 |
|
|
| |
 |
|
| |
 |
|
| |
 |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
Summary of This Activity |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
 |
|
Funerary Stela of Intef and Senettekh
Limestone
First Intermediate Period–Middle Kingdom, Dynasty
11, reigns of Intef II–III or very early in the
reign of Montuhotep II (circa 2065–2000 B.C.)
Possibly from Qurnah in western Thebes
13 7/8 x 11 5/8 in. (35.3
x 29.6 cm)
54.66, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
How were art and writing
related in ancient Egypt?
What did Egyptians want for the afterlife? |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Ancient Egyptians did not consider
death to be “the end,” but rather the beginning
of an afterlife that included aspects of life on earth. This
is a Middle Kingdom funerary stela (commemorative tablet) from
the tomb of a man named Intef. It includes written and visual
references to all the things Intef wanted to take with him to
the afterlife. The Egyptians believed that by putting these
words and images on stelae they would ensure the eternal fulfillment
of their desires. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
Find out what the inscription
says. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
The first five hieroglyphs,
which read from right to left, mean, “An offering that
the king and Osiris give.” They refer to all the things
Intef hopes to receive from the king and Osiris in the afterlife.
The rest of the hieroglyphs on the first line spell out various
epithets (titles) of Osiris, the god of the dead. They indicate
that Osiris will help to provide the provisions Intef requests.
The entire inscription reads:
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
An offering that the king gives, and
Osiris, Lord of Busiris, Foremost of the Westerners, Lord
of Abydos in his good and pure places: an invocation offering,
1,000 bread, beer, cattle, and fowl for the blessed Intef,
born of Senbet, and for his beloved wife Senettekh, by
his son whom he loves, and his heir who does what he [his
father] praises daily, Intef, born of Senettekh, that
he [the son] might make his [the father’s] name
live and might make his monuments in order that he [the
father] might follow his desire in his establishment for
his body. |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
Find out what each
image shows and why Intef would want it for eternity. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
The stela shows Intef and his
wife Senettekh (on the left) in front of an offering table piled
with supplies for the afterlife. The Egyptians believed that
death was an altered type of life and that they would still
need provisions such as food. There are strong relationships
between the hieroglyphs on the top of the stela and the images
on the bottom. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
 |
|
| |
Intef
The Egyptians believed that an image of a deceased man, such
as this one of Intef, would have been capable of magically receiving
offerings on his behalf. The hieroglyphs to the right of Intef’s
head spell out the sounds of his name. Intef’s image indicates
it is a man’s name. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
 |
|
| |
Senettekh
This is Senettekh, Intef’s wife. He would have wanted
her companionship in the afterlife. The hieroglyphs above her
head spell out the sounds of her name. Her image below indicates
that “Senettekh” is a woman’s name. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
 |
|
| |
Imy
The hieroglyphs identify this figure as Intef’s steward,
Imy. Ancient Egyptians commonly included representations of
servants in funerary works to ensure their presence in the afterlife. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
 |
|
| |
Dog
An image of Intef and Senettekh’s dog was probably included
to provide companionship or protection in the afterlife. Its
anatomy and its placement beneath Senettekh’s seat indicate
that it is female. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
 |
|
| |
Offering Table
This image represents Intef and Senettekh’s offering table.
Offering tables were essential pieces of equipment that were
generally made of a round stone disk mounted on a single short
leg. They also had spouts extending from one side for liquid
offerings. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
 |
|
| |
Meat
This is meat for Intef and Senettekh to eat in the afterlife.
The head with horns represents a gazelle, and below that the
butchered parts of a cow are depicted. Meat was a highly desirable
provision for Egyptians to enjoy in the afterlife. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
 |
|
| |
Fowl
The upside down bird with its head to the right represents a
goose for Intef and Senettekh to eat in the afterlife. The offering
inscription above includes the hieroglyph for “fowl”
that looks like a bird’s head, symbolizing the many different
kinds of birds Egyptians ate. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
 |
|
| |
Vegetables
These images represent vegetables—lettuce and sweet onions—for
Intef and Senettekh to eat in the afterlife. Egyptians ate a
lot of vegetables, as the rich soil along the Nile was ideally
suited to their cultivation. Lettuce seemed to have been the
most popular, possibly because it was considered to be an aphrodisiac. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
 |
|
| |
Bread
These shapes represent different kinds of bread that Intef and
Senettekh would have wanted to eat in the afterlife. A hieroglyph
above shows that bread—a staple of the Egyptian diet—was
also included in the offering inscription. Egyptians ate a lot
of bread even though particles from the grinding stones sometimes
stayed in the flour and damaged their teeth. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
 |
|
| |
Hes-vase
The hes-vase represents a vessel to be used in rituals
performed for Intef and Senettekh in the afterlife. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
 |
|
| |
Ointment Jars
Scented oils were desired to help maintain Intef’s appearance
in the afterlife. He is shown holding an ointment jar up to
his nose to sniff its contents. The fact that Intef is shown
breathing demonstrates that the Egyptians thought of death as
a continuation of life. |
|
