Horn for oil, from royal burial

This oil horn is among the grave goods from the grave of a 17th Dynasty queen and her child at Qurneh in Egypt. It was found in a basket outside the queen's coffin, together with a marble bowl, whetstone, knife or razor, two flints and ball of thread.

This sealed container for special oil consists of a cow's horn, closed at its wide end with a wooden bung covered with a plate of ivory decorated with slips of ebony wood. At the other end is an ivory dove's head with a spout. Its beak is of horn.

This grave, from the burial place of the kings and queens of Thebes, is remarkable as it dates from a time when Egypt was politically divided and relatively poor. The queen and her child have been lavishly equipped for the Afterlife.

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