EGYPTE
New Kingdom (or Third Intermediate Period), 20 – 22 Dynasty, 1200 – 800 BCE
Limestone
15.0 x 13.5 x 2.4 cm HWD

Representations of the king as the conqueror over foreign peoples are documented from the very beginning of Egyptian history. They usually comprise the inherent motif of the “Smiting of the enemy” showing the king killing one or more of his foes. We only know of detailed representations of military campaigns from the Ramesside Period[1], for example of Seti I, Ramesses II and Ramesses III. They usually adorn the outer walls of temples and show the all-powerful, always-victorious pharaoh in various battle situations. These hideous images were intended magically to keep all evil away from the inside of the temple. Pictures of the enemy are always in these images, shown either in battle or during the ensuing return of the prisoners to Egypt and their presentation before the divine king Amun. This head of a man with a voluminous wig, hair ribbon, and a full beard facing right depicts a Syrian prisoner. The rope around his neck is clearly recognisable. As the traces indicate, he holds up his arms in a pleading gesture before the king. He probably belonged to a group of dozens of prisoners begging the king for mercy. A further possible interpretation of the fragment is that it is the upper section of the personification of a city. The names of the conquered enemy cities were written in oval rings representing the city walls, which were personified with the head or bust of a corresponding inhabitant at the top. Egyptians knew three groups of enemies who were always represented stereotypically. These were the Nubians in the south, the Libyans in the west, and the Asians in the northeast.

André Wiese, 2011

[1] The Ramesside period refers to the period from about 1292 BCE to about 1070 BCE, in which eleven pharaohs from the 19th and 20th dynasties ruled under the personal name Ramses. At that time, Egypt experienced a cultural flourishing, which was reflected in architecture, art and literature. An important ruler of this era was Ramses II, who had numerous temples and statues built, and Seti I, who expanded the temple of Karnak.

Literatur

S.C. Heinz, Die Feldzugdarstellungen des Neuen Reiches. Eine Bildanalyse, Vienna 2001. S. Petschel – M. von Falck (eds.) Pharao siegt immer. Krieg und Frieden im Alten Ägypten, Bönen 2001, 43f. no. 33, 68ff.