Tenth International Congress of Egyptologists Abstracts of Papers

XICE – Abstract of Papers
and members of the royal family in the times of the Twenty-Third and Twenty-Fifth
Dynasties. So far 15 burial shafts have been discovered. All were plundered already in
Antiquity, but based on surviving elements of the tomb equipment, it was determined
that the Vizier Padiamonet was buried in the Chapel of Hatshepsut during the reign of
Piye of the Twenty-Fifth Dynasty. The disturbed and mixed fill of the shafts has also
yielded elements of the furnishings from the Coptic church that once occupied the
Chapel of Hatshepsut.
Infancy of the non-elite: a case study of early childhood at Lahun
Kasia Szpakowska
The life of infants and toddlers in Ancient Egypt is a topic that is not often explored in
any depth—for good reason. The preponderance of the surviving textual evidence is
focussed on the lives of adults, with most references to infants usually set against a
mythological backdrop featuring the infant Horus or at best the pharaoh. Modern
urban myths concerning childbirth and infancy creep into the scholarly discourse and
influence our perceptions of these issues in the ancient world. However, the few
settlements that have been excavated provide us with the best evidence for
understanding the earliest childhood years in ancient Egypt. This paper will focus on
reconstructing infancy of the non-elite through a case-study approach, concentrating
on the Late Middle Kingdom town of Lahun. Relying on evidence primarily from this
specific context will lessen the risk of over-generalising either temporally or
geographically. One of the goals of this project is to see whether a reconsideration of
the archaeological evidence, new publications of the texts, and recent excavations at
contemporary sites, combined with a judicious application of ethnography
(particularly in terms of infant behaviour) might allow us to better understand the
lives of young children whose activities are usually invisible. And, with a few notable
exceptions, these individuals really are invisible in discussions not only of
settlements, but in ones concerned with religion, sociology and life in general. And
yet children were everywhere in Ancient Egypt —they filled the streets, they
laboured, they produced, used, and discarded objects that we try to interpret millennia
later.
Due to time constraints, only a few key issues will be addressed. The numerous
problems with determining infant and maternal mortality rates in Pharaonic Egypt
must be noted as these affect our interpretation of many key artefacts. These include
objects such as hippopotamus birthing tusks, birth rods, and clappers that have
traditionally been categorised as ritual devices used to safeguard vulnerable expectant
mothers, newborns, and infants as well as the process of childbirth itself. The material
manifestation of other practices such as teething, weaning, and learning are
problematic and difficult to recognise, but potential feeding vessels, containers, and
toys will be discussed. Scientific analysis on these artefacts, particularly those that
still contain residue, will allow for a more penetrating evaluation of their probable
functions in ancient Egypt. Understanding early childhood is important for scholars of
any culture, whether modern or ancient, for it is by means of the young that a
culture’s beliefs, embedded social values, and norms of behaviour are transmitted
through the generations. In addition, childhood in Ancient Egypt is a valuable topic
for study, in and of itself. This presentation will highlight how a re-examination of old
finds can shed light on this difficult topic.
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