Beautiful and majestic, the mighty Nile River inspired ancient Egyptian artists and craftsmen for more than four millennia. The Nile and Ancient Egypt presents exceptional artifacts in the collection of the Freer Gallery. Made of glass, wood, and stone, these objects illuminate the important role water animals played in ancient Egyptian religion and concepts of the afterlife. Other highlights include a masterfully rendered pharaonic head from the third millennium BCE and a selection of extraordinary glass decorated with wave patterns that recall the Nile. Together they evoke the power and enduring fascination of this waterway.
Detail, Amulet: the figure of Thoureis; Amulet; Possibly Ptolemaic Dynasty, 305-30 BCE; Clay; Egypt; Gift of Charles Lang Freer; Freer Gallery of Art F1908.222