Tenth International Congress of Egyptologists Abstracts of Papers

XICE – Abstract of Papers
political, and social instability of the late New Kingdom, and 2) on the other hand,
pervasive social demands that elites spend large amounts of their income on funerary
materials that were displayed in burial ceremonies.
Reflections on color terms, color use and surface texture in ancient Egyptian art
Lorelei H. Corcoran
The ancient Egyptians were masters with respect to their production of sparkling
substances that, to their minds, rivaled those that appear in nature. Evidence indicates
that the Egyptians valued any of their imitation, manmade materials that could gleam,
glitter or sparkle as the equivalents of gemstones. Indeed who might fault them since,
as J. R. Harris observed, the two properties for which semi-precious stones were most
highly prized (color and sparkle) are “more successfully controlled under artificial
circumstances than by nature!” This lexicographical and art historical study of color
and shine examines the Egyptian’s overriding fascination with surface brilliance and
suggests that there was an underlying cultic function for its application in works of
art. Furthermore, although the Egyptians did not discriminate between natural and
artificially produced substances in their jewelry or funerary goods, they did indicate in
texts that they were aware of the distinction. An investigation of the central element
in a pectoral of Tutankhamun leads to the attribution of —a hitherto unassigned—
geological term to its material counterpart.
Four “daughters of the king” from the 2nd dynasty. Epigraphic and
iconographic analysis of the stelae of Hepetkhenmet, Satba, Shepsetipet and
Sehefner
Irene Cordon Solà-Salagés
The purpose of this paper is to study four funerary stelae (two from Helwan and two
from Saqqara) of royal women from the Second Dynasty who share the title of zAtnsw,
daughter of the king. Translations for their inscriptions will be provided,
followed by an iconographic analysis of the representations of these women. We will
observe how these stelae differ from each other, both technically and
morphologically. Indeed, the quality of the stelae from Saqqara surpasses that of their
unrefined Helwan counterparts. These differences will be explained through an
artistic and lexicographic analysis that will relate the artistic quality, iconography and
written content of these stelae to the women they represent. While one would be
inclined to assume that the title "daughter of the king" was exclusively given to the
daughters of kings, there is evidence from as far back as the Old Kingdom that shows
that the daughters of the son of a king could also receive the title zAt-nsw. It has also
been demonstrated that there were women who, not being daughters of a king, carried
such designation as an honorary title. Therefore, the title "daughter of the king" was
bestowed upon the descendants of an Egyptian monarch as well as other women in his
private circle. Were there, in fact, different types of princesses? Would it make sense
to relate the quality and content of the Helwan and Saqqara stelae to a specific type of
daughter of the king?
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