Room H

Much like room J, this room shows us a strange combination of household goods and religious goods. However, unlike in the previous room, these objects do not seem to be designed for household tasks; rather, they have to do with beauty rituals.

Again, there are specific religious finds. This room contains a full stone altar, not just a fragment, and instead of the statue of Harpocrates there is a statue of Aphrodite. In addition, there is also a bronze incense burner. Unfortunately, the only comparanda from the same relative time and place was a ceramic one, but hopefully the shape and design will help our viewer imagine what this bronze incense burner would have looked like.

There are two bronze mirrors within this room, as well as a bone kohl stick. Potentially, these might connect to the Aphrodite figurine from the room; after all, she is the goddess of beauty, so she could certainly be connected with beautifying and make up. Aphrodite was also associated with Hathor through the process of syncretism; in Egyptian religion Hathor was the goddess of beauty and the practice of applying makeup was a form of worship of Hathor which furthers a religion connection between these objects.

One object that does not fit in with this beautification system is the potential bell and possible bell-handle. Although neither of these classifications are certain (the bell could be a bronze base, the handle is even less sure), bells were used for relgious purposes, so they could fit into the room. Of course, they could also just be for fun.

Finally, there is a bronze lock. This could be present in order to protect the room's contents, or even just secure a box. Either way, it is clear that the objects in this room were important enough to be protected.

This room was valuable, and yet again mixed the religious with the everyday. Whether or not this is a gendered room is unclear. Our modern sensibilities incline us to say that any make-up is for a woman, however men and women applied makeup in Egypt, particularly kohl around the eyes. Not only was it aesthetically pleasing, kohl was also believed to have antiseptic properties and could help fight off eye infections.

However, this degendered hypothesis is challenged by the presence of the rectangular block of marble. "Hieroglyphic, relief, and literary evidence attest to the use of bricks as a support during birth, and one of the goddesses of personal fate, Meskhenet, was personified as a birth-brick, a true goddess in a household context." (Lesko 2008, 175) If this marble block is a birth-block, then it is possible that this room is dedicated to female worship and cult activities.