Mystery Bundle
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Mesopotamia, Sumeria, and the Levant (c. 2000–1800 BC)
The Mystery bundle is a collection of objects that originated in Mesopotamia or its immediate vicinity during the Early Dynastic Period (ca. 2900–2350 BC). Although they were evidently assembled into one package at some point in their history, it is impossible to know precisely when and how this occurred.
Their provenance is problematic because the majority are associated with temples in Egypt, but there is no evidence of any such link between the temple and its original owners. The objects would have been taken from Syria and Palestine by early Egyptian merchants who sold them along the river routes in the region of Egypt known as “the land beyond”.
Alternatively, they may have come from central Asia via Babylon, where they were made. A number of scholars believe that they are part of an archeological cache found somewhere in the Middle East, possibly in Syria or Iraq.
Regardless of the actual origins of the items, it seems clear that they were looted during the period of chaos following the invasion of Alexander’s armies, around 330 BC; after which they passed through a series of dealers before reaching the hands of an antiquities dealer in Cairo in 1867-68. In 1893 the French archaeologist Auguste Mariette purchased the entire collection from a London dealer named Charles Wood.
He had acquired it from Henry Salt, who had bought it from the Earl of Elgin, who had stolen them while he was in command of the Greek army sent to subdue the young King of Egypt.
This story has given rise to several myths about the origin and purpose of the items: it is said that they were meant as a present for the future ruler of Egypt to mark his accession; that they were intended as a gift for the British ambassador in Constantinople; that they were intended as a present for Queen Victoria; and so on.
These stories all have a certain romantic appeal, but none can be substantiated.
The Mystery bundle contains thirty-eight objects. Most are small carved wooden figurines, the most notable being those of the goddess Isis and her husband Osiris, which date from ca. 2375–2350 BC. Many more objects are votive offerings bearing the names of gods and goddesses.
They include a large fragment of a stela covered with images of a god identified by modern scholars as the sun-god Shamash. It is the only object in the collection to bear an inscription, which provides important clues about its ownership.
At the time of its discovery in 1866, the stela was interpreted as having been dedicated to the god Nergal, who was worshipped in the city of Ur in southern Mesopotamia. However, it now appears that the stela was erected in honor of the deity Sin, whose cult center lay in the village of Shamshiyya, near the town of Al-Hirak in what is now Iraq.
A further clue to the identity of the owner of the collection comes from the name inscribed on the back of a bronze plaque depicting a human figure wearing a headdress. On the reverse, the word “Kurd” appears.
The term Kurd is often used to refer to the inhabitants of the ancient kingdom of Khwarezm, which straddled parts of Iran, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. It is thought that the owner of the collection hailed from the same area.
Another prominent feature of the collection is a set of twelve stone vessels. Although their shape varies, they each contain a representation of the goddess Hathor, who was also known as the “goddess of love”. Six of these vessels depict the goddess as she appeared in her youth, while the others show her as a mature woman with a child at her breast.
They were probably made in the city of Ugarit, which flourished from the eighth century BC until the seventh century AD. Although the vessels were probably originally intended for use in funerary rites, it is likely that they were brought to Egypt by traders from the north, perhaps as far afield as Mesopotamia itself.
A small bronze mirror is the sole piece of pottery in the collection. It bears the image of a horned and bearded god. Although there are parallels between the figure and the god Baal, who was worshipped in the region of Syria, it is not possible to identify him with any certainty.
Scholars suggest that it may have been intended as a gift for the Egyptian queen Taita, who is described by ancient sources as being “of horned appearance”. The mirror was probably made sometime between the end of the Old Kingdom and the beginning of the Middle Kingdom.
The Mystery bundle provides fascinating insights into the religious beliefs of its owner. The items are strongly influenced by the worship of foreign deities from the region of Khwarezm in northern Persia. One of the most striking pieces is a fragment of a stela, which depicts a horned deity with wings and a rayed crown.
This image was believed to be the god Nergal, who was venerated in the city of Ur in southern Mesopotamia. The deity’s name is written upside down on one of the sides of the stela, which is unusual because this method of writing was reserved for royal inscriptions.
The fact that Nergal was depicted as a horned god, and his association with the moon, were probably intended to appeal to the local population, many of whom were followers of the lunar cults of Babylon and Assyria. Other items in the collection show the influence of the religion of ancient Palestine.
There is a small vessel showing a human figure wearing a headdress and holding a staff. This is the same type of image found in the so-called Dead Sea Scrolls, and scholars believe it represents either the god El or the goddess Ishtar.
A similar object was discovered in the tomb of Pharaoh Amenhotep I (1570–1525 BC) in the Valley of the Kings, and it has been suggested that the owner of the Mystery bundle may have wanted to demonstrate his own links with the royal family. Yet another item shows a human figure wearing a headband.
This has been interpreted as a depiction of the sun god Ra, although some scholars suggest that it may represent the goddess Neith, who was honored during the reign of the pharaoh Akhenaten (1353–1336 BC).
Although the name of the owner of the mystery bundle remains unknown, he or she is clearly an important personage, who would have been familiar with the customs of the city of Ugarit in Syria.
Moreover, his or her familiarity with the cult of Nergal suggests that he had traveled widely in Mesopotamia. Inscriptions on the reverse of a small mirror were apparently intended to link it to the king of the dynasty of Ugarit, who ruled from 879 to 858 BC.
The owner of the mystery bundle appears to have maintained close ties with other parts of the Near East, and a number of objects in the collection bear the names of cities in Syria, Anatolia, and Egypt. It is therefore tempting to speculate that the mystery bundle belonged to a merchant who traded between these areas.
Perhaps in his travels, he passed through the city of Ugarit and met the ruler who had given his name to the object. In this case, the presence of the mirror in the mystery bundle might indicate that the owner had established a lifelong friendship with its bearer.
***
THE MUSEUM OF THE ANCIENT WORLD
In 1881, the French archaeologist Auguste Mariette excavated the ruins of the ancient city of Memphis, which had been built by the rulers of the kingdom of Lower Egypt. From the early twentieth century onwards, the discovery of the site led to a thriving tourist industry, which grew into a major part of the economy of Egypt.
During the 1950s, however, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) decided that the antiquities of the country should be preserved for posterity, and the control of their exploration and export was placed under the authority of a newly created National Museum of Antiquities. On 6 July 1954, a decree ordered all archaeological discoveries and finds to be deposited in the new museum.
The building was designed by the Italian architect Mario Botta, who was chosen for his expertise after a competition to design a suitable structure. Construction began in 1956 and was completed four years later at a cost of $27 million; this exceeded the original estimates by almost 100 percent. After the museum opened in 1958, it rapidly became popular with tourists.
The museum is located in the heart of Cairo, in the district of Zamalek, which lies across the Nile from the city center. The main entrance stands in front of the Sphinx of Giza and is reached via a long avenue flanked by palm trees and gardens. Visitors enter the grounds by walking through this garden, where they can admire the statue of Amenhotep II which is situated near the door.
The main hall is open to the sky, which gives it a light and airy feel. Inside are the largest collections of Egyptian antiquities in the world, but the museum also displays artifacts from other parts of the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.
One of the most impressive exhibits is the skeleton of a T. rex, which was discovered in the nineteen-forties by paleontologists working on the banks of the River Niger in West Africa. It is one of only three complete skeletons ever discovered; the others belong to dinosaurs named
Albertosaurus and Edmontosaurus. The skeleton is displayed in a glass enclosure, and visitors can walk around it and examine its bones, which are housed in wooden cases. There are also smaller dinosaur specimens on display, such as the skulls of two different species of stegosaurian, a group that includes the famous Tyrannosaurus rex.
A great deal of care is taken to ensure the safety of the items on display. Each exhibit is carefully covered with a protective material before being moved to prevent any dust from damaging the delicate surfaces. The museum has many rooms dedicated to displaying the more fragile items, including coffins, sarcophagi, statues, and jewelry.
A number of these have been brought back to life by having the paintwork restored and new colors added, while some have even had their inscriptions highlighted so that the texts can be read more easily. In the throne room, visitors can see the seat of power used by Pharaohs during the reign of the New Kingdom.
This consists of a large chair with a raised dais on which the king’s body rested, and it is surrounded by ornate golden curtains that once enclosed a carved wooden chest. The chest contained amulets, which were thought to protect the wearer against evil spirits, and the walls above it were decorated with scenes from the Book of the Dead.
The room is lit by a pair of enormous lamps, which are positioned so that they can illuminate both the chest and the paintings. The lamps originally stood on either side of the chair, but one has since fallen over and smashed. The second still stands upright, and the damage to it makes the scene seem even more dramatic.
One of the more interesting exhibits is an ancient gold cartouche, which was found in the tomb of Pharaoh Ramses III. The cartouche, or seal, is circular and made up of small squares. These form the hieroglyphic word for ‘king’, which was written using a stylized image of a crocodile.
The word is set within a crescent moon, which symbolizes eternity, and was probably used to indicate that the person who wore the cartouche was a member of the royal family and therefore had godlike powers. The seal was discovered behind a wall in the tomb, and it is believed that it would have been fixed to the lids of chests containing precious objects, such as jewelry.
Another exhibit that draws the eye is a collection of vases, which are displayed in an area called the Temple of Dendur. The vases are placed on top of a stone pedestal, which is also surrounded by a wide range of objects that date from the same period. The vases themselves are typical of Ancient Egyptian art.
They stand on legs that are shaped like the limbs of a crouching lion, and the necks are decorated with scenes showing the gods Horus and Hathor, as well as other members of the royal family. Some vases show the goddess Isis, the wife of Osiris, holding her child, Horus.
There are also a number of vases that depict the legendary river goddess Nefertiti. Her name means ‘the beautiful one has come’ and she is often depicted wearing a crown that resembles a starry night sky. Another object that is particularly striking is a gold statuette of a seated woman.
She holds a cat in one hand, which is the symbol of Bastet, the protector of cats. It dates from the eighteenth dynasty and is the earliest example of its kind to be found intact. On one side of the figure are the words ‘the lady sits’. Although the statue is relatively small, it is still the size of a human head, and the artist has been able to capture the movement and expression of the face.
There are also other pieces on display in the museum. One of the most intriguing is a funerary mask that belonged to a priestess known as Nebnefer. It was found in a burial chamber that had been sealed with mud, suggesting that the deceased was given an elaborate funeral ceremony.
The mask itself is made of painted plaster and features a series of symbols that represent the sun, the stars, a serpent, and the falcon-headed deity Set. The mask is divided into four sections, which allow it to be worn in different ways. For example, it could be tied around the forehead, or the chin and mouth could be pulled down over the nose.
It also has a hole at the top through which a voice could be heard, and another at the bottom to allow the wearer to breathe. When Nebnefer died, the mask would have been placed on her face in a similar fashion.
The objects on display in the Valley of the Kings are a treasure trove for archaeologists. One of the most important finds is a coffin that belonged to Pharaoh Ramses II. The coffin was found hidden under a pile of rubble, and it was only when it was examined that it became clear how valuable it was.
A piece of papyrus was discovered inside, which included the names of four individuals who had been buried alongside the king. Each of them was dressed in fine linen and their heads were covered with gold masks. The king himself was wearing an elaborate crown, and there was a solid gold ring that had been passed through his nostril.
His lips were curled into a smile, and he was accompanied by a lion and a falcon. Two of these animals would normally have been kept in a separate shrine, but it seems that the grave robbers had stolen them and used them in the construction of this coffin.
The exhibition includes numerous other items, including golden necklaces, bracelets, rings, and pectorals that belonged to the pharaohs. However, it is the objects that are connected with the afterlife that is the most fascinating.
These include the coffins of Pharaohs Thutmose I and Thutmose III, and they are surrounded by a number of smaller objects, which date from the same time period. One of the most impressive is a large box that was designed to hold the heart of the deceased.
It is decorated with a scene depicting the Pharaoh’s journey through the underworld. He is shown sitting between two lions, while behind him is a corridor flanked by the statues of the gods Osiris and Anubis. At the end of the tunnel stands a staircase that leads to the entrance of the tomb.
As the exhibition continues, visitors will find many more treasures that have been uncovered during excavations, some of which are very rare. One of the most interesting is a fragment of a wooden mask. It is believed to belong to a woman called Amenhotep and was discovered in the burial chamber of the Pharaoh’s son Ahmose.
It is one of only three masks to have survived from the early days of the Egyptian empire, and it shows that the style of decoration had begun to change. The original mask would have been made from a single piece of wood.
However, the fragments that survive today show that the artist had started to use the technique of painting on papier mache, which would have allowed him to create a much larger mask. As well as the painted design, Amenhotep’s mask was decorated with precious metals and jewels. The eyes of the mask were created using lapis lazuli gemstones, and there is even a tiny ruby set into the forehead.
The exhibition ends with one final section, which provides visitors with a glimpse of what life might have been like during ancient Egypt’s Golden Age. This begins with a sarcophagus that belonged to Queen Nefertari, wife of Thutmose I. It contains a collection of bronze and silver vessels, as well as two small boxes.
The first of these contained an ointment that was used to treat eye problems, while the second was filled with a mixture of herbs and oils. As well as this, there were six knives, each of which was decorated with a pair of hands holding a vial. They may not look particularly exciting, but these were thought to be extremely important because they represented the power of the Pharaoh.
The next item that catches the eye is a mask that was constructed from carved ivory. It was created by a sculptor named Userkaf, and it is considered to be one of the finest examples of his work. His masterpiece was based on the face of the Pharaoh’s youngest daughter, Princess Hetpet. In addition to this, there is a wooden chest that once belonged to Pharaoh Akhenaton.
It is covered with beautifully-carved scenes depicting the birth of the sun god, and it has been placed at the center of a room that is otherwise empty.
Visitors will also come across a number of small pieces of pottery. One of the most unusual is a bowl that was discovered in the burial chamber of the tomb of Pharaoh Ipuwer. Inside it is a mixture of spices, seeds and grains, and it is possible that the owner of the vessel was preparing food for the dead.
Another object that is worth noting is a funerary mask that dates back to the reign of the Pharaoh Neferhotep. It is made from black glass, and it depicts a man wearing a headdress that is decorated with two pairs of wings. There are four fingers attached to the chin, and the nose consists of a strip of stone that has been shaped into the form of a beak.
The eyes are positioned on either side of the nose, and there is a large scarab beetle fixed onto the forehead. The mask has been given a place of prominence in the exhibition, and it is situated just above a small table where visitor can rest their gaze upon it.
After passing through the coffin gallery, visitors will reach the last part of the exhibition, which focuses on the role of women in ancient Egyptian society. At first glance, it appears that this is a rather simple display since it is dominated by a selection of headdresses. However, a closer inspection reveals that they were all worn by women who were part of the royal court.
These included Hatshepsut, the Great Royal Wife of Thutmose III, and his sister, Hatshepsut II. A few of them also belonged to the wives of Tutankhamun. One of the most impressive items here is a crown that was designed with a spade-shaped outer casing, and it was originally intended to adorn the head of Queen Ankhesenamun.
Unfortunately, it never reached its final destination. Instead, it was found in the tomb of a female servant, and she has subsequently been identified as the wife of Pharaoh Akhenaten. It is made from gold, and there is a hidden compartment within it, which could have been used to store personal belongings.
The End