Did you know...
*The dung beetle was a symbol of the god of the morning sun, Khepri.

Look for...
*The dung beetle painted in the red orb. It identifies the seated figure as the god of the morning sun, Khepri.

*The hieroglyphs to the right of the seated figure; they also identify him as Atum, the evening sun.

*The painted symbol of the dung beetle and the inscription tell us the figure represents the sun god that rises in the east and sets in the west.

*The mummy of the Priestess Nesykhonsu standing to the left of the sun god. This painting is from the inside of her coffin.

*The Priest at the right who makes offerings to the sun god and Nesykonsu's mummy. Priests and priestesses in ancient Egypt wore panther skins.

Detail of Coffin Case and Cover of the Priestess of Amen-Ra, Nesykhonsu
Gessoed and painted sycamore fig wood, height 6 feet 11 inches
Egypt, Thebes, late Dynasty 21 or early Dynasty 22, 959-909 bc
© The Cleveland Museum of Art
Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust, 1914.714