Mentuemhat

This article is devoted to a group of canopic vessels originating from the Theban tomb of Tjay (TT 23), which is located in the Sheikh Abd el-Gurna necropolis. The vessels represent a very unusual example of this functional type and have no exact parallel in ancient Egyptian funerary art. However, their exceptional character is only one illustration of the great variety of appearances that canopic vases assumed throughout their history. The single-line inscription found on one of the containers discussed here is evocative of the Middle Kingdom; by their material and shape, they hark back to New, Middle and even Old Kingdom specimens. However, the way they were used, or rather not used, as they were left empty, clearly places them in the Third Intermediate or Late Period. when the viscera were no longer kept separate from the body. The archaising character of this canopic set may reflect a cultural tendency that became manifest at the time of the 25 th-26 th Dynasties, in which ancient traditional aesthetic forms were revived in all spheres of material and visual culture .

An hitherto unpublished statue of Padiamenope (« Petamenophis »), the owner of TT 33 in the Asasif, can be reconstructed from three fragments (Cairo RT 27/1/21/1 + Sydney University Museums NMR 11 + frag. coll. Porret). This is a very large striding statue (around 1,90 m high according to our reconstruction), whose inscriptions and general appearance are similar to those of a statue of Montuemhet from the Karnak Cachette (Cairo CG 42236). When comparing both monuments, one is led to suggest that they were created at the same time and that the floruit of Padiamenope’s career is to be situated at the end of the XXVth dynasty or at the beginning of the XXVIth dynasty. The autobiographical text carved on the two statues, which is also found in the tomb of Montuemhet (TT 34) and Ibi (TT 36), shows the features of a probably original creation, which was soon considered as a classic at Thebes at the end of the XXVth or the beginning of the XXVIth dynasty.

The phenomenon of archaism was prevalent all throughout Egyptian history, reaching its pinnacle during the 26th dynasty of the Late Period. This thesis explores the archaising tendencies used in the art and architecture and aims to understand why such techniques were used. The focus is on that of Mentuemhat, Mayor of Thebes — a powerful official and priest of Amun during the 25th–26th dynasties.

BA Dissertation, Swansea University. Supervised by Dr K Zinn.