Materials & Making
An Egyptian Harp’s Surviving Wood Is Only Part of Its Sounding Body
The Met’s arched harp, object 25.3.306a, b, preserves a wooden form whose musical operation involved other materials. The museum explains that its sound box…
Ancient objects, open questions
Notes from the collection
Materials & Making
A Wooden Brick Mould Connects Egyptian Construction with a Foundation Deposit
A brick mould is a tool for giving material a repeatable form. The Met’s wooden example, object 25.3.108, also has a recorded archaeological setting: a…
Materials & Making
A bow drill in a workshop image makes repeated movement visible
An image of a craftsperson can reveal more than the finished object being made. A depicted bow drill directs attention to the movement of hands, the…
Reading the Past
Egyptian gaming sticks remind us that a move could begin before a piece touched the board
A board-game display naturally draws attention to its squares and playing pieces. The objects used to determine movement are easier to miss. The Met’s…
Objects & Beliefs
A baboon water-clock model brings measurement into a religious setting
At first glance, a small faience baboon might seem to belong only to the world of animal imagery. In the Met’s object 17.194.2341, the figure is connected…
Materials & Making
The holes in an Egyptian silver strainer are concentrated where the liquid would pass
The Met’s silver strainer, object 07.228.184, is small enough that its working surface can be overlooked beside more imposing ancient objects. Its lower…
Materials & Making
A flint insert shows how an Egyptian sickle could be renewed piece by piece
A small piece of flint can be easier to understand when you picture the larger tool it belonged to. The Met’s bifacial sickle insert, object 15.3.797, was a…
Objects & Beliefs
A Faience Double-Flute Player Depicts Music Without Preserving Its Sound
A small figure of a musician provides evidence of a represented performance, but it cannot play the music that once accompanied such imagery. That…