Alabaster Jar from Tutankhamun's Treasures

Egyptian Museum, Cairo.

The overarching theme of this beautiful alabaster work is sema-tawy, the Nile that unifies upper and lower Egypt. The vase in the center represents the cornucopia, or gifts of the Nile. Hapi, the god of the Nile and the fertility that it brings, is depicted on either side, with the lily of Upper Egypt (photo right) and the lotus of Lower Egypt (photo left).