Books by Jennifer M I Y U K I Babcock
Rethinking Ancient Egypt: Studies in Honor of Ann Macy Roth, 2025
Throughout her career, Ann Macy Roth has regularly returned to well-known ancient Egyptian materi... more Throughout her career, Ann Macy Roth has regularly returned to well-known ancient Egyptian material and visual culture and shed new light on it by employing different approaches and methodologies. In this way, her research has led to new interpretations and readings of ancient Egyptian beliefs and practices while illustrating the importance of and need for continual questioning and re-examination within Egyptology. This volume brings together papers from around the world that follow her tradition of rethinking, reassessing, and innovating. It is intended to honour Roth’s significant career as a scholar, mentor, and teacher and to celebrate and continue her dedication to analyzing ancient Egypt from novel perspectives.
Brill, CHAN series, 2022
One group of ancient Egyptian drawings has captured the curiosity of scholars and laypeople alike... more One group of ancient Egyptian drawings has captured the curiosity of scholars and laypeople alike: images of animals acting like people. They illustrate animal fables originally from a larger mythological narrative, making them an integral part of New Kingdom Thebes’s religious environment. This book examines the purpose of animal fables, drawing cross cultural and temporal comparisons to other storytelling and artistic traditions.
This publication is also the first thorough art historical treatment of the ostraca and papyri. The drawings’ iconography and aesthetic value are carefully examined, providing further nuance to our understanding of ancient Egyptian art.
Articles by Jennifer M I Y U K I Babcock
Ancient Egyptian Art Studies: Art in Motion, a Social Tool of Power and Resistance), 2024
Journal of Ancient Egyptian Connections, 2023
The article addresses the subtle differences between how anthropomorphism of animals is used to r... more The article addresses the subtle differences between how anthropomorphism of animals is used to represent humans and human behavior versus divine behavior. By examining the different types of anthropomorphism used at Deir el-Medina as a starting point, this study considers the multiple manifestations of Egyptian deities and how these manifestations may be dependent on the context in which they are represented in sacred spaces and objects.
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
The Society for the Study of Egyptian Antiquities Newsletter, 2017
International Journal of Comic Art, 2012
Conference Presentations by Jennifer M I Y U K I Babcock
ARCE Annual Meeting- Irvine, 2022
Seven tombs at Deir el-Medina and some Books
of the Dead depict a vignette from Spell 17,
in whic... more Seven tombs at Deir el-Medina and some Books
of the Dead depict a vignette from Spell 17,
in which the Great Cat defeats Apophis, the
serpent who threatens the sunrise by attacking
the solar barque traveling through the Duat.
Iconographically, these images are identical: a
spotted feline sits beside the ished tree, its tail
curled up around its hind leg, while one paw
wields the blade that dismembers the serpent.
However, the representation of the Great Cat
in Inerkhau’s tomb (TT359) is distinct from the
others. This paper examines how the artist
renders the Great Cat as a composite of a feline
and a cape hare, a nocturnal creature associated
with the Egyptian desert landscape. While other
composite beings in Egypt are illustrated with
clear divisions and separation of forms, in the
case of Inherkhau’s Great Cat, we see a much
subtler, gradual transformation from one animal
to the other.
This artistic treatment of composite forms
leads to questions about the degree to which
Inerkhau’s tomb showcases individualistic artistic
flair, or an overlooked visual conception of the
divine. Regardless, this unique representation
provides a nuanced, deeper understanding of the
significance of hares in ancient Egypt, and of the
scene described in Spell 17.
A group of New Kingdom ostraca and papyri believed to be from Deir el-Medina includes images of a... more A group of New Kingdom ostraca and papyri believed to be from Deir el-Medina includes images of anthropomorphized animals that have clear compositional and thematic parallels to images found in Theban tombs. However, there have been no attempts to compare the methods of anthropomorphism in the ostraca and papyri and in the tombs at Deir el-Medina
The most notable case of anthropomorphism in the Deir el-Medina tombs is the “Great Cat,” the manifestation of the Eye of Ra. The cat is depicted naturalistically, except that it is wielding a knife. Interestingly, one ostracon from Berlin (Inv. –Nr 21443) also shows a cat with the same subtle use of anthropomorphism, in contrast to the other ostraca and papyri, in which animals are walking upright and dressed.
The cat in the Berlin ostracon is identified as the goddess Tefnut, and is believed to be an illustration of the “Distant Goddess Myth,” in which the god Thoth convinces Tefnut to return to Egypt by telling her animal fables. The fact that this cat represents a goddess, and is more stylistically similar to the images of Eye-of-Ra cats found in the Deir el-Medina tombs, would explain why it does not show anthropomorphism in the same way as animals seen in ostraca and papyri, in which the animals are intended to represent common and elite Egyptians. This paper will outline different types of anthropomorphism used at Deir el-Medina, which may shed light on how the ancient Egyptians looked at and represented their deities.
This paper argues for a more nuanced discussion of imagery associated with the ancient Egyptian c... more This paper argues for a more nuanced discussion of imagery associated with the ancient Egyptian concepts of “chaos” and “order.” The distinction between chaos and order in imagery is implied in the subject matter depicted; domestic animals are theoretically more orderly than wild animals, for instance. Compositionally and stylistically, however, this division is less clear. This paper will compare specific aesthetic and formal decisions in ancient Egyptian tomb depictions of the desert landscape and its fauna to images of the cultivated land and domesticated animals. The comparison shows that organization and order is seen in both images of the cultivated land and the wild. For instance, even when animals are not striding in a neat procession, or are breaking register lines, they follow an Egyptian canon of representation that values an organized aesthetic. Moreover, while depictions of desert animals evoke wild behaviors, making them seem more unpredictable than their domestic counterparts, certain bodily positions have been repeated to the point that they can be grouped categorically, as evidenced in Linda Evans’s 2010 publication Animal Behavior in Egyptian Art.
The need for visual organization and order is seen beyond formal funerary contexts and is evidenced in casual sketching, suggesting that there is a strong cultural aversion to stylistic chaos. This paper investigates what seems to be a cultural need for visual order, which will open discussion about how this need may be related to the magical efficacy of imagery in ancient Egypt.
The New Kingdom ostraca and papyri depicting anthropomorphized animals are perhaps most notable f... more The New Kingdom ostraca and papyri depicting anthropomorphized animals are perhaps most notable for their depictions of cats and mice in a so-called “topsy-turvy” world. These images depict cats who are almost always nude, serving mice, who are frequently shown wearing elite clothing. The ubiquitous nudity of the cats in the ostraca and papyri may have allowed the viewer to understand them as belonging to a lower social status when compared to the mice. These visual role reversals have led some to believe that the images of anthropomorphized cats and mice were intended to be satirical, as a way of mocking the high elite class. However, one ostracon (Louvre E32954) deviates from these “topsy- turvy” images and complicates the assumption that they were intended to be derisive; it shows clothed, elite cats serving one another.
Focusing on a possible interpretation of the Louvre ostracon, this paper will discuss the imagery of the anthropomorphized world of cats and mice and how they may relate to ancient Egyptian literature, including The Prophecies of Neferti and the Admonitions of an Egyptian Sage, which both portray social turmoil but also concludes with a world brought back to order. These stories of social upheaval returned to natural order may allow us to better understand the depictions of anthropomorphized cats and mice, while also supporting the argument that these images were not necessarily expressions of resentment toward the high elite or royalty.
It is commonly known that smells are connected to memory, strong emotions, and emotional reaction... more It is commonly known that smells are connected to memory, strong emotions, and emotional reactions. Ancient Egyptian texts indicate the importance of scents. The use of incense in sacred spaces and during rituals also attests to the importance Egyptians placed on scents.
The iconography of ancient Egyptian tomb painting and reliefs is often discussed as a way of further understanding how these paintings and reliefs functioned in the context of the tomb. Fishing and fowling, for instance, is generally interpreted as being apotropaic in nature, as it demonstrates the tomb owner's control over chaotic forces of nature. Another way of understanding the efficacy of the tomb' decorative program i to consider how its visual elements may activate senses other than sight. How could the depiction and implication of smells make the space effective for the tomb owner?
Perfumed fat cones are commonly depicted in New Kingdom tombs. While they are logical in the onctext of banqueting scenes, their presence in fishing and fowling and agricultural scenes is more baffling, at least when considered from a purely visual perspective. This paper will discuss how images like these evoke the sense of smell in New Kingdom tombs, and how both smells and sights benefited the tomb owner by making the space more magically effective.
The complexity and inherent multiplicity of representation in ancient Egyptian visual and literar... more The complexity and inherent multiplicity of representation in ancient Egyptian visual and literary narrative construction is counter-intuitive to western and modern understandings of narrative, which is typically linear and structurally uncomplicated. Scholars have tried to understand ancient Egyptian narrative within a western and modern framework, which has prevented them from fully understanding the ancient Egyptian worldview in which contradictions and multiplicity of meanings coexist.
In ancient Egyptian mythological texts, literary motifs can be arranged and rearranged to create multiple, and at times, contradictory stories, which were all accepted and incorporated in the overall mythology. This open ended way of constructing textual narrative is also seen in ancient
Egyptian visual narratives, in which various motifs within a tomb or a temple have the potential to be arranged and rearranged to construct new orders and interpretations. For instance, in ancient Egyptian tombs, common vignettes, such as “fishing and fowling” and cattle butchering can be arranged according to the taste of the individual tomb owner, while still maintaining a larger overarching narrative that traces the tomb owner’s journey from the afterlife to rebirth. In some cases, a single motif, such as in temple images that depict a triumphant king in the midst of battle, can express multiple layers of narrative.
Thus, this paper elaborates on the ancient Egyptian understanding that the world can be explained in multiple, even if at times, contradictory ways, while also showing how this complex worldview is manifested in ancient Egyptian narrative construction.
Invited Talks by Jennifer M I Y U K I Babcock
ARCE- PA Chapter, 2022
The figured ostraca from Deir el-Medina demonstrate a greater range of artistic skill compared to... more The figured ostraca from Deir el-Medina demonstrate a greater range of artistic skill compared to those found at the Valley of the Kings. Presumably, this disparity is because the ostraca known to be from the Valley of the Kings were likely only produced by artists who were focused on decorating and designing the royal tombs whereas the ostraca in the village could also be made by untrained "amateurs".
The provenance of figured ostraca is often uncertain or vague, however, and it is unclear if a drawing was made in the village, the Valley of the Kings, or elsewhere. This ambiguity leads to a number of questions: Does a high-quality drawing automatically indicate that it was originally from the vicinity of the royal tombs or by a formally trained artist? Furthermore, how do we determine what was considered to be high-quality drawing when the Egyptians left little information about what constituted artistic merit?
The economic value of images and objects has been used to objectively measure worth, but this talk will focus on the aesthetic principles that were likely held in high regard by New Kingdom Egyptians. The figured ostraca believed or known to be from the Theban region will be a starting point for this discussion.
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Books by Jennifer M I Y U K I Babcock
This publication is also the first thorough art historical treatment of the ostraca and papyri. The drawings’ iconography and aesthetic value are carefully examined, providing further nuance to our understanding of ancient Egyptian art.
Articles by Jennifer M I Y U K I Babcock
Conference Presentations by Jennifer M I Y U K I Babcock
of the Dead depict a vignette from Spell 17,
in which the Great Cat defeats Apophis, the
serpent who threatens the sunrise by attacking
the solar barque traveling through the Duat.
Iconographically, these images are identical: a
spotted feline sits beside the ished tree, its tail
curled up around its hind leg, while one paw
wields the blade that dismembers the serpent.
However, the representation of the Great Cat
in Inerkhau’s tomb (TT359) is distinct from the
others. This paper examines how the artist
renders the Great Cat as a composite of a feline
and a cape hare, a nocturnal creature associated
with the Egyptian desert landscape. While other
composite beings in Egypt are illustrated with
clear divisions and separation of forms, in the
case of Inherkhau’s Great Cat, we see a much
subtler, gradual transformation from one animal
to the other.
This artistic treatment of composite forms
leads to questions about the degree to which
Inerkhau’s tomb showcases individualistic artistic
flair, or an overlooked visual conception of the
divine. Regardless, this unique representation
provides a nuanced, deeper understanding of the
significance of hares in ancient Egypt, and of the
scene described in Spell 17.
The most notable case of anthropomorphism in the Deir el-Medina tombs is the “Great Cat,” the manifestation of the Eye of Ra. The cat is depicted naturalistically, except that it is wielding a knife. Interestingly, one ostracon from Berlin (Inv. –Nr 21443) also shows a cat with the same subtle use of anthropomorphism, in contrast to the other ostraca and papyri, in which animals are walking upright and dressed.
The cat in the Berlin ostracon is identified as the goddess Tefnut, and is believed to be an illustration of the “Distant Goddess Myth,” in which the god Thoth convinces Tefnut to return to Egypt by telling her animal fables. The fact that this cat represents a goddess, and is more stylistically similar to the images of Eye-of-Ra cats found in the Deir el-Medina tombs, would explain why it does not show anthropomorphism in the same way as animals seen in ostraca and papyri, in which the animals are intended to represent common and elite Egyptians. This paper will outline different types of anthropomorphism used at Deir el-Medina, which may shed light on how the ancient Egyptians looked at and represented their deities.
The need for visual organization and order is seen beyond formal funerary contexts and is evidenced in casual sketching, suggesting that there is a strong cultural aversion to stylistic chaos. This paper investigates what seems to be a cultural need for visual order, which will open discussion about how this need may be related to the magical efficacy of imagery in ancient Egypt.
Focusing on a possible interpretation of the Louvre ostracon, this paper will discuss the imagery of the anthropomorphized world of cats and mice and how they may relate to ancient Egyptian literature, including The Prophecies of Neferti and the Admonitions of an Egyptian Sage, which both portray social turmoil but also concludes with a world brought back to order. These stories of social upheaval returned to natural order may allow us to better understand the depictions of anthropomorphized cats and mice, while also supporting the argument that these images were not necessarily expressions of resentment toward the high elite or royalty.
The iconography of ancient Egyptian tomb painting and reliefs is often discussed as a way of further understanding how these paintings and reliefs functioned in the context of the tomb. Fishing and fowling, for instance, is generally interpreted as being apotropaic in nature, as it demonstrates the tomb owner's control over chaotic forces of nature. Another way of understanding the efficacy of the tomb' decorative program i to consider how its visual elements may activate senses other than sight. How could the depiction and implication of smells make the space effective for the tomb owner?
Perfumed fat cones are commonly depicted in New Kingdom tombs. While they are logical in the onctext of banqueting scenes, their presence in fishing and fowling and agricultural scenes is more baffling, at least when considered from a purely visual perspective. This paper will discuss how images like these evoke the sense of smell in New Kingdom tombs, and how both smells and sights benefited the tomb owner by making the space more magically effective.
In ancient Egyptian mythological texts, literary motifs can be arranged and rearranged to create multiple, and at times, contradictory stories, which were all accepted and incorporated in the overall mythology. This open ended way of constructing textual narrative is also seen in ancient
Egyptian visual narratives, in which various motifs within a tomb or a temple have the potential to be arranged and rearranged to construct new orders and interpretations. For instance, in ancient Egyptian tombs, common vignettes, such as “fishing and fowling” and cattle butchering can be arranged according to the taste of the individual tomb owner, while still maintaining a larger overarching narrative that traces the tomb owner’s journey from the afterlife to rebirth. In some cases, a single motif, such as in temple images that depict a triumphant king in the midst of battle, can express multiple layers of narrative.
Thus, this paper elaborates on the ancient Egyptian understanding that the world can be explained in multiple, even if at times, contradictory ways, while also showing how this complex worldview is manifested in ancient Egyptian narrative construction.
Invited Talks by Jennifer M I Y U K I Babcock
The provenance of figured ostraca is often uncertain or vague, however, and it is unclear if a drawing was made in the village, the Valley of the Kings, or elsewhere. This ambiguity leads to a number of questions: Does a high-quality drawing automatically indicate that it was originally from the vicinity of the royal tombs or by a formally trained artist? Furthermore, how do we determine what was considered to be high-quality drawing when the Egyptians left little information about what constituted artistic merit?
The economic value of images and objects has been used to objectively measure worth, but this talk will focus on the aesthetic principles that were likely held in high regard by New Kingdom Egyptians. The figured ostraca believed or known to be from the Theban region will be a starting point for this discussion.
This publication is also the first thorough art historical treatment of the ostraca and papyri. The drawings’ iconography and aesthetic value are carefully examined, providing further nuance to our understanding of ancient Egyptian art.
of the Dead depict a vignette from Spell 17,
in which the Great Cat defeats Apophis, the
serpent who threatens the sunrise by attacking
the solar barque traveling through the Duat.
Iconographically, these images are identical: a
spotted feline sits beside the ished tree, its tail
curled up around its hind leg, while one paw
wields the blade that dismembers the serpent.
However, the representation of the Great Cat
in Inerkhau’s tomb (TT359) is distinct from the
others. This paper examines how the artist
renders the Great Cat as a composite of a feline
and a cape hare, a nocturnal creature associated
with the Egyptian desert landscape. While other
composite beings in Egypt are illustrated with
clear divisions and separation of forms, in the
case of Inherkhau’s Great Cat, we see a much
subtler, gradual transformation from one animal
to the other.
This artistic treatment of composite forms
leads to questions about the degree to which
Inerkhau’s tomb showcases individualistic artistic
flair, or an overlooked visual conception of the
divine. Regardless, this unique representation
provides a nuanced, deeper understanding of the
significance of hares in ancient Egypt, and of the
scene described in Spell 17.
The most notable case of anthropomorphism in the Deir el-Medina tombs is the “Great Cat,” the manifestation of the Eye of Ra. The cat is depicted naturalistically, except that it is wielding a knife. Interestingly, one ostracon from Berlin (Inv. –Nr 21443) also shows a cat with the same subtle use of anthropomorphism, in contrast to the other ostraca and papyri, in which animals are walking upright and dressed.
The cat in the Berlin ostracon is identified as the goddess Tefnut, and is believed to be an illustration of the “Distant Goddess Myth,” in which the god Thoth convinces Tefnut to return to Egypt by telling her animal fables. The fact that this cat represents a goddess, and is more stylistically similar to the images of Eye-of-Ra cats found in the Deir el-Medina tombs, would explain why it does not show anthropomorphism in the same way as animals seen in ostraca and papyri, in which the animals are intended to represent common and elite Egyptians. This paper will outline different types of anthropomorphism used at Deir el-Medina, which may shed light on how the ancient Egyptians looked at and represented their deities.
The need for visual organization and order is seen beyond formal funerary contexts and is evidenced in casual sketching, suggesting that there is a strong cultural aversion to stylistic chaos. This paper investigates what seems to be a cultural need for visual order, which will open discussion about how this need may be related to the magical efficacy of imagery in ancient Egypt.
Focusing on a possible interpretation of the Louvre ostracon, this paper will discuss the imagery of the anthropomorphized world of cats and mice and how they may relate to ancient Egyptian literature, including The Prophecies of Neferti and the Admonitions of an Egyptian Sage, which both portray social turmoil but also concludes with a world brought back to order. These stories of social upheaval returned to natural order may allow us to better understand the depictions of anthropomorphized cats and mice, while also supporting the argument that these images were not necessarily expressions of resentment toward the high elite or royalty.
The iconography of ancient Egyptian tomb painting and reliefs is often discussed as a way of further understanding how these paintings and reliefs functioned in the context of the tomb. Fishing and fowling, for instance, is generally interpreted as being apotropaic in nature, as it demonstrates the tomb owner's control over chaotic forces of nature. Another way of understanding the efficacy of the tomb' decorative program i to consider how its visual elements may activate senses other than sight. How could the depiction and implication of smells make the space effective for the tomb owner?
Perfumed fat cones are commonly depicted in New Kingdom tombs. While they are logical in the onctext of banqueting scenes, their presence in fishing and fowling and agricultural scenes is more baffling, at least when considered from a purely visual perspective. This paper will discuss how images like these evoke the sense of smell in New Kingdom tombs, and how both smells and sights benefited the tomb owner by making the space more magically effective.
In ancient Egyptian mythological texts, literary motifs can be arranged and rearranged to create multiple, and at times, contradictory stories, which were all accepted and incorporated in the overall mythology. This open ended way of constructing textual narrative is also seen in ancient
Egyptian visual narratives, in which various motifs within a tomb or a temple have the potential to be arranged and rearranged to construct new orders and interpretations. For instance, in ancient Egyptian tombs, common vignettes, such as “fishing and fowling” and cattle butchering can be arranged according to the taste of the individual tomb owner, while still maintaining a larger overarching narrative that traces the tomb owner’s journey from the afterlife to rebirth. In some cases, a single motif, such as in temple images that depict a triumphant king in the midst of battle, can express multiple layers of narrative.
Thus, this paper elaborates on the ancient Egyptian understanding that the world can be explained in multiple, even if at times, contradictory ways, while also showing how this complex worldview is manifested in ancient Egyptian narrative construction.
The provenance of figured ostraca is often uncertain or vague, however, and it is unclear if a drawing was made in the village, the Valley of the Kings, or elsewhere. This ambiguity leads to a number of questions: Does a high-quality drawing automatically indicate that it was originally from the vicinity of the royal tombs or by a formally trained artist? Furthermore, how do we determine what was considered to be high-quality drawing when the Egyptians left little information about what constituted artistic merit?
The economic value of images and objects has been used to objectively measure worth, but this talk will focus on the aesthetic principles that were likely held in high regard by New Kingdom Egyptians. The figured ostraca believed or known to be from the Theban region will be a starting point for this discussion.
This talk will discuss the scholarly bias toward human representation, and investigate why Egyptologists have taken for granted that animals demonstrate higher levels of artistic freedom when in fact there are numerous examples of seemingly spontaneous human movement and behaviors in Egyptian art as well.