Official Gifts from Egypt?

A small number of Egyptian royal statues and statues of officials have been found in the excavations of southern Canaanite city states, most in contexts from the time of the Egyptian Empire in Canaan and a few in contexts from the time of Hyksos rule in Egypt. Yet all these statues were manufactured much earlier, mainly in the Middle Kingdom (2035–1650 BCE), with one exceptional item from the time of the Old Kingdom (2686–2181 BCE) – both periods of minimal contact ... Read More »

Fragment of a sphinx of King Menkaure (Mycerinus)

Hazor, 2532–2504 BCE, gneiss
Israel Antiquities Authority

This fragment preserves the front paws of an Egyptian sphinx statue. It bears the name of Menkaure, a Fourth Dynasty king associated with the great pyramids at Giza. The fragment was found in Late Bronze Age Hazor in a context postdating Menkaure's reign by more than a thousand years. Considering the importance of Hazor at this time, it is possible that the heirloom sphinx was a gift from one of the pharaohs of the empire.
From the Catalogue »

Fragment of a mutilated sphinx bearing the throne name of Amenemnat III

Hazor, 1842–1794 BCE, granodiorite
Israel Antiquities Authority

Statuette of an official

Tell el-Ajjul, 2000-1900 BCE, limestone
Israel Antiquities Authority