ancientpeoples:

Painted wooden paddle doll with mud beads for hair

Probably from Thebes, Egypt
Late Middle Kingdom, around 1750 BC

Female figurines were included in burials from the Predynastic period onwards. They were often highly stylized, emphasizing the sexual characteristic of the figure, such as the breast, hips and pubic area.

In the past, there have been two opposing interpretations of these figurines. One argues that they should be interpreted as dolls, ignoring the emphasis placed on their female attributes. The other recognizes only these features, and the figurines are seen as ‘concubine figures’, intended to provide sexual gratification in the Afterlife. This interpretation fails to take account of the fact that the figures appear in the burials of women as well as men. The current opinion about these figures is that they were representations of human fertility. They were placed in burials to guarantee eternal rebirth, symbolizing the sexual aspects of regeneration.

This type of female figurine was placed in burials of the Middle Kingdom (2040-1750 BC) in Thebes. Its shape has led it to be called a ‘paddle doll’ and follows the convention for this type of female figure, emphasizing the hips and hair. The body is often painted with a colourful geometric design to represent the dress and sometimes the jewellery of the woman.

(Source: The British Museum)

ancientpeoples:

Hairnet

Greek, Alexandria, Egypt, 220 - 100 B.C. 

Very few gold hairnets have survived from antiquity. This example, made to be worn over a bun at the back of a head, is remarkable for the quality and degree of its elaboration. The hairnet consists of four elements: the medallion, the tassels and chains, the net, and the circular base. The medallion bears a bust of Aphrodite, the goddess of love, accompanied by her son Eros and surrounded by bands of filigree. Tassels on long chains hang from the medallion and clasp. The net itself consists of bands of gold chains sheathed in gold spool beads, a typical Hellenistic design, linked by crossed chains decorated with Dionysiac masks. The circular base is embellished with a large Herakles knot, floral tendrils, ivy leaves, and berries. 

Certain elements of the hairnet’s decoration seem to have had a close connection to the Ptolemies, the ruling family of Hellenistic Egypt. Aphrodite was considered the divine equivalent of many Ptolemaic queens, and the woman on this hairnet bears a resemblance to portraits of Queen Arsinoe III. The Ptolemies also considered Dionysos and Herakles to be their divine ancestors. Although such associations do not necessarily mean that this jewellery was made for the royal family, they point to Ptolemaic Egypt as the hairnet’s country of origin. 

(Source: Getty Museum)

ancientpeoples:

Greek, Alexandria, Egypt, 220 - 100 B.C. 
Gold, carnelian, amethyst, and emerald 

A group of twenty-eight loose beads of varying scale and form was part of this group of Ptolemaic jewelry. There are three emerald beads, five carnelian beads, four amethyst beads, eight granulated gold beads, and eight hollow gold beads. Conservators at the Getty Museum have re-strung these beads as a necklace, but they also may have originally been separate elements of earrings. A single carnelian mushroom-shaped bead or stud may go with the group. The mushroom-shaped piece may have been an ear stud, or, since its stem is pierced, it may have been a pendant.

(Source: The Getty Museum)

tothecabaret:

King Tut’s grandmother Queen Tiye, the mother of Pharaoh Akhenaten. The hairpiece behind her is believed to have been made up of her own hair. It has not disintegrated because of the mummification process and the dry conditions within the tomb.

(Source: )