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The Frist Center for the Visual Arts in Nashville presents "The Quest for Immortality: Treasures of Ancient Egypt" until Oct. 8.
This exhibit presents the largest collection of artifacts ever loaned by the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities for display in North America. It contains more than 100 priceless antiquities relating to Egyptian beliefs in the afterlife, including majestic sculptures, exquisitely crafted gold jewelry and death masks, intricately painted coffins, and a detailed replica of the painted walls of the interior of the tomb of Tutmose III.
According to Dr. Maged Hafez, the Egyptian archaeologist who came to Nashville to supervise the details of the exhibit, this peek into the complexities and richness of the ancient Egyptians' preparation for the afterlife gives us insight into their activities and beliefs during daily life at that time.
One example he gives is the 8-foot-long ancient wooden riverboat model that was believed to carry the pharaohs to the afterlife since travel and commerce at that time was accomplished by boats on the Nile.
The ancient Egyptians' creation legend begins with Ra, the Sun God, who looked at the earth with his fiery eye - the Eye of Day - and shed burning tears, which became people. Ra wanted to teach the people how to live, so he took on the shape of a man and ruled as Egypt's first pharaoh, making all subsequent rulers also divine. (This is why royalty is frequently sculpted with a sun disc behind its heads.)
Because of this divinity, it was common for the ruling pharaoh to have his image carved over the previous king's face. The example of this at the Frist Museum is the 2-ton, 7-foot-tall carved head of Ramses II seen as one first enters the gallery. Looking closely, one can see that Ramses II had this original head of Senusret I retouched so that the eyelids are more oval, and the mouth was enlarged to look more like Ramses.
One of the basic premises of Egyptian mythology is that aspects of the gods and of humans might easily combine, particularly when representing royalty. For example, a famous sphinx of Thutmose III, on display here, combines the body of a lion, an animal particularly esteemed by Egyptians for its regal presence and courage, with the king's head.
In addition to children's activities in the interactive gallery Art Quest, the Family Activity Guide brochure highlights pieces of the exhibit and what to look for in each. The first is a child-sized funerary chair with carvings of Bes, the lion-headed dwarf, and goddess Taweret with the head of a hippopotamus and the back and tail of a crocodile. Both protected women and children and were called upon especially to ensure women a safe childbirth.
Another highlight of the exhibit is the intricately worked jewelry. The Egyptians believed the more decorations on the mummy in the tomb, the more beautiful the person would be in the next life. In addition, all of the colors held meaning; gold meant purity and the sun; red represented life, power and energy; green signified growth and rebirth; and blue stood for the night sky, of the heavens and the Nile River.
The gold funerary mask used to symbolize the exhibit was made for a courtier and created to help the wearer be eternally youthful in the next life.
One of the most popular images is that of Bastet, a very regal cat in sitting posture. She is one of the daughters of the sun god Ra. Egyptians kept cats as household pets, as well as dogs, monkeys and even gazelles. Cats were also raised in temples as sacred, and mummified after death.
Although many magnificent artifacts are highlighted, the most intense experience is that of walking through the exact replica of the darkened Tomb
of Tutmose III. Spotlights shine upward on the paintings, which show the progression of the pharaoh through the 12 hours of the passage to the underworld. During each period, he is besieged by fierce creatures from the Nile and animal-headed gods, then rescued by other gods and goddesses. At one point, his heart is measured on the scale of justice against the weight of a feather. Only if he has been a good person during his lifetime and his heart is light will he continue the passage.
Michele Derieux Handley is a retired educator who lives in Oak Ridge.
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