The Ancient Egyptian March 2012 | Seite 9

--Bones of a baboon

--Wooden mummiform statuette CG 24902

-- “Panther” CG 24913

Statues have been consistent throughout history as way for the living to commemorate the dead, as well as the living. These statues could have possible acted as guards to the tomb, and/or been a way to make the tomb more elaborate.

Baboons within Ancient Egypt played a very important role in a majority of religious aspects. They were associated with the sun god Ra, an assistant in the underworld to the moon god Thoth-Khonsu, and with various baboon gods of that time associated with sexual dominance (Dunn & Hiller, 1996-2013).

It is widely known throughout modern day that cats were of great importance to the Ancient Egyptians. The goddess Mafdet is depicted with the head of a cat and post cranially with human-like morphology (Wilkinson, 1999). Known as the guardian of the kings (Wilkinson, 1999) throughout the king’s life, the panther statuette in Thutmose III’s tomb could be acting as a protector even now in his death.

the Ancient Egyptians. The goddess Mafdet is depicted with the head of a cat and post cranially with human-like morphology (Wilkinson, 1999). Known as the guardian of the kings (Wilkinson, 1999) throughout the king’s life, the panther statuette in Thutmose III’s tomb could be acting as a protector even now in his death.

Second room on the right:

-- Many broken jars

-- Entire skeleton of a bull

-- Mud sealings (some hung by a string)

--Terra-cotta vessels

It would rather safe to assume that the now broken jars were once complete jars, due to the common belief amongst Ancient Egyptians that the dead required the same nourishments (Edwin, 2006) and comforts as the living (which could be an explanation for the wooden furniture in the first room on the right). As for the skeleton of a bull, bulls were sacred animals amongst the Ancient Egyptians, often describing the personality of the kings (Stratos, 1996-2013). The importance of bulls in Ancient Egyptian culture dates back as far as the first dynasty, depicted as one of the most important animal cults (Stratos, 1996-2013). The mud sealings hanging by string could have possibly been evidence of jars having been hung, as mud sealings were often used to stamp and hold lids in place on jars (Roehrig, 2014). Terra-cotta vessles are merely vase/jar-like pottery that has been flamed, often depicting stories or pictures on their face.