Cartonnage Funerary Assemblage

In the Ptolemaic Period, separate cartonnage pieces replaced the full-body cartonnage covering such as the one used with the Mummy of the Priest, Hor nearby. Yet the same series of symbols were used, such as the scarab beetle (a symbol of rebirth), the Four Sons of Horus, Anubis, sun disks, and gold leaf (a reference to the gods, who were believed to have gold skin).

The lower part of the inscription shows a number of dots marking the place where the owner’s name would be filled in, indicating that such objects were mass-produced for the market. The use of gold in prefabricated funeral equipment suggests a large, wealthy population in Ptolemaic Egypt eager for such products.

Ptolemaic Period, ca. 305-30 BC.

Tefnut and Hathor, Temple of Kom Ombo

Cleopatra… Egyptian or Greek? Here’s the real story 👇✨

She ruled Egypt, wore the pharaonic crown, and stood like a true Egyptian queen… But her actual origin? Greek Macedonian.

Cleopatra VII came from the Ptolemaic dynasty — a Greek family that ruled Egypt after Alexander the Great. But she stood out from her entire bloodline:

✨ First Ptolemaic ruler to learn the Egyptian language ✨ Appeared in full pharaonic style to gain legitimacy ✨ Formed powerful political alliances with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony ✨ Fought fiercely to protect Egypt’s independence ✨ And with her death, Egypt entered Roman rule

So who was she? Not Egyptian by blood… but Egyptian by identity, rule, and legacy.

Statuette of the goddess Neith

Ptolemaic Period, ca. 305-30 BC.

Diorite Head of an Official

Ptolemaic, c. 50 B.C.

Likely from Mitrahina, Egypt

Pendant of the dwarf god Bes

Late Period to Ptolemaic Period, ca. 600-100 BC.

Cat Coffin

Late Period to Ptolemaic Period, ca. 664-30 BC.

Sycamore fig. Purchased in Egypt by Lucy Olcott Perkins through Henry W. Kent. Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust.