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Stela from the Tomb of a Noblewoman

Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

On View: Pre-Dynastic, Egyptian Galleries, 3rd Floor
Though rebirth in the tomb required gender transformation for women, in the next world women lived forever returned to their original state. In this very ancient and rare Early Dynastic Period stela, a noblewoman is seated at an offering table, able to eat and drink for all eternity. The demands of rebirth are long past and will not be faced again. For the Egyptians, people were reborn only once. There was no further reincarnation beyond the next world.
MEDIUM Limestone
  • Place Made: Egypt
  • DATES ca. 2675–2625 B.C.E.
    DYNASTY Dynasty 3
    PERIOD Early Old Kingdom
    DIMENSIONS 10 7/8 x 10 7/16 x 2 9/16 in. (27.7 x 26.5 x 6.5 cm)  (show scale)
    ACCESSION NUMBER 37.1348E
    CREDIT LINE Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
    CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION Offering stela of a woman. The stela is roughly square in shape. The woman is shown seated behind a table of offerings. The bulk of the stela is occupied with lists of offerings. Limestone. Condition: Right hand upper corner of relief is missing. Other chips and scratches. Surface shows action of mold. Worn.
    MUSEUM LOCATION This item is on view in Pre-Dynastic, Egyptian Galleries, 3rd Floor
    CAPTION Stela from the Tomb of a Noblewoman, ca. 2675–2625 B.C.E. Limestone, 10 7/8 x 10 7/16 x 2 9/16 in. (27.7 x 26.5 x 6.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.1348E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.1348E_PS9.jpg)
    IMAGE overall, 37.1348E_PS9.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2015
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    RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY
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