Ancient Egyptian Iconography

The tomb of Wekhhotep III (C1) is the last decorated tomb to be excavated in the cemetery of Meir, with a probable date of the Twelfth Dynasty reign of Senwosret II and/or Senwosret III. It has recently been re-excavated and re-recorded by the Australian Centre for Egyptology. The present volume provides a comprehensive record of the tomb’s architectural features and wall scenes, a complete set of colour photographs and detailed line drawings of all of its scenes and inscriptions, as well as a translation and analysis of those inscriptions. The tomb contains a number of unusual features, which include an exceptionally high number of women depicted with the tomb owner, the exclusive representation of women undertaking all activities within the chapel, Wekhhotep’s adoption of several royal prerogatives, and an absence of shafts and burial chambers in the immediate vicinity of the tomb. Wekhhotep III did not produce a male heir and the evidence suggests that the rule of his family came to an end with him. His tomb, therefore, provides important insights into the end of the power of nomarchic families during the mid-late Twelfth Dynasty.

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Kinyras: The Divine Lyre is also available online through the CHS website: http://chs.harvard.edu/CHS/article/display/6329. The web version, however, does not have page numbers, so that internal cross-references cannot be easily followed. Hence the PDF here.

— Rock art has long been neglected as a primary source of information for Predynastic Egypt. Fortunately, interest has picked up strongly for the last twenty years, resulting in numerous publications. However, recent studies tend to focus on the presentation of newly-(re)discovered rock art scenes and sites. In-depth presentations are both infrequent and mostly restricted to rock art itself. Although comparisons have often been made with the iconography on decorated pottery and other objects found in Predynastic cemeteries, the aim was, in many cases, to establish the chronological position of the rock art scenes. However, rock art iconography also offers other opportunities. For instance, comparing human representations in Predynastic rock art with those known from so-called Decorated ware vessels, brings to light a num ber of striking resemblances as well as differences. It appears that although the same semantics and visual language are being used, the meanings and contexts of rock art and cemetery objects differ rather strongly. This is probably not primarily due to the funerary character of cemetery finds, because there is no obvious difference between their iconography and that attested on materials from settlements, although, admittedly, the information available for the latter is much more limited. This paper first attempts to describe the main characteristics of Predynastic human representations from these contexts, before analysing the semantic elements used. The meaning behind the observed similarities and differences is also discussed.

SSEA/SÉÉA Annual General Meeting Poster Session, 2015 Abstract
"Demons abound in the media today—from tales of possession, to the labeling of political policies as “demonic,” to the channeling of spirits for healing. In both the modern and ancient world, intangible entities embody and are blamed for a host of physical and psychological afflictions, as well as being called upon to aid the sufferer. These beings are known in many cultures by many names. A sample of terms includes: gremlins, imps, faeries, ghosts, daemons, genies, Mischwesen, in-betweeners, goblins, pixies, gnomes, pucks, sirens, enchanters, banshees, leprauchauns, fiends, monsters, small gods, angels, and invisibilia. Although the Ancient Egyptians themselves had no specific all-encompassing generic label for this large category of beings, they were described in texts and imagery. It is clear that for the ordinary person, they played vital roles as mechanisms for coping with and manifesting abstract stress, afflictions, and fears.

While they may have been familiar to the Ancient Egyptians, finding information on them today is difficult. There is currently no single source for the scholar or interested person to consult for further information regarding these beings. General encyclopedias of gods exist, as well as specialized resources such as Leitz’s compendium of divine names and epithets. The Iconography of Deities and Demons project is ongoing, but it does not provide a searchable index of images. To remedy this gap, our project has created a pilot database of these entities.

Our approach combines philological, iconographic, and archaeological analysis. Because of the limited time available for this pilot database, we include only four types of evidence: Coffin Texts, early Book of the Dead manuscripts, ivory wands, and decorated headrests. We thus include texts and images in a single database. The focus is on the individual beings, each of whom is categorized by its structural, functional, and essential characteristics. The database can later be augmented and expanded by other scholars, and will serve as an interactive portal for the public to learn about these entities. This poster provides a window onto this lesser known population of Ancient Egyptian beings."