Statue of Pharaoh Amenemhet III and other exhibits of the Egyptian hall of the Hermitage

The statue of Pharaoh Amenemhet III is one of the main exhibits of the Egyptian hall of the Hermitage. It is perfectly preserved and, perhaps, is its main decoration. But, in addition, the museum contains many of the most diverse antiquities of this culture.

general characteristics

Egyptian traditions are among the oldest among the world's civilizations. The culture of this country is unique in that it existed for a long time - about four thousand years. While others, for example, the Greek - only two millennia. In addition, it has preserved unique monuments and artifacts. They make it possible to judge the rich mythology, the original worldview. One of the key concepts in the Egyptian world view was the belief in the immortality of the soul, so that each of the representatives of the nation was preparing for the transition to the afterlife all of life. This led to the fact that ritual ceremonies, burials played a big role in their culture.

The sacralization of culture

Another characteristic feature of their socio-political and cultural life was the deification of the rulers, an example of which is the statue of Pharaoh Amenemhet III. By the way, it was kept in excellent condition. In connection with the belief in the afterlife, the Egyptians left behind many ritual objects and items that are stored in the Hermitage. Stelae, drawings with images of victims and inscribed sacred phrases have also been preserved.

general characteristics

The Egyptian Hall was founded by the architect A. Sivkov in 1940 at the place of the buffet in the Winter Palace. This room presents the history and architecture of this civilization from the 4th millennium BC. Of particular interest is the exposition of the Old Kingdom, as well as subsequent periods: Ptolemaic and Roman, the time of Byzantine rule.

From the last preserved coins of imperial and Alexandrian coinage with images of rulers. Through the halls of the Hermitage one can judge the richness of the collections gathered here. Of particular interest is the collection of Coptic antiquities that were found and systematized by Bock. He traveled along and across this country at the end of the XIX century. In addition to finds of various antiquities, he also visited the Red and White monasteries, as well as the necropolis, where he studied inscriptions.

Exhibits

The Egyptian exhibits of the Hermitage are extremely diverse. This is a large sculpture, and small plastic, and household items, and ritual adaptations, as well as inscriptions, drawings, images. In addition, there are mummies here. A special place is occupied by religious and ritual objects. For example, here you can admire the styli Ipi (XIV century BC). She depicts the tsar's scribe, the fan of flashers and the chief administrator of the household. He is presented before the pagan deity Anubis.

The latter is depicted with the head of a jackal in the belt, a rod in one hand and a special hieroglyph that symbolized life of the ancient Egyptians. It was called ankhom. The figure of Anubis is carefully written and executed in traditional colors, in which they painted Egyptian deities: blue and green. Sculpture scribe, by contrast, is more schematic. He is wearing a shirt with wide sleeves and an apron. The stele depicts a sacrificial vessel, there are inscriptions of ritual significance, and also titles and titles of Ipi itself are listed.

Sculpture

The most important place in the exposition is occupied by a statue of Pharaoh Amenemhet III. As already mentioned above, it is well preserved and allows you to judge how great the importance of the ancient Egyptians was the sacralization of their rulers. This pharaoh was the representative of the twelfth dynasty, ruling during the Middle Kingdom (XIX century BC). Under him, the Egyptian state achieved great power, which, in particular, manifested itself in the grandiose construction.

This is primarily about the construction of a huge funerary temple in the Fayum oasis area, which the ancient Greeks called the "labyrinth". The statue of Pharaoh Amenemhet III is made in the post-March traditions, characteristic for the time of the reign of Akhenaten's successors. She has a well-written face. The author paid much attention to the reproduction of portrait similarity, which was a significant step forward in comparison with the art of the Ancient Kingdom.

Especially carefully prescribed musculature. Amenemhet 3 is depicted in simple clothes: on it an apron and a special headscarf is a traditional garment of pharaohs-rulers. Especially well-painted eyes, which, thanks to their production, give the look expressiveness. The torso is made in the traditional style: it is straight, slender, which corresponded to the ideas of the ancient Egyptians about the high status of the pharaoh, whose image was to demonstrate the power and grandeur of the Egyptian state.

Other items

Another exhibit that attracts attention is the statue of the ancient Egyptian goddess Semchet. It is depicted with the head of a lioness, because the people of Egypt represented her with a terrible eye of the Sun. They considered her to be a goddess of wars and believed that she could cause illness and heal them. Therefore, she was considered the patroness of doctors.

The terrible lion's head testifies that to ancient Egyptians it was represented as some punitive force. So all the calamities of the country - famines, wars, wars, epidemics - the inhabitants considered it a punishment. Another exhibit is the embalmed mummy of the priest, which shows that the art of mummification was applied not only to pharaohs, but also to wealthy people.