Turning back time to Ancient Egyptians with the Time Turners

The date palm was a tree first known to be cultivated in ancient Egypt. Dates were used for food and medicine, made into wine and juice, or dried to preserve the fruit. The leaves were used to make sandals and baskets and the wood was used in construction as a roofing material.  

The Ancient Egyptians burned oil extracted from plant sources, such as castor, sesame and linseed. A wick made from linen cloth or plant fibres would have been placed in the spout of the lamp. Oil would soak into the wick. When the wick was lit it would produce a tiny flame. The Ancient Egyptian civilisation lasted about 3,000 years. This lamp dates to a later period, about 330BC. Its design is influenced by Greek and Roman culture.  

This necklace or collar is made from blue-green faience and red coral The coral comes from the sea. It was very rare in Ancient Egypt because it is a long way to the sea. The faience is shiny when it is fired so it looks like it has been polished and is smooth. Everyone liked to wear jewellery if they could afford it.  

This object may not be authentic, but it shows a depiction of Hathor, the goddess of sky, women, fertility and love. Here she is depicted in her cow form rather than her human likeness. She was strongly associated with motherhood and assisted souls in the afterlife.   

The shabti was used to replace servants that would have accompanied the burials to the afterlife. Shabti were really important so they were placed in the tomb as soon as the person was dead. This specific one was made from green faience and has hieroglyphs (inscription or spell) down the middle.   

Four canopic jars held the deceased’s organs in the tomb. Lids were different, and Imsety below had a man’s head; he guarded the liver. Hawk-headed Qebehsenuef cared for intestines, Jackal-headed Duamutef stored the stomach. Baboon-headed Hapy protected lungs.  

This piece of wooden coffin made 3,000 years ago was decorated with symbols and drawings, including images of Osiris, the god who helped the deceased into the afterlife. Here we see him sitting beside the scarab beetle with the solar disc, representing rebirth. Coffins came in sets that protected the bandaged mummy.  

Scarab beetles were important to the Ancient Egyptians. They were a sign of rebirth and regeneration. This object may have been worn as an amulet. Often the backs were inscribed with good luck wishes. They were also placed within the mummy bandages to act as good luck charms for the dead. This one is made of blue faience.  

Plastered linen Mummiform, decorated with depictions of deities, including: probable mother, winged Isis, and the four sons, all protected by goddesses, (originally helpers) of Horus, God of the dead; Qebehsenuef, Duamutef, Hapi and Imsety. Embodied as canopic jars for funerals during ancient Egypt’s peak, they concealed embalmed (respectively) intestines, stomachs, lungs and livers. They’re pictured here grasping lengths of linen, symbolising purity. Drawings often differ, so Isis might be sibling Nephthys, whilst the second figure in a god-like pose is unknown.  

Ancient Egyptian cats were sacred. They were linked to the cat goddess, Bastet, who was daughter to the sun god, Re. Bastet was protector of the underworld and helped the dead journey safely to the afterlife. Around 660BC onwards, if worshippers wanted to ask Bastet for help or to thank her, they would place cat mummies at burial sites.