We are talking about a three-dimensional sculpture carved from limestone. It depicts a statue of a pharaoh sitting on
The problem with this statue is that in Ancient EgyptPharaohs were not depicted alongside non-royal people in three-dimensional form, explains Margaret Maitland, chief curator of the ancient Mediterranean at the National Museums Scotland, in an article published in the book Deir el-Medina: Through the Kaleidoscope. Maitland also wrote a blog post about the sculpture in 2022, noting that the presence of a non-royal with the pharaoh made it look like an "impossible" sculpture.
Maitland conducted archival research tounderstand where sculpture came from in Egypt. She discovered that the artifact was found during excavations in the territory of Deir el-Medina, not far from the Valley of the Kings. A group of archaeologists was led by Alexander Henry Rhind, research was carried out in the 1850s. The researcher noted that the ancient people who lived in Deir el-Medina were responsible for the construction of tombs for the pharaohs.
Maitland analyzed other sculptures,found in Deir el-Medina, as well as ancient historical records and other archaeological finds from the region. It turned out that some high-ranking officials in Deir el-Medina were allowed to portray the pharaoh in a way that people in other places in Egypt could not afford.
During the reign of Ramesses II (approximatelyFrom 1279 BC to 1213 BC the cult of statue worship dedicated to the king flourished in Deir el-Medina. The worship of the pharaoh and the construction of statues depicting him were encouraged by members of the royal family, the researcher writes.
According to her words, the pharaoh depictedon the sculpture is most likely Ramesses II. She added that the man kneeling behind the pharaoh is likely Ramoz, the senior scribe who was the leader of the community.
This thought was prompted by the fact that a persondepicted wearing a flower crown, a rare item worn by men in Ancient Egypt. However, there is a wooden statue from Deir el-Medina that shows Ramos wearing a wreath, her research has shown.
But this interpretation does not suit othersarchaeologists. Betsy Bryan, a professor of Near Eastern studies at Johns Hopkins University who is not involved in this study, agreed that the sculpture depicts a man along with a statue of a pharaoh. But according to Brian, while the pharaoh may have been Ramesses II, it is more likely to be a depiction of Amenhotep I (reigned from about 1525 BC to 1504 BC). Amenhotep was the “patron deity of Deir el-Medina,” the expert explains. In addition, this pharaoh could be deified, which happens only after death. This means that if the sculpture had been created during the reign of Ramesses II, the people of Deir el-Medina would have chosen to depict a dead pharaoh such as Amenhotep I.
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Cover: 'Impossible' ancient Egyptian artwork depicts a statue of an unknown pharaoh being held by a mysterious man
Image courtesy of the National Museums of Scotland