West wall of the of the Shrine of King Taharqa

King Taharqa and the gods of Gamaten (the temple at Kawa). Taharqa offers a loaf, a necklace, a pectoral and a figure of Ma’at (symbol of cosmic order) to the ram-headed god Amun-Re. Behind god’s throne stand the goddesses Anukis Nethy, Satis and Anukis Ba.

North wall of the of the Shrine of King Taharqa

On the left, the god Ptah-Nun-Wer embraces King Taharqa. Further right, the king stands before Sekhmet and Nefurum-Hoahkhty, the other two gods of the Memphite Triad. Symbols representing’ life’, ’stability’ and ‘power ‘ extended symbolically towards Taharqa  from god’s sceptre.

East wall of the of the Shrine of King Taharqa

King Taharqa and the gods of Thebes. He offers a ‘white loaf to his father’, Amun-Re, accompanied by Mut, Khonsu and Muntu.

Sandstone wall of King Aspelta

King Aspelta offering Ma’at (Truth) to the ram-headed god Amun-Re, who is accompanied by the goddess Anukis (left).

The doorway gave access to a small chamber between the shrine of  King Taharqa and the main temple wall.

King Aspelta receives life from the god Amun-Re, who is accompanied by the goddess Mut (left).

• All quotes taken from signboards at the Ashmolean Museum

Greywacke lid of the sarcophagus of the Steward of the Treasury Ptahhotep, son of Horenpetnakht, inscribed with a text from the book of the Dead, Chapter 72.*

*From a sign board nest to the sarcophagus.

Granite gneiss ram of Amun

A figure of King Taharqa stands between the ram’s folded legs, symbolically placed under its divine protection.

From Temple T at Kawa, Late Period/Napatan, 25th Dynasty (about 680 BC).*

*From information plate next to the statue

King Taharqa, ruler of Egypt and Kush, was the first Kushite pharaoh to be buried in a tomb at Nuri, cemetery of the captital city, Napata. During the Napatan Period, the adoption of pyramid tombs and objects such as shabtis reflect the extent of Egyptian influence on Napatan culture. The objects in this display were excavated in the royal pyramids at Nuri, and date to the Napatan period.*

*From a signboard next to the objects.

After breakfast, where the correct amount of toast for three people was served, we set off for the Bodleian Library. On our way there we stopped off at the “Oxford University Press” bookshop. I am a fan of  their “Very Short Introductions – To Almost Everything” and I was in my element seeing the full collection lined up in one place. We decided to return later to make some purchases.

On arrival at the Bodleian Library we purchased tickets for the tour then sat in the library hall waiting for the tour guide. Mum rushed out at the very last minute saying she didn’t like the thought of the steps in the library… As it turned out her departure was unnecessary, the steps were only a small (easily missed) part of the extremely interesting tour of the building. When we located her after the tour it transpired that she had gone off shopping!! After the tour I purchased a book in the Bodleian Library shop before returning to the Oxford University Press bookshop to purchase three of their short guides for the price of two.

At this point it was time for Mr C to move his car from the hotel car park as we did not have an allocated space for that evening. Mr C deposited mum and I in M&S, the place that mum was aiming for and failed to find on her errant shopping expedition. I am not really a good person to go shopping with because I dislike shopping. I did however spot a lovely glass necklace and bracelet and treated myself for my birthday

When Mr C returned from moving his car we headed off for a creperie that Mr C had seen an advert for. When we arrived it turned out to be a mobile road side booth. We eventually found somewhere more suitable and sat outside enjoying our lunch in the unseasonably warm weather. After lunch we made our way to the University Church of St Mary which we found very interesting.

We then made our way to the Ashmolean museum, taking in Blackwell Bookshop along the way. On arrival at the Ashmolean it was time for a cup of tea before exploring the Ancient Egyptian and Syrian halls, after which it was time to return to the hotel and rest our weary feet and freshen up before our evening meal.

We struggled to find a place to get booked in to. We ended up finding a table available at the Brasserie Blanc.  We traveled by cab to save our weary feet. The brasserie had a nice ambiance and the food was delicious. After the meal we returned to The Head of the River for a nightcap and to pack our cases for the journey home…