Restorers' Jar

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This two handled globular jar was found in the tomb of the New Kingdom queen Meritamun; however, it does not date to the time of the original burial. Instead this vessel was made during the Third Intermediate Period, and perhaps placed in the antechamber by those responsible for restoring the tomb after it had been looted. Found along with nine additional storage vessels and three plates, it is also possible that this jar might have been part of the assemblage buried with the 21st Dynasty Singer of Amun, Nauny (see 30.3.21), whose intrusive burial was found in Meritamun's tomb. The vessel is made of a hard, fairly fine salmon-pink ware that, when fired, turned a grey-green color. On the exterior there is no decoration or slip, just some traces of dirt and staining, presumably from general domestic use. When found, the vessel was filled with an unknown liquid, Nile mud and beer yeast. Two pieces of pottery that date to to period of the original tomb owner were found floating in this mixture.

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