Tenth International Congress of Egyptologists Abstracts of Papers

XICE – Abstract of Papers
most probably belonged to the workforce of the State. On top of this, the servants or
slaves who worked for the gang also came from the same place. Consequently, the
gang was in continuous contact with foreigners and this relationship caused the
eventual integration in Deir el-Medina. Labour was not the only means for
integration. Intermarriage, the education of the new people and the involvement in the
Egyptian lifestyle of the families with foreign origins, were some of the ways in
which the outsiders were present in the history of the village.
Through the study of the sources from Deir el-Medina, like ostraca, papyri, stelae
and other inscriptions, we can identify the tracks of foreign presence in the village.
Firstly, we find foreign names in the list of workmen, letters, judgments, etc.
Secondly, the Semitics deities in the Egyptian pantheon and their believers show a
contact with non Egyptian aspects. And, finally, the use of loan-words in the daily
language proves the existence of foreigners in Thebes and also in the community of
workmen.
Unusual scenes in Egyptian temples
Rania Younes Merzeban
Egyptian representations in temples are generally characterized by the absence of any
break of the conventions adopted in the figurative program; thus enabling immediate
recognition of their conventions. However a few representations exist of stereotyped
royal features' departures made from the canons. This was very rare and was confined
only to some scenes. The importance of such scenes is that they reveal some new
details adding to the ideals that we are used to, conforming to the Egyptian standard
of representing royal and priestly programs but in the mean time adding new details or
alterations. Following are examples of the scenes in witch some of the new aspects
were represented or departures from the usual conventions are attested:
� In the temple of Khons at Karnak, on the base of Amon's bark of Ramsses III, at
the front there is a scene representing the king binding the smA symbol. 100 Usually
the smA tAwy act was performed by the Nile god @apy. And as the symbolic
binding of the emblematic plants of Upper and Lower Egypt is a political act 101 ,
the scene highlights a certain identification of the king with the Nile god.
� The rite of breaking the vase was used in the funerary cult so that the enemies of
Osiris fear him. In the temple of Louxor 102 , in the fourth antechamber dedicated
by Amenhotep III a scene represents the king breaking the vase. He is
represented standing in front of Amon-Re breaking the vases that he holds in his
hands. the parallelism between the rites of the funerary cult and the divine cult is
thus highlighted. Rebellions who attacked the god could as well attack the king
and Egypt. 103
� In the south half of the hypostyle hall at Karnak temple the king is represented
cutting sheaf before Amun. 104
� In a scene depicted in the hypostyle hall of Karnak temple the king is represented
extinguishing a torch before Amun. 105
100 PM II, 240; S. SCHOTT, ‘Das Löschen von Fackeln in Milch’, ZÄS 73 (1937), pl. IV [c].
101 M.-TH. DERACHAIN-URTEL, ‘Vereinigung beider Länder’, LÄ VI, cols. 974-5.
102 PM II, p. 329.
103 MORET, RdE 3 (1938), 167.
104 PM II, p. 46.
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