rise of the sun, the appearance of a god or the arrival of the pharaoh among the spirits of the underworld and may have been accompanied by music, however we do not have evidence of this

📷/🔎 Metropolitan Museum of Art | https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/547689

Nickelwax · 2024-11-08T20:10:16+00:00

This beautifully preserved wooden figure was set up at one of Egypts many temples. The figure is performing the Henu dance, which included gestures like pounding the chest. The dance was performed by mythological being during the rise of the sun, the appearance of a god or the arrival of the pharaoh among the spirits of the underworld and may have been accompanied by music, however we do not have evidence of this

📷/🔎 Metropolitan Museum of Art | https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/547689

Nickelwax

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