Discovering Ancient Egypt Exhibition National Museum of Australia Part One

 

Bowl with Crocodiles, Prehistory, Naquada 1, c.3750-3650 BCE
Jar with Boats, Prehistory, Naquada 1, c.3500-3300 BCE

Upper part of a limestone false door
Old Kingdom, 5th Dynasty, c.2435-2306 BCE
Tomb of Neferenkhufu, Giza, Egypt

Bronze mirror with falcons, New Kingdom, c.1539-1077 BCE
Bronze mirror with Hathor handle, New Kingdom, c.1539-1077 BCE
possibly Thebes, Egypt

Wooden Senet game board, 18th-19th Dynasty, c.1539-1191 BCE

Glass flask, 18th Dynasty, c.1390-1336 BCE
Glass flask in the shape of a palm column, 722-332 BCE

Alabaster lidded cup, 18th-19th Dynasty, c.1425-1213 BCE
Alabaster situla, New Kingdom, c.1539-1077 BCE
Faience drinking cup, New Kingdom, c.1539-1077 BCE
Alabaster amphora, New Kingdom, c.1539-1077 BCE

Reed oval basket, New Kingdom, c. 1539-1293 BCE
Alabaster ibex-handled vase, New Kingdom, c.1539-1077 BCE

Limestone offering stela, 12th Dynasty, c.2080-1940 BCE

Limestone offering stela of Khu and his family,
Middle Kingdom, 12th Dynasty, c.1878-1843 BCE

Mummified cat, 722 BCE or later
Mummified falcon, Roman Period, 30 BCE-395 CE

Mummified crocodile, Roman Period, 30 BCE-395 CE
Mummified snake, Later Period to Graeco-Roman Period

Mummified fish, Later Period to Graeco-Roman Period c.500 BCE-100 CE

Bronze and wood Ibis, Late Period 722-332 BCE
Bronze head and foot of an Ibis, Late Period 722-332 BCE
Bronze human feet, Late Period 722-332 BCE

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year for 2024 to everyone!

Last Friday afternoon we went to the National Museum of Australia's latest exhibition Discovering Ancient Egypt. This is a travelling exhibition, Collections from the Dutch National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden, open here in Canberra from 14 December 2023 to 8 September 2024. They are over 200 objects in the exhibition but some of my photos were too blurred to use and photos of some objects (the mummified bodies) were not permitted. Apologies for the quality of the photos, the reflective glass, lights and interactive displays make it hard to get decent photos. Even though we've visited many sites and museums in Egypt, including the Cairo Museum, we both really enjoyed it and would recommend a visit and the catalogue to anyone who is even vaguely interested in Ancient Egypt.

Clay moulds for Heron figure, Late Period to Ptolemaic Period, 722-30 BCE
Clay mould for flower, New Kingdom to Late Period, 1539-332 BCE
Clay mould for rosette, New Kingdom to Late Period, 1539-332 BCE
Clay mould for Bes figure, Late Period to Ptolemaic Period, 722-30 BCE
Bronze Bes figure, Late Period to Ptolemaic Period, 722-30 BCE
Bronze Isis, Late Period, 722-332 BCE
Bronze head of Neith, Late Period, 722-332 BCE
Bronze left feather of the Atef-Crown of Osiris, Late Period, 722-332 BCE
Bronze Isis Crown, Late Period, 722-332 BCE

Bronze situla, Late Period, 722-332 BCE
Wood statue dedicated to Amun, 19th Dynasty, c.1279-1191 BCE
Bronze ship model, Late Period, 722-332 BCE

Bronze priest statues, Late or Ptolemaic Period, c.722-30 BCE
Bronze incense burner, New Kingdom, c.1300-1191 BCE
Faience stela, 19th Dynasty, c.1292-1191 BC
Bronze sistrum, Graeco-Roman Period, 332 BCE-1st century CE
Bronze sistrum, Late Period, 722-332 BCE

Bronze Isis with Horus on her lap, Late Period 722-332 BCE
Bronze Harpokrates, Late Period 722-332 BCE
Bronze falcon with a double crown, Late Period 722-332 BCE
Soapstone Oxyrhynchus fish, Late New Kingdom, 1170-1150 BCE

Book of the Dead of Padikhonsu, 21st Dynasty, 1076-944 BCE

Limestone stela of Egyptian gods, 18 Dynasty, c.1479-1324 BCE

Bronze Ptah, Late Period, 722-332 BCE
Bronze NefertemLate Period, 722-332 BCE
Bronze Mut, Late Period, 722-332 BCE
Bronze Montu, Late Period, 722-332 BCE
Bronze Khonsu, Late Period, 722-332 BCE
Bronze statue of a Ptolemaic king, Ptolemaic Period,
3rd century BCE

Bronze statue, possibly of Hathor, Late Period, 722-332 BCE
Bronze Thoth, Late Period, 722-332 BCE
Bronze Bastet, Late Period, 722-332 BCE
Bronze cat, Late Period, 722-332 BCE

Bronze Ichneumon (mongoose), Late Period, 722-332 BCE
Bronze divine statue with a snake head, Late Period, 722-332 BCE
Bronze cobra, Late Period, 722-332 BCE

Bronze bat, Late Period, 722-332 BCE
Bronze scorpion, Late Period, 722-332 BCE
Faience hedgehog, New Kingdom, 1539-1077 BCE
Baboon figure, New Kingdom, 1539-1292 BC

Limestone stela of Iuy-Kamose and Senebsen,
Second Intermediate Period, 17th Dynasty, c.1540 BCE

Limestone family stela of Huy, New Kingdom, c.1539-1077 BCE

Limestone stela of Djehuty, 19th Dynasty, c.1292-1191 BCE
Saqqara

Mythological Papyrus, Third Intermediate Period, c.1076-723 BCE

Mythological Papyrus, Third Intermediate Period, c.1076-723 BCE

Lusitanians versus Republican Romans ADLG Game

 

Lusitanians on the left and Romans on the right

Opposite end

Roman right flank and camp

Roman centre

Roman left flank

Lusitanian right flank 

Lusitanian centre

Lusitanian left flank

Roman camp with Triarii on guard

Last Thursday afternoon Garry, Robert and Craig came over and we played a Lusitanians versus Republican Romans ADLG game out in the shed. I'm currently reading Weapons, Warriors and Battles of Ancient Iberia by Fernando Quesada Sansz, a really great book, beautifully illustrated too. This inspired me to make up a Lusitanian army list from the time of Viriathus, active as a military leader from 147 - 139 BC. I was a bit short on painted scutarii units so had to draft in some Celts to make up the numbers. 

We removed the -1 modifiers for disordered and uncontrolled charge for impetuous troops in ADLG, as we particularly dislike this. Historically it seems first charge was when these troop types were usually most effective. This seemed to work fine and our game turned out to be a hard fought affair with the Spanish allies on the Roman side performing nearly as well as the legionaries.  In the end neither side broke but the Romans were well ahead in the game despite suffering a flank charge on a cavalry unit.

Lusitanians advance

Iberian allied light cavalry
charge Lusitanian cavalry

Armies close

Iberian allies charge Lusitanian infantry

Two sides in combat

Gaps appear in the lines

Roman right flank holds

A flank charge on the Roman cavalry
but the Romans win the day

Late Republican Roman Legionaries

 

Here's a unit of Late Republican Roman legionaries that I've finally finished painting. They're plastic Warlord  Games figures, the last of four or five boxes I've painted. They're armed with gladius and are lot easier to rank up than those with pila. The cracking resin Aquilifer figure (of the Tenth Legion) was a freebie with the lastest Hail Caesar supplement Caesar's Gallic Wars.

Gladiators, Arena and First Game of Blood on the Sands

 

Box of gladiators

28mm and 35mm painted gladiators

Steve Barber Models unpainted resin Gladiator Arena

Blood on the Sands cover - A Quick Start for Plebs

On Wednesday afternoon Craig came over and we played my first game of Blood on the Sands (BotS). These gladiator combat rules by Frank Sultana are still being play tested. Frank who, has posted extensively on the Lead Adventure Forum and his blog Adventures in Lead about these rules, was kind enough to email me a copy of A Quick Start for Plebs. There is Facebook group for those interested in Blood on the Sands. Craig has been involved in the play testing for a while and has a good grasp of the rules and had additional material like the BotS QRS which was very handy.

We played a game using Gripping Beast 35mm Murmillo and Thracian gladiators (designed for Jugulla) with my unpainted Steve Barber Models resin gladiator arena. I have had this arena for about 15 years and some of the stands were damaged and very brittle and had to be repaired with super glue. I still have to bog up the gaps in it before painting it, then there is the audience...

I was pretty lucky with my Action Dice and had the initiative in most turns, and was then able to inflict a slow kill rear leg wound early on. Marcus the Murmillo weathered the storm and inflicted a few flesh wounds in turn. Disaster struck for Titus the Thracian when he rolled snake eyes in an attack which resulted in a Stumble, dropping his sword. After a few anxious dice rolls Titus was able to retrieve it and continue the combat. Marcus was eventually killed after about six turns of back and forth combat.

I have accumulated quite a collection of gladiator rules over the years but BotS exceeds any of these in detail, realism, sheer fun and playability. The card driven Studio Tomahawk gladiator rules Jugulla, have quite a good campaign system for building up a Ludus, but the actual combat between gladiators is quite disappointing. BotS is a really clever set of rules and has me very motivated to play more games and to finish painting my gladiators, arena and audience.

Titus the Thracian makes a Rush Special Attack

 Marcus the Murmillo retreats with
a slow kill rear leg wound

 Titus retreats with a torso flesh wound

 Marcus is eventually killed