Divine Egypt

Patch, Diana Craig and Brendan Hainline, with contributions by various authors
2025
384 pages
393 illustrations
9.5 x 11 in
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Ancient Egyptian religious practice flourished across millennia and encompassed a staggering array of gods, goddesses, and other divine beings. This publication outlines the rich iconography used to represent Egyptian deities —from the stately falcon-headed Horus, associated with power and kingship, to the fearsome lion-headed Sakhmet—and explores how these representations evolved alongside the roles of the gods themselves. Illustrated with more than 300 exceptional works of art, including statuary, figurines, jewelry, animal mummies, and coffins, Divine Egypt examines the expansive set of features used to symbolize more than 20 deities and their variations while also familiarizing readers with the meaning and cultural significance of each figure. World-renowned scholars explain how the ancient Egyptians recognized and understood divine images and the otherworldly nature of their gods. Essential reading for lovers of Egyptian art, this book enriches our understanding of not only the deities of ancient Egypt but also the lives of all strata of ancient Egyptian society.

Relief from the West Wall of a Chapel of Ramesses I, Limestone
ca. 1295–1294 B.C.
Miniature broad collar, Gold, carnelian, turquoise, lapis lazuli
332–246 B.C.
Figurine of a Seated Woman, Limestone, organic material, paint, malachite
ca. 3450–3300 B.C.
Anubis Fetish (Imiut), Travertine (Egyptian alabaster), cedar, ointment
ca. 1919–1885 B.C.
Cylinder seal with an image of seated Hathor, Green muscovite (fuchsite)
ca. 2490–2472 BCE
Mirror with a papyrus-shaped handle displaying a Bat-like face, Silver disk with a wood (modern) handle sheathed in gold; the inlays are modern
ca. 1479–1425 BCE
Face of the goddess Bat, Lapis lazuli, gold, travertine (Egyptian alabaster)
ca. 1100–664 BCE
Arc sistrum of Tapenu, chantress of Sobek of Khenyt, Cupreous metal
ca. 1186–600 BCE
Arc sistrum with a hymn to Hathor, Faience
332–30 BCE
Shrine sistrum of King Apries, Faience
589–570 BCE
Amulet of a rearing cobra with a Hathor-emblem head, Faience
ca. 1070–332 BCE
Column with Hathor-emblem capital and names of Nectanebo I on the shaft, Limestone, paint
380–362 BCE
Kneeling statue of Amenemopetemhat holding the Hathor emblem, Metagraywacke
664–610 BCE
Painted Linen Depicting the Priest Tjanefer and his Family before the Goddess Hathor, Linen, paint
ca. 1295–1186 BCE
Head of a cow goddess, Porphyritic diorite
ca. 1295–1070 BCE
Pectoral with bovine head crowned with disk, horns and feathers, Cupreous metal, carnelian
664–200 BCE
Decorated Ware Jar Depicting Ungulates and Boats with Human Figures, Pottery, paint
ca. 3500–3300 B.C.
The Temple of Dendur, Aeolian sandstone
completed by 10 B.C.
Wine jar with early <em>serekh</em>, Pottery
ca. 3300–2960 BCE
Stela of King Raneb, Granite
ca. 2880 BCE
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Patch, Diana Craig, and Brendan Hainline, eds. Divine Egypt. With Niv Allon, Yekaterina Barbash, Lawrence Michael Berman, et al. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2025.