Foreigners in Ancient Egypt: Theban Tomb Paintings from the Early Eighteenth Dynasty (Bloomsbury Egyptology)

In ancient Egypt, one of the primary roles of the king was to maintain order and destroy chaos. Since the beginning of Egyptian history, images of foreigners were used as symbols of chaos and thus shown as captives being bound and trampled under the king's feet. The early 18th dynasty (1550-1372 BCE) was the height of international trade, diplomacy and Egyptian imperial expansion. During this time new images of foreigners bearing tribute became popular in the tombs of the necropolis at Thebes, the burial place of the Egyptian elite. This volume analyses the new presentation of foreigners in these tombs. Far from being chaotic, they are shown in an orderly fashion, carrying tribute that underscores the wealth and prestige of the tomb owner. This orderliness reflects the ability of the Egyptian state to impose order on foreign lands, but also crucially symbolises the tomb owner's ability to overcome the chaos of death and achieve a successful afterlife. Illustrated with colour plates and black-and-white images, this new volume is an important and original study of the significance of these images for the tomb owner and the functioning of the funerary cult. Cover page 1 Halftitle page 2 Series page 3 Title page 4 Copyright page 5 Dedication 6 Contents 8 Illustrations 9 Preface 14 Acknowledgements 16 Abbreviations 18 1 Introduction 20 2 Background 26 Previous research 26 Discussion of problematic terms 31 The tomb owners and their titles 32 3 The Cosmic Significance of the Tomb 34 4 Foreigner Types 38 Contrasting foreigner types 51 5 Palatial Decorations 56 The nine bows 56 People types occurring with the nine bows 58 Fully human captives 60 Associated motifs 63 Surviving palatial objects 65 The purpose of audience halls 67 Conclusions 68 6 Underlying Egyptian Concepts in Tribute Scenes 72 Exchange in the tribute scenes 72 Symbolism in fishing and fowling scenes 73 Visual organization of tribute scenes 75 Foreigners as agents of chaos 76 Dancing girls 77 The ‘international style’ in Egypt, the Aegean and the Levant 80 Hybridism 80 Captive and tribute-bearer motifs in the same tomb 82 7 Funerary Symbolism in Tribute Scenes 84 Nubia (tombs 39, 63, 78, 81, 84, 89, 91 and 100) 85 The Levant (tombs 39, 42, 63, 78, 81, 84, 85, 86, 89, 90, 91,100, 119, 131, 155, 239, 256 and 276)18 89 The Aegean (tombs 39, 71, 85, 86, 89, 100, 131 and 155) 37 94 The oases (tombs 39, 81, 86, 131 and 155) 99 Punt (tombs 39, 100 and 143) 100 Chapter conclusions 101 8 Between Symbolism and Historical Veracity 104 International diplomacy and trade 106 Campaigns of the early eighteenth dynasty kings 108 9 Conclusions 116 Appendix 1 120 Appendix 2 122 Notes 132 Bibliography 158 Index 176