Dr. Colleen Darnell

Here I read hieroglyphs in the tomb of the mayor of Elkab, Paheri from the early 18th Dynasty (ca. 1450 BCE). From the time of the Old Kingdom on, Egyptian tombs often depict scenes of bucolic and riverine life along with scenes of desert hunting that are often described as “scenes of daily life.” In reality, many of these scenes continue themes of Nilotic and desert activities intended to mirror and link the two different biomes of the ancient Egyptian cosmos. The epitome of this annual agricultural cycle as expression of cosmic stability may well be the so-called scenes of the seasons in the solar chapels of the Old Kingdom. At the same time, especially in some New Kingdom images, such as those in the tomb of Paheri, colloquial speech and genuine humorous remarks appear. These may strike us as unusual in tomb decoration, but we must remember that these tomb chapels were open and visited by mortuary priests, but also family member, friends, and associates who would banquet, celebrate, and even play games during major festivals and feasts. Having humorous dialogues, like the one I read here, would contribute to the jovial nature of the activity and invite visitors to linger over the inscriptions and read the “voice offering” that benefit the soul of deceased.
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