Murals sometimes decorated the tombs of wealthy ancient Egyptians. Artists painted a variety of motifs, including portraits of the deceased, images of gods, images of the deceased venerating the gods, and paintings of people mourning the deceased.
Artwork in tombs also sometimes shows images of daily life in Egypt. They can even draw images of sporting events, such as wrestling and dancing. Hieroglyphs were sometimes painted next to wall paintings and provided information about the people buried in the tombs and what they did during their lives.
Amulet
Amulets from the Ptolemaic dynasty of Egypt (305 to 30 BC) (Photo: Heritage Arts).
Amulets shaped like scarab beetles were sometimes buried with the deceased in ancient Egypt. Gene Kritsky, professor emeritus of biology at Mount St. “Small amulets were sewn into the mummy’s linen and used to protect the deceased,” said Joseph, who researches and writes about Egyptian amulets. Kritsky added that thousands of scarab beetles have been found in Egypt.
Place the statue in the tomb
A stone statue from Fraser’s Tomb, a cliff necropolis near Al Minya, Egypt. (Photo: Mike P Shepherd / Alamy Stock Photo).
Ancient Egyptians sometimes placed statues in tombs. In some cases, these statues depict gods.
For example, in January 2024, archaeologists said they had found a statue depicting Harpocrates, a childlike Greek god associated with silence, inside a tomb with dated about 2,000 years ago at Saqqara. They may be placed to show the religious devotion of the deceased.
In April 2023, archaeologists announced that they had found a 3,300-year-old tomb in Saqqara belonging to a man named Panehsy. Inside, they found a carved relief statue of Panehsy and his family.
Jewelry
An ancient jewelry on display at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization. (Photo: Ziad Ahmed/NurPhoto).
Many pieces of jewelry – including necklaces, rings and brooches – were buried with the deceased in ancient Egypt. The richer the person, the more elaborate the jewelry.
For example, Tutankhamun’s tomb contained a large amount of jewelry, including elaborate pectorals.
Susan Allen, a senior research scholar at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, wrote in the book “Tutankhamun’s Tomb” that, the designs of two of the chest panels in this young king’s tomb are intricate and include depictions of winged scarabs, poppies and crescent moons.
Animal mummies
An ancient cat mummy in a wooden cat coffin. (Photo: N. Rotteveel).
Animal mummies are sometimes buried with the dead. These may be beloved pets buried with their owners in the afterlife.
Lisa Sabbahy, associate professor of Egyptology at the American University in Cairo, wrote: “Sometimes, animal remains – such as cows, ducks and geese – are “cooked” and then mummified.”
She also noted that these remains will be for the tomb owner and possibly their pets to eat in the afterlife.
Mummy mask
First century AD plaster mummy mask from Minya, Egypt. (Photo: Global History Archive).
The deceased were sometimes buried with masks. According to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the masks represent “the ideal image of the deceased”. They can be made from plaster, cardboard, linen, and in rare cases, precious metals. In 2018, archaeologists working at the site of Saqqara, an Egyptian cemetery, discovered a gilded silver mummy mask. It belonged to a priest who served Mut, the goddess of the sky.
Model boat
Model of a boat from a tomb in Deir el-Bahari, Egypt, dated to the 11th Dynasty, around 2030 to 1981 BC. (Photo: DeAgostini).
Archaeologists have also found wooden boat models in ancient Egyptian tombs. One notable example is from the tomb of Djehutynakht, a governor who lived about 4,000 years ago and was buried with 55 model boats in his tomb at the site of Deir el-Bersha, according to the Museum of Fine Arts , Boston.
These included boats for transporting troops or goods and boats for hunting and fishing. One of the boats is said to be transporting what appears to be Djehutynakht’s mummy.
