Department of Egyptian Antiquities of the Louvre

Crypt of the Sphinx, Room 1 of the Department with the Great Sphinx of Tanis

The Department of Egyptian Antiquities of the Louvre is a department of the Louvre that is responsible for artifacts from the Nile civilizations which date from 4,000 BC to the 4th century.^[1] The collection, comprising over 50,000 pieces,^[2] is among the world's largest, overviews Egyptian life spanning Ancient Egypt, the Middle Kingdom, the New Kingdom, Coptic art, and the Roman, Ptolemaic, and Byzantine periods.^[1]

History[]

The department's origins lie in the royal collection, but it was augmented by Napoleon's 1798 expeditionary trip with Dominique Vivant, the future director of the Louvre.^[2] After Jean-François Champollion translated the Rosetta Stone, Charles X decreed that an Egyptian Antiquities department be created. Champollion advised the purchase of three collections, formed by Edmé-Antoine Durand, Henry Salt and ; these additions added 7,000 works. Growth continued via acquisitions by Auguste Mariette, founder of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Mariette, after excavations at Memphis, sent back crates of archaeological finds including The Seated Scribe.^[2]^[3]

Rooms of the Egyptian Antiquities Department[]

Guarded by the Large Sphinx (c. 2000 BC), the collection is housed in around 30 rooms. Holdings include art, papyrus scrolls, mummies, tools, clothing, jewelry, games, musical instruments, and weapons.^[2]^[1] Pieces from the ancient period include the Gebel el-Arak Knife from 3400 BC, The Seated Scribe, and the Head of King Djedefre. Middle Kingdom art, "known for its gold work and statues", moved from realism to idealization; this is exemplified by the schist statue of Amenemhatankh and the wooden Offering Bearer. The New Kingdom and Coptic Egyptian sections are deep, but the statue of the goddess Nephthys and the limestone depiction of the goddess Hathor demonstrate New Kingdom sentiment and wealth.^[1]^[3]

Statue of Nakhthorheb, Room 2
Ship model, Room 3
Statuettes of offering bearers, 12th dynasty, Room 4
Kohl box monkey with palm tree, Room 5
Seated scribe with papyrus scroll, Room 6
Statue of Horus, Room 7
Chair and table, Room 8
Cosmetics spoon, Room 9
Colored stele of a harpist, Room 10
Sphinx of Tanis, Room 11
Colossal statue of Ramesses II, Room 12
Sarcophagus of pharaoh Sekhemre-Wepmaat Intef, 17th dynasty, Room 13
Sarcophagus from the palace of Abou Rawash, 4th dynasty, Room 14
Libation vase in the name of Thutmose IV, Room 15

Rooms of the department are as follows:

1. Crypt of the sphinx.
2. Vestibule.
3. The Nile River.
4. Field labour. The mastaba.
5. Animal husbandry, hunting and fishing.
6. Writing and scribes.
7. Materials and techniques.
8. The home and furniture.
9. Jewels, clothing, and body care.
10. Leisure: Music and games.
11. The forecourt of the temple.
12. The temple.
13. Crypt of Osiris. The royal tomb.
14. Sarcophagi.
15. Mummies, embalming and burial.
16. Tombs.
17. The Book of The Dead. L'équipement funéraire.
18. Gods and magic.
19. Animals and the gods.
20. Naqaqa period. The end of prehistory
21. Thinite period. The first two dynasties.
22. The Old Kingdom. Seated Scribe.
23. The Middle Kingdom.
24. The New Kingdom.
25. The New Kingdom: the period of Akhenaton and Nefertiti.
26. The New Kingdom: Tutankhamun and his successors.
27. The New Kingdom: The period of Ramses.
28. The New Kingdom: The period of Ramses. Princes and courtisans.
29. The Third Intermediate Period. The Saite period. The beginnings of Persian domination.
30. From the last Egyptian Pharaohs to Cleopatra. The Nectenebos, Alexander the Great, and the Ptolemy dynasty. A: Roman Egypt. B: Coptic Egypt. C: The room Baouit.