Cypriote ring based juglet

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Containers such as this were first imported into Egypt in the early 18th Dynasty and are often found in modest burials. The shape of some, such as this one, seem to be modeled after the inverted seedpod of the poppy (Papaver somniferum), cut to release its sap. This suggests that the jars once held opium, which is made from the sap. Opium is a powerful sedative that can be used not only as a painkiller but also in the treatment of diarrhea, dysentery, fever, and similar complaints.

Egyptian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met collection of ancient Egyptian art consists of approximately 30,000 objects of artistic, historical, and cultural importance, dating from about 300,000 BCE to the 4th century CE. A signifcant percentage of the collection is derived from the Museum's three decades of archaeological work in Egypt, initiated in 1906 in response to increasing interest in the culture of ancient Egypt.

Metropolitan Museum of Art