Wooden tomb model

Last updated
Model showing Meketre overseeing the counting of his cattle. GD-EG-Caire-Musee120.JPG
Model showing Meketre overseeing the counting of his cattle.

Wooden tomb models were deposited as grave goods in the tombs and burial shafts throughout early Egyptian History, most notably in the Middle Kingdom of Egypt. They included a wide variety of wooden figurines and scenes, such as boats, granaries, baking and brewing scenes and butchery scenes.

Contents

These models served as ways to preserve the action depicted for eternity in honor of the dead. [1] The use of wood rather than other materials became popular in the First Intermediate Period. [2] Over time the models of boats, in particular, went from life size to much smaller scale though they remained numerous, some boats being less than a meter in length and fleets at times being larger than 50 models.[ citation needed ]

Predynastic, Early Dynastic and Old Kingdom

Example of a wooden funerary model that was found in the tomb of Tjeteti. The subject of the statue is believed to be a servant which is in line with other types of models of life at this time. This example comes from the 6th dynasty. Statue of man hoeing from tomb of Tjeteti MET 26.2.10 02.jpg
Example of a wooden funerary model that was found in the tomb of Tjeteti. The subject of the statue is believed to be a servant which is in line with other types of models of life at this time. This example comes from the 6th dynasty.

Pottery and ivory models from the Predynastic and Early Dynastic periods are rare, but have been found to include similar items and scenes to the later models such as granaries. [4] [5] There are some boats of the predynastic period, which are thought to have been modeled after boats used in swamps. [6] Stone miniature containers were developed at this time and use for ritual purposes with an introduction of copper containers in the 6th Dynasty however, pottery remained popular. These types of jars would also go on to inspire wooden models of stone containers in the Middle Kingdom. [7]

During the Old Kingdom, limestone models of single figures taking part in a variety of daily life activities such as farming, food preparation, brewing, animal butchering, and entertainment were produced. [8] Wooden boat models also had become popular and have been found in elite burials. [4] [5] [9] The funerary boats of the Old Kingdom were often life size or at times oversized, believed to be part of the funerary precession a mummy would take or an offering to the deceased. [10] The Old Kingdom introduced square shaped river boats into the corpus. [6] The models are often buried outside of the tomb, in the serdab, or in statue niches within the tomb. [11]

Towards the end of the 5th Dynasty was when the first wooden models came into production, though often alongside stone pieces. These wooden models were smaller than those of later periods and less decorative in style. [12] An example of this type of model can be seen to the right. Following the reign of Pepi II, such models are increasingly found in elite burials and in greater numbers. [4]

First Intermediate Period and Middle Kingdom

The First Intermediate Period models usually consisted of two or more human figures attached to a base in a scene. [13] These scenes can depict a variety of tasks including food production, crafting and other modes of specialized work though boats remained popular through this period as well. [14]

Most funerary models that survive today are from the Middle Kingdom, where not only the number of models but the variety of the models increased. Boats continued to diversify with the introduction of a new type of curved river boat, as well as boats that modeled ceremonial boats relating to solar worship and funerary practices. [6]

Models in the Middle Kingdom could be found in many areas of the burial such as the tomb chapel, floor niches and shafts, or in the burial chamber. [11] Models found in the burial chamber were orientated to the cardinal directions and coffin, and could be found both on top of the coffin and on the floor beside it. [15] Boats would often come in pairs of rowing and sailing boats, representing both a trip north and south. [16] Most of the models shared themes with scenes that are found on contemporary tomb chapel walls and coffins. [17] For example, granaries are found depicted on southern walls of tomb chambers, particularly in the Old Kingdom, and as well as on the foot ends of Middle Kingdom coffins. [18]

Some of the best known are the twenty-four wooden models that come from the tomb of Meketre (TT280), which are now found in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo and Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. [19] The largest collection of models were found in Tomb 10A of Djehutynakht and his wife, also called Djehutynakht, at Dayr al-Barshā by the 1915 the Harvard University-Boston Museum of Fine Arts excavation which included "some 58 model boats and nearly three dozen models of daily life." [20] These models are now at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. [21]

Late Middle Kingdom and New Kingdom

Boat model from the tomb of Tutankhamun Paris - Toutankhamon, le Tresor du Pharaon - Bateau sans mat en bois peint - 002.jpg
Boat model from the tomb of Tutankhamun

During the reign of Senusret III, the use of wooden models in tombs declines and are no longer found. [14] However, frequently included in discussions of Middle Kingdom models are several model boats that have been found in New Kingdom royal burials, most notably the burial of Tutankhamun. [28] Tutankhamun's flotilla included thirty-five boats. [28] Other notable New Kingdom models are the boats of Queen Aahotep at Dra Abu el-Naga which includes one made of gold with silver figures and another made entirely of silver. [29]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anubis</span> Ancient Egyptian god of funerary rites

Anubis, also known as Inpu, Inpw, Jnpw, or Anpu in Ancient Egyptian, is the god of funerary rites, protector of graves, and guide to the underworld, in ancient Egyptian religion, usually depicted as a canine or a man with a canine head.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saqqara</span> Burial ground in Giza Governorate, Egypt

Saqqara, also spelled Sakkara or Saccara in English, is an Egyptian village in the markaz (county) of Badrashin in the Giza Governorate, that contains ancient burial grounds of Egyptian royalty, serving as the necropolis for the ancient Egyptian capital, Memphis. Saqqara contains numerous pyramids, including the Pyramid of Djoser, sometimes referred to as the Step Pyramid, and a number of mastaba tombs. Located some 30 km (19 mi) south of modern-day Cairo, Saqqara covers an area of around 7 by 1.5 km.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canopic jar</span> Jar in which organs are kept

Canopic jars are containers that were used by the ancient Egyptians during the mummification process, to store and preserve the viscera of their soul for the afterlife. The earliest and most common versions were made from stone, but later styles were carved from wood. The ritual use of the jars dates as far back as the Old Kingdom and stayed in practice until the Late Period or the Ptolemaic Period, by which time the viscera were simply wrapped and placed with the body. Canopic jars of the Old Kingdom were rarely inscribed and had a plain lid, but by the Middle Kingdom inscriptions became more usual, and the lids were often in the form of human heads. By the Nineteenth Dynasty each of the four lids depicted one of the four sons of Horus, acting as guardians for the respective organs in each jar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tomb of Tutankhamun</span> Ancient Egyptian tomb

The tomb of Tutankhamun, a pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of ancient Egypt, is located in the Valley of the Kings. The tomb, also known by its tomb number KV62, consists of four chambers and an entrance staircase and corridor. It is smaller and less extensively decorated than other Egyptian royal tombs of its time, and it probably originated as a tomb for a non-royal individual that was adapted for Tutankhamun's use after his premature death. Like other pharaohs, Tutankhamun was buried with a wide variety of funerary objects and personal possessions, such as coffins, furniture, clothing and jewelry, though in the unusually limited space these goods had to be densely packed. Robbers entered the tomb twice in the years immediately following the burial, but Tutankhamun's mummy and most of the burial goods remained intact. The tomb's low position, dug into the floor of the valley, allowed its entrance to be hidden by debris deposited by flooding and tomb construction. Thus, unlike other tombs in the valley, it was not stripped of its valuables during the Third Intermediate Period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deir el-Bahari</span> Part of the Theban Necropolis in Luxor, Egypt

Deir el-Bahari or Dayr al-Bahri is a complex of mortuary temples and tombs located on the west bank of the Nile, opposite the city of Luxor, Egypt. This is a part of the Theban Necropolis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ancient Egyptian funerary practices</span>

The ancient Egyptians had an elaborate set of funerary practices that they believed were necessary to ensure their immortality after death. These rituals included mummifying the body, casting magic spells, and burials with specific grave goods thought to be needed in the afterlife.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Art of ancient Egypt</span>

Ancient Egyptian art refers to art produced in ancient Egypt between the 6th millennium BC and the 4th century AD, spanning from Prehistoric Egypt until the Christianization of Roman Egypt. It includes paintings, sculptures, drawings on papyrus, faience, jewelry, ivories, architecture, and other art media. It was a conservative tradition whose style changed very little over time. Much of the surviving examples comes from tombs and monuments, giving insight into the ancient Egyptian afterlife beliefs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dra' Abu el-Naga'</span> Village and archaeological site in Egypt

The necropolis of Draʻ Abu el-Naga' is located on the West Bank of the Nile at Thebes, Egypt, just by the entrance of the dry bay that leads up to Deir el-Bahari and north of the necropolis of el-Assasif. The necropolis is located near the Valley of the Kings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hor</span> Egyptian pharaoh

Hor Awibre was an Egyptian pharaoh of the early 13th Dynasty in the late Middle Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pyramid of Unas</span> Fifth Dynasty Egyptian pyramid complex

The pyramid of Unas is a smooth-sided pyramid built in the 24th century BC for the Egyptian pharaoh Unas, the ninth and final king of the Fifth Dynasty. It is the smallest Old Kingdom pyramid, but significant due to the discovery of Pyramid Texts, spells for the king's afterlife incised into the walls of its subterranean chambers. Inscribed for the first time in Unas's pyramid, the tradition of funerary texts carried on in the pyramids of subsequent rulers, through to the end of the Old Kingdom, and into the Middle Kingdom through the Coffin Texts that form the basis of the Book of the Dead.

Herbert Eustis Winlock was an American Egyptologist and archaeologist, employed by the Metropolitan Museum of Art for his entire career. Between 1906 and 1931 he took part in excavations at El-Lisht, Kharga Oasis and around Luxor, before serving as director of the Metropolitan Museum from 1932 to 1939.

Deir El Bersha is a Coptic village in Middle Egypt, in the Minya Governorate. It is located on the east bank of the Nile to the south of Antinoöpolis and almost opposite the city of Mallawi. During the pharaonic period, there was a vast cemetery, which is most well known for its decorated Middle Kingdom tombs on the north flank of Wadi Nakhla.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TT1</span> Ancient Egyptian tomb

TT1 is the burial place of the ancient Egyptian official Sennedjem and members of his family in Deir el-Medina, on the west bank of the Nile opposite Luxor. The funerary complex consists of three pyramid-shaped chapels dedicated to, from south to north, Sennedjem's father or brother, Sennedjem himself, and Sennedjem's son Khonsu. Of the three shafts associated with the chapels, only the shaft in front of Sennedjem's chapel was unrobbed. It leads to a series of underground rooms, including the extensively decorated burial chamber.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meketre</span> Ancient Egyptian official

The ancient Egyptian official Meketre was chancellor and high steward during the reign of Mentuhotep II, Mentuhotep III and perhaps Amenemhat I, during the Middle Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TT280</span> Ancient Egyptian tomb

Tomb TT280, located in Sheikh Abd el-Qurna, part of the Theban Necropolis, is the burial place of the ancient Egyptian noble Meketre who was chancellor and chief steward during the reign of Mentuhotep II and Mentuhotep III, during the Eleventh Dynasty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tomb of Two Brothers</span> Ancient Egyptian sepulchre

The Tomb of Two Brothers is an ancient sepulchre in Deir Rifeh, Egypt. It contains the chamber tomb of the ancient Egyptian high status priests Nakht-Ankh and Khnum-Nakht, which dates from the 12th Dynasty. The whole tomb group is now in the Manchester Museum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Funerary art</span> Art associated with a repository for the remains of the dead

Funerary art is any work of art forming, or placed in, a repository for the remains of the dead. The term encompasses a wide variety of forms, including cenotaphs, tomb-like monuments which do not contain human remains, and communal memorials to the dead, such as war memorials, which may or may not contain remains, and a range of prehistoric megalithic constructs. Funerary art may serve many cultural functions. It can play a role in burial rites, serve as an article for use by the dead in the afterlife, and celebrate the life and accomplishments of the dead, whether as part of kinship-centred practices of ancestor veneration or as a publicly directed dynastic display. It can also function as a reminder of the mortality of humankind, as an expression of cultural values and roles, and help to propitiate the spirits of the dead, maintaining their benevolence and preventing their unwelcome intrusion into the lives of the living.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashayet</span> Egyptian queen consort

Ashayet or Ashait was an ancient Egyptian queen consort, a wife of Mentuhotep II in the 11th Dynasty. Her tomb (DBXI.17) and small decorated chapel were found in Mentuhotep II's Deir el-Bahari temple complex. The shrine and burial to Ashayet was found along with the tombs of four other women in their twenties and a young girl, Henhenet, Kawit, Kemsit, Sadeh and Mayet. However, it is likely that there were three other additional shrines that were destroyed in the expansions of Mentuhotep II's burial complex. The nine shrines were built in the First Intermediate Period, prior to Mentuhotep II's reunification of Egypt. She and three other women of the six bore queenly titles, and most of them were Priestesses of Hathor. The location of their burial is significant to their titles as Priestesses of Hathor as the cliffs of Deir el-Bahri were sacred to Hathor from the Old Kingdom onwards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gemniemhat</span>

Gemniemhat was an ancient Egyptian official who is known from his well preserved burial excavated at Saqqara. Gemniemhat dates to the end of the First Intermediate Period or early Middle Kingdom. His burial was found by Cecil Mallaby Firth in 1921, who excavated part of the cemeteries around the pyramid of Teti. The burial of Gemniemhat was found at the bottom of a shaft and contained two decorated coffins. The head of the deceased was covered with a mummy mask. Around the coffins were found many wooden models showing the production of food, two female offering bearers and a small wooden statue of Gemniemhat. The objects are today in the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, although only the inner coffin could be preserved. Above ground there was a small mud brick mastaba decorated with a false door. Here, Gemniemhat bears several titles, including royal sealer, steward, overseer of the granaries. He was also funerary priest at the pyramid of king Merikare.

The Ure Museum’s ancient Egyptian funerary boat is a 12th Dynasty, Middle Kingdom model boat; believed to have been manufactured between 1991–1786 BC. It was discovered during excavations in the group of tombs described as the ‘Tombs of the Officials’ at Beni Hasan, Egypt.

References

  1. ↑ Biase-Dyson, Camilla Di (2022-12-21). "Building Ideas out of Wood. What Ancient Egyptian Funerary 'Models' Tell Us about Thought and Communication". Cambridge Archaeological Journal. 33 (3): 413–429. doi: 10.1017/S0959774322000385 . ISSN   0959-7743.
  2. ↑ "Model of a funerary boat". Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Retrieved 2023-02-28.
  3. ↑ "Statue of man hoeing from tomb of Tjeteti | Old Kingdom". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
  4. 1 2 3 Tooley, Angela M. J. "Models." In The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt. Oxford University Press, 2001. ISBN   0195102347. OCLC 163459051.
  5. 1 2 Tooley, Angela M. J. (1995). Egyptian models and scenes. Princes Risborough: Shire. p. 16. ISBN   0-7478-0285-8. OCLC   33360271.
  6. 1 2 3 Reisner, George Andrew; Egypt. Maslahat al-Athar (1913). Models of ships and boats. Institute of Fine Arts Library New York University. Le Caire : Impr. de l'Institut français d'archéologie orientale.
  7. ↑ Bárta, Miroslav (2006). The Old Kingdom art and archaeology : proceedings of the conference held in Prague, May 31-June 4, 2004. Czech Institute of Egyptology, Faculty of Arts, Charles University in Prague. OCLC   704483073.
  8. ↑ Roth, Ann Macy (2002). "The Meaning of Menial Labor: "Servant Statues" in Old Kingdom Serdabs". Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt. 39: 103–121. doi:10.2307/40001151. JSTOR   40001151.
  9. ↑ Taylor, John H. (2001). Death and the afterlife in ancient Egypt. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. pp. 99–107. ISBN   0-226-79163-7. OCLC   45195698.
  10. ↑ Florek, Stan; Bleechmore, Heather; Jones, Jana; McGregor, Colin; Pogson, R. E.; Specht, Jim (2021-09-22). "Egyptian funerary boat model in the Australian Museum: dating and analysis". Records of the Australian Museum. 73 (2): 67–85. doi: 10.3853/j.2201-4349.73.2021.1738 . ISSN   0067-1975.
  11. 1 2 Tooley 1995, p. 13-14.
  12. ↑ "Statue of man hoeing from tomb of Tjeteti | Old Kingdom". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 2023-03-01.
  13. ↑ Tooley, Angela M. J. "Models." In The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt. Oxford University Press, 2001. ISBN   0195102347. OCLC 163459051.
  14. 1 2 Grajetzki, Wolfram (2003). Burial Customs in Ancient Egypt : Life in Death for Rich and Poor. London. ISBN   0-7156-3217-5. OCLC   51738396.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  15. ↑ Tooley 1995, p. 14.
  16. ↑ "The secrets of Tomb 10A : Egypt 2000 BC | WorldCat.org". www.worldcat.org. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
  17. ↑ Barker, Georgia (2022). Preparing for eternity: funerary models and wall scenes from the Egyptian Old and Middle Kingdoms. BAR. Oxford, UK: BAR Publishing. ISBN   978-1-4073-5917-5.
  18. ↑ Willems, Harco (1988). Chests of life : a study of the typology and conceptual development of Middle Kingdom standard class coffins. Leiden: Ex Oriente Lux. ISBN   90-72690-01-X. OCLC   20343577.
  19. ↑ "Model Bakery and Brewery from the Tomb of Meketre". www.metmuseum.org. Retrieved 2021-03-19.
  20. ↑ "The Secrets of Tomb 10A". Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Retrieved 2021-03-19.
  21. ↑ The secrets of Tomb 10A : Egypt 2000 BC. Rita E. Freed, Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Boston: MFA Publications. 2009. pp. 151–179. ISBN   978-0-87846-747-1. OCLC   449186077.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  22. ↑ "Model of a procession of offering bearers | Middle Kingdom". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
  23. ↑ "Model Cattle stable from the tomb of Meketre | Middle Kingdom". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
  24. ↑ "Model of a Granary with Scribes | Middle Kingdom". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
  25. ↑ "Model Paddling Boat | Middle Kingdom". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
  26. ↑ "Model Sporting Boat | Middle Kingdom". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
  27. ↑ modèle, 2023-02-09, retrieved 2023-03-13
  28. 1 2 Jones, Dilwyn (1990). Model boats from the tomb of Tutʻankhamūn. Oxford: Griffith Institute. ISBN   0-900416-49-1. OCLC   23582589.
  29. ↑ Tooley 1995, p. 55-56.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.