Ancient Egyptian offering table housed in Hurghada Museum

CAIRO – 28 June 2022: Today we highlight another ancient Egyptian artifact. The artifact is a stone slab where various food and drinks can be placed to be consumed by the deceased or the deity. It dates back to the era of the New Kingdom, the 18th Dynasty, Thutmose III [around 1497-1425 BC], and it is displayed in the Hurghada Museum.

The table consists of a rectangular plate in the form of a mat with a portion representing loaves of bread protruding from the middle of one side. One way to ensure continuous offerings is to carve representations of food, drink, and other offerings onto the table itself, making the slab eternally full.

This artifact comes from the Karnak Temple and belongs to one of the most powerful kings of the 18th Dynasty, the great warrior King Thutmose III. On the front sides of the table, there are scenes of the king kneeling offering bowls filled with a liquid. On the upper deck, instead of carved items of food and drink, there are forty holes for offerings.

The titles of the king are engraved on the prominent part of the table, and the sides are decorated with Isis necklaces and ancestor pillars, which represent protection and stability.