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Summary of This Activity |
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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 |
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An ancient recarving
may have changed the identity of the figure on the right.
This stela was commissioned for Intef and Senettekh by their
son—also named Intef—to honor his parents in death.
When the stela was first studied in 1936, Egyptologists expected
the figure facing Intef and Senettekh to represent their son,
but the hieroglyphs clearly identify him as their “beloved
servant, Imy.”
But when the stela’s inscriptions were recently examined,
some interesting discoveries were made about the figure’s
identity. |
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The inscription refers
to the son, Intef.
Funerary reliefs commonly show children making offerings to
their parents. The inscription at the top of Intef and Senettekh’s
stela does indeed refer to their son—also named Intef—as
the individual who made the stela for his parents. |
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But the figure’s
name is Imy, not Intef.
Although Egyptologists expected the figure on the right to be
Intef and Senettekh’s son, Intef, the hieroglyphs beside
his head clearly indicate that his name is “Imy.” |
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Are there remnants
of another name?
Examination through a microscope revealed traces of the name
Intef. It is possible that the title “steward” was
carved over “Intef.” |
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What about the bird?
The hypothesis that this figure originally represented Intef’s
son was challenged by the presence of the jabiru bird in the
inscription. A jabiru bird in hieroglyphic inscriptions definitely
signifies “servant” and a pintail duck signifies
“son.” |
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Was the bird a recarving?
The signs for “His servant, the steward, Imy” are
crowded together and the last sign in “steward” is
oddly shaped. It’s possible that these details suggest
that the entire inscription next to Imy’s head was recarved,
forcing the artist to take advantage of the very limited space
remaining over the figure’s arm. |
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Why do the descriptions
of the son and servant match?
The words used to describe the son in the inscription at the
top were also used to describe the servant in the inscription
to the right of the figure’s head. |
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Does this support a
change of identity?
The matching inscriptions support the hypothesis that the figure
originally represented the son, Intef. It is common for descriptions
of an individual to be repeated in a stela, but not for one
description to apply to different figures. |
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Why would this relief
have been recarved?
We will never know for certain, but one hypothesis is that Intef
and Senettekh’s son died and the servant Imy, who was
the highest-ranking official in the family’s household,
took responsibility for the couple’s funerary offerings.
He may have inserted himself into the relief to illustrate this
new role. |
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How does the vase fit
into this?
It is also possible that, if the son Intef died, the servant
Imy may have inserted the unusual detail of the hes-vase
under the offering table to symbolize the deceased son’s
presence. The hes-vase is the hieroglyph for the verb
“to praise,” a term associated with the son in the
inscription above. |
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Why did the Egyptians
recarve reliefs and statues?
It was somewhat common for ancient Egyptian artists to recarve
inscriptions and, sometimes, even features of reliefs and full
statues. The name inscribed on a statue was a more important
identifier than a subject’s face. A king sometimes appropriated
earlier works for his own use, changing a figure’s pose
or altering the inscriptions. Changing the name changed the
figure’s identity and the object’s meaning, an indication
of the power of words and images in ancient Egyptian culture.
By directly identifying themselves on a work of art, Egyptians
believed they would benefit from its power. |
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