My photo shows a wall carving in low relief of a hedgehog emerging from its burrow or shelter. Detail from a wall relief of a hunting scene in the Tomb of Mereruka, Vizier of King Teti, Sixth Dynasty, c. 2330 BC. The hedgehog is depicted in profile facing right with the front portion of its body emerging from the somewhat triangular-shaped burrow or shelter, perhaps a mound of soil. Its body is rounded, with two short forelegs. It has a narrow face with a pointed muzzle, an almond-shaped eye, and a pointed ear. A horizontal line across the middle of its body shows the delineation between its soft underbelly and its spiny back (spines not depicted) On either side of the hedgehog and its burrow there is a low mound topped by vertical wavy lines representing desert grass. Ground level is represented by a horizontal line. In ancient Egyptian art, hedgehogs were sometimes associated with protection and regeneration, likely because of their defensive spines and habit of curling up, as well as being nocturnal animals with the ability to see in the dark (perfect for the underworld). They were also hunted for food. This little hedgehog in Mereruka’s tomb may carry two meanings at once. A hunted food offering to provide nourishment and also magical protection for his rebirth.

Some 4,300 years ago, an Egyptian artisan carved this little hedgehog emerging from its burrow! 🦔❤️

Lovely naturalistic detail from a limestone wall relief in the Tomb of Mereruka at Saqqara. Old Kingdom, Sixth Dynasty, c. 2330 BC.

📷 by me

#ReliefWednesday
#Archaeology

A black and white print of the grass covered ramparts of an Iron Age hillfort with trees and a cloud filled sky with birds

It's #HillfortsWednesday at last (huzzah!)

Here's the eastern side of Rawlsbury Camp Iron Age hillfort in #Dorset

Its sinuous rampartular beauty captured by Howard Phipps in this stunning wood engraving print 😍

For more of Howard's art see:

howardphipps.co.uk

Medieval roof timbers and the early C17th chancel screen of St. Bartholomew’s Church at Vowchurch in Herefordshire. 📸 My own. #Woodensday #Vowchurch #Herefordshire

Stone relief of a gladiator, standing within a rectangular niche. He’s holding a shield, a sword and is wearing a helmet. A inscription in Greek letters (reading Peneleos) is carved along the top edge of the stone.

A Roman gladiator frozen in his final fight: this funerary relief shows Peneleos, a heavily armed murmillo, who won eleven fights in the arena - and seems to have died in his twelfth.

Dating 3rd century AD and found in Türkiye.
From the collection of Antikensammlung Basel.

📷 me

🏺 #reliefwednesday

Yes, we visited Khufu’s boat museum at GEM. Also saw the excavated boat pits beside the Great Pyramid of Giza. All so utterly amazing! 🤩

My photo shows a ceramic storage jar, with a narrow base and a broad rounded body. It has two thick loop handles attached high on the shoulders to the neck. The surface is mostly pale cream, with dark brown neck/spout. On the front is a large circular dark brown panel painted with a large white daisy-like flower motif. It has many long narrow petals radiating outwards from a round orange center. The jar is visibly reconstructed from fragments, with fine crack lines running across the surface.

Minoan amphora with floral design.

3,800 years old and still blooming gorgeous! 🌸

From Phaistos, Crete. Heraklion Archaeological Museum 📷 by me

#Archaeology

These two replica outfits displayed at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, are based on images found in Crete.

Hear hear! 👏

👍

😁

Sometimes it helps to feel connected to the longue duree

Just laughed out loud at that! 😂😂😂

We could all do with some of that!

A metal money box made of bronze, rests on display. The oval-shaped container has an open slot where several gold coins have spilled onto the surface below.

This rare bronze purse was found with six #gold coins still inside in the #Celtic oppidum (settlement) at Manching. It was originally sealed with an organic material, presumably a leather strap.
The purse is rather small: 4.3x3.3 cm. The diameter of the smallest coin is 6.5 mm.🧵1/2

📷 me

🏺

And the museum label!

Thank you Sandy! 🥰

My photo shows a museum display case containing Minoan polychrome ceramic vessels of various shapes and sizes, with painted floral motifs. The bottom row includes two amphorae, a krater, and a small pithos. All from Phaistos, Crete, dated 1800-1700 BC

Here is the amphora with floral motif alongside a second amphora, a krater, and a pithos, on display at Heraklion Archaeological Museum

A page from the Heraklion Archaeological Museum guidebook with four examples of polychrome ceramic vessels with floral and geometric motifs painted in black, red, and white

Interesting! 🤨

I’m going by the museum label and museum guidebook which both refer to this type of Minoan vessel as an amphora. Here’s another example of a Minoan amphora (top left) in the museum guidebook

I feel the same! If you haven’t visited Heraklion Archaeological Museum yet, you should! 🤩

VMRS will be filled with Minoan goodies!

A thing of beauty

My photo shows a ceramic storage jar, with a narrow base and a broad rounded body. It has two thick loop handles attached high on the shoulders to the neck. The surface is mostly pale cream, with dark brown neck/spout. On the front is a large circular dark brown panel painted with a large white daisy-like flower motif. It has many long narrow petals radiating outwards from a round orange center. The jar is visibly reconstructed from fragments, with fine crack lines running across the surface.

Minoan amphora with floral design.

3,800 years old and still blooming gorgeous! 🌸

From Phaistos, Crete. Heraklion Archaeological Museum 📷 by me

#Archaeology

My photo shows the golden canopic shrine made of gilded wood, which contained an alabaster chest housing the internal organs of Tutankhamun. The rectangular shrine has a canopy formed by four corner pillars that hold up a roof crowned witha freize of uraeus serpents with sun discs on their heads. There is a second freize of serpents with sun discs on the roof of the shrine itself. On each of the four sides of the shrine a goddess with open arms watch over the king’s internal organs. The goddesses are Isis, Nephthys, Neith, and Selket, who are identified by the hieroglyph on their heads

Here is Tutankhamun’s gilded wooden shrine, each side protected by one of four goddesses. Inside was an Egyptian alabaster chest with four alabaster canopic jars, each containing a miniature gold sarcophagus with the king’s internal organs.

Grand Egyptian Museum 📷 by me

#Archaeology

👍😄

Bouillabaisse in stone.

Yesss! 😄

Wonderful !

You’re welcome!

The Roman mosaicist did a great job! Recognisable!

My photo shows a Roman ‘Marine Life’ mosaic from the impluvium (pool for catching rainwater) at the House of the Geometric Mosaics in Pompeii. The mosaic depicts an octopus with its tentacles wrapped around a lobster, surrounded by many different kinds of Mediterranean fish. The octopus is depicted in pale cream and beige tesserae, the lobster in shades of orange, the surrouding fish in a palette of neutral browns, greys, and creams, all set against a black tesserae background

A spectacular googly-eyed octopus does battle with a lobster in this 2,000 year-old Roman mosaic from Pompeii 🐙 🦞

Some fantastic fishy onlookers too!

House of the Geometric Mosaics. On display Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples 📷 by me

#MosaicMonday
#Archaeology