Ship under Sail. Reused at Lisht North; mid- to late Fourth or early Fifth Dynasty (ca. 25002450 B.C.E.). Limestone with faint remains of paint; H. 28 5/8 in. (72.8 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Rogers Fund and Edward S. Harkness Gift, 1922 (22.1.13).

The preserved column of inscription in front of the ship states, "Sail well like this, hurry." At the prow are three bladelike objects decorated with representations of the sacred wedjat eye, a protective symbol usually associated with the falcon-deity Horus. The device probably physically protected the vessel and magically allowed it to see where it was going.




Pyramid Complexes · Tombs of Officials · Images of Royalty · Images of Officials and Their Families ·  Portraiture · Images of Artisans and Occupations · Objects of Daily Life


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