Low Price Guarantee
We Take School POs
'Scenes de Gynecees' Figured Ostraca from New Kingdom Egypt: Iconography and Intent
Contributor(s): Backhouse, Joanne (Author)

View larger image

ISBN: 1789693454     ISBN-13: 9781789693454
Publisher: Archaeopress Publishing
OUR PRICE: $40.95  

Binding Type: Paperback
Published: February 2020
Qty:
Temporarily out of stock - Will ship within 2 to 5 weeks
Additional Information
BISAC Categories:
- History | Ancient - Egypt
- Social Science | Archaeology
Physical Information: 0.3" H x 8.1" W x 11.2" L (0.90 lbs) 136 pages
 
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc.
Publisher Description:
'Scenes de Gynecees' Figured Ostraca from New Kingdom Egypt: Iconography and intent examines images of women and children drawn on ostraca from Deir el-Medina, referred to in previous scholarship as 'Scenes de Gynecees'. The images depict women with children either sitting on beds in a domestic setting or in outdoor kiosks. The former are likely to show celebrations carried out in the home to mark the birth of a child. This may have included the bringing of gifts, mainly consumables and small household items. It is possible this was recorded in hieratic texts, also on ostraca, described in earlier research as gift-giving lists. The kiosk scenes may have depicted the place women gave birth in or more likely the place of confinement after birth. However, given the dense nature of settlement at Deir el-Medina it is possible these scenes were symbolic evoking the protection of Isis who nurtured Horus in the papyrus thicket of the Delta. In order to understand the purpose and intent of these images, repeat motifs are considered and their similarities to wall paintings within the village are examined. The objects are important as they represent rare examples of regional art, found only at Deir el-Medina. Also, women are the main protagonists in the scenes, which is unusual in Egyptian art as women are generally depicted alongside the male patron of the work, as his wife, daughter or sister. This publication represents the first systematic study of this material and it brings together ostraca from museums worldwide to form a corpus united contextually, thematically and stylistically.
 
Customer ReviewsSubmit your own review
 
To tell a friend about this book, you must Sign In First!