ANCIENT EGYPT

This might be the coolest artifact in my collection. This papyrus scroll is almost 3000 years old. It is very fragile and we do not know what information it contains. I will try to get it studied using an MRI machine. I want to know what it says! Do you want to know more? Click here!

 This is an authentic, HUGE, Ancient Egyptian faience ushabti! It dates back to the Late Period (625 to 300 BCE) and was acquired from an American antiquity collection.

This figurine measures a stunning ~6.5" tall (compared to an average of ~3.25" tall). 

When an Ancient Egyptian died, they did not casually go off to a relaxing paradise. They believed their existence of servitude simply transitioned from one set of Gods to another.
Produced in great numbers, these ushabti figurines would be called upon by the deceased in the afterlife to ease their workload.

This sand was gathered from the area of the Great Pyramid. The sand of the Sahara Desert is fine and powdery. It is much different than the sand you find from places like the beaches of Florida. When you feel the sand, you understand how the wind can cover entire pyramids with sand. 

Bes is one of the most unusual — and most beloved — figures in ancient Egyptian religion. This is an ancient Egyptian turquoise faience amulet in the form of the god Bes, wearing a tall plumed headdress composed of four feathers. The deity is shown frontally in his characteristic squatting pose, with his hands clasped at the centre of his body. Finely moulded details define the facial features, including the eyes, beard, grimacing mouth, and prominent protruding ears, as well as the rounded belly.
Bes was especially connected with: childbirth and fertility, children, keeping away bad dreams, love, and bringing happiness to homes. He was very popular!!!

This is authentic cloth used to wrap a mummy in ancient Egypt. Linen wrap was used to encase a mummy after it had been desiccated. Do you want to know more? Click here! 

These are real, ancient Egyptian decorative items. Steatite floral inlay disks (often called rosettes) were small, carved pieces of soft stone (steatite/soapstone) that were usually glazed blue-green. They were not stand-alone objects — they were meant to be set into other things as decoration.

What they were used for

They were typically used as inlays in:

• Furniture (chairs, beds, boxes, footstools)
• Cosmetic containers and jewelry boxes
• Game boards
• Coffins and sarcophagi
• Temple and palace decoration
• Carved wooden or stone panels

Date- 3rd-1st Century BCE

This first known paper-like product used to write on was papyrus. This is an example of ancient papyrus. It was made from the plant bearing the same name. Do you want to know more? Click here!

The Lighthouse of Alexandria was build around 300 years before Jesus. At the top was a large mirror that reflected the light of a fire. It was hit with a series of earthquakes between 900-1300CE and the remnants can now be found in the Mediterranean Sea close to the shore. That’s one of the reasons why we know what it looked like! I made this model with my classroom 3D printer!

My legendary Aunt Sonni sent me a cartouche from Cairo around 40 years ago. I've loved them ever since. This cartouche is modern and the hieroglyphics spell "Mia." Do you want to know more? Click here!