Egyptian Pottery Soul House

Server Costs Fundraiser 2024

Help our mission to provide free history education to the world! Please donate and contribute to covering our server costs in 2024. With your support, millions of people learn about history entirely for free every month.
$3900 / $18000

Illustration

Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin
by
published on 04 April 2016
Subscribe to author
Egyptian Pottery Soul House Download Full Size Image

Redware pottery depicting the so-called "soul house", from E-Kab, Egypt, 11th to 12th Dynasties, 2024-1700 BCE.

It has flattened pellets representing a loop of wood. One of the two pillars which supports the roof is lost. Mr. Petrie thought that this object represent dwelling for the soul; this theory is not accepted by all Egyptologists. Not all Egyptian tombs were richly furnished. At one point in Egyptian history, instead of grave goods, poorer individuals had objects, like this one, placed above their burials. Modeled on the tray are miniature representations of bread and meat which would sustain the deceased in the afterlife.

The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London (with thanks to The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, UCL).

Remove Ads
Advertisement
Subscribe to this author

About the Author

Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin
Associate Professor of Neurology and lover of the Cradle of Civilization, Mesopotamia. I'm very interested in Mesopotamian history and always try to take photos of archaeological sites and artifacts in museums, both in Iraq and around the world.

Cite This Work

APA Style

Amin, O. S. M. (2016, April 04). Egyptian Pottery Soul House. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/image/4766/egyptian-pottery-soul-house/

Chicago Style

Amin, Osama Shukir Muhammed. "Egyptian Pottery Soul House." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified April 04, 2016. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/4766/egyptian-pottery-soul-house/.

MLA Style

Amin, Osama Shukir Muhammed. "Egyptian Pottery Soul House." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 04 Apr 2016. Web. 26 Jul 2024.

Membership