The Golden Mask of King Tutankhamun
Tutankhamun’s golden mask is one of the most well-known and revered artifacts of ancient Egypt, both historically and globally. Tutankhamun’s burial death mask, from the Egyptian pharaohs of the 18th dynasty (1332-1323 B.C.E).
One of the world’s most popular Egyptian artifacts is the funerary mask of King Tutankhamun. The mask weighs 24 pounds of pure gold. It also has inlays of blue glass, lapis lazuli, and other semiprecious stones.
The mask covered the head and face of the young king’s mummy. Archaeologist Howard Carter discovered it in 1922. The artifact is believed to be a realistic portrait of the king. It is now on display at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
Narmer Palette
The Palette of Narmer is considered one of the world’s oldest historical records. It dates back to the 31st century BC and features some of the first known hieroglyphic drawings. The palette is a 23-inch-long, dark green schist stone. Artisans fashioned it into a ceremonial, shield-shaped tablet to commemorate King Narmer’s rise to power.
The sculpture shows Narmer winning the battle to unify Upper and Lower Egypt. The Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Canada, has a reproduction of this artifact.
Rosetta Stone
The Rosetta Stone is an important ancient Egyptian artifact dating back to the time of Pharaoh Ptolemy V. The Rosetta Stone is a representation of the law that grants the Royalty of this Pharaoh to control people. An irregularly shaped stone with inscriptions written in three different written languages, old Greek, Egyptian hieroglyphics, and Egyptian demotic, all with the same meaning.
A French officer, Pierre-François Bouchard, discovered the Rosetta Stone in 1799 AD during Napoleon Bonaparte’s expedition in Egypt. It was instrumental in solving the hieroglyphics riddle for the first time in 2,000 years.
The Rosetta Stone’s inscription features the name of King Ptolemy within a cartouche. This clue led French scholar Jean-François Champollion to begin deciphering the ancient Egyptian language.
Archaeologists found the Rosetta Stone 35 kilometers north of Alexandria, near the village of Rosetta. The British Museum in London now displays the stone. The inscription on the stone is a decree from a council of priests. It affirms the royal cult of 13-year-old Ptolemy V on the first anniversary of his coronation in 196 B.C.E.
The Bust of Queen Nefertiti
The Bust of Nefertiti is a masterpiece of ancient Egyptian sculpture and one of the finest examples of art from any era. Nefertiti’s name means “a beautiful lady has come.” She had a huge influence on religion and society during the reign of her heretic husband, Pharaoh Akhenaten.
The limestone bust is a confirmed, true-to-life portrayal of extreme beauty. The unique crown she wears helps confirm this. The bust represents the climax of the Amarna era of Egyptian art. It is now on display at the Neues Museum in Berlin.
The Diorite statue of King Khefre {Chephren}
The Statue of King Chephren is one of the most intriguing popular Egyptian artifacts. It was carved from a single piece of diorite stone. Diorite is the second-hardest stone on Earth, after diamond. We do not know how the ancient Egyptians created this statue.
The statue is a life-size depiction of the fourth Dynasty’s third ruler. King Chephren built the second-largest pyramid in Giza. His pyramid is only smaller than his father’s, King Khufu. The statue was found at Chephren’s Valley Temple in Giza, his mummification temple.
Today, the statue is on display at the Egyptian Museum. Tourists visit the discovery site and throw coins to make wishes. The Great Sphinx of Giza is also a popular Egyptian artifact. It depicts King Chephren’s head on a lion’s body. The Sphinx was carved from a single, massive piece of limestone. The ancient Egyptians worshipped the Sphinx. They considered it the living image of the god Rehorakhti.
Statuette of King Khufu
An ivory statue of King Khufu (Cheops) is one of the smallest and most precious artifacts ever found in ancient Egypt. At just 7.5 centimeters (3 inches), it is the only known depiction of him. Khufu was the ruler who built the Great Pyramid of Giza.
Archaeologists found the statue at the ancient necropolis of Abydos. They discovered it in the southern corner of the Temple of Osiris. The statue was headless when they found it; they found the head two weeks later. A serekh name on the statue’s left shoulder identifies it as King Khufu. The statue is now housed in Cairo’s Egyptian Museum.
Young Ramses II Statue
This statue is one of the most popular Egyptian artifacts. It shows Pharaoh Ramesses II as a young king. He wears a Khepresh crown and holds the Heqa scepter. The statue is life-size.
It dates back to the 19th Dynasty of the New Kingdom (1279-1213 B.C.). The statue is made from a single block of granodiorite stone. Archaeologists discovered it at the Temple of Amon in Karnak.
The statue is now at the Great Egyptian Museum of Turin in Italy. It has been there since 1824. The king wears a long royal robe and a starched kilt for wartime. The statue is beautifully preserved. It shows the peak of ancient Egyptian art and beauty. The artifact is in superb shape.
Statuette of Amun
This is one of the most magnificent popular Egyptian artifacts. It is a statuette of the god Amun, weighing about two pounds. It is made of solid gold and is now on display at the Metropolitan Museum. Amun stands in the classic posture with his left leg forward. His flat-topped crown, which once held two tall gold feathers, is now missing.
He has the braided beard of the gods and a scimitar across his chest. Amun-Re often gave the king a scimitar on New Kingdom temple walls and pylons, granting him military success. This gold figurine is an incredibly rare example of expensive metal sculpture. It once graced temple sanctuaries. The figure may have topped a scepter or a standard. A tripartite loop on Amun’s cap indicates that someone suspended it, possibly a temple celebrant or a divinity figure. The Egyptians associated gold’s brightness with the sun. They believed the gods’ skin was gold.
The soft body modeling and tiny waist are typical of Third Intermediate Period art. This period was a time of immense creative success. Metalwork (gold, silver, and especially bronze) was of exceptional quality, and this Amun figure proves it.
Popular Egyptian Artifacts (examples)
- Amulet: An amulet is a magical object.
- Ankh: The Ankh is the key of life.
- Benben: Also called a pyramidion.
- Canopic Jars: These jars held the internal organs of a body.
- Cartonnage: This material is made of plaster-soaked papyrus or linen.
- Cenotaph: A cenotaph is a monument or empty grave.
- Crook & Flail: The crook and flail are symbols of pharaonic power.
- Faience: Faience is a type of glasswork.
- False Door: A common architectural feature in tombs.
- Flint Knife: This object was used for funerals from the Naqada period until the end of the Early Dynasties.
- Funeral Cone: This is a small clay cone.
- Imiut Fetish: We do not know the exact origin or purpose of this religious object.
- Microlith: This is a small piece of ancient Egyptian stone.
- Menat: People wore a Menat as a necklace.
- Naos: A Naos is a religious shrine. It could be moved to transport a god.
- Ostracon: This term refers to pieces of broken pottery or limestone.
- Cosmetic Palette: This is a stone slab used for preparing cosmetics.
- Papyrus: Egyptians made a writing and painting material from papyrus reeds.
- Saqqara Bird: This artifact is a wooden bird model.
- Sarcophagus: A sarcophagus is a container for a deceased person.
- Scarab: The Egyptian scarab is an amulet or seal.
- Senet: A very popular and ancient board game.
- Ushabti: We find these figures in a tomb. They served as a substitute for the tomb owner in the afterlife.
- Great Sphinx: A limestone statue, the Great Sphinx stands as a lone guardian of Egypt.
- Pyramids: These enormous buildings served as royal mausoleums for ancient Egyptian royalty.
- Stele: In archaeology, a stele is a slab of stone or wood. It comes in various shapes and sizes.
Discover The Popular Egyptian artifacts in Egypt
We’ve put together a variety of Egypt tour packages that include visits to ancient temples, tombs, and museums, as well as all of Egypt’s other attractions. On one of our Nile Cruise Tours, visit Luxor and Aswan for their breathtaking sites, and Cairo for its world-class museums and infinite ancient Egyptian antiquities.
