Fragment of a stela



Accession Number
EC62
Current Location
House of Life (first floor), Stone case
Object Type
Architecture, Architectural element, Stela
Period
First Intermediate Period
Material
Stone/minerals
Measurements
Width: 310mm | Height: 280mm | Depth: 60mm
Number of Elements
1

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Description

A First Intermediate Period stela fragment with a man in front holding a bow in his left hand and arrows in his right hand. He wears a broad collar. A woman stands behind him and reaches toward his head with her left hand. Both face right. '415' is written in blue pencil on the reverse, and a label with '393' is adhering to the reverse. The Egypt Centre has another 'soldier stela' on display (W1366). The predominance of soldier stelae may be a result of the civil war in this period. Nubian bowmen were frequently employed in Egypt as soldiers. Vandier suggests that only soldiers killed in action were allowed stelae, which may also explain why they appear hastily made.

Bibliography

Fischer, H.G. 1964 'Inscriptions from the Coptite Nome', Rome: Biblical Institute Press 50-102. Vandier, J. 1954, 'Manuel d'archéologie égyptienne' II, Paris: A. et J. Picard et Cie, 468-9.

Other Identity
393 (on paper label on reverse) | 415 (in blue pencil on reverse)
Previous Owner
Sir Henry Solomon Wellcome (1853–1936)
Acquisition
Long-term loan, The Wellcome Trust (15 Feb 1971)

Language
Egyptian
Script
Hieroglyphic
Last modified: 07 Feb 2021

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