We all decided the best way to spend our post-graduation afternoon was to wander around The Ashmolean Museum.

I will try to describe who is who – but I may fail.  I was just mesmerised by the whole thing and didn’t really look at the details.

The marble statue of Athena.

We all went at our own speed and where we wanted, catching occasional glimpses of each other.

A beautiful garden sculpture that I could just see outside my house.

Halls and halls of beautiful antiquities.

Into the Egyptian bit now….

A pottery lion, dated to 2,325 – 2,175 BC – polished red ware.

Loving the paws.

The Shrine of Taharqa – 680 BC

Model boat – they were keen on their little boats.

Shabti – Faience shabti (glazed earthenware funerary figures) from the 21st dynasty (about 1000BC)

Canopic jars for your viscera (or sweeties, if you are my daughters who made them in Primary School!) and a sarcophagus.

Statue of the ram of Amun (and it was at this point that I headed off a sheep/animal theme).

Sobek, the crocodile god, from the pyramid temple of Amenemhat III – he was gorgeous and had a lovely smile.

Now this was fascinating.  I was totally mesmerised.

In 2011 a CT scan was made of the body of a male mummy child.  Then, on 111 glass plates, British artist, Angela Palmer, created ink drawings to represent a moving 3-D image of the boy.

Apparently the boy died of pneumonia and was aged 2 years old around 80AD.

You can read more about this project on the artist’s website.

After ancient Egypt, I headed off towards ancient Britain.

I could be wrong, very possibly, but these are the sort of artifacts of the same age, perhaps, as Lyradale.

 

I remain hopeful that we will find a few of these torcs lying casually around!

Oh, there was masses of wonderful pieces.  I wanted them all!

A carved ivory dragon seal – Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644)

Greek bronze statue of Zeus throwing an imaginery javelin.

Now someone has a sense of humour….

The sniffing bull!

Ivory sewing box.

Nandi, the bull of Shiva – he has a nice look about him.  Sort of Lambie-esque.

A muzzle for a horse.  Now who could we use that on?

The Queen’s College Boar.

Diskobolos- discus thrower – of Myron

Beautiful paintings.

Lion mane unicorns – Huh?

Now this was a favourite painting.

Lambie is the one sitting down.

‘Bert and ‘Ster on the other side (‘Ster at the front, obviously).

A small sheep definitely loved by his Muzzah! Uncanny likeness all round.

Larger sheep (probably goat) making his feelings known about being chased by dogs.

Dog walks we have known.

Horses we have also known!

A stunning Japanese vase

Oh, the treasures were endless. An ivory and metal crosier head,

The Alfred Jewel

Stunning nautilus shells.

So much stuff!  Suddenly one afternoon didn’t seem enough.

I think, of all the photos I took, this has to be my favourite picture (that, and the Lambie one in my arms, of course!)