Through the Eras

MusicTHE STORY BEHIND THE SONGINTRODUCTION: The lyrics to a song about the god Batarecorded in the Tomb of Paheri are from a storycalled The Story of Two Brothers. In this tale, a childnamed Bata came to live with his older brotherAnubis and Anubis’ wife. As Bata matured into ayoung man, Anubis’ wife made sexual advances towardhim, which he repulsed. In revenge, Anubis’wife told her husband that Bata had tried to seduceher. Anubis determined to kill Bata, but the youngman escaped. In the following passage, Bata confrontshis brother Anubis across a river filled withcrocodiles.Then the youth rebuked his elder brother saying:“What is your coming after me to kill mewrongfully, without having listened to my words?For I am yet your young brother, and you are like afather to me, and your wife is like a mother to me.Is it not so that when I was sent to fetch seed for usyour wife said to me: ‘Come, let us spend an hourlying together’? But look, it has been turned aboutfor you into another thing.” Then he let him knowall that had happened between him and his wife.And he swore by Pre-Harakhti, saying: “As to yourcoming to kill me wrongfully, you carried your spearon the testimony of a filthy whore!” Then he took areed knife, cut off his phallus, and threw it into thewater; and the catfish swallowed it. And he grewweak and became feeble. And his elder brother becamevery sick at heart and stood weeping for himloudly. He could not cross over to where his brotherwas on account of the crocodiles.SOURCE: “The Story of the Two Brothers,” in The NewKingdom. Vol. 2 of Ancient Egyptian Literature. Trans.Miriam Lichtheim (Berkeley and Los Angeles: University ofCalifornia Press, 1976): 206.HUNTING. In addition to agricultural work, musicappears to have played a role in the hunting of game.Three scenes, each carved in different time periods, seemto depict servants flushing game with music. Yet it is notclear if the servants are just making noise to scare awaybirds, perhaps from crops, or if they are indeed flushinggame. Furthermore, the scenes do not clearly demonstratewhether the servants are making music or are justmaking noise. The three examples come from an OldKingdom tomb, from a block from a building in Tell elAmarna, and from a Roman period relief. The Old Kingdomtomb scene shows a small boat steered through theSONGS FROM PAHERI’S TOMBINTRODUCTION: These songs were preserved in the tombof Paheri of El Kab. Another partial copy of thesesongs is painted on the walls of the Tomb of Wensuin Thebes. Both of these sites are in Upper Egypt. Itis difficult to determine whether these songs spreadto other parts of Egypt, but it is significant that atleast some songs were repeated in different placesand at different times. This phenomenon suggestssome continuity in knowledge of Egyptian music.The Plowing SongWe do (it).Look! Do not fear for the fields! They are very good!How good is what you say, my boy!A good year is free from trouble.All the fields are healthy. The calves are the best!The Hoeing SongI shall do more than my work for the nobleman!My friend, hurry up with the work, and let us finishin good time.The Harvest SongA part song:This fine day goes forth on the Land.The northern breeze has risen.The sky does our desire.Our work binds our desires.Translated by Edward Bleiberg.marsh by an oarsman and helmsman. Two other menstand in the boat. A boy holds two bird decoys with onehand while the other hand holds a tube on which theboy is blowing. Since not all of the tube is preserved, itis not possible to say for certain that it is a trumpet whosenoise or song would flush out the game in the marsh,but the presence of decoys certainly suggests huntinggiven evidence of their use in the New Kingdom. In theAmarna relief only one stone block is preserved. On theleft side, a woman holds a tambourine. There is also thefigure of a second woman and a boy with up-raised arms.On the right side is a tree with one bird either alightingor flying off, startled by the tambourine. Again it isunclear whether there is a connection with hunting,though the bird’s pose is similar to other New KingdomArts and Humanities Through the Eras: Ancient Egypt (2675 B.C.E.–332 B.C.E.) 163