Through the Eras

Visual ArtsA fragment of a wall painting found in the tomb of Nebamunin Thebes showing a pool full of ducks, lotus flowers, andtilapia fish. These symbols, particularly the tilapia fish, are richsymbols of rebirth and new life. © THE BRITISH MUSEUM/TOPHAM-HIP/THE IMAGE WORKS.ROLE OF MEN. Men are generally active rather thanpassive in tomb representations. In Old Kingdom andMiddle Kingdom tombs, the deceased reaches for offeringsat the offering table or inspects agricultural laborersor workshops under his control. Artists also oftendepicted men hunting birds or fishing. They wear looseclothing and are quintessentially the active principal inlife. These roles correspond to an Egyptian view of menactively winning a place for themselves in the afterlife.ROLE OF WOMEN. The importance of women inEgyptian society is often conveyed in artwork found intemples and tombs. The role of the woman in Egypt wasthat of life-giver and supporter. Hence, the emphasis inart was on their role as mothers. Because of this, womenwere often depicted wearing little or no clothing. Theartist’s intention was not to portray eroticism but ratherto symbolize reproduction—all people come into theworld without clothing, and hence the idea of nudity isconnected to that of birth. Due to their connection withbirth, women are most often found depicted on tombs,for the Egyptians considered the tomb a means to rebirthinto the next world. Yet women represented intombs could also hold other meanings. When labeledwith their name in hieroglyphs, a figure of a womancould represent an individual wife, daughter, or cousin.Many women represented in one tomb could be a meansfor a man to emphasize his wealth. Both these roleswould be important to the deceased in addition to theoverall conception of women as the source of rebirth.DAILY LIFE. In conjunction with how women andmen were portrayed individually, much can be learnedfrom the different scenes that artists chose to portray.Daily life scenes of craftsmen and of peasants engagedin agricultural tasks had a deeper meaning than the tasksportrayed. These scenes functioned at a literal level, butalso represent a way of structuring life. Artists chose someactivities to represent status and wealth in tombs whileother activities were left out of art altogether. This selectionwas purposeful. Craftsmen and peasants were alwaysportrayed at their most productive for the benefit of theowner of the art. Though Egyptologists depend on thesescenes for knowledge of all kinds about ancient Egypt,artists had no interest nor intention of providing an illustratedguide to Egyptian life when they decorated templesand tombs. Rather agricultural scenes of peasants workingin the fields stress the owner’s status and distinctionin the physical world. They also provide a permanentsupply of provisions for the next world. In addition, theyfunction symbolically to depict the passage of the seasonsof the year and thus the continuation of life for thedeceased spirit. The flax harvest painted in a tomb suggestsan abundance of linen clothing for the deceased.Scenes of manufacturing jewelry guarantee that the tombowner will have jewelry in the next world.FISHING AND FOWLING. Scenes of fishing and fowling(bird hunting) in the marsh with the tomb ownerand his family in attendance are one of the most commonscene types in Egyptian tombs and households. Yetit seems unlikely that these scenes depict only a familyouting. Scenes of a nobleman fishing or hunting birdsare very ancient, beginning in the Old Kingdom. Bothkings and officials included them in their tombs. Usuallythe male figure actively fishes with a harpoon orhunts birds with a boomerang-like throw-stick. His wifeis at his side and usually a child accompanies the family.They are all dressed in their most elaborate linenclothing. Often they are in a small papyrus boat. Theirclothing is clearly too elaborate for the activity that engagesthem. The clothing, thus, must reveal their statusrather than a true picture of the way they would dressfor a day of fishing or hunting. Additionally, the boat isboth too small and too unstable to be the sort of boatused for a family outing. A child could easily capsize it.The boat, the most archaic type of woven papyrus boat,has symbolic meaning of transition and togetherness.The Egyptologist Gay Robins speculated that scenes offishing and bird hunting represent the deceased as Osiris.In Coffin Text 62, Osiris claims he will have thousandsof birds available in the next world. Whenever Osirishunts with a throw-stick, a thousand birds will fall. Since270 Arts and Humanities Through the Eras: Ancient Egypt (2675 B.C.E.–332 B.C.E.)