Reading the Past
William the Hippo Has an Ancient Body and a Modern Nickname
The familiar name William belongs to the modern reception of an Egyptian object, not to a surviving ancient label. Keeping those histories separate makes…
Ancient objects, open questions
Reading the Past
Make a thoughtful start with ancient texts, translations and the questions around them.
Reading the Past
Ancient Figures on a Modern Base Need Two Descriptions
An arrangement in a museum can combine ancient components with a later display structure. The Met’s model butcher shop and brewery makes that distinction…
Reading the Past
An Egyptian School Board Retains More Than Its Latest Exercise
A writing surface used more than once can preserve traces of several activities in a single object. The Met’s board 28.9.4 makes that layered use part of…
Reading the Past
A Writing Tablet’s Language Can Be Revised in the Catalogue
A historical object’s catalogue description has a history of its own. When an institution explains that an earlier identification has changed, the revision…
Reading the Past
An Egyptian Die Preserves a Numbering Arrangement as Well as a Shape
A small cube with dots can look familiar before we have read anything about it. The Met’s die numbered 10.130.1155 invites a closer question: how are 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…
Reading the Past
Ruiu’s Razor Connects a Small Metal Object with Its Burial Arrangement
A razor in a museum case can appear as an isolated implement. The record for Ruiu’s razor preserves an arrangement of objects that gives it a more specific…
Reading the Past
Ten Workmen’s Marks on a Small Limestone Ostracon
Read The Met’s limestone ostracon 09.184.786 through its material and recorded identity marks, without inventing a translation from the image.