The Solar Boats Egypt

This fascinating poster features the Egyptian sun god, Ra, traveling on his solar boat under the disk of sun, named Aten, and Nut, the Egyptian goddess of the sky. The artist and the purpose of the poster are unknown, but it is very likely done to promote the rediscovery of the two solar boats in 1954. These boats are found buried near tomb sites and temples, and may be used as ritual vessels to carry the resurrected kings with the sun god across the heavens.
The center motif is similar to the one from the Book of Gates in the tomb of Rameses I. The Book of Gates records the passage of a newly dead into the afterlife and it is believed to correspond to the journey of the sun god during nights. The unique-shaped ship is a typical solar boat. It has two paddles in the back that correct the direction and two attendants on either side of Ra, who is in a covered compartment in the middle.

The sun disk above the boat is called Aten. In Old Kingdom Egyptian, "Aten" means disk and refers to anything flat and circular. It is originally believed to be the dwelling place of Ra, but has later become a deity itself. It is usually depicted as a sun with visible rays of split ends.

The deity on the top is Nut, the goddess of the sky. She is often depicted as a star-covered nude woman arching over the earth. She is considered one of the oldest deities among the Egyptian pantheon, with her origin being found on the creation story of Heliopolis. As the goddess of Sky and all heavenly bodies, Nut is a symbol of protecting the dead when they enter the afterlife.

This is an Original Vintage Poster; it is not a reproduction. This poster is conservation mounted, linen backed, and in excellent condition. We guarantee the authenticity of all of our posters.