Exhibit opens door into world of ancient Egypt

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Visitors have a close look at the mummy at the exhibition featuring around 180 ancient Egyptian artifact's at West Lake Gallery. It presents Egypt’s ancient burial etiquette, social life, changes of dynasties, religion and beliefs. 

Date: Through May 5, closed on Mondays

Address: 25 Gushan Rd 孤山路25号

Admission: 30 yuan

Mummies, pharaohs, pyramids and the glory days of ancient Egypt may have gone, but there is still an abundance of antiques left from the exotic period that retains an air of mystery to the modern world.

The trend of collecting ancient Egyptian artifacts started with the Italian noble class during the 19th century. A number of Italian expeditions followed in Napoleon’s footprints, where they explored the country and brought back a myriad of antiques.

Around 180 of those ancient Egyptian artifacts have been loaned to the West Lake Gallery and are on display through May 5.

The exhibition is divided into five parts, the Nile River near Assuan, Gods and Legendary, Writing, Life along the Nile and Oases, and Funeral.

Shanghai Daily has picked highlights from every category presenting Egypt’s ancient burial etiquette, social life, changes of dynasties, religion and beliefs.

The “Funeral” section accounts for more than 40 percent of the exhibits.

A ceramic ware in the shape of a scarab

Ancient Egyptians perfected the art of mummification. They removed the internal organs and washed out the body before it was dried out with natron. After dehydration, the mummy was wrapped in several layers of linen cloth. After the mummification process, Egyptian priests placed small amulets to guard the body from evil.

The exhibits in this section also shed light on an elaborate set of burial customs that people believed were necessary to ensure immortality after death, and burial objects that reflected their religion and beliefs.

A displayed funerary stele, or upright stone slab, from the Ptolemaic Period (332-30 BC) portrays a scene when a dead man enters the afterworld. Anubis, a man with a canine head protecting graves, accompanies the soul to Osiris. The goddesses Isis and Nephthys stand behind Osiris.

Osiris is the god of the afterlife. According to ancient myths, he was a green-skinned deity with a pharaoh’s beard, partially mummy-wrapped at the legs, wearing a distinctive atef crown, and holding a symbolic crook and flail. Isis resurrected her husband, Osiris, and gave birth to Horus. She was believed to help the dead enter the afterlife, and was the divine mother of the pharaohs.

A funerary stele

Nephthys was paired with her sister Isis in funerary rites as protectors of the mummy and the god Osiris.

Except for the stele, bronze statues of Osiris and Isis, made in the Late Period (664-332 BC), are also on display.

The beliefs and rituals surrounding these gods formed the core of their religion, which penetrated almost every facet of life.

National resources and power were used to build memorial architecture to eulogize gods. In return, religion laid the foundation for the pharaohs’ sovereignty. They claimed to be the gods’ representative on earth and managed the temples where the rituals were carried out.

Like other ancient civilizations, Egypt’s forefathers favored particular animals to be their totems or amulets. They were an important source of information for archeologists and historians in their quest to discover and make sense of the ancient world.

A large number of scarabs (amulets) survived historic changes. They were often typically carved in the shape of a scarab beetle. People believed that the god Khepri rolled the sun above the horizon and then carried it through the other world after sunset, like a dung beetle rolling a ball. Thus, the scarabs were considered a symbol of rebirth or regeneration and a representation of ancient Egyptian cosmology.

A piece of alabastron

Scarabs pervaded the society by the early Middle Kingdom Period (2055-1650 BC). They remained popular for the rest of the Pharos’ period. Apart from being an accessory, they were also used as personal or administrative seals. Some scarabs were created for political or diplomatic purposes to commemorate royal achievements. A greenish ceramic scarab of that period is showcased at the exhibition.

Another important symbol of ancient Egypt is hieroglyphics. It was the formal writing system comprised of logographic, syllabic and alphabetic elements. Jean-François Champollion managed to decipher hieroglyphic writing in the 1820s, which opened a window into the ancient world.

The exhibition displays a seal engraved with hieroglyphs of the Early Dynastic Period (c. 3050–2686 BC). The hieroglyphs could be imprinted on soft clay if the seal was rolled over it.

Historians believed it was used to seal containers in a bid to store and transport goods. The owner might be an official and the seal reflected the administrative and trade systems’ writing requirements.

In ancient Egypt, people were also obsessed with the aroma of herbs. Ointment mixed with fragrant herbs was used as moisture cream and perfume. The containers were designed with elegant shapes and patterns and were sometimes taken as a type of amulet with religious symbolism.

The exhibition displays a columnar shape of alabastron, made in the Third Intermediate Period (1069–664 BC), with a narrow neck and a splayed mouth. It is a classic vessel for holding oil and perfume in ancient Egypt.

In addition to alabastron, other accessories, including necklaces, earrings and bracelets, also found favor with ancient people. The royal family and noble class wore gold and lazurite made versions, while ordinary people used shells and ceramics. A couple of ceramic necklaces produced in Late Period are showcased at the exhibit.

Source: Shine

https://www.shine.cn/feature/art-culture/1903251812/

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