The Tomb of Meketre
(translates to The Sun is my protection) in western Thebe was a high official during the reign of Mentuhotep II, Mentuhotep III, Mentuhotep IV and Amenemhat I which spanned the 11th and 12th Dynasties. He served as Overseer of the Six Great Law Courts, Treasurer and Chief Steward. He died during the early years of Amenemhat’s reign and was one of the last high-officials to be buried at Thebes before the royal court moved to Lisht. All the accessible rooms in the tomb of Meketre had been robbed and plundered during Antiquity; but early in 1920 the Museum’s excavator, Herbert Winlock, wanted to obtain an accurate floor plan of the tomb’s layout for his map of the Eleventh Dynasty necropolis at Thebes and, therefore, had his workmen clean out the accumulated debris. It was during this cleaning operation that the small hidden chamber was discovered, filled with twenty-four almost perfectly preserved models. Eventually, half of these went to the Egyptian Museum, Cairo, and the other half came to the Metropolitan Museum in the partition of finds.
This boat is being paddled northward—downstream but against the
prevailing wind—by sixteen men whose varied size and arm positions
create an impression of movement along the line. The boat has two
rudders because the elaborate stern would not accommodate the single
rudder that was common to ordinary boats of the time. The rudders are
fixed to poles capped by falcon heads. A statue-like figure of Meketre
sits under a baldachin (canopy). The presence of a large libation vase
indicates that an offering ritual is being performed. Facing Meketreis
one of his sons or an upper servant with arms crossed reverentially over
his chest. The shape of the boat, the baldachin, and the vase testify
to the funerary nature of the voyage. Quite possibly, we are seeing
Meketre on a pilgrimage to Abydos, the sacred site of Osiris, the god of
the underworld. Note that all figures on this boat have shaven heads.
Meketre is seated smelling a lotus blossom in the shade of a small
cabin, which on an actual boat would have been made of a light wooden
framework with linen or leather hangings. Here the hangings are shown
partly rolled up to let the breeze into the cabin. Wooden shields
covered with bulls’ hides are painted on each side of the cabin roof. A
singer, with his hand to his lips, and a blind harper entertain Meketre
on his voyage. Standing in front of him is a man, probably the ship’s
captain, with his arms crossed over his chest. He may be depicted
awaiting orders, but he may also be paying homage to the deceased
Meketre. As the twelve oarsmen propel the boat, a lookout in the bow
holds a weighted line used to determine the depth of the river. At the
stern, the helmsman controls the rudder. A tall white post amidship
supported a mast and sail (not found in the tomb), which would have been
taken down when the boat was rowed downstream—as it is here—against the
prevailing north wind. Going south (upstream), with the wind behind it,
the boat would have been sailed.
Many outings of Egyptian nobles culminated in a picnic. On the menu
for Meketre’s boat trip were roasted fowl,dried beef, bread, beer, and
some kind of soup. Meat and bread were carried on another tender, now in
Cairo. Here, the beer is prepared and the soup cooked. A blackened
trough may have contained burning coal forroasting the fowl. A man tends
a stove on which soup simmers. On either side, a woman grinds grain.
Brewers inside the cabin are shaping bread loaves, then working them
through sieves into large vats. One brewer stands in another vat, where
he tramples the dates that provide the sugar for the fermentation of the
beer. The oars of this boat are fixed to the sides; to avoid damaging
the oars while the boats were transported and deposited in the model
chamber, all oars of Meketre’s boats were secured in this manner.
This boat is being rowed in a northerly direction, downstream,
against the prevailing north wind. Its mast and spars rest in the
forklike support beam, ready to be rigged for the return journey. The
sail lies folded on the deck. A small cabin, positioned amidships,
leaves room for eighteen rowers; speed clearly is important on this
journey. Seated on a stool in the prow, Meketre holds a closed lotus
flower to his nose. Before him stands a man (possibly the boat captain),
with arms crossed referentially over his chest. Inside the cabin, a
servant guards Meketre’s trunk. Is the Chief Steward on an inspection
tour for the pharaoh, and does the trunk contain the accounts? Even if
this represents a real-life event, the model still refers to the
afterlife because the lotus flower, which opens every morning when the
sun comes up, is a symbol of rebirth.
These models are highly valued because of the exquisite carving and
painting and because they are remarkably well preserved. The colours,
the linen garments on some of the figures, and most of the twine rigging
on the boats are original. They tell us in great detail about the
raising and slaughtering of livestock, storage of grain, making of bread
and beer, and design of boats in Middle Kingdom Egypt. On another level
of meaning, they tell us about the Egyptian belief that images could
magically provide safe passage to the afterlife and eternal sustenance
once there. Because of limited space, only the models above were on
display when I visited. I found another collection on Wikipedia that
shows dioramas of A garden, making bread and beer and a livestock
market.
This model of a granary was discovered in a hidden chamber at the
side of the passage leading into the rock cut tomb of the royal chief
steward Meketre, who began his career under King Nebhepetre Mentuhotep
II of Dynasty 11 and continued to serve successive kings into the early
years of Dynasty 12.The four corners of this model granary are peaked in
a manner that is sometimes still found in southern Egypt today
presumably to offer additional protection against thieves and rodents.
The interior is divided into two main sections: the granary proper,
where grain was stored, and an accounting area. Keeping track of grain
supplies was crucial in an agricultural society, and it is noteworthy
that the six men carrying sacks of grain here are outnumbered by nine
men taking care of measuring and accounting. Of the four scribes two are
using papyrus scrolls, two write on wooden writing boards.
The figures in Meketre’s models, especially those from the combined
bakery and brewery, are small works of art in their own right. Although
several figures in a given model may be performing the same task, each
is a distinct individual, and each has a slightly different pose.The
most striking aspect of Meketre’s brewers is their arms, which were
specially crafted for each figure according to the task he performs.
These figures and those in Meketre’s other models convey a feeling of
motion that was seldom achieved, or desired, in more formal Egyptian
statuary. Note particularly the pose of the man decanting beer at the
right.
This masterpiece of Egyptian wood carving was discovered in a hidden
chamber at the side of the passage leading into the rock cut tomb of the
royal chief steward Meketre. Together with a second, very similar
female figure (now in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo) this statue flanked
the group of twenty two models of gardens, workshops, boats, and a
funeral procession that were crammed into the chamber’s narrow space.
Striding forward with her left leg, the woman carries on her head a
basket filled with cuts of meat. In her right hand she holds a live duck
by its wings. The figure’s iconography is well known from reliefs of
the Old Kingdom in which rows of offering bearers were depicted. Place
names were often written beside these figures identifying them as
personifications of estates that would provide sustenance for the spirit
of the tomb owner in perpetuity. The woman is richly adorned with
jewelry and wears a dress decorated with a pattern of feathers, the kind
of garment often associated with goddesses. Thus, this figure and its
companion in Cairo may also be associated with the funerary goddesses
Isis and Nephthys who are often depicted at the foot and head of
coffins, protecting the deceased.
While there are no glittering jewels or gold, these exquisite figures are more valuable than a whole bucket of gold. I love the little details of life four thousand years ago. In fact, Meketre may well have achieved the immortality through these little dioramas. Obviously any visit to New York deserves a visit to the Metropolitan Museum.
(translates to The Sun is my protection) in western Thebe was a high official during the reign of Mentuhotep II, Mentuhotep III, Mentuhotep IV and Amenemhat I which spanned the 11th and 12th Dynasties. He served as Overseer of the Six Great Law Courts, Treasurer and Chief Steward. He died during the early years of Amenemhat’s reign and was one of the last high-officials to be buried at Thebes before the royal court moved to Lisht. All the accessible rooms in the tomb of Meketre had been robbed and plundered during Antiquity; but early in 1920 the Museum’s excavator, Herbert Winlock, wanted to obtain an accurate floor plan of the tomb’s layout for his map of the Eleventh Dynasty necropolis at Thebes and, therefore, had his workmen clean out the accumulated debris. It was during this cleaning operation that the small hidden chamber was discovered, filled with twenty-four almost perfectly preserved models. Eventually, half of these went to the Egyptian Museum, Cairo, and the other half came to the Metropolitan Museum in the partition of finds.
Funeral Boat Paddling, Dynasty 12 Early Reign of Amenemhat I, 1981-1975 BC. Metropolitan Museum, NYC
Funeral Boat Paddling, Dynasty 12 Early Reign of Amenemhat I, 1981-1975 BC. Metropolitan Museum, NYC
Traveling Boat Rowing, Dynasty 12 Early Reign of Amenemhat I, 1981-1975 BC. Metropolitan Museum, NYC
Kitchen Tender Rowing, Dynasty 12 Early Reign of Amenemhat I, 1981-1975 BC. Metropolitan Museum, NYC
Traveling Boat Rowing, Dynasty 12 Early Reign of Amenemhat I, 1981-1975 BC. Metropolitan Museum, NYC
Offering
Bearers, Middle Kingdom, Dynasty 12, early reign of Amenemhat I, ca.
1981–1975 B.C. Tomb of Meketre. Metropolitan Museum, NYC
Offering
Bearers, Middle Kingdom, Dynasty 12, early reign of Amenemhat I, ca.
1981–1975 B.C. Tomb of Meketre. Metropolitan Museum, NYC
A
funerary model of a garden, dating the 11th dynasty, circa 2009-1998
B.C. Painted and gessoed wood, originally from Thebes. Tomb of Meketre.
Metropolitan Museum, NYC. Photo Keith Schengili-Roberts
A
funerary model of a granary, dating the 11th dynasty, circa 2009-1998
B.C. Painted and gessoed wood, originally from Thebes. Tomb of Meketre.
Metropolitan Museum, NYC.
A
funerary model of a granary, dating the 11th dynasty, circa 2009-1998
B.C. Painted and gessoed wood, originally from Thebes. Tomb of Meketre.
Metropolitan Museum, NYC. Photo Keith Schengili-Roberts
A
funerary model of a bakery and brewery, dating the 11th dynasty, circa
2009-1998 B.C. Painted and gessoed wood, originally from Thebes. Tomb of
Meketre. Metropolitan Museum, NYC. Photo Keith Schengili-Roberts
A
funerary model of a bakery and brewery, dating the 11th dynasty, circa
2009-1998 B.C. Painted and gessoed wood, originally from Thebes. Tomb of
Meketre. Metropolitan Museum, NYC.
Figures
from a funerary model of a bakery and brewery, dating the 11th dynasty,
circa 2009-1998 B.C. Painted and gessoed wood, originally from Thebes.
Tomb of Meketre. Metropolitan Museum, NYC.
Funerary
model of a bakery, dating the 11th dynasty, circa 2009-1998 B.C.
Painted and gessoed wood, originally from Thebes. Tomb of Meketre. Cairo
Museum, Egypt
Le chancelier Méketrê surveille le comptage de son bétail Musée égyptien du Caire, Le Caire, Égypte. Photo Gérard Ducher
Le chancelier Méketrê surveille le comptage de son bétail Musée égyptien du Caire, Le Caire, Égypte. Photo Gérard Ducher
A
funerary model of a cattle stable, dating the 11th dynasty, circa
2009-1998 B.C. Painted and gessoed wood, originally from Thebes. Photo
Keith Schengili-Roberts
A
funerary model of a slaughter house, dating the 11th dynasty, circa
2009-1998 B.C. Painted and gessoed wood, originally from Thebes. Tomb of
Meketre. Metropolitan Museum, NYC. Photo Keith Schengili-Roberts
A
funerary model of a cloth weaving shop, dating the 11th dynasty, circa
2009-1998 B.C. Painted and gessoed wood, originally from Thebes. Cairo
Museum, Egypt
Statue
of an Offering Bearer, Middle Kingdom, Dynasty 12, early reign of
Amenemhat I, ca. 1981–1975 BCE. Tomb of Meketre. Metropolitan Museum,
NYC
While there are no glittering jewels or gold, these exquisite figures are more valuable than a whole bucket of gold. I love the little details of life four thousand years ago. In fact, Meketre may well have achieved the immortality through these little dioramas. Obviously any visit to New York deserves a visit to the Metropolitan Museum.
ليست هناك تعليقات:
إرسال تعليق