ANCIENT 2" AST PO eee ea September/October 2020 RESUS ULCe ur eoTHE LONG NILE GRUISE ‘THE GOLDEN WITH DR KENT WEEKS free AGE’ nemseiNs CAIRO TO ASWAN - THE ease DEPARTING 17* APRIL 202! This spectacular cruise is accompanied throughout by Kent Weeks, ne of the most celebrated archaeologists in the world. Known for his work on the Theban Mapping Project and his re-discovery of KVS5, the largest tomb ever found in the Kings’ Valley. ey Join us on this wonderful cruise leaving Cairo on April 17th 2021, ending two weeks later in the lovely southern city of Aswan. We travel in true AWTstyle. There are no galabeya partis: there is no musa there ae no quizes: only AWT like-minded passengers enjoying the serene beauty ofthe River Nile This fourteen right cruise i ful board throughout and this wonderf itinerary sang the length ofthe Nile wil be remembered for years to come (On our journey we will visit some of the most important sites of Ancient Egypt. We begin with the Pyramids at Giza and the mighty Sphinx and the more remate Meidum Pyramid, then continue in to Middle Egypt where we will explore the tombs of Beni Hassan, Tuna el Gebel and Ashmunein, wie cit ees ‘A full day at Amama, the capital city of Pharaoh Akhenaten and Queen Nefertiti, including entry to the Royal Tomb. At Abydos ‘we can view some ofthe finest reliefs in Egypt within the Temple of Set, and at Dendera we see the beautiful astronomical celings recently restored to their original glory (On to Ancient Thebes with in depth visits to the major sites in Luxor, including the Valley of the Kings, before sailing to the Ptolemaic Temple at Korn Omibo. In Aswan we make visits to the Temple of Isis at Philae, the huge Unfinished Obelisk and the Nubia Museum, ‘All the while saling along the River Nile relaxing in style on our luxury cruiser. Time for bird watching, reading, taking in a lecture ‘or two and generally just having a wonderful time, STANDARD TOUR PRICE: £5,450 (per person based on «a twin or double cabin) Cabin upgrades are available: Standard Suites & Upper Deck CALL NOW TO BOOK: 0333 335 9494 ORGOTO Www.ancient.co.uk ANCIENT WORLD TOURS SBABTA ues verne ASTANON The Distillery, Dunton, Norfolk NR2! 7PG UK e-mail janet@ancient.co.uk Heat cronarennicec a alCONTENTS === ANceNT EGyrr wwwaancientegyptmagazine.com Baca Game fon Peter Phillips ‘September/October 2020 Vowme 21, No. 1: sue No. 121 ae =) Eorrox: J. Peter Phillips Egyptological News Summarised by Sarah Griffiths. Ea Sere cer ere Derury eoron: Sarah Grifiths Gebel eL-Silsila Through The Ages: 5 The Ramesside Period, Part | ~ Maria Nilsson, John Ward and Moamen Saad look at some of the monuments of the Nineteenth Dynasty ‘Consuttant Eorrors: Professor Emerita Rosalie David, OBE, Dr Raymond Betz ‘Stare Contruurors: Peter Robinson, Hilary Wilson A New Role for the Four Sons of Horus? Joan Padgham investigates the funerary ‘sunrise scene’ and the role the four canopic deities played in representing the deceased. PuBusien wy: ‘Ancient Egypt Magazine Ltd. 229 Ayres Road, Old Trafford, Manchester, MIG ONL, UK Tel: 0161 872 3319 Fax: 0161 872.4721 fal: info@ancientegyptmagazine.com The Raptors of Gebel el-Silsila ‘John Wyatt joins Maria Nilsson and John Ward (0 identify more of the ancient images of birds carved in the rocks of the quarry site ADVERTSEMENTS: John Ireland: 01.61 872 3319 Gone Fishing! Joseph L. Thimes investigates the techniques ‘and tools used by the ancient Egyptians to fish for food and for sport ‘Susscrmions: Mike Hubbard: 0161 872 3319 Prue a: Precision Colour Printing Ltd, Haldane, Halesfeld |, Telford, Shropshire, TS7 4QQ, UK Why did the ancient Egyptians use wheeled ansport only for mititary purposes? lacho Ares proposes an explanation pees eae Peartree Publishing and Design, 56 Albert St, MI 3SU, UK. Highlights of Manchester Museum: 24 Campbell Price describes one of the lesser known objects in the Museum’s collection: a Stick Sh IT Consurtanr: Andrew Shaw Frowr Cover Desicne by: J. Peter Philips Main Image: Detail of a facsimile painting by Charles K. Wilkinson from the Ramesside Tomb of ipuy. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Photo: MMA of Teti-sa-intel Per Mesut: for Younger Readers Hilary Wilson undertakes some experimental Egyptology as she investigates the different kinds of headeloths worn by the pharaohs, ‘Trane DisTRRUTION THROUGH: P.O. Box 6337 Maps of Egypt and Timeline 4 Howto Subscribe 62 Bournemouth. Competition 48 Back Issues 63 aoe Readers’ Letters 49 Events Diary 64 ISSN: 1470 9990 Book Reviews 58 Egyptology Society Details 66 IENT EGYPT September,Time-line MAP of ECYRT Periods Dynasties So0ad Ctra Nine 0) « RIGHT: detailed map of the Theban area Maps and Time-line by Peter Robinson. + ANCIENT EGYPT September/October 2020there have been | some unexpected benefits to this hor- rible health crisis. Like many others, T have been taking long walks and have discovered many paths that were new to me; T have had the time to notice details that are missed when speeding past ina car, Although we may think we know a place or object very well, we can be surprised to find that we have d_ something that on closer inspection is, really obvious, as. Hilary Wilson realised when she took a closer look at the two guardian figures from ‘Tutankhamun’s tomb. She noticed that they have dif- ferent headdresses ~ one a nemes andthe other an ‘ght, and used that as the starting point for this issue's Per Mesut, which Tooks into the use of these two different head cover- ings. ‘On one such walk, I passed a familiar sight that has seemingly been unaf= fected by covid-l9 — a large number of well- spaced individuals on the bank of a lake, fishing. They would not have seemed out of place five thousand years ago on the banks of the Nile, where fishing was already a part of everyday life as Joseph Thimes tells us in his arti- dle on page 34 ‘The archaeology of ancient Egypt is so rich that ther is always something to catch your attention, no matter how many times you have visited a site. And some sites that are not on the regular tourist routes continue to reveal fascinating new insights into the ancient civilisa- tion; read about them in our News tems and the series of articles about Gebel el-Silila by Maria Nilsson, John Ward and their team, Two articles in this issue feature Gebel el-Silsila: one looks at monu- ments dating to the Ramesside Period, and in the other John Wyatt continues his quest to identify the birds depicted in the ancient reliefs that Maria Nilsson has revealed. AE is not an academic journal, so we are able to publish articles that give an early glimpse into dis- ANCIENT E.GYFT September/October 2020 Detail of a facsimile painting by Nina de Garis Davies of a scene in the Theban Tomb of Menna, showing Menna and his family fishing in the marshes. Photo: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (One of Tutankhamun’s guardian statues ‘wears the nemes headdress. Photo: Hilary Wilson From the Editor coveries that have not yet received the peer-reviewed serutiny that take many months or years to complete. We do not give space to material that is patently absurd, but are willing t0 give a voice to some ideas that are not yet accepted by the profession- al Egyptology community, but may one day prove to be valid, ‘One such idea is pro- posed by Nacho Ares in his article about sledges on page 42, and another on page 20 by Joan Padgham, who assigns a new role to the Four Sons of Horus: she believes that, from the ‘Twenty-Second Dynasty onwards, they were intend- ed to represent the deceased individual. T have always accepted that the reason the ancient Egyptians were reluctant to used wheeled transport was because it was easier to travel by water on the Nile and the network of canals; they used. sledges on land as wheels would sink into the sand. Nacho points out that the use of the chariot in warfare was not inhibited by this difficulty, and yet wheeled vehicles were not employed as transport in fumerals, He proposes that there was, as in so many other aspects of ancient Egyptian life, a religious reason for this anor Our authors often ask what the reaction to their articles has been and that is where you, our readers, can help by sending us your thoughts in your letters. Our Events listings, restored again after a hiatus in AE120, show that Egyptology societies will again be active fiom September this year, albeit mostly on Zoom, and you will all join with me in welcoming a new society to our community — the Irish Egyptology Society, the first such group to be formed in the Irish. Republic. The contact details have necessitated a subtle change to page 66! And if you should still of Egyptological Reviews on page choice of further re starved , our Book will give you a Pe ingIMIT RAHINA FINDS. ‘TOP LEFT: A pink granite block showing Rame: TOP RIGHT: th a depiction of Ptah, OPPOSITE PAGE, TOP LEFT: A black granite statue of a female goddess, ANCIENT EGYPT SRamesside and Coptic Finds Near Memphis A Ministry team carrying out rescue excavations in a pri- vate plot of land 2km southeast of Mit Rahin ancient Memphis) have uncovered a number of engraved pink and black granite blocks dating to the reign of nesses IL (opposite lop lel top right and bottom right), and a number of statues of gods including Sekhmet, Ptah and. Hathor (aboze). The team also uncovered a granite seated block statue of a priest of Hathor, measuring 95cm high nd 45cm wide, with two columns of hieroglyphs running own the front (opposite, bottom lef). Other limestone blocks were found dating to the Coptic era. Taposiris Magna Mummies Two Ptolemaic mummies have been found inside a sealed tomb at Taposiris Magna, where a team are hoping to di cover the burial place of Cleopatra. The burials were of a ANCIENT E.GYPT September/October 2020 Online coursesin EGYPTOLOGY ae pena recteeneetet ees \woracegyptologyonline:manchesterc.uk SRE Distance Learning Bi { Courses The C ation of Ancient Egyptians Part 1 - History Part 2 - Religious Beliefs and Funerary Practices Part 3- Literature and Related Texts Part 4 Daily Life in Ancient Egypt ‘The aim of these courses is to open the door for people interested in this fascinating subject aad provide # solid foundation. Each part has been organized to. meet the individual needs and pace ofthe student. Exercises in Egyptology (Intermediate Level) 20 Sessions CD only Study Tours ‘Specialized Study Tours to many interesting and ausnd sted of Ascent Eqhpt For details contac: ‘Suzanne Lax-Bojtos BA MPhil PO Box 368 Edgware, Middx, HAS 9SF Tel: 07970478857 Email: suzanne _bojtos@hotmail.com Website: http://egypt.webplus.netrevs Ma man and a woman of high status as shown by the traces of gold leaf that would once have coated their bodies. Ptolemaic Wall An inscribed sandstone wall (below) inscribed with the car- touches of Ptolemy IV has been found after the Tourism and Antiquities police were called to an illegal dig close to a shrine of Hathor in the city of Nag Hammadi, Qena Governorate. ‘ABOVE and BELOW: A sandstone wall in Nag Hammadi, dating ABOVE: A cliff face west of Abydos with rock-cut openings. to Ptolemy IV. Photos: M.N. Eldany BELOW: A close-up of the openings. fee oe Rock Chambers The North Abydos Mission has discovered a series of openings cut high up into the side of a mountain in the Holy Valley, in the desert plateau area west of Abydos. The openings lead to groups of interconnected chambers, cut from naturally occurring formations carved by the flow of water. A number of circular basins had been cut into the floor of some of the rooms. Small holes in the walls near to the entrances are thought to have been used as handholds or for tying ropes, presumably to access the hard-to-reach chambers. "The chambers are undecorated, although one room contains graffiti naming Kho-Su-N-Hor, his-mother, Amenirdis, and his grandmother, Nes-Hor. A number of é ANCIENT EGYPT September/October 2020pottery fragments were also discovered dating from the Late and Ptolemaic Periods. With no evidence of any burials, the team believes these chambers were of impor tant religious significance as they are situated near to the royal Umm al-Qa’ab (‘Mother of Pots’) cemetery; which was associated with the path to the afterlife. No Hyksos Invasion? The Hyksos who ruled the Delta region in the Second Intermediate Period 1650-1550 BC, may not have con- quered Egypt by invasion, according to new research at Bournemouth University. An analysis of the teeth from 36 skeletons buried at Avaris that predlate the Hyksos Fifteenth Dynasty rulers by some 350 years show that the people living there were already foreign-born, suggesting the Fifteenth Dynasty rulers were deseended from an immigrant population already present in Egypt, rather than invading warriors. ‘This ties in with the lack of evi- dence for war and destruction at Avaris at this time, and suggests an internal rebellion against the ruling Egyptian lite who were unable to retain control of the area Screaming Meritamur ACT scan of Meritamun, the so-called female ‘scream- ing mummy’, by a team led by Zahi Hawass has revealed she suflered fiom a severe case of atherosclerosis in. hi arteries. The team have concluded the woman died sud denly of a massive heart attack, the death spasm leaving her with her head back and mouth wide open. They sug AANCHE: TER een ena Your future in Bi Cece acco Dae aa eet ANCIENT EGYPT September/October 2020 news gest her body may have been found some time after death, when rigor mortis had set in, forcing the embalmers to mummify her in this position. However, other researchers have pointed out that rigor mortis only lasts a few days; an alternative suggestion is that the band ages holding the jaw in place may have been too loose, allowing the jaw to fall open. Dental Fillings Researchers in Greece studying a Ptolemaic mummy of a man in his twenties from Akhmim, have discovered the first example of ancient dental filings. The teeth of the mummy were found to have cavities, and one of these had been filled with protective materials that were not part of the embalming process Mystery Mummies CT scans of two small human-shaped mummies from the National Maritime Museum in Haifa, Israel, have revealed that instead of human remains, the wrappings of ‘one contains mud and grain forming the shape of Osiris while the other contains the remains of a bird. New Museum Openings A new museum at the holiday resort of Sharm el-Sheik is due to open shortly, with over five thousand artefacts from muscum stores across Egypt on display in three galleries The Great Hall focusses on the relationships between the ancient Egyptians and animals and includes a display of omedical Egyptology \9 course is for you if you want to draw on DOCU Sr a ecu eee(tr (OBJECTS ON DISPLAY IN THE NEW SHARM EL-SHEIK MUSEUM TOP LEFT: Si ue heads of Hatshepsut. CENTRE LEFT: Cat statues. BOTTOM LEFT: Two mummified rams. ABOVE: A statue head of Ramesses Il cat statues (cent lef), two painted ram mummies (botiom Ue) and a large falcon statue. The Hathor Corridor includes statues of Hatshepsut (lop lef), ‘Thutmose I, Ramesses II and IL (above) and Nectanebo 1. ‘The Gemetery Area recreates a complete necropolis with arte- facts discovered in tombs throughout the pharaonie age, such as canopic jars, shabtis and a statue of Osits Another new museum at Terminal 3 of Cairo Airport is also due to open shortly with displays of around seventy artefacts fiom different museums covering Pharaonic optic and Islamic periods, including two mummies dat- ing to the Late Period and Roman era (opposite, top) ANCIENT EGYPT September/October 2020(OBJECTS TO BE INSTALLED IN THE NEW MUSEUM AT CAIRO AIRPORT ‘ABOVE LEFT: A Late Period mummy. ABOVE RIGHT: A Roman Period mummy with a gilded mask. In Brief + Several royal coffins, including those of Seqenenra Ta, Queen Ahmose-Meritamun (wife of Amenhotep 1), Thutmose IV, Ramesses Il and Siptah are undergo- ing restoration work ahead of a planned grand procession of royal mummies from Tahrir Square to the National Museum of Egyptian Givilization in Fustat (se right) Five museums including the igyptian Museum in Cairo and the Luxor Museum have reopened to the public together with eight archaco- logical sites including the Temples of Abu Simbel, Karnak, the Valley of the Kings and the Giza plateau + Danish researchers have used isotope analysis to show that the clear glass prized by the Roman Republic ~ known as ‘Alexandrian glass’ — did indecd originate in ancient Egypt + Leicester City Museums have acquired a black granite statue of a man and his wife ~ Sethmose and Isisnofret — dated to the Ninetcenth Dynasty and previously owed by the son of travel pioneer Thomas Cook + An Egyptian tour guide in Luxor selling covid-19 face-masks made from papyrus decorated with Pharaonic motifs for protection and 0 promote tourism (sce dele) + Google Arts and Culture has released a free online hieroglyphs study tool called Fabricius which. uses ‘ABOVE: Papyrus covid-19 face-masks. Photo: Abeer Abdelaziz, machine learning technology to translate Middle Egyptian Hiero- glyphs from imported images: hups://fabriciusworkbench, withgoogle.com/ SG (COFFINS UNDERGOING RESTORATION BEFORE BEING MOVED TO THE NATIONAL "MUSEUM OF EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION IN FUSTAT ‘TOP: Ahmose-Meritamun. CENTRE: Siptah. BOTTOM: Thutmose IV. ANCIENT E.GYFT September/October 2020GEBEL EL-SILSILA THROUGHOUT THE AGES: PART 5 - RAMESSIDE ACTIVITY ssio ral fascinating digre After sev Nilsson, John Ward and Moamen Saad prese enth Dynasty, t Silsila during the Nin monumen: of Gebel e ginning t Bank, ‘ABOVE Th on the n previous issues, AE_ readers have learnt about New Kingdom activity at Gebel el-Silsila up to the time of | ttankhamun. Here we will continue our chronolog- ical journey, with some selected monuments from the iod. Joining us this time is Dr. Moamen Saad, who has integral part of the Silsila Team since its beginning in 20 the dig the Sobek ground, introduction ‘Throughout the ancient Egyptian landscape, one cannot avoid noticing the importance and sheer enormity of Ramesside monuments. ‘The imposing and magnit architecture, colossal statuary and overwhelming promi- rence is evident everywhere and Gebel exception! ANCIENT EGYPT September/October 2020The Speos Starting at the West Bank, perhay most famous monument at Gebel Silsla is the rock-cut temple known until recent years as the ‘Speos of Horemheb? (see opposite) based on several scenes depicting this ruler within the sanctuary. While it has been suggested previously that the temple initially served as a gallery quarry, there is no evidence on the West Bank to suggest that this was the case, It is more likely to have been a natural grotto used by visitors from the Predynastic through to the Middle Kingdom, as is suggested by its epi- graphic context, and was later cut into a temple structure proper during the time of Hatshepsut and ‘Thutmose III; this is in accordance with the newly discovered “ghost scenes’ which include an obelisk- transporting vessel (see top right and right). Following the radical period of Akhenaten, Tutankhamun appears to have restored and reconstructed at least the inner sanctuary, after which Horemheb, Ramesses IT and Ramesses IL each left their mark. ‘The more renowned scene of Horemheb is situated on the southern wall in the gallery, and shows Taweret, suckling the king (see below). However, his presence is strongly represented in the inner sanctuary (oppositz, botiom), as he is positioned within the dlivine statu- the ABOVE: A scene in the Speos cut in the New Kingdom (top) over an earlier scene ‘of a boat transporting an obelisk, which can just be made out (in red, above) as a ghost scene behind It. Photos and context drawing: Philippe Martinez BELOW: Horemheb suckled by Taweret from the southern wall of the Speos’ inner Sanctuary, ANCIENT EGYPT September/October 2020 3ary group, be ‘Thoth and the Theban ‘Triad, and further accompa- nied by the local divine couple of Gebel clSibsila: Taweret, and Sobek, Lord of Kheny. With the exception of Thoth, the same gods appear in various monu- ments from the Ramesside period, including the Nile stelae and Stela M (discussed in AF122). Thoth’s pres ence, however, is intriguing; but based ding relief scenes, it can be concluded that the temple was assoc ed not only with the traditional sun wor ship, but also with the moon, Other unique features of this monu- ‘ment include the asymmetrical ongani- sation of the pictorial programme. Two main registers are shown on the north- ern wall (top lef), where 23 gods are placed in a direction facing towards the inner sanctuary. The southern wall (cen- tre Ud), however, displays four registers, of which the top three show 38 seated divinities (including two doubles) which, are also oriented. inwards. Generally, deities are placed in a position facing ‘out of the sanctuary so as to receive the offerings from the pharaoh and the liv- ing; but here, all gods face inwards. ANCIENT EGYPT September/October 2020[ABOVE : Detail of a dipinto inside the speos (left) and the same image (right) enhanced with Dstretch software. BELOW: A wider band of diptino enhanced with Dstretch Moving forward in time, the presence of Ramesses is noted primarily in the gallery, where several stele, statu= ary niches, and shrines were added. Among the more important scenes are those that depict the crown prince and high priest of Memphis, Khaemwaset, some with ref= erence to the feb sed of Ramesses I, In addition to the for- mal epigraphy and informal grafliti noted before, we have found several ‘new’ dipinti, [painted graffiti] (see abo), many of which are situated within the inner sanctuary, providing us with dates and signatures. ‘ABOVE LEFT: A cartouche of Horemheb from the Speos. ABOVE RIGHT: One of several stelae that are ater additions to the Speos, ANCIENT SPT September/October 2020 15‘THIS PAGE [ABOVE LEFT and BELOW etals of the Ramesses Il Nile Stela with a facsimile by ‘Moamen Saad ABOVE RIGHT Exc ‘OPPOSITE PAGE colourful st Mernept aintings of Teft) and ‘CENTRE LEFT (CENTRE RIGHT. Moamen Saad documenting th BELOW: “The stelae of Ramses I (left) ‘and Merneptah (right) The Nile Stelae (The Site Of The Pure Water) Located nearly Ikm south of the famous Speos is a series of rock-cut shrines and commemoration stelae dat- ing to the Ramesside period (see opposite, bottom). Despite numerous shorter descriptions by early scholars such as Champollion and Lepsius, colourful drawings by Napoleon's scientific expe- dition, and the meticulous documenta- tion by R. Caminos, the twelve monu- ‘ments had never before been published as a comprehensive corpus. To our Egyptian colleague and dear friend, Moamen Saad (shown at work, opposite centre righl), we gave the task of re-docu- menting the © reproducing an up-to-date I:I facsimile as part of his Ph.D. programme. One of the main objectives was (0 investigate the significance of the location, the gods depicted, and how the monument depicted the local worship. ANCIENT Ex ‘The three main shrines carry inscrip- tions and iconographical scenes from the reigns of Sety I, Ramesses Il, and Merneptah respectively (located in a chronological development from south to north). In addition, a smaller shri was carved during the rule of Ramess IIL, and among ‘the stelae the more important belong to Amenhotep I, Panchsy, minister of King Merneptah, and Roy, the First Priest of Amun, "These shrines are rectangular in shape, set deeply into the rock facing the Nile (to the east), and are each fronted by two Papyrus columns (see aboce left and oppo- site, bottom), one of which holds the ini- tials of a certain Howard Carter! The walls and ceilings were plastered and inscribed with hieroglyphs and images painted in beautiful bright colours (oppo- site, top fi and right). The facades are adorned with the traditional cacetto cor- nice and winged sun disk, listing the names and epithets of the ruling pharaoh (opposite, centre lef) Overall the theme of the monuments is the celebration of the annual inunda- tion, describing and depicting rituals to secure prosperity. This event took place at the first rising of the Nile, as well as during the river’s lowest level. ‘The theme is presented as royal offerings before Amun-Ra, Hapy, and other gods, and with reference to the ritual of ‘throwing the book of Hapy’. In. the main iconographical scene, all three shrines show the pharaoh presenting offerings to the Theban triad on one side, and to Ra-Horakhty, Ptah, and Hapy on the other (se df. Due to its poor state of preservation, little has been written about the shrine NPT September/October 2020ANCIENT EGYPT SABOVE and BELOW Detail from the Sety I shrine, nology and archaeological excavations, ih the Nile stelae (above) 7 Yn it is clear that the main difference between this shrine and the latter two is the depiction of a second royal figure behind the ruling pharaoh. Standing behind Sety Tin both offering scenes is a male figure described, albeit in frag- with a facsimile drawing (below) showing the king ‘making offerings to Amun ‘and the founder of his, ‘dynasty, Ramesses | Photo and drawing, of Sety I but with new recording tech- ‘Moamen Saad S A fe ayy ull if \\ mentary epithets, as_ deceased, and believed to represent Ramesses I, the founder of the dynasty (above and facsin- ile below lef). Among the intriguing topics of ‘Moamen’s study was the investigation of the local name — mw waab (‘the pure water’) used from the reign of Amenhotep Has an epithet for a group of gods, and believed to deseribe the small sandstone outerop on which the monuments sit. The new study revealed that ten Egyptian deities carried this epithet, and that it named the sacred area of the monuments as belonging to the Nile, while geographically remain- ing a sub-site of the town of Kheny. ‘The main triad of mo waab , based on Moamen's research, was Ra-Horakhty, Ptah, and Hapy. Since the completion of his thesis, however, and with more work required, we have discovered. several “ghost lines’ (see opposite, top lei), i superimposed lines and patterns that indicate an older, mostly erased original scene! Once again, continuous epi- graphic detail studies may reveal an ear- lier chronology to Gebel el-Silsila mon- ‘uments than previously thought. he ANCIENT EGYPT September/October 2020ABOVE: Examples of ghost lines of earlier, erased scenes behind text (left) and the Image of Merneptah (right) from his Nile stela. ‘The monuments fell victim to a devastating natural catastrophe (an earthquake or a massive flood), likely dur= ing the reign of Emperor Claudius, when several quarries and monuments on both banks collapsed. This resulted in the bedrock fracturing and created vertical fissures. One fissure caused Sety P's shrine to separate and slide off from the others. Another caused the disconnection of the quay or platform and associated staircase by which the visitors would arrive, which then slithered towards the Nile, and a third fissure led to the 90 degree turn, separation, and slide of the royal staircase that once connected with the oldest shrine. Conclusion Any attempt to summarise the Ramesside monuments of Gebel el-Silsila is somewhat doomed to fail as there are so many to cover. Here, our intention was to provide a slimpse into their variety, perhaps leaving some for future discussion, In AF_121 we will revisit the Ramesside era to explore the quarries, the Temple of Sobek and a unique blueprint of ancient quarrying, before moving into the Late Period in AE.122, ‘Acknowledgements We would like to thank the Permanent Committee of ANCIENT E.GYPT September/October 2020 Foreign Missions for giving us permission to work at Gebel el-Silsila, and equally to A. Moniem Said, General Director of Aswan and Nubia. The excavations have been made possible by the financial support of National Geographic Society, Gerda Henkel Stiftung, Lingmanska stifielsen, Magnus Bergyalls Stifiele, Lars Hiertas Minne, TVAES, MEHEN, and private donors. Naturally, we are «grateful to our entire Silsila Team, and Shimaa Montazer for her continuous support! Maria Nilsson, John Ward and Moamen Saad Maria Nilsson and John Ward of the Gebel el-Silsila Project are regular contributors to A[- Magazine. Dr. Moamen Saad is an Egyptian archaeologist, who wrote his Ph.D. on the Nile Stelae at Gebel el-Silsila. He is currentiy responsible for the safekeeping of the ‘Tutankhamun exhibition objects shown in London, and hhas years of experience of excavating Karnak Temple. Read more about research at Gebel elSibila with Maria Nilsson and John Wyatt on page 26. All photos by Maria Nilsson unless otherwise stated.he Twenty-second Dyn- sty of the Third Intermediate Period (¢ 945-715 BC) saw the creation of a vignette called the ‘sunrise scene’ painted on a new type of funerary case called a carton- nage. The scene shows the solar deity Ra ascending to the sky and included the Four Sons of Horus (se right and detail, opposite op). ‘Traditionally these fumer- ary deities featured on canopic jars and in scenes of mortuary rituals such as mummification and the protection of the dead. To give them a significant pres- ence in a solar scene implies that they had been given a new role. Examination of the scene reveals details that suggest the Sons of Horus were intended to represent the deceased owner of the cartonnage in the presence of Ra The sunrise scene symbolises the ascension of the solar deity each dawn from the realm of Osiris. There are often two fal- cons depicted; the upper one is a ramcheaded falcon with a golden solar disc and out- stretched wings, and it symbol ises Ra rising to the sky. Osiris sometimes stands with the Four Sons (see page 22, ap) or is vep- resented by an Abydos fetish below the falcons (see right) Immediately under the falcon’s wings the Sons of Horus stand facing the deity, two on each side. “They are significantly large and dominant, indicating their importance and, with the exception of Duamutef (whose jackal cars occupy the top of his head), Imsety, Hapi_and Qebehsenuef each have a cone ANCIE NT EGYPT ‘The ‘Twenty-second Dynasty was the first time that a cone was shown on the head of the Sons of Horus. Created in the New Kingdom it was originally only shown on images of people and their be-bird. Placing this symbol on the Sons could be an indication that they were in fact the deceased cartonnage’s owner and this possibility is sup- ported by the inclusion of othe elements in the scene. In some, the Sons are given the title ‘Osiris’, written. before their name. This accolade was only given to a deceased person and designated them as having attained the right to be in the presence of Osiris, ‘The name of the Son of Horus is sometimes followed by the phrase _maa-Kieru meaning “True of Voice’ or ‘Justified’ This phrase was only used with regard to deceased individuals whose heart had been judged as pure. Those proclaimed of Voice’ could join the divine company of Ra, Osiris and other afterlife deities, These two terms which are addressing them as the deceased ~ ‘Osiris Hapi_and Duamutel ‘True of Voice’ — can be seen written in hieroglyphs next to their figures on the cartonnage of Panchsy (opposite, bottom right) Further evidence of the human identity of the Sons of Horus is found in the sunrise scene of Tameramun (page top). She gave them female dress and wrote her name between Imsety and Hapi_— and Qebehsenuef and Duamutef, In several other examples, women September/Octegave the figure of Imsety a full female ‘enclosing’ wig as if {0 identify themselves as that deity: ‘This female wig can intended to portray the deceased. OPPOSITE PAGE: Thi ABOVE RIGHT Photos and illustration: National Museum of Antiquities iden ANCIENT EGYPT September,Funerary Developments The creation of the cartonnage case, the sunrise scene, and a new role for the Sons of Horus represent a response to significant changes made in funerary customs in the Third Intermediate Period. The élite were no longer buried in decorated tombs; instead they were placed in family groups in reused tombs, or in shafis dug near the West Bank temples. The afterlife guides of the Book of the Dead and the Amduat were no longer buried with them and texts on the coffins were reduced to the deceased's name and the /ip di nwt formula asking for divine offerings Without tomb seenes or mortuary texts the dead had no pictorial or textual representations of the funerary rituals necessary to ensure their survival in the afterlife. Instead the cartonnage was decorated with scenes that demon- strated the successful outcome of the funerary rituals, and the deceased in the divine sphere of the gods. The deco rated cartonnage which replaced the inner coffin was mace of gummed linen and plaster which fitted closely to the mummy. It could not be stolen and reused without its destruction and the images on it ensured lasting protec tion, A profound desire of the ancient Ezyptian was to accompany the solar deity in his journey in the sky each day after death. There are many spells in the Book of the Dead and prayers in later mortuary texts that declare the deceased will leave the dominion of Osiris and join Ra in the solar bark, ‘The sunrise scene shows this ascension of Ra each dawn but surprisingly the deceased is absent, unless that is, the Sons of Horus represented the cece ‘owner instead. There were sound theological re selecting the Sons of Horus to portray the deceas because there was a long-standing relationship between them and the dead person. From the time of the Old Kingdom, four canopic jars held the mummified organs (except the heart which was left in the mummy) and they ‘were each inscribed with the name of a Son of Horus and the name of the deceased, From the late First Intermediate Period these organs were treated in the same way as the mummy, demonstrating that the viscera trad the same afterlife significance as the deceased's body. ‘The jars had a human-headed stopper thought to be a portrait of the deceased (sce below, lef the jar might be given arms and legs (below, right) or each canopic bundle ANCIENT EGYPT September/October 2020could have a ‘funerary’ mask and be placed in a miniature coffin similar to that containing the mummy. ‘The four canopics might also be placed in a chest which was a replica of the owner’s coffin (apposite, bottom lef) ‘OPPOSITE PAGE TOP: The Sons of Horus standing with Osirs facing inwards towards the solar falcon. They are In female dress and Tameramun's name written in cryptic Merogiyphs is between ach pal Image: Sketch kindly supplied by the authors: Musso, $ and Petacchi, 8. 2014). "The inner coffin of Tamera, a unique masterpiece of Kushite iconography from Thebes: in eds fischikova, £, Budka, J, & Gnfin, (2014). Thebes in the First hilenium BC. Neweastle pen Tyne. pp-439-852 BOTTOM LEFT: The human-headed canopic chest and jars of Nakht-ankh, on of the so-called “Two Brothers’ at the Manchester Museum. Photo:RBP BOTTOM RIGHT: The Middle Kingdom canopic jar and human headed stopper of Djehutynakht with the name of. Qebehsenuer. Image: Author's drawing of Boston MFA 21.424 “THIS PAGE ‘TOP LEFT: Three of the canopic jars of a man called Takeloth from the Twenty-second Dynasty, depicting Hapi, Duamutef,, ‘and Qebehsenue. National Museum of Antiquities, Leiden, Photo: SG RIGHT: The canopic jar of Heriheb with the formulaic speech ‘of Nephthys for the protection of Hapi and Heriheb, Photo! Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (MMA) ANCIENT E.GYFT September/October 2020 Canopic Guardians In the New Kingdom the human-headed stoppers of the Jars were replaced by the iconic heads of the Sons of Horus (se fe). Imsety kept a human head, Hapi had a baboon head, Duamutef was jackal-headed and Qebehsenuef received a falcon head. They had also been, allocated a goddess each: Isis, Nephthys, Neith and Selket, whose declarations are inscribed on the jars. Many of the formulaic speeches of the gocldesses show that the ‘organs in the jar were believed to be both the deceased and the Son of Horus; for example Isis states: * protect Insets who is in me. Protection of Osiris N [N = the name of the deceased] isthe protection of the Imsety. Osiris N. is Inset.” ‘On the canopic jar shown below, Nephthys declares she is protecting Hapi and the deceased Heriheb. ‘A study of ancient Egyptian medical texts has shown, that the body’s internal structures were believed to be ‘more than functional flesh. They were understood as the essence of the person that was inherited from mother to child, perhaps explaining the allocation of the goddess to ‘each canopic jar. This identification of the organs as the “inner being’ meant that the Sons of Horus who held them embodied the emotional and intellectual individual- aise 23‘ABOVE: The ba birds of the deceased and his wife shown with Photo: RBP_ RIGHT: e from a papyrus Book oft ‘Mouth’ tual Photo: REP. BELOW: Horemheb receiving sacred gold National Museun ity of the deceased. To use their image to portray the deceased in the sunrise scene was a new but theologically consistent innovation, ‘The physi ity of the body after death gained, importance id Intermediate Period. Instead of being placed in canopic jars, the mummified organs were replaced in the mummy: The choice of the Sons of Horus to represent the owner can therefore also be understood as symbolising the restored body inside the cartonnage. 2 ‘The final consideration in the complex symbolism of the sunrise scene is the meaning of the cone on the head of the Sons. Ina study of 49 sunrise scenes, a cone appeared on the Sons in 45 (91°8%). This isa significantly high fe~ quency and indicates the importance of the cone in the context of the scene. [Another example ean be seen in the cartonnage of Amunrenef, as seen opposite top; for more on this coffin see AE115] It is commonly stated that the cone was, or symbolised, perfumed unguent having a specific association with women, fertility and rebirth. Yet it has been shown from the analysis of more than two hundred tomb scenes that the cone was a symbol on women and men taking part in avariety of divine contexts. These included the mortuary festival banquet in the tomb, the deceased in the presence. of the solar deity at Amarna (le), and the ritual of open- ing the mouth before burial (above righ). The non-physical aspect of each individual, that enabled them to become transfigured and appear in the presence of other divine beings, was their ba. It was the mode of existence respon- sible for the individuality and personality of each human and it could leave the body and move freely between the spheres of the living, dead and divine. It could also take any form it desired and manifest itself as a ba bird (lop lef) as well as the person alive or dead. Placing a cone on the Sons of Horus symbolised they portrayed the ba-form of a deceased human being. ‘The recently discovered wax ‘cones’ at Amarna burials is an interesting discovery ANCIENT EGYPT September/October 2020Photo: Inés Garcia Martinez ©Thutmosis il Temple Project because there is no evidence that cones of any material were actually worn, They could however demonstrate the strong desire to symbolise the presence of their ba for those buried with no tomb scenes, illustrated texts or dec= orated coffins. Tt was important to show the presence of the ba of the deceased in the sunrise scene. The ram-headed faleon depicts the ba of Ra, and for the deceased to accompany Ra in his solar bark, they would also have to be a ba. In Spell 15 of the Book of the Dead the deceased prays: “Lond of rays, who rises fiom the horizon every day .... May you let Osiris Ns ba ascend with you tothe sky.” The cone on the head not only indicated that the Sons of Horus were the physically restored deceased, placing the symbol of the ba on the Sons also symbolised that the solar resurrection so desired by the deceased could take place. Summary The sunrise scene has multiple levels of meaning. It sym- bolised the fulfilment of a deeply held afterlife aspiration through the agency of the Four Sons of Horus, In their new role, they represented the restored deceased's inner being, Placing a cone on their head demonstrated they were the ba-form of the deceased that could exist alter death in the presence of Ra, Showing them under the ‘wings of the ascending solar falcon symbolised that the ba of the deceased would accompany the deity each day in his journey through the sky. Designating the Sons of ANCIENT EGYPT September/October 2020 Horus as ‘Osiris’ indicated that the ba of the deceased had also been accepted into his company. This very complex scene had profound significance, and as well as decorating cartonnages, it was later reproduced on coffins, remaining popular for over two hundred years, Joan Padgham an holds a Ph. ler research foc ay from Swansea University if of the in literary and he relation ship be Further Reading & Lorton, D. (2005) Death and Saleaion in ypt. Cornell University Press. pp.26-31. Ikram, 8., & Dodson, A. (1998) The Mummy in Ancient Egypt: Equipping the Dead for Eternity. Thames & Hudson. 276-292 Paclgham, J. (2012) A New Interpretation of the Cone on the Head in New Kingdom Egyptian Tomb Scenes. BAR International Series 2431, Oxford. Padgham, J. (2021) The Ba, the Cone and the Four Sons of Horus. Forthcoming. ‘Taylor, J. H. (2006) “The coffin of Padiashaikhet in Sowada, K. & Ockinga, B. eds. Egyptian Artin the Nickolson Museum, Sydney. Meditarch Publishing. 263- 291 25THE RAPTORS OF ANCIENT GEBEL EL-SILSILA John Wyatt, Maria Nilsson and John Ward continue their examination of the bird species depicted at this major ancient quarry site. ABOVE: A depiction of two raptor-like birds from Quarry 38 at Gebel el-Silsila, centrated on the desert birds of ancient Gebel el- Silsila. This time they focus solely on raptors, those majestic, highly-skilled birds that arouse feclings of incredulity, awe, reverence, love, fear and even terror in equal measure. Of all the types of avian depictions in these ancient quarries, those of raptors or possible raptors were perhaps the most frequent. Why? Were raptors pat= ticularly common in this area? What, apart from being very visible and active, made them so important to local residents over a period of some wo thousand years from the Middle Kingdom right through to Roman times? tis estimated that some 15-20 species of raptor overall may have been resident in, or breeding visitors to, the Gebel el-Silsila area in ancient times with another 15-20 Te first article by our intrepid trio (in A120) con BELOW LEFT: A headless raptor standing on a plinth Roman Quarry 24. The top part of the body has been lost due to quarrying of the stone 26 passing though on migration and/or wintering, The Nile Valley serves as one of the major bird migration routes linking Europe to Africa and huge thermals, which are regularly used by the larger migrating species such as pel- icans, storks and raptors, sometimes in many hundreds, still occur here. But such assemblies are seasonal and for short periods so, most of the time, only one or two birds ‘would have been around daily. RAPTORS A Raptor or Bird of Prey is loosely defined as any bird which hunts, carries off and/or feeds on other living creatures. It usually has unbelievably keen eyesight, a powerful, curved beak, strong feet equipped with talons and is an amazingly skilful flier. Raptors belong to one of BELOW RIGHT: A second headless raptor from Quarry 24 with outline drawing alongside, In this ease, the Image was never completed. ANCIENT EGYPT August/September 2019tified ancient species). ‘The Accipitriformes is a varied group consisting of vultures (4 identified ancient species), cagles (8), kites (4), harriers (4), hawks (3), buzzards (4) and Honey Buzzard, Osprey and Secretary Bird (I each) while the Falconiformes were then represented by at Teast ight known species..Depictions of daytime raptors are fairly common at Gebel el-Silsila and can perhaps be jided into six categories (leaving out vultures which we will study in a later article) 1. Headless Raptors ‘Two depictions appear to be of headless birds but with out heads for very different reasons, Both are from Roman Quarry 24. One (opposite, bottom left) is apparent- ly standing on a decorated plinth, in spite of its legs being only faintly suggested, andl has clearly lost its head. and upper body to subsequent quarrying. ‘The top third. of the other (opposite, bottom right) was never finished, but a completed version nearby probably indicates what was, intended. The tail shapes of all three birds and the dec- orated plinth of the first are, however, comparable with the stylised versions of other raptors at this site. To be more specific as to family or individual species is impos- sible although local factors suggest these might just pos sibly be falcons, This quarry was dedicated to the triad of Medamud (Montu, Raatawi and Harpocrates), so per~ haps all these falcons represented the main god in his avian form, 2. Tailless Raptors Although work is still required to confirm dating and that all the depictions are definitely of birds, at least six images suggest a series of one style, from something very simple and resembling a curved thorn (tap righ), to thorns with possible bird heads (second and third doxn), to a possi- ble hawk or eagle-like bird head (bottom right), to a defi- nite, possibly eagle-like head with partially spread, point- ed wings (bottom, left), and finally to a positive head and “upper body with virtually certain, partially spread, point- ced wings (overleg op lf). This last suggests an unicentifi- able falcon but the others are less distinct and could per= haps be any raptor with a smallish head, shortish beak and tendeney to point its head upwards, such as Black Kites and Long-legged Buzzards. However, the shape and angle of the pointed wings (above left) seem to suggest that the bird is ‘mantling’ or ANCIENT EGYPT August/September 2019 ‘ABOVE and LEFT: A series of images of talless raptors TOP: As thotn-like shape he two thorn-like facing f these depictions have more bird-like heads, he image shows a bird with an eagle- or haw LEFT: The carving of a bied with a raptor-like head (possibly n eagle) and partially spread wings, shown alongside a Grawing for clarity 27similarities to that of a parrot. The hhad might perhaps have a few crown or nape feathers and is above a quite ‘protecting’ (lop centre), along the lines of the famous. statue of Pharaoh Khafra with a falcon on his shoulders (top right) in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo. So perhaps every ‘one of these depictions has, afier all, religious connotation and may sim= ply be of the relevant falcon deity for cach quarry: Horus, Pachimesen (depicted below), Horus Behedet, Isis and/or Amun, Another new way of depieting the head of a probable raptor comes from Quarry 35 (below). Here the heavier head is more rhomboid, less up-pointed and steeply angled at the rear of the crown. It has a powerful, snubbed and fairly short, decurved beak of which the heavy upper mandible has thick neck. A large bird is being sug gested, However, the above features probably rule out most of the posi- ble vultures, kites, eagles, hawks, harriers and smaller falcons, leaving ly around eleven possible species, of which either the Short-toed Eagle (below), Long.tailed Buzzard, Osprey or Barbary or Lanner Falcon might be marginally more likely. No more positive identification is possible In a splendid depiction of a falcon boat in the Roman part of Quarry 11 on the West bank (above), the fal- con god wearing the sun disk and turaeus forms the boat’s stern. Montu perhaps can be eliminated, as this depiction does not include his usual ‘two tall plumes or moon-disk. The ‘TOP CENTRE and TOP RIGHT: A i ntling pe P f ing to th 4 " tue of Khalaf d by Horus Kestrel image: Marlin Harms CC BY 2.0 Via Wikicommons ‘ABOVE and RIGHT: P ine drawing 0 5 Eagle image: Lehava kiryat shmona CC BY 2.5 via Plkiwiki ANCIENT EGYPT August/September 2019depicted god is almost certainly Pachimesen (also shown opposite, bottom lei), the local version of Horus of Edfu, to whom that part of the quarry appears to have been dedi- cated. The possible falcon species concerned are discussed below. 4. Large Falcons In addition to the boat image, there is a very traditional depiction of Horus wearing the double-crown of Eg in the carly Roman part of Quarry 34 (prob: Augustine, 30 BC = AD 14) (bottom lef). ICis- no colour but the hooded face and ‘tear’ lines of all falcons ANCIENT EGYPT August/September 2019 are nevertheless suggested. The stone extracted from this of the quarry is known to have been destined for so this illustration is almost certainly a valuable confirmation of that. But what species was/were being icted? Four large falcons are known to have occurred in ancient Egypt: the wintering Peregrine (we previous page, bottom right); the slightly smaller, resident Barbary Falcon (lop lef); the resident North-East African race of Lanner Faleon (lef); and the even larger, wintering Saker Faleon. (third down on lef). Horus has certainly been depicted else- TOP: A depiction Quarry 11. Th readed god Pact fa falcon boat fro LEFT: A traditional depict ‘ABOVE: Horus Peregrine Falcon, Fale in winter in Egypt Falcon photo: Kevin Cole CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikicommons with similar markings to the hich is known tof a Peregrine, but also as being red ‘or white-headed. The Barbary has a red nape; the local Lanner, especially the juvenile, has dirty white sides to its head and whiter cheeks than the red-headed/cream-cheeked nominal Lanner found elsewhere; and the Saker has a much whiter head alto- gether. Itis tempting therefore to sug- gest that the ancient Egyptians might have seen Horus as a combination of the Barbary and either Lanner or Saker to reflect the double-crown of Egypt, but there is no way of proving this; so the Horus Falcon was more likely to be any one, or a combina- tion, of these species. Only major gods, such as Horus, Ra-Horakhty- Amun and Montu, were generally (although not always) represented as fone of these larger falcons, Goddesses like Isis and Nephthys, and minor gods, such as Sopdu and Sokar, are the deities that were usual- ly depicted as one of the smaller, gen- tler, less heavy-looking species. Only and Nephthys were depicted as male Common Kestrel (bottom ding the from the Eighteenth Dynasty onwards (as above in the Tomb of Nefetar). Examples of the resident male Common Kestrel, summering Lesser Kestrel, wintering Merlin and passage Eurasian Hobby, have all been identified from art, but representing gods ~ never goddesses Two scenes — two birds from Quarry 38, and an apparently crest- the ig), when shown gua deceased in tomb scenes ed bird from Quarry 34 — require comment. Quarry 34 contains con- siderably more quarry-marks than any other. Quarry 38 dates only from the Graeco-Roman Period. Both the falcons from Quarry 38 (opposite, op right) seem to be standing on similar mounds (perhaps the Benben stone) or plinths. The left-hand bird is in front of an altar or similar structure while the righthand bird faces a risen uracus (se detail with line drawing, ‘ep left) Both therefore suggest reli- gious connotations but exactly what is unclear, Could this quarry, like Quarries 35, 36 and 37, also be ded- iecated to Isis — which might therefore suggest that both falcons are female ommon Kestrels? More work needs to be done on this and on the ‘crest- ed’ bird from Quarry 34 (shown right). No falcon species anywhere in the ‘TOP RIGHT: Ney Is Lert a f m top down: I Photos: Barbary - Frank Vassen Lanner ~ Derek Keats Saker ~ Tony Hisgett ACC BY 2.0 via Wikicommons BOTTOM LEFT: A female Com! kK Photo: Dibyendu Ash CC BY-SA 3.0 via ‘Wikicommons. ANCIENT EGYPT August/September 2019world is crested so could this bird belong to another family altogether? Or could the crest be simply an artistic anomaly? The possibility of another family would appear to be slight, as almost all the tures point to a small falcon, so could this be an unfinished sun-disk or, highly unusually, a sun-dlsk viewed side-on? 6. Eagles One group of raptors, as yet possibly previously undiscovered in the art of ancient Egypt, isthe large eagles. This is very surprising as their six-foot plus wing-spans and huge body size must have made them very obvious. Eight species have, to date, been identified from mummies and bor only one of which, the Short-toed Eagle (shoun on p. 28, bottom righ), maight just possibly have been generally resident. ‘The remaining six were probably just passage migrants and/or scarce winter isitors. Five of these species ~ Booted, Lesser Spotted, Greater Spotted, Steppe and Eastern Imperial ~ might have been seen occasionally at Gebel el-Silsila Interestingly the Steppe Eagle (peering at pou below!) is the national bird of Egypt ‘even though it is no longer resident in the country! To come across possibly the first ever complete ancient Egyptian depiction of a (probable) large eagle in Quarry 19 was therefore somewhat surprising (above lf). This seems to show an eagle ‘with head out-stretched and wings half- ised in the ‘mantling’ position, stand- ing on some sort of pedestal. The style ANCIENT E.GYPT August/September 2019 ‘TOP RIGHT A scene from Quarry 38 with ‘wo falcons. A deta from the scene on page 26 (top). ‘Tor LEFT Detall of the right-hand bird from the Quarry 38 scene with line drawing to highlight the ‘outlines. The falcon stands on a plinth in front of a uraeus Snake. CENTRE RIGHT “The unusual ‘crested! falcon from Quarry 34, which could possibly be'a falcon wearing a Sun-disk. Lert The Steppe Eagle, the national bird of Egypt, although itis no longer resident, Photo: Sumeet Moghe CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikicommons 31ABOVE Possibly the first complete ancient Egyptian depiction of ‘an eagle, shown with head out-stretched and wings in the mantiing position aeLow The Short-toed Snake Eagle in flight. Images of Roman legionary eagles may show this Species, although they could ‘equally be any large and powerful bird of prey. Photo: Rudraksha Chodankar CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikicommons. is not ancient Egyptian, but rather recalls that of the military standards of ancient Rome. It is situated in the early Roman section of this otherwise Eighteenth Dynasty quarry — likely from the reign of Tiberius (c. AD 14-37) based on its archaeological and epi- graphic context. Documents in Quarry 34 had previously indicated that an ‘ala’ (Roman allied military unit) could have been stationed in this southern area Perhaps this eagle can therefore be seen as another indication of such a. pres- ence, and also as a. symbol of the courage, strength and immortality of 32 Roman legions. It has been suggested that the Roman eagle was the Golden Eagle but there is no certainty of this and, indeed, later sculptures in Italy depict it as a snake-eater making the Short-toed Eagle (botiam lel) more likely Most probably it was non-specific and could be any large and powerful eagle or aquiline bird of prey Conclusions OF the many depictions of raptors ‘examined, only one can be identified to species level with any certainty, while all the others become a choice between four or more species with similar char~ acteristics. Many were linked directly or indirectly to deities at Gebel cl-Silsila and/or the sites for which the stones were intended. Many certainly had rel gious connotations, but many also sug gested birds ‘maniling? and thus protect- ing the quarrymen. ‘There would not normally have been many raptors about on a daily basis, so the ones that were seen must clearly have impressed those who saw them, These birds, like the sun, were the masters of the skies and their overall importance was reflected in the fact that such a large number (at least 45 species — almost every possible species from the Western Palacarctic) have been identified from artwork, depictions of deities, hieroglyphs, mummies and bone John Wyatt, Maria Nilsson and John Ward John Wyatt is an ornithologist and specialist. Maria Nilsson is Director of the Gebel cl-Silsila Project with John Ward. All three are regular AE. contributors. Read more about the Ramesside monuments of Gebel el- Silsila on page 12, wildlife All images by Maria Nilsson unless otherwise stated, ANCIENT EGYPT August/September 2019We explore the dog catacombs of Saqqara with Paul Nicholson. Myriam Seco Alvarez explores the Middle Kingdom tombs discovered at the Thutmose lil temple at Luxor. Ayman Wahby Taher tells the story of the last wealthy city in the Delta Megan Clark topens our eyes to the "barbarous-looking” paddle dolls of the Middle Kingdom, Some unknown and unusual uses of honey in ancient Egypt are revealed by Amandine Marshall. Shishaq's attack on Canaan is recounted by James Bowden Nigel Fletcher-Jones describes some of the great masterpieces of ancient Eayptian jewellery, Our in-depth exploration of Gebel el-ilsila with Maria son, John Ward and John ‘Wyatt continues with Ramesside quarries and the final in our series on bird depictions discovered at the site with from Egypt, (for our young and not-so-young readers), , and lists of forthcoming and Adigital subscription to the magazine is now available. AUT Re COS Available on the App Store Tee UE etry magazine with the 'Exactly rey You can als gt each issue ofthe magazine individually via our website a: ANCIENT E.GYPT Septem PCs WUE eR 33GONE FISHING! ‘with catch from the Nile itself and from the Mediterranean and Red Seas to the north and east of the country. Fish provided the main protein source for most Eayptians. Methods of preparing fish as food included dry- ing, pickling, boiling, or roasting In general, fishing methods stayed the same throughout ancient Egypt’ history. Fishermen cast hand-held nets from a boat, or slung a net between two boats (as shown above). Fish were also caught using draq nets from the shore, by angling (using line and hook), and were speared or caught in a small net in the shallows. Fishing was well organised with fish farms and breeding ‘grounds, teams of fishermen operating together to make a living, and the manufacturing of fish netting and traps. Fe formed a major part of the ancient Egyptian diet Fishermen toiled singly, in small groups, and in several squads. At the Old Kingdom workers’ village near the pyra- mid at Giza, a large facility processed sufficient fish to feed thousands of skilled artisans there. Thousands of fish bones, ails, fins, and heads were discovered, including the remains of Nile perch, an expensive fish which was caught by line and hook in the deeper Nile waters. & cheaper fish, the cat- fish, was caught in the Nile River basins when its waters receded. What Fish Did They Catch? The expertise of the ancient artists allows us to identify ‘many of the fish species depicted in tomb scenes (see opp0- site, bottom). Typical fish included tilapia (boul or bolt fish, below left), mullet, canp, eel, Nile perch (below), cat- 34 ANCIENT EGYPT September/October 2020Joseph L. Thimes casts his rod in search of the techniques used by the ancient Egyptians to fish for food and for sport OPPOSITE, BOTTOM: The Nile Tilapia or Bolti Fish Photos: Germano Roberto SchUUr (left) nd D: ANCIENT EGYPT September/October 2020 355Top LEFT ‘Making a net; a facsimile by Norman de Garis Davies of a scene from the Tomb of Ipuy. Photo: MMA. ‘Tor RIGHT. ‘A Ramesside wood fishing net float (above) and limestone fishing weight (below) from a seine net, Photos: MMA BOTTOM LEFT Linen fishing nets from Lahun, Middle Kingdom. Photo: Petrie Museum, University College London BOTTOM RIGHT ‘A.wooden tomb model from the Theban Tomb of Meketra of the “Twelfth Dynasty. The model shows fishermen slinging a net between two reed boats, Egyptian Museum Cairo. Photo: REP fish, puffer fish, and elephant snout fish (or long-nosed elephant fish) amongst others. Many of these fish could grow considerably large. Tilapia fish could {grow to 60cm long and weigh more than 5kg. Electric catfish could weigh 18kg, certain mullets about 8kg, and bynnis about 6kg. The elephant snout fish aver- aged about 76cm in length. A very large fish, the Nile perch, could weigh about 200kg at about 200cm in length. Net Fishing Net and rope-making techniques are shown in some New Kingdom tombs at Thebes (above left) and the Middle Kingdon tombs at Beni Hassan. High standards were set for netting used to catch fish, birds and wild animals, Some surviving fishing nets were discovered at the workmen's village located at the pyramid of Senusret Il (about 1880 BC) at e-Lahun in the Fayum area (below) Expensive trawling or drag nets knotted by linen were used by professional fisher- men. These seine nets were equipped =_— with wood floats (above) which acted like ‘buoys to keep the top of the net on the surface: while weighted clay lumps served to sink the bottom portion of the net (below). Fish were caught by encircling them with these drag nets. Sometimes, a larg- er team of about a dozen fishermen would wade out to the vegetation and then walk towards the shore with the long net to capture fish. In the Old Kingdom Mastaba of Mereruka at Saqqara, a large squad of men are shown pulling a big trawling net full of fish to the shore (See drawing p. 35). There, the fish were killed by using clubs or har- poons. Another method was the use of ‘two larger boats using a seine net to «atch fish — as seen in the New Kingdom Tomb of Ipuy, TT217.(pages 34-5, top) ‘An excellent example of using smaller nets between two papyrus barques was displayed as a wood model of Meketra from the beginning of the Twelfth Dynasty (below). Weir Baskets Another method of large-scale fishing ‘was the use of conical fish traps known as weir baskets, made from willow tree branches, which were placed in strategic positions near submerged vegetation to Capture migrating fish. Fishermen walked towards the vegetation to herd fish from ANCIENT EGYPT September/October 2020the shoreline into these snares. Sometimes, constructions were placed in the river to direct passage of fish into these traps. In the Saqgara Tomb of Ty, men are shown installing weir snares in the water and emptying fish out of the basket (see above, left and right). Angling For fishing on a smaller scale, a line with a bone hook was used. Fishing lines of twisted flax or linen were made (below) and attached to single or multiple hooks per line (below). Often hooks were baited with stale bread, maggots, or meat. The main improvement to fishing during the Middle Kingdom was the introduction of bronze metal fishing hooks (below) and fishing poles or rods. Angling as a sport using rods with single or double lines and bronze hooks was sometimes portrayed in art from the Middle Kingdom onwards (below), us ANCIENT EGYPT September/October 2020 Ses Rss Se ‘TOP LEFT and TOP RIGHT ‘Two scenes from the Old Kingdom Tomb of Ty at Sagqara showing fishermen ‘emptying fish from weir bas~ kets (lef) and installing weir ‘snares from a boat (igh?) Photos: Wild (1953) Le Tombeau de Ti. Vol plate Lxxv ‘CENTRE LEFT Alinen fishing line from the Ramesside Period. Photo: NMA BOTTOM LEFT Fishermen from the Mastaba of Kagemni at Saqgara fishing using multiple hooks on a line, Photo: REP (CENTRE RIGHT “Two metal fishing hooks from the reigns of Amenhotep Ill eft) and Ramesses Il (right), Photo: NMA BOTTOM RIGHT Fishing with rods and tines Drawing: Wilkinson, JG. (1878) ‘Manners and Customs of the “Ancient Egyptians, Fig. 371 you nn ce RUSABOVE LEFT Netting fish from reed boats. ‘Tomb of Mereruka at Saqqara. Photo: Kairoinfosu CC By-SA, 2.0 via Wikicommons ABOVE RIGHT. ‘A fisherman holds a fishing line and a club for killing fish. From ‘the Mastaba Tomb of Idut. Photo: Sailko CC BY 3.0, via Wikicommons. BeLow 'A scene from the Tomb of Puyernra (TT39) showing men preparing fish. Facsimile painting by Hugh R. Hopgood. Photo: MMA, 38 Fishing Boats Reed boats were used both in sport and large scale fishing (ee above, left and right). From these barques, fish were ‘aught by nets, taps, fish baskets, hand nets, line and hook, and harpoons. Professional fishermen often used nets and multiple fishing lines, Sometimes, an angler sat on the prow of a papyrus skiff, fished using multiple hooks on lines, pos- sessed a club to kill fish, and used a large basket to contain the fish.. This was clear- ly depicted in the Tomb of Princess Idut (above right), who was possibly a daugh- ter of the Old Kingdom Pharaoh Unas. When anglers were using fishing lines, they would support the line with their index finger in such a way that they could detect the smallest fish tugs against their baited hooks. The élite employed papyrus skiffs for fishing and bird hunts in the Nile delta areas (see opposite, bottom). These bar- ques were easy to build, very light in weight, very inexpensive and easy to manoeuvre in water with long poles or wide paddles. They were easily trans- portable over land, and were also used as a means of transportation, to cross short distances over water. While the smallest of these skiffs could handle two people, larger reed boats carried more people and even an animal or two. Even simple reed rafts were used in marsh hunting. Barques made of reed bundles tied at the ends with ropes were wider in the middle than at the ends and were crescent-shaped. With the stern high out of the water, these skiffs could also be manoeuvred using @ rope attached to the stern from the river bank. The prow or bow of the skiff was not nearly as high out of the water, Today, these reed boats are still used in the lakes of Peru. Fishing for Pleasure Fishing was also a sport for the élite who enjoyed fishing trips to the Delta marsh- lands. These fishing trips often took up most of the day and usually involved spear fishing, or sometimes angling. These upper class individuals were often depicted with ladies, attendants, and sometimes useful animals on their reed boats (See opposite, bottom and p. 41, bottom). Since both hippos and croco- diles could overturn these boats, fishing could at times be dangerous. ANCIENT EGYPT September/October 2020ABOVE: A well-stocked pond from the Tomb of Nebamun. A relief now in the British M ‘seum. Photo: REP BELOW: Nina de Garis Davies’ painting of Menna and his family fishing and hunting in the marshes. Photo: MMA In the Delta, the Fayum, certain parts of the River Nile. lakes, and natural and artificial ponds, fish were stocked to fatten them up and also to increase their numbers. Many nobles stocked tilapia fish in garden lotus pools in the grounds of their villas as can be seen in a scene in Nebamun’s New Kingdom tomb (above). In TT96, Sennefer, the mayor of Thebes (c. 1420 BC), displayed a panorama of four artificial ponds stocked with fish and lotus blossoms in ANCIENT EGYPT September/October 2020 his main garden area and Nakht, the chief gardener of the temple at Karnak in the early fourteenth century BC, dis- played a Karnak fishing-poo! in his tomb. Spearing Fish In many examples of tomb paintings, nobles are seen stand- ing on papyrus barques and using a two-pronged spear called a bident to kill fish. One example can be seen in a 39Late Period stone relief fragment which shows a close-up of two tilapia fish (one fish per prong) caught on the two prongs of a bident spear (above). Modern-style fishing reels were not known in ancient Egypt. However, in spear fishing and hunting hippos, a type of reel was used consisting of a coiled length of line attached to the bident, which allowed fishermen to retrieve thrown spears (below and opposite, top left) 40 If one looks at the gilded statuette of Tutankhamun hippo hunting, he is holding a coiled line in his left hand (above). In tomb scenes, the fish depicted being speared was most, often the tilapia, which, a5 a mouth-breeder hatching its, eggs in its mouth, was associated with rebirth and so added symbolic and religious significance to the scene (opposite, top right). Such fishing scenes are found in tombs through- ‘out the pharaonic period. In the Old Kingdom mastaba of Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep at Saqgara, Khnumhotep, is shown having speared two tilapia fish. In the Middle Kingdom tombs at Beni Hasan, both the nomarch Amenemhet (Ameni of BH2) and Khnumhotep I this nephew in BH3) are seen spearing fish from papyrus skits Khnumhotep Il is shown in his barque while an attendant, with a long pole navigates. In New Kingdom art, Userhat (1156 - see opposite, bottom), Nakht (1752), and Menna (1769 - see page 39, bottom) all included prominent tomb paintings illustrating spear fishing. ‘TOP LEFT: A Late Period stone relief from Thebes showing two fish being speared by the two prongs of a bident spear Photo: Cleveland Museum of Art TOP RIGHT A gilded wood statue of Tutankhamun on a reed skiff holding a spear attached to a line wound on a reel he holds in his other hand. Photo: SG LEFT: Tomb models from the Tomb of Meketra, depicting a similar scene, with a fisherman holding a spear and reel. Photo: MMA, ANCIENT EGYPT September/October 2020[ABOVE LEFT: The hand of First Intermediate Period nomarch Ankhtifi holding a ree! of line. Photo: Kate Gingell ABOVE RIGHT: Two speared Nile Tilapia caught by Menna (detail from the scene shown on page 48). As a mouth-breeder hatching its eggs within its mouth, the Tilapia was symbolic of rebirth, Photo; RBP BELOW: Userhat, accompanied by his hunting dogs, is seen spearing fish with a bident, Photo: Public domain, via Wikicommons Conclusion ‘As with many other achievements of the ancient Egyptians, Joseph L. Thimes these basic fishing techniques eventually spread to other wi : . Joseph sa regular contributor to A. Magazine, with articles on Parts of the world and even today, commercial and sport: ste arias) the parngs nthe tomb of Krumnoep 1 AE 93) ing fishermen will recognise — and in many cases still use — ahd the o-eoked lots heer AL 37) ‘the methods and equipment used in ancient times. FS JRA TE Pie 8, Ss A todas Be 41 ANCIENT EGYPT September/October 2020THE RELIGIOUS MEANING OF SLEDGES IN ANCIENT EGYPT The wheel entered in the history of Egypt after the Middle Ki of the Nile Valley by foreign peoples chariot became ar “But why is the use of whe ask ular At the beginning of the New s SO unusual outsid Nacho Ares. ydom with the invasion ingdom the war part of the Egyptian army the military field? its found inth few months ago, visiting the replica of the tomb of A tient TRVO2 in the Valley of the Kings, 4 _Luxor), built behind the house of Howard Carter, at the beginning of the road that leads to the Valley, Twas enjoin same a the acura dso the pain On the eastern wall of the Burial Chamber, a group of the dead king’s officials are seen pulling a huge catafalque- chapel ona sledge (see aboce) Its an important part of th 42 n the tomb of Tutankham utankhamun, A group of o mummy of the "boy king typical scene of the funerary procession painted or sculpt ed in many tombs of the West Bank of ancient ‘Thebes, the area where the tomb of ‘Tutankhamun was excavated. In contrast, the Antechamber of the replica is decorat- ed with some of the photographs of this room taken by Harry Burton in the last days of November 1922, when the tomb was opened offering “wonderful things”. In the pictures of the southern part of the Antechamber we can see the remains of six complete but dismantled chariots (ee lef), cut into pieces in antiquity because they were big- ger than the narrow passage of the tomb’s entrance. As a result, there was a chaotic jumble of axles, chariot bodies and wheels. Thad seen those photos dozens of times, but it was at that very moment that a question occurred to me. Why did the ancient Egyptians of the New Kingdom, employ- ing wheels for chariots and other developments, not use them to transport the heavy catafalque with the royal mummy? As is usual with matters relating to ancient Egypt, the answer is not straightforward. The same con- cept is shown on the walls of other tombs of the identical period where the funerary procession is represented only with sledges and not wheels, Why? What is the reason? ANCIENT EGYPT September/October 2020A Difficult Question Ic is known that the chariot and the wheel were intro- duced to Egypt by the Hyksos two hundred years before ‘Tutankhamun, in the sixteenth century BG ~ plenty of time for the Egyptians to develop different vehicles or ‘machines with wheels. ‘The first answer I received when asking colleagues about this problem is that is easier to employ sledges than wheels on the irregular surface of the desert, But that answer is obviously wrong as the Egyptian army used chariots, on the same desert, over rocks, sand and rough roads. ‘Why did Mesopotamian cultures use the wheel and not the Egyptians? Richard W. Bullied (The Wheel, Columbia University Press 2016 p. 94) angues that “the broad and peacefil Nile River provided a magnificent avenue _for royal boats and barges, which were sometimes buriad with a ‘Pharaoh, while torrential springtime floods rendered the Tigris and Expats Rivers in Mesopotamia to turbulent and unreliable for ral regattas.” Yes... but many places are actually far away from the river. We need to look more deeply for an answer. The use of sledges is a very popular theme in Egyptian art from the earliest dynasties. The transport of big blocks of stone fiom the quarries is always done with sledges pulled by animals. The tomb of Idu (Sixth Dynasty, c. 2300 BC), on the eastern side of the Great Pyramid, has an interest- ing relief showing the tans- portation of part of his funer- ary equipment: a large chapel to be employed in the mortu- ary ritual of this Sixth Dynasty noble. Over the inner part of the tomb’s door a group of two bulls and six men are shown pulling a sledge (above, top). In front of the sledge, another man throws water on the floor to wet the sand in order to reduce friction between the sledge and the ground (centre Ig. ANCIENT E.GYPT September/October 2020 ABOVE: The transportation ABOVE he funerary procession of BELOW: (Detail of the above.) A man throws water on the floor to wet the sand in order to reduce friction between the sl and the ground su In the tomb of Djehutyhotep at Deir el-Bersha (c. 1850 BC), we find the famous scene showing the transporta- tion of a colossal sculpture (below). A total of 172 men drag with ropes a huge sledge on which isa seated statue the colossus of Djehuty Deir el-Bersha, tep as depicted in his tomb at 43of the governor of the Fifteenth Nome of Upper Egypt, Hermopolis Magna. ‘These two examples are only the most well-known of those in Egyptian art. There are many other depictions of sledges in private tombs of the Old and Middle Kingdoms. But the surprise is that we continue seeing sledges after the adoption of the wheel in the sixteenth century BC by the Hyksos. In the case of the tomb of Djehutyhotep, with a big statue weighing sixty tons, employing sledges is under standable, due the huge size of the figure, We can accept their use as well when working with obelisks of hundreds ff tons, as seen in Hatshepsut’s temple at Deir el-Bahri ‘They were transported on ships along the River Nile, but ‘we do not have representations of their transportation on land. The design and construction of a vehicle on wheels to transport the enormous blocks and statues would have been an additional problem and we assume they contin- ued using the traditional and welltried method of sledges. But why did they did not employ wheels for small objects such as chapels, catafalques, and sarcophagi? Only for War? ‘The reluctance to adopt the wheel in ancient cultures is one of the most enduring mysteries, The Olmec culture in America (¢ 1000 BC), for example, had a ‘social’ knowledge of the wheel (we have found toys and other small artefacts with wheels) but they diel not use them in daily life 19 move big blocks. They employed only ropes and pethaps sledges or cylinders made of wood BELOW: The siege tower depicted in the tomb of Kaemesit. In ancient Egypt we take for granted that the wheel Image from: Quibel 1 E- and Haver G: : Gxcavations at came with chariots during the Second Intermediate See eee er Period, along with the invasion of the Hyksos from the cast. Chariots started to appear in war scenes on temples and tombs from the early Eighteenth Dynasty (tp lf). Nevertheless there is a very rare, or perhaps unique, representation of solid wheels?), very similar to those employed in ancient Mesopotamia, in a mastaba of ‘the Fourth or Fifth Dynasty (¢. 2630-2350 BC). As S. Clarke and R, Engelbach tell us in their classic Ancient Egyptian Masonry (1929), ust not Be assumed the use of the wheel apart fiom char ais aeas quite unknown, even as fr back as the Old Kingdom. In the tomb of Kiaenbest, of the Fifth Dynasty at Saggara (centre left), there isa scene of men clamberng up a scaling lade ited with solid wheel, which is prevented fom slipping aut bya man wsing a aul of wood as a ane spike” ‘The tomb is very near to the mastaba of Mereruka and was excavated by James Quibell in 1927. ‘The only image I know of this scene is that published in the book by Quibel, actually not a photograph but an artistic reconstruction based on a photo of the much-dleteriorated original (bottom Jef). Some centuries late, there isa parallel in a seene of a siege tower of the Eleventh Dynasty (¢ 2100 BC) found in the tomb of Intef (el-Tarif, West Bank, Luxor). In both cases, the originals are not in good condition and the paintings, at least in the case of Kaembesit, do not permit tus to be sure that they depict solid wheels, although it looks as if they do. Whatever the case, again the use of wheels in ancient Egypt is linked to a military scenario ABOVE: The Tomb of Kaemhesit in Saqgara, os ANCIENT EGYPT September/October 2020Sign U16 of Gardiner’s sign list ~ sledge with the head of a jackal, bearing a load of metal The Wepwawet Way The hieroglyph UL6 of Gardiner’s ign list isa sledge with the head of a jackal bearing a load of metal(?) (above). "This ideogram is used as the determinative in the word ‘sledge’ zwnS, which is homonymous wi jackal’. It is obvious that there Some kind of worldplay here The name of Wepwawet is also ccompanied by the figure of a jack- al on the top of a standard, in fact a jackal lying on a sledge. In an ivory label of King Den, First Dynasty (¢ h wns A sledge found at Dahshur. Egyptian Museum, Cairo, 3000 BC. see right) found in Abydos there is a scene of the pharaoh striking down an Asiatic enemy. On the top right of the label is Wepwawet on a stanclard with his sledge. Everything points to the idea that there is a direct link between the god Wepwawet and the sledge, with this kind of vehicle as the suitable one (or the on menti (the Underword} jackal, as Thi ‘Opener of the Ways’, played a very important role in funerary ritual in it Egypt. Is the use of sledges to carry chapels, catafalques with mu mies and the rest of the equipment, connected to that religious concept? ‘This could be the reason why the ancient Egyptians avoided the use of wheels to transport objects in faner= ary processions. It is very possible that the employment of sledges was connected to the idea of travel to the Amenti and if the deceased needed to be mummified and dressed as Osiris, the vehicles utilised to trans- port the mummy and all the para- phernalia of the funerary procession needed to be sledges: Wepwawet, too. when opening the the Netherworld uses a sledge from the beginning of the history of Egypt. In addition, it may be th very useful in daily life but imported from a foreign and enemy country, could not be allied to such a sacred ition. We only see the use of wheels in funerary processions dur ing the Ptolemaic Period, when the old customs were mixed with new ones coming from the Hellenistic world, We know that ancient Egyptians were a very conservative people, very proud of their past, where many of their beliefs and ideas about the Netherworld originated. Surely the introduction of the wheel would not alter a practice built on solid beliefs held for mil should avoid the idea of looking for answers in the present to solve ques- tions of the past. Surely there is a religious context behind the behav- iour of the Egyptian people. In Spain during religious processions at Easter (Holy Week or Semana Santa), we do not use wheels to parade through the streets, but carry huge floats full of the wheel, This is why we ANCIENT E.GYPT September/October 2020 ‘An ivory label of King Den with the ‘god Wepwawet in the top right (ringed), British Museum EA 55586. wooden figures weighing hundreds of kilograms, as we mourn the death of Christ. We prefer to carry them on our heads and shoulders as a symbol of faith, effort and prayer, avoidl the use of wheels. But this is a tradi- tion that everybody understands in ain. There is no text explaining the reasons for not employing motors, horses or wheels, In the same way, we cannot hope to find a Papyrus or ostracon explaining the use of the sledge in ritual ceremonies in ancient Egypt. Nacho Ares Nacho is a Spanish author who holds the Certificate in Egyptology from the University of Manchester. All photos by Nacho Ares except where indicated. Tutankhamun's Canopic Shrine rests ‘on a sledge. Egyptian Museum, Cairo, 45Highlights of the Manchester Museum 24: A ‘Stick Shabti’ of Teti-sa-intef (Acc. No. 6038) Campbell Price describes one of the Manchester Museum’s lesser-known objects. +6 ANCIENT EGYPT September/October 2020Ithough among the rather less prepossessing arte- facts in the Manchester collection, this crudely carved wooden figurine holds significant interest. Often called a ‘stick shabt?, the figurine may in fact not really be a shabti— in the conventional Egyptological sense ofa ‘servant’ — at all Frequently described as ‘mummiform’ in shape, several examples of similar crude wooden figurines have been found in small wooden coffins and/or wrapped in linen. They apparently all date to the Late Second Intermediate Period and early New Kingdom, A recent find by an Egyptian-Spanish team at Dra Abu cl-Naga (see the aerial ‘photo below) consisted of several such figurines wrapped in linen, some within a small wooden coffin. ‘These were uncovered underneath the outer courtyard of the tomb of Djchuty (PTL, reign of Hatshepsut) and appear to have been left there by a donor some time after the funeral — perhaps on the occasion of the ‘Beautiful Festival of the Valley’, when friends and family of the deceased would Visit the tomb chapel. Indeed, unlike most shabtis, which were buried close t0 the deceased in the inaccessible parts of the tomb, stick shabtis are mainly recorded as being found buried in the outer, open areas of tomb chapels ~ often in significant numbers, Texts are usually inked onto the wood but rather than the standard ‘shabii spell” (Chapter 6 of the Book of the Dead) these consist of names, titles and perhaps an offering formula, suggesting a different function from most shabis k of the h le at Luxor. I Photo: J. Lato he Mancheste ANCIENT E.GYFT September/October 2020 ‘The fact that these figurines are ‘crude’ to our eyes need not imply they were created or dedicated by less well-off people — several seem to have been commissioned by ‘wealthy and important members of society: The choice of wood may represent a deliberate means of employing reworked detritus from coffin manufacture, imbued with a special power and connection to the deceased. The also an intriguing suggestion that the use of the figurines in contexts such as the ‘Beautiful Festival of the Valley” influenced the later perception recorded in Herodotus and Plutarch that a figure of the mummy was sometimes exhibited at Egyptian feasts, ‘This example is dedicated to (rather than by) a man called Teti-sa-Intef (meaning “Teti son of Intef”, Intef being a name of some significance at Dra Abu el-Naga from the Eleventh Dynasty onwards). Several other f urines are known donated in honour of this individual; they come from the tomb of the mayor of Thebes Tetiky (IT15) from the very beginning of the Righteenth Dynasty and were excavated by a team working for Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon in 1908, "The Manchester example, although its precise find spot is not recorded, probably originated from the same area, s likely that the Manchester stick s aj OProyecto Djehuty Photo: Glenn Janes‘An indispensibe tool both for the amateur devotee of Egyptology and for the interested tourist” Rosalind Janssen, Dox ms hs opportuni to buy fe he autor the Er ofA ‘one of the fe remaining copes of this ssc Work: the only 00k im English on th topic. As well as covering al azpects ofthe devel ‘opment of the many different types of column used in ancient Egypt lan architecture (66 you know that you can date a monument by ts Columns?) the book ao takes the reac ough the history of the Bharaonic civisatton and visits almost all of the monuments sti Standing in Eoypt today. 368 pages, 633 BBwilustations Special prices for readers of AE Hardback: £18.00, nc UK PP (cover price £23.80 + P&P) Paperback: £12.00, nc Uk PRP (cover price £17.80 + PAP) For overseas orders, ad £5.00 to cover extra postage costs, 50 pay ‘only £23.00 oF £17.00 ‘Ancient Egypt Magazine Lt. has kindy offered to handle orders on behalf ofthe author Senda cheque forthe relevant amount, payable to Ancient Egypt Magazine Lid, to stor Book Offer co Ancient Egypt Magazine Lis, 229 Ayes Road, Old Tatford, Manchester MI ONL, UK: (OR, to pay by ceded card, send your cord detals (name on car, Card number expiy date, CRC no. ssve number f relevant) by post ne above addres, of by ema to fo@ancentegyptmagazine.com Don't forge to tell us yourname and address and whether you want 2 hardback or paperback copy (OR, phone fatter 10.30am UK time): +44 161 872 3319 fax: $44 161 872 4721 If you recognise where in Egypt the photo on the left was taken (oy JPP), email or write to the Editor of ar before 17" October 2020 (addresses on page 3) with your answer, 19 your full name and address. One lucky reader will have his or her name selected at random from all the correct answers and will win a copy of Fighting Pharaohs: Weapons and Warfare in Ancient Egypt by Robert B. Partridge (late Editor of AF). The name of the winner will be revealed in the November/December 2020 edition of Af July/August 2020 Competition Winner Congratulations to the winner of the competition that ‘appeared in the last issue of the magazine (AL_120): Judith Thorpe of Stowmarket who wins a copy of Egyptian Magic by Maarten J, Raven. The photo (right) is a view of the remains of the Temple of Mentuhotep Il ‘at Deir el-Bahri ANCIENT EGYPT September/October 2020DEAR ANCIENT Lov) Readers’ letters Dear Editor, T wonder if other readers see, as I do, in the form of the ‘Chieflain’ in Maria Nilsson and John Ward's interesting ar (AE120), the possible earliest depiction of the famous scene that appears on so many later monuments (see abooe)? The smi nly datable at least back to the reign of Narmer and is probably of pre-Dynastic origin, so T do not think it wo fanciful to suspect the ‘Chieftain’ of engaging in the act ing scene is fi Mike Hollis Dear Editor, Thave a query p. 31 Herodotus [AE 120]: If Herodotus was from Halicarnassus (Bodrum, Turkey), how come he was a Grecian and spoke Greek? I find this rath fusing, Have I picked something up wrong along the way? Your or Kevin Harrison's opinion would be most welcome. Regarding the [query about] hieroglyph fonts on page 65 of AE120, T use jiesh hieroglyphies editor. It is very useful so ‘maybe Peter Claxton could give this a try. Hope this has been of assistance Barbara Atkinson ANCIENT EGYPT September/October 2020 Kevin Harrison replies Dear Barbara, What we call Ancient Greece graphically a huge alfair, There was no political unity. “Hellas as they would have called it was made up of somewhere between 750 to 1,000 independent city-states (polis, oF singular polit). Several centuries of colonisation had produced Greek speaking communities all around the Mediterranean: “Like fogs around a pond we have sted dowen upon the shores of this sea.” Plat, Phaadro (109). The common elements unifying them in a cul- tural sense was being ‘Greek’, and speaking a common lan- guage that distinguished them from those who did not speak Greek: the ‘barbarians’ (so-called, as their languages sounded Tike ‘bar-bar-bar, incomprehensible Greek-speaking polis were found on the western coast of Asia Minor (now modern Turkey), the Black Sea region, southern France and, especially Southern Italy and Eastern Sicily ‘dubbed Magna Graecia by the Romans). There was even a Greckspeaking trading post in Egypt (but not a pols as the pharaohs would never allow that) and large numbers of Greeks seitled there in Saite times as waders, sailors and mercenary sol- diers, An aristocratic, well-connected man like Herodotus could out the Mediterranean and remain thus travel widely throug largely in a Greek cultural and linguistic worl. Asia Minor fell under Turkish rule between the late twelfth century and the Fall of Constantinople in 1453. They gave their name to the land and steadily turned the region into a Turkish-speaking Muslim country. Sizeable numbers of Greeks remained in Western Turkey until afer the First World War Following the Turkish-Greek War of 1919-1922 most Greeks in Turkey were expelled (as were most Turks in Greece) Kevin Harrison Dear Editor, Although Ive had a lifelong fase ent Egypt, it ‘was only over the last 1 discovered your fine publiea- tion, hidden away in WHSmith. I've since taken out a sub- scription, and T thank you for your coverage of many topics, luding some rather esoteric subjects. I thought I knew a lot about ancient Egypt, but your magazine has shown me how lit Ue Ido know. In particular, I learnt so much about Anubis in AELI9, all of it fascinating and insightful Tappreciate you keeping the magazine going during the glob- al health emergency, it has provided a welcome distraction for me. Tam looking forward to future articles, especially the one about the ancient Egyptians’ reluctance to use wheeled port except in warfare. It appears that there is still much for me to learn about ancient Egypt. Thank you to Jane Hamilton and Paul Whelan (A120) for the details about the Lego Egyptology figures. On a final note, another passion of mine is board games. Is this an angle that AP could cover one day? I know about Sart, but if there were other games, I'd love to read about them. Stephen Parry 3PER MESUT: for younger readers Headcloths covery of tole a P ABOVE: Tut TOP RIGHT: Turan BOTTOM RIGHT:per mesut since they were originally put on display in Cairo. The cover photo is the king's portrait from one of his coffins, showing, the striking blue and gold striped head- cloth, which is so famous that itis prob- ably the first image that comes to any- one’s mind when ancient Egypt is men- tioned. In 1972, Leame face to face with ‘Tutankhamun’s golden mask (se opposite, lop right). for the first time It was the final object in the exhibition which commemorated the fiftieth anniversary of the tomb’s discovery, and it took my breath away Last November, at the sphinx; blue falence Metropolitan Museum of Art Photo: REP he pigtall le Saatchi Gallery in London, T saw the latest ‘Tutankhamun exhibition, which is part of the events leading up to the cente~ nary of Carter's discovery. Though the mask was not included, because it is now thought to be too fragile to travel, the key opject on display was one of the two guardian statues which stood on cither side of the blocked entrance to the burial chamber (see opposite ig). 1 knew that these life-sized wooden stat- ues, decorated in shiny black paint and gilded plaster, were not mirror images of each other but [ have always thought of them as a pair of identical twins. It was only when I compared the one on dis- play with black-and-white photographs of the statues as they were found that realised they had different headdresses. One of the joys of Egyptology is that familiar objects can still hold surprises and this particular surprise led me to investigate the types of head covering used by the ancient Egyptians and to try some experiments of my own. ach guardian statue represents ‘Tutankhamun himself, wearing a royal Kilt, golden sandals and jewellery, carry- walking staff in his left hand and a mace sceptre in his right. The statue in the exhibition, the one from the east of the doorway, wears a version of the striped nemes head covering, like the famous mask, the king’s coflins and 27 of his shabtis amongst other objects. Since no actual examples of this cloth crown are known, we can only guess at how it might have been made. In spite of its simplicity, the blue and gold nemes was only ever worn by Pharaoh. It was used as a royal crown from early in the Old Kingdom and is a feature of some famous statues (see top right) and sphi € (centre right and botiom right)). From the Eighteenth Dynasty the king was often ANCIENT E.GYPT September/October 2020 51Per Mesut To LEFT Ramesses Il wears the ‘triple crown ~ red, white and hemes; Luxor Temple, TOP RIGHT Horemheb wears the triple crown"; a statue usurped from Tutankhamun; Vienna. BOTTOM LEFT ‘A rear View of a seated statue fof Smenkhkara, Louvre Museum, Paris. In this idealised Fepresentation, the pleats of the kilt and memes are perfectly feven and the excess fabric of the memes is neatly gathered into a ‘pigtail BOTTOM RIGHT ‘Amentotep Ill wears the ‘triple crown’, Neues Museum, Berlin shown wearing the combined red and white crowns on top of the memes, though how this ‘triple crown’ (lop ls above and below) might have been con- structed is also unknown. Egyptian artists tended to show a very neat and tidy version of everyday eloth- ; with elaborate hairstyles and per- fectly pleated gowns (lel), which was ANCIENT EGYPT September/October 2020per mesut probably far from the truth, Close-up J Top uerr study of the guardian statue suggests [J An experimental reconstruction that the nomes‘doth was auached'in a &1=femeseaccn Drowband and fastened with ties at the |) CENTRE LEFT back of the head. Sharp creases, possi- ff Without starch or stiffening the bly created by means of ‘starch”* or a ff Zeiss “oes nor appear as stiffening under-layer, shape the cloth ancient images. ‘over the top of the head, allowing ‘lap- n hat pets’ at either side of the face to hang : 7 dlown on to the shoulders, and the loose fabric is gathered together and bound a into a ‘pigtail’ at the back, but the form — ff {brome wen sows non ie of the basic eadtoth lifent tof Inet nome imagine. My experimental unstarched inigarmrastoaitha cealisel si version (op ie) is held in place by a Mf GF smenkhara (opposite, browband, like the gold examples found bottom left. ‘on Tutankhamun’s mummy (centre lei), and tied with red bons @otom i, J SOM, in food inthe which are commonly shown emerging tomb of Djari (TT366) have from the back of an Egyptian crown. per aed poe [a itso My model demonstrates how difficult «ge at neadeon is to produce the symmetrical striped effect. BOTTOM rhe basic shape of the headcloth Naiet ates el eats semi-circular or an elongated D-shape [J headeloths to protect them~ with ties attached, This cloth, known as seivasiiomithe unteotine 4 lia, i similar to head coverings worn winnowing process (op let. across the world throughout history, especially in hot dry countries, to pro- tect heads from sun, dust and sand (below and bottom). ‘Twenty-four such ei Ri Ri RE mi Se ANCIENT E.GYPT September/October 2020 53per mesut headeloths were amo tomb (top left) and others cache, including one rare coloured ¢ with indigo (above). Head bands were worn by Egypt men and women of all social ranks, from harvesters to priests and the noble mourners in Tutankhamun’s funer ANCIENT EGYPT September/Oct(OPPOSITE PAGE TOP LEFT: A khat cloth of unbleached linen with ties from Tutankhamun’s embalming cache; MMA. CENTRE LEFT A blue khat headcloth found in Tutankhamun's, ‘embalming cache; MMA. BOTTOM LEFT: In a scene on the walls of his burial chamber, Tutankhamun wears an elaborately decorated headband or ‘diadem over his wig. Photo: REP TOP RIGHT: The other guardian statue from Tutankhamun's ‘tomb wears the afnet or khat headdress. Egyptian Museum, Cairo, Photo: REP CENTRE RIGHT: An Amarna king wearing the afnet headcloth, Neues Museum, Berlin, BOTTOM RIGHT: Akhenaten as a sphinx wears the afner hheadcloth. Relief, Boston Museum. ANCIENT EGYPT September/October 2020 per mesut al procession. Women held their hair back with ribbons and even the King wore a diadem, a gold and jewelled version of a headband, over his ceremonial wig apposite bottom lef The second guardian statue (opposite, tp right) wears the bag-shaped afiet crown, a version of the Bhat, words deriv- ing from ‘cover’ and ‘forehead’. When worn as a royal address, the white gftet could also be topped with the double crown (bottom lg), but the basic hat headeloth was not exclusive (0 the king, It was tucked behind the ears and gathered together at the back forming a sort of snood, as seen on the goddesses protecting ‘Tutankhamun’ canopic shrine (top right) and on fifty-six TOP LEFT: Thutmose Ill wears the afnet-crown; relief, Boston, ‘Museum, BOTTOM LEFT: Akhenaten wears a ‘triple crown’ ~ red, white and afnet; Egyptian Museum, Cairo, TOP RIGHT: Isis, wearing the khat headcloth, guards ‘Tutankhamun’'s Canopic Shrine; Egyptian Museum, Cairo, Photo: RBPTop LEFTof his shabtis (opposite, op lft). The god desses Isis and Nephthys (opposite, tp sight), protectors of the body, often wear Ahats coloured red, blue or green with white headbands (opposite, botiom righ) The afiet was based on the simplest of peasant headcloths worn by workers in farm and field (as reconstructed aboce). The best information about their constru tion comes from h dimensional images like statues, where the gathered partis always shown neat- ly squared off, but stil itis difficult to say whether the cloth was shaped or simply rectangle of linen Convention prevented the artist from showing anything obscuring the face but square or ANCIENT E.GY I imagine that in real life the loose end was often drawn across the mouth and nose to stop the inhalation of dust, sand and other irritants (above, kf). The Egyptians would have known about the value of face coverings. For more information about E, clothing see: Tulankhamun’s Wardrobe Garments from the Tamb of Titankhamun by Gillian Vogelsang-Eastwood and The Gomplete Tutankhamun by Nicholas Reeves ptian September/October 2020 per mesut Tor LEFT An experimental reconstruction of the khat headclot ‘Tor RIGHT Spare fabric of the kha is gathered at the back BOTTOM RIGHT A simple rectangular cloth worn ‘with a headband which also ties back the loose fabric BOTTOM LEFT One corner of the loo: Is drawn across the f. tucked into the headband to caver the mouth and noseBOOK REVIEWS Painting in Antiquity: Ancient Egypt in the Art of Lawrence Alma-Tadema, Edward Poynter and Edwin Long by Stephanie Moser. Oxford University Press, 2020 ISBN 978-0-1906-9707-0 Hardback, £65. When Napoleon invaded Egypt in 1798 he opened an Exyptological and tistic Pandora’s Box. Whilst Egyptology blossomed after the deci- pherment of hieroglyphs in 1822, ts were quick to inves Eeyptian themes and monuments Notable amongst them were the three prominent artists whose works are pre- sented perspectives on their use and appreci- ation of the material culture of ancient Egypt. Whilst all their major works relating to ancient Egypt are represented here (in over two hundred colour and black-and-white illustra- tions), the focus is on explaining the significance of nineteenth century painting to the reconstruction and interpretation of the Egyptian past. heir sources ~ muscum objects or engravings from the huge volumes of the Napoleonic Description de 'Egypte are also illustrated, examined and explained. ‘Ancient Egypt was a popular subject al views of Egyptian monuments pro- liferated. However Alma-I Poynter and Long stood out focussing on specific artefacts porating genuine antiquities painting ~ many of the pieces well known museum objects but also a number from their own collections. Observed archacology lies at the heart of these works, which were aginative yet informative construc- tions of the past”. The detail is quite incredible, often only properly noted nd analysed here, with new 38 by the attention given to them in this tightly observed text. Occasionally the three artists step away from this “archaeological genre painting” and address wider topics, for example nno Domini, The Fight into Egypt (Edwin Long), or fsael in Feypt (Edward Poynter}. These two paintings are immense (both over 15f¢ long) and so are often kept in storage; Israel in Faypt in the Guildhall Art Gallery has been ‘moved in and out of store at least three times to the reviewer's knowl nd is presently not on show fien, the works of these three artists are scen only as part of a wider artistic milieu: the broader canvas that draws the eye but in so doing omits the detail. Here for the first time they descr invaluable and impec~ cable detail, illuminating both the artistic skill behind their composition, context and content, and the social environment that guided many of the choices of subject Professor Moser's in-depth examina- tion of the Egyptian-orientated works of these three artists is a major cont bution to the understanding of their response to the “Egyptomania’ that swept nineteenth century England, Peter A. Clayton Peter is the author of The Rediscovery of Ancient Faypt: Artists and Travelers inthe 19th Century. 1982, repr. 1990. Ancient Egypt in the Modern Imagination: Art, Literature and Culture ed. Eleanor Dobson and Nichola Tonks. Bloomsbury, 2020 ISBN 978-1"7883-1339-1 Hardback, £90. ANCIENT EGYPT ‘aN CULTURE ‘This volume of fifcen essays derives from the “Tea with the Sphinx’ confer- cences at the University of Birming- hham: Ancient Feypt in the Modera Imagination (2016) andl Defining the Feld af Ancient Egypt Reception Studies (2017) ‘The essays examine various represen- tations of ancient Eaypt in Western culture from the eighteenth century to modern times. The multidisciplinary approach seeks to break down bound- aries between disciplines within the arts and humanities for a “nuanced understanding Exypt. Tonks believes that “popular” engage- ments with ancient Egypt are as wor- thy of scholarly attention as the arte facts that hail from the ‘Land of the Pharaohs’ themselves yptomania by 1d ‘scholars’ from a vari- not exclusively Egyptology, and a deliberate effort is made to combine theories of di disciplines within each e “The essays are equally divided into three sections, “The Egyptologial Imaginary’ considers the influence of igyptology on the arts, although two of After investigating replicas of objects from the tomb of Tutankhamun and rologist imues with an. evaluation of the role of replicas in museums and heritage sites. The remaining essays address the influence of the Egyptocentric diffasionist theo- ries of Grafion Elliot Smith et al. rela tive to scarabs discovered near Stonehenge in 1928, and the ideas of Wyndham Lewis about the origins of Egyptian art “Death and Mysticism’ draws upon the supposed Egyptian preoccupation with death, Two essays consider Egyptianising funerary architecture nd burial topics. Others deal with Tutmania and Cartier jewellery, the use of Egyptian religion by the founders of two modem revivals of the worship of Isis, and ancient Egypt the graphic novel From Hell, “Gender and Sexuality’ explores con- nections with ancient Egypt across the twentieth century, and mostly con- cerns women’s studies. Egyptology Professor R. B. Parkinson outlines the context for English authors who wrote about ancient Egypt around 1920. “The remaining essay contemplates Cleopatra and Elizabeth ‘Taylor as “decadent fonmes fatal he five essays examine literature ANCIENT EGYPT September/October 2020book reviews This collection of eclectic essays shows that ancient Egypt has pervad- ed many aspects of modern Western culture. The content would appeal to s already f academ niliar with past and current theories that could be rel evant to Egyptian reception studies For non-academic readers, the book provides an introduction to the new directions and themes such studies are taking without Egyptology as the driv- ing discipline. This volume is well doc- umented with endnotes, a detailed bibliography and i illustrated by 38 black-and-white figures. Cathie Bryan The People of the Cobra Province in Egypt: A Local History, 4500 to 1500 BC by Wolfram Grajetzki. Oxbow Books, 2020 ISBN 978-1-78925-421-1 Hardback, £55. There has long been a tradition in ‘ayptology of writing history with the king at the centre of attention. Wolfram Grajetzki instead offers a cory from below” ~ investigati the lives of the wider working popula- tion and focussing on one particular centre— the Tenth Upper Ezyptian Waclet (Cobra) province, from the Badarian Period to the end of the Second Intermediate Period Although never of central importance to the Egyptian state, the Wadiet region is one of the best documented archaeological areas in Egypt, follow- ing the excavation of some five thou- sand burials in the 1920s. Most of these graves belonged to farmers and were simple surface burials, and the author offers extensive and detailed explorations of these and the monu- mental tombs of the local governors throughout Grajetzki begins by exploring the issues of this approach, specifically the angers of imposing the writer's own social background and worldview onto an ancient society (he points to the influence of “neoliberal ideas of the ‘market economy held by Egyptologists of the Anglo-American world” on our interpretation of ancient Egyptian society), and explains how he has applied a Marxist approach, focussing ‘on the ‘mode of production’ ~ the economic base and infrastructure — as ‘opposed to the system of belicls and ideologies that shaped society. Taking a chronological survey of the local evi- lence, he looks for interaction between farmers and the rung clases of the royal residence and local province, conclud “Tributary Mode of Production’ ‘model formerly known as the “Asiatic Mode’) best fits the situation in Egypt during the Old and Middle lages, working land owned by the local or royal ruling classes, andl providing them with yearly ‘tases’ or rather col- lections of resources (agricultural, ‘material and, during the Old Kingdom, corvée labour for royal building projects such as pyramids. If this sounds rather academic, do not be put off. Grajetzki paints a fas nating picture of the lives of the provincial farmers interwoven with a wider historical narrative of the devel- ‘opment of the Egyptian state over this period. The book is highly readable, packed with information and ref ences and written so that you can choose to read through the overarch- ing historical narrative, delve into the details of individual burials in the province, or digress and explore par- ticular topies such as ‘Patronage’ and ‘Learning, reading and writing’, pr sented as excursus within the chapters. Highly recommended. that Marx's SG Read more about the people of the Cobra province in Wofian’s arti in AE 19. Living Forever: Self-presentation in Ancient Egypt edited by Hussein Bassit The American University in Cairo Press, 2019 ISBN 978-977-4-16901-4 Hardback, £49°95. ANCIENT EGYPT September/October 2020 thas become fashionable amongst ptologists to talk of ‘self>presenta- tion’ rather than “(auto)biogr. the former enco al and w ng communication. this book chart the wel cern of the élite to speak to posterity, rolved in last- es both the ntal form, so t their names (and live forever. The volume begins with an erudite essay by Christopher Eyre, setting out the forms of, and au putations) would nces for, self presentations. He makes th tant point that almost nothing of the nner life” of ‘an individual (a modern concer of biographic forms) is pre- served in the Egyptian record. Nor was it intended to be; an conform to normative id Individual authors provide commen- tary on chronological segments but it is notable how many refer to selEpre sentations from other periods in their ‘own segment — proving that, overall, Egyptian texts frequently refer to ea other rather than to the real world. The range of media temple walls to statues and stel highlights that the content of the self presentation frequently responded to its physical setting, For anyone who has studied an ancient Egyptian ful in setting this in context, ‘This is not a sourcebook of self-presentations in translation, as are found in — for example — works by Miriam Lichtheim. This volume offers analysis of the overall forms and functions of selftpresentations, with a good number of quotations from both well-known and rather more obscure monuments Its laudable that the entire Pharaonic cra ~ from the Early Dynastic to the Prolemaic Period — is covered, with special consideration in a final chapter por h from tomb and xt, the book is se- 59book reviews © by Mariam Ayad of the rather rare Despite consistent concerns for an idealising picture of the élite pr nists, there are definite fashions and styles that appear ~ such as Second Intermediate Period military concerns or Third Intermediate Period descrip tions of temple space. Among several very strong papers, Gareth Roberts’ focus on seribal authorship is impor- tant, as is Pope’s analysis of the role of the king in the Kushite Period. This isa broad but very useful range of closely related papers. Importantly, it gathers something from discussion and presents it to a wider audience. In that, the book is some- thing of an Egyptological ‘selfpresen- tation’ of the state of the art in debates around literacy, identity and ite culture — and thankfully not at a price only the élite can afford! voices of women. ‘Campbell Price Creatures of Earth, Water, And Sky: Essays on Animals in Ancient Egypt and Nubia edited by Stéphanie Porcier, Salima Ikram & Stéphane Pasquali. Sidestone Press, 2019 ISBN 978-90-8890-772-2 Hardback, €135; Paperback, (€44.95; Read free online at jestone.com The first ever international conference dedicated to animals in ancient Egypt and Nubia was held in 2016, and here you can presented at that meeting from researchers fiom a wide range of dis- ciplines from epigraphy and analytical chemistry to archaeozoology and con- servation. ‘The papers (15 in French and 18 in English) cover areas of research into the use of sacred ani- zals, representations of animals and their meanings in Egyptian art, inter- actions between animals, humans and their environment and new 1 lysis and con: ‘mal mummies. ‘A wide range of animals and binds are featured. Halima Ali Toybou explores the exploitation of ostriches in ancient Egypt and Nubia, high- lighting the relative scarcity of ostrich- shell beads found in Egyptian tombs ‘compared to those in Nubia. Aiman Ashmawy Ali investigates a group of donkey burials found at the Delta site of Tell e-Yahue ated with Hyksos burials and the asso- ations of donkeys with the god Set. Julie Anderson and Daniel Ant ‘describe the scientific analysis of a large crocodile mummy in the British ‘Museum which was mummified with over 25 crocodile hatchlings attached to its back; a study of its stomach con- tents (prime cuts of meat) suggests it was a sacred crocodile rather than a votive offering, Linda Evans solves the mystery of ‘Baget’s Rat’, revealing that the unusual rodent depieted tak- ing on a catin the Tomb of Baget IIL at Beni Hasan is a Nile grass rat, while highlighting how relatively rare images of mice and rats are in Egyptian art despite being the most commonly encountered animals in Jhuman lite Silvia Bussi shows how the practice of animal cults became one of the principal sources of wealth for the Egyptian temples in the Graceo- Roman Period, while Tessa T. Baber narrates the sorry tale of how the ‘inexhaustible supply’ of animal mum- mics ended up as souvenirs or as ingredients of fuel, paper, fertiliser, ‘medicine and paint during the rush to explore Eaypt from the sixteenth to twentieth centuries, but also points out how ironically it isthe written accounts of the mummy pit plunele ers that has provided us with so much info combs. Other papers include the experi- ‘mental mummification research of Lidija McKnight and Stephanie Woolham on animal mummies at the Manchester Museum (se artis in AE91 and 92 for more on this cork), Paul Nicholson on the Ibis Catacomb Sagqara and Salima Tkram New Light on Old in her introduction to the ods of at vation of ani- a which were associ- nation about the animal cata current state of study of ancient gyptian animal remains. Well illustrated, with copious refer- nces, this will appeal to anyone with an inte the relationship between the ancient Egyptians and the animals around them and is available to read free on the Sidestone website. SG Introduction to the Religion of Kush by Josefine Kuckertz and Angelika Lohwasser. J. H. Roll Verlag, 2020 ISBN: 978-3-89754-543-4 Hard paperback €89. ‘The subject of ancient religion in Nubia is gaining popularity as current ‘excavations in the region reveal more evidence for religious practice at both fa state and a local level. This volume, written by experts in the field, is nded to fmction as a ‘handbook’ to summarise and document different aspects of Kushite culture. Kuckertz and Lohwasser address themes relat- i to aspects of “high reli state religion and élite practices alongside discussions of more eve day aspeets of religion which reflect the actions and beliefs of the general population of this region over time. ced chronologically, the uthors first present a geographical and historical overview of the Kushite Empire, and the background to the study of this area. ‘The textual, art-his- torical and archacological evidence for religion during the Napatan Period (¢ 750-300 BC) isthe focus of the first section of the book, drawing together historical sources for religious activity luring this period both in Egypt and in Kush, and highlighting evidence for their interaction. A particularly useful clement in this section is the discus- Ara ANCIENT EGYPT September/October 2020book reviews sion of the Kushite pantheon (deities also worshipped in Egypt) and the local aspects of their cult in ancient Kush, Napatan temple architecture and funerary practices represent the intertwining of Egyptian and Kushite beliefs and representations, and these are also explored in detail ‘These same themes are then addressed in the second section, which ‘moves through time to focus on the Meroitie Period (c. 300 BC - 300/350 AD). While Egyptian deities includi Amun, Osiris, Hathor and Thoth are stil worshipped during this time in ancient Kush, there is evidence for the emergence of local Meroitic deities, iluding the lion-headed warrior god Apedemak, “The book concludes with a fase ing overview of cult practice and ev dence of religious performance during the Kushite Period, including a discus sion of religious expression beyond the official religion of kings and the ite. This holistic approach to cult practice beyond issues of ‘high reli- gion’ is especially welcome. Richly illustrated in colour throughout, this is an essential work for those who ai beginners to Kushite religion and his- tory, and for those who are specialists in the field, Anna Garnett The Festivals of Opet, The Valley, and the New Year: Their Socio-religious Functions by Mashashi Fukaya. Archaeopress Egyptology 28 Archaeopress, 2020 ISBN 978-1~78969-595-3 Paperback, £45, e-book £16. In this latest Archaeopress Egyptology volume, Mashashi Fukaya presents an in-depth exploration of three major festivals of the New Kingdom and their religious, social, economic and public aspects ‘The author concentrates on the fe tivals held at Thebes, where the large ‘temples, necropolis and the proces- sional routes between them have sur- vived, and where there is also a large number of private tombs with depic- tions of various elements of these cel ebrations. The processions of the gods allowed a wider audience to see and have access to the divine through the spectacle of public ceremony, andl studying these festivals individually sheds light on both the interactions between god and king, and between the king and the festiv for this work, focussing on élite partic- ipation as there is insufficient evidence for the role these celebrations played in the lives of ordinary people. Each of the three festivals is studied in detail, broken down into their co stituent rituals and events, with com- parisons made between them. The Opet Feast of Amun took place by road and water between th participants ples of Karak and Luxor, allowing the god to distribute his benefaction to people in the form of life — ankl— rep- resented by a bouquet also called “anki”. As oracles formed a major part of this festival, and the god. required time to answer all queries, this was one of the longest celebra~ tions in the Egyptian calendar, lasting around 24 days (27 during the reign of Ramesses IID), as reflected in the huge number of divine offerings consumed (11,341 for the Opet compared to 1,150 at the Valley Festival. In the New Kingdom the festivals of Opet and the Valley were considered to be a pair, representing life and death respectively. ‘The Valley Festival was celebrated only at ‘Thebes and involved processions to the temples at Deir el-Bahri, A dual celebration, the royal family would perform rituals at the mortuary temples w people worshipped their ancestors in their tombs. ‘The New Year Festival was a national celebration held at each tem- ple in the name of its local god During this short festival, rejuvenation rituals were carried out for the god, followed by the consecration of stat- tues and buildings, the renewal of kingship and evening banquets at pri- vate tombs. The festival also marked le private ANCIENT EGYPT September/October 2020 the end of the harvest where the king ‘would present a portion of his newly collected tax to the god. ‘The book is well illustrated with plenty of references for further study. Sadly, minor grammatical errors appear frequently throughout the text —in some cases affecting the read- crs understanding of the arguments and should have been picked up in the cciting, But this aside, Mashashi Fukaya's work is a weleome addition to studies of ancient Egyptian re gion, highly recommended for schol ars and anyone wanting to know more about these spectacular religious cere- SG Is There Not One Among You Who Understands Egyptian? The Late Egyptian Language ~ Structure of its Grammar by Helmut Satzinger. GHP Egyptology 31 Golden House Publications, 2020 ISBN 978-1-906137-67-0 Paperback, £35. “Late Egyptian’ was a written form of language that was in use by the time of the New Kingdom, following on from the classical form ~ Middle Egyptian ~ but not descended frot nor completely replacing it, Late Egyptian appears to have been more representative of the way people spoke from the New Kingdom onwards ‘This volume, aimed at the language specialist, defines and demonstrates the distinguishing features of Late ypptian independent of previous forms of the language, including sur- veys of its new grammatical rules and vocabulary, SG 61SUBSCR|BE BY SUBSCRIBING to Ancient Egypt magazine, not only is it cheaper, but you can ensure that you always receive your copy before the newsagents. 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See L] Postage included for UK; for rest of the world see Subscribe page. A complete set includes all issues* “(except vol. 2 no. 3, which is sold out). : | BINDERS The best way to keep your copies of Ar neat and tidy and to protect them. Blue rexine-covered cordex binders with the name of the magazine ‘embossed in gold on the spine. Each binder holds 12 magazines. UK inc. P&P £9.50; EU and Rest of the World £12. ANCIENT E.GYPT September/October 2020 8UK EVENTS DIARY ***SPECIAL NOTICE*** CCovid-19 continues to affect events planned by face-to- ahead. Some societies have switched to Egyptology societies across the UK. Where ce lectures ae panned, please check n advance to make sute these ae sil go Jesh sn eres nich a faced here Comet ‘societies direct for more details, A mumber of societies wil not be holding lectures unt! January 2021 at the earliest Full contact SEPTEMBER 2020 | OCTOBER 2020 12h Sutton Ancient Egypt Society Renee Friedman: Ren Exact at Hiknptis TBC. 12th Thames Valley Ancient Egypt Society Mailen Moseth King: Lil Religion in Ancient Fat — Sele, Fines, Or Vite Oferings Online. Vth Kemet Klub Bristol Aidan Dodson: Burying Paras ~ Finding Pharaohs Part 2 on 20th September. Online lth Manchester Ancient Egypt Society Campbell Price: vt, Sex aad Death in Graeco-Roman Fxypt. Online. 1tth Egypt Exploration Society ele coerce coe Crain, Pepin, Rasp. Online Ith ‘Mloemebary Senmer School Teer ase eee erence am (Ogunmakin: Dixon Li in th ie ee eed Renan. Online Sty Day 10h Southampton Ancient Eaypt Society Hilary Wir: The dee Coun ~ Tne nd Ti. Oni 23nd Friends of the Egypt Contre - Seransen Euan Nowy: Tere erin 24th Castise and istrict Egyptology Society Claire Ott: nde hing! The ltr ie nd wk of Hower Cate: Onin, 6+ ils can be found on pages 66 & 67. Sed Egyptology Scotland Marcel Maessen: Edaurd Naville and the BP at Deir l-Babari, 1893-1907. Online. 4th Essex Egyptology Group John Taylor: Egyptian Cofins, Online. Gh Egypt Society of Bristol Lee Young: The Lif and Tines of Emile Prise DiAsenes. Online. Th Staffordshire Egyptology Society Patrician Hall Nindanth Century Paintings of Ancient Faypt. TBC. loth North East Ancient Egypt Society Ross Thomas: Taractia and Otha Figaines in the Polemaic and Roman Peis in Exp Online. lh RAMASES North Kent Egyptology Society (Chris Nauaton: Lectue the 10th Society for the Study of Ancient Egypt Main, Chesterfield Venue Bill Maney: The Oldest Book in the World (OUd Kingdom Guide to Maden Life 10th Egyptian Society Taunton James Brenchley: Fzyptian Burial Goods “Made with Eternity in Mind. Onin. 0h ‘Thames Valley Ancient Egypt Society Paolo Seremin: Bringing the Past Lif Phangan the Tams of Ancient yp Online. 12th Manchester Ancient Egypt Society Rosalie Davi Jelly in ncn! Egypte What Wis ls Papert? One. 12ch Wirral Ancient Egypt Society Joanne Backhouse: Sth ~Blad Shep of The Fam or a Necesary Evil. On Deadline for submission: ll events tnies should be received by 313% ‘oataber 2020 for inclusion Inthe next issue, To add an event to the Events Diary, lease contact the Eifor, ema ‘edttor@anctentegyptmapazine.com Lith Friends of the Egypt Centre ~ Swansea Kasia Szpakowska: The Jabriaed Heart Eesacy Through Visions and Dance Ancient Egpt. Online, 17th Southampton Ancient Egypt Society Lecture the 22nd ‘The Ancient World Society (Boston) ‘Margaret Beaumont: Teaare for Bernity The Tab of Wa and Mert. 22nd Carlisle and District Egyptology Society Angela McDonald: Hiding Yur Fling Enotoa in Ancint Egyption Art. Online. NOVEMBER 20: Iu Essex Egyptology Group Alejandro Jimenes-Serrano: Reco Dicoeries inthe 12 Dynasty Tbs at Qube et Hasca (Asan), Online. 4th Staffordshire Egyptology Society Ligh Prac: Divination Along The Nile Ancient Baypian Senc of Parling the Future, TBC, The Sh Rgyptology Scotland Hil Prag Ama Des Not Canon he Beach ~The Nat 8 Misrtate Vinge of Winamn. Oniine Sh Manchester Ancient Egypt Society [idan Dodson: The Sapam of Sagqa Onkne 9% Wirral Ancient Egypt Society Gen Godenho: Cambie and Anchors in Late Asiue Egypt, One. Ith Sutton Ancient Egypt Society Chris Naunton: Two talks for the Society's 10h Anniversary. TBC. Mth Egyptian Society Taunton Campbell rice: The Golden Mummies. Online ANCIENT EGYPT September/October 2020ee UK events diary 1th Thames Valley Ancient Egypt Society Tan Trumble: The Making of « Muscun, Online. 17th Egypt Society of Bristol _Joln J. Jolunston: By th Light of the Sisry Moon — Lunar Lowen Ancient Egypt. Online 16th Friends of the Egypt Centre - Swansea Peter James: A Stich in Tine. Online 2ist Ancient Egypt & Middle East Society Paul Collins: A Naw Middle Eaxt Calley a the Achmolean and Recating Faypt and Assyria ashngon DC. Double Lecture. 2ist North East Ancient Egypt Society (Chis Nanton: Lost Tombs, Online Stly Day: QIst Southampton Ancient Egypt Society Gorge Hart: Lecture the 26th Carlisle and District Egyptology Society Joanne Backhouse: Fonale Figurine fom Ancient Bays Faction and Erm. Onin DECEMBER 2020 2nd Staffordshire Egyptology Society Sarah Grilths: Pacefd Women and The Rounding OF Ezypt's New Kingdom. TBC. Sth Society for the Study of Ancient Egypt Main, Nottingham Venue Campbell Price: Gen Mimics of Ascom, Abu Sinbel and Haare, bth Essex Egyptology Group aul Nichokon: The Galacombs of Anubis, Neth Sagara. Online. 1th Friends of the Egypt Gentre ~ Swansea (Carolyn Graves-Brown: ll That Gliters fs Gold, Online. uth Egyptology Scotland Egyptology Scotland 20th Anniversary/ lan Mathieson Memorial Lecture. Online, Showing to 4th October 2020 PERTH MUSEUM AND ART GALLERY ‘DISCOVERING ANCIENT EGYPT bjs fom the collections of National Museums ‘Solland and Path Musca and At Gala, cooing hoe ancient Fay captivated Stand er the past 200 years. Fe kmelenry Ww muse sum — boing in avon. 78 George St, Perth PHI SLB ‘www.culturepk.org.ule Showing to 20h December 2020 CIVICO MUSEO ARCHEOLOGICO DI MILANO UNDER THE NUT'S SKY. DIVINE EGYPT Move than 1.50 scarks from Milan, Turin, and ther Hatin collections, offering entrance into agp divine srl through the display of the ira tapings that accompanied the dase in te afer Corso Magenta 15, Milan wwrwimuscoarcheologicomilano.it Showing to January 2021 BUFFALO MUSEUM OF SCIENCE GOLDEN MUMMIES OF EGYPT Manchoer Mase taring exibition exiving 1 forthe wealthy in matalooal Roman Faypt 1020 Humboldt Parkway, Balilo, New York 14211 www.sciencebufforg Showing to 7th February 2021 NATIONAL MUSEUM, PRAGUE KINGS OF THE SUN International exibition documenting Old Kingdom dicovries at Abst, cith objects fom (Cai, Bain, Lege, Hildeshi and mere ‘Museum Complex of the National Museum, Vaclavské nimmésti 68, Praba 1 woewinm.cz/en, Showing to Mth February 2021 ‘MUSEE GRANET AIX-EN-PROVENCE PHARAOHS, OSIRIS AND THE MUMMY Extn in scion with th Lore ‘Masan,scaing ely 200 ances Exyplin arias. Place Sunt Jean de Malt, 13100 As-en- ANCIENT EGYPT September/October 2020 Running to 16th October 2020 DURHAM UNIVERSITY/ EGYPT EXPLORATION SOCIETY FIFTH BRITISH EGYPTOLOGY CONGRESS (BECS) ONLINE A pao for rsa roe rong rcs end discov. Ths weil hd okne eth ects fie w ated. Programe and gs ‘tis inks on the BES tebe wwweces.ac.nk/ british-egyptology-congress Courses 28th September 2020 DILLINGTON HOUSE, SOMERSET THE ANCIENT EGYPTIAN TEMPLES OF MEDINET HABU Dayscoo exploring the Raruses I manament and the oher important tracts on the il ach Lain Gabi, Dillington House, Iiminster, Somerset, ‘TAL 9DT swmwdillington.com 13th October 2020 DILLINGTON HOUSE, SOMERSET THE GARDEN IN ANCIENT EGYPT Deyschoal abot the gades associated with tom- ‘ples and grander houses of ancien Eeyp, with Lacia Gaklin. Dillington House, minster, Somerset, ‘TALO9DT 19th October 2020 EGYPT EXPLORATION SOCIETY TOP 10 TECHNOLOGIES OF ANCIENT EGYPT 2.0 ONLINE Couase examining the ecological declopment of ancient Egypt cith Sarah Deer. wwwiees.ae.uk/Pages/Events Ongoing Ontine UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER EGYPTOLOGY ONLINE YELLOW AND BLUE SYMPOSIA Fone css fig mony axes of cit Expt hsy tohstdsof he abr Ve, endl. bitly/EgyptologyYellow bitly/EgyptologyBlue 65