Happily Ever After

At first, only pharaohs like King Tut could afford to be embalmed, then placed in elaborate mummy cases and sealed inside huge protective tombs or pyramids. Later, ordinary Egyptians, buried in cartonnages (car-tun-ij-es), could gain access to the afterlife as well. Modeled from mud, straw, linen, and stucco then painted, these mummy cases could be made quickly and inexpensively. The one at right depicts the lady of an estate. Symbols to ensure her safe passage to the afterlife decorate the outside of the case.

The plaque at right, found in the tomb of King Sethos I (seth-ous), shows the goddess Hathor (HATH-or) welcoming the pharaoh to the afterlife. She grasps his hand and offers her necklace as a symbol of protection. Hieroglyphs inscribed above the figures state their names, but other symbols identify them as well. The cobra on the pharaoh’s headband represents royalty. Hathor wears the horns of her sacred animal—the cow.

As in most Egyptian relief carvings, the artist illustrates Sethos I and Hathor’s heads, hips, legs, and feet in profile. But he shows their eyes and shoulders from the front. They stand in profile on a flat line, called the groundline. For centuries, relief artists twisted the human figure into this unnatural pose, always showing each part of the body from its most expressive angle.

Some Ancient Egyptians could afford to be buried in large tombs. These vaults protected the mummy and held the deceased’s belongings, such as the hippopotamus, right, for use in the afterlife. Found in the tomb of a governor, the blue-green color of the modeled faience sculpture symbolizes the marshes where hippos live. Outlined shapes of river plants decorate its surface. This little object was placed in the governor’s tomb so he could hunt hippos forever.

Another official, Meketre (meh-keh-treh), loved fishing. Found in his tomb, the model boat above is about four feet long. It is assembled from wood, linen, and copper wire. Carved models of Meketre and his son sit under a reed shelter watching fishermen aim harpoons as a woman presents a live duck to Meketre.

Objects like this boat and the hippo above were common in tombs. Egyptians believed that the presence of these symbolic tokens would allow the deceased to spend eternity enjoying their favorite activities.