Through the Eras

MusicThe harvest song in the tomb of Paheri is explicitly labeleda “part song.” The carving shows eight men harvestingbarley with sickles while they sing. The first twolines describe the day, emphasizing that it is cool becauseof the northern breeze. The third and fourth lines emphasizethat the workers and nature both cooperate tomake the harvest go smoothly. Again this song depictsan ideal world where both workers and nature cooperateto ensure food for the deceased. It is not possible toknow whether the song was actually sung or only expressesthe deceased tomb owner’s wishes.Stele depicting the harpist of Amon, Djedkhonsouioufankh, beforethe god Horus, Third Intermediate Period. © REUNION DESMUSEES NATIONAUX/ART RESOURCE, NY.be reborn through the planting of seed. Both fish thusreinforced the meaning of the song both as appropriatefor the planting season and for the hopes of the tombowner to be reborn in the next world. This song is preservedin six different tombs in Saqqara, demonstratingits common usage.HARVEST SONGS IN PAHERI’S TOMB. Yet anothercall and response song from an Old Kingdom tomb representsworkers encouraging each other through complimentswhile working in the barley field. Two groupsof workers are singing similar songs while a flute playeraccompanies them. In the first group the leader sings“Where is the one skilled at his job?” The worker nextto him responds “It is I!” A second leader sings, “Whereis the hard-working man? Come to me!” The secondworker sings, “It is I. I am dancing.” Through these compliments,boasts, and jokes the workers encourage themselvesand each other to continue working. To judge bymodern usage on archaeological excavations, such calland response songs were repeated with varying rhythmsthroughout the workday. Sometimes they are improvised,commenting on particular events of the workday.PLOWING AND HOEING SONGS. The plowing andhoeing songs are known from two New Kingdom tombsin Upper Egypt. The words of the songs seem to divideinto call and response sequences. The layout of the textand the accompanying illustrations make it a little difficultto determine the correct order of the verses. The reliefcarving shows four men dragging the plow—a jobnormally performed by oxen—an old man steadying theplow, and a young man sowing seed. All of the figuresface left. Further to the left are four figures hoeing, thenext step in the process of planting the seed. These fourhoeing figures face right. The words of the song appeardirectly above each group of figures. Egyptian hieroglyphicwriting can also face either left or right and canalso begin on the right side going to the left or vice versa,unlike English writing, which can only begin on the leftand run to the right. It is thus easy to associate the linesof text with the proper group of figures because of thischaracteristic of Egyptian writing. The order of the lines,however, is unclear. It might be that the songs were anendless sequence of call and response so the slight confusionin the layout of the words might be a reflectionof the fact that these songs have no real beginning orend. These songs emphasize the positive and show thestake that the workers have in the success of the crop,even though they work for a nobleman. The secondplowing song in the tomb of Paheri is written above agroup of workers sowing seed and plowing with oxen.A leader stands behind one of the plows with his owncolumns of text arranged near him. The arrangement oftext and image here is clearer to modern eyes. The leadersings, “Hurry, the front guides the cattle. Look! Themayor stands watching.” The three men and the boynear the cattle reply, “A beautiful day is a cool one whenthe cattle drag (the plow). The sky does our desire whilewe work for the nobleman.” Such a song reveals the mainpurpose for depicting these scenes in a tomb in the firstplace; by depicting the sequence of growing crops andeager workers, the deceased ensures that he will have adequatefood supplies in the next world.162 Arts and Humanities Through the Eras: Ancient Egypt (2675 B.C.E.–332 B.C.E.)