A PREDYNASTIC CHIEFTAIN? - The rock art context of the Mentuhotep II panel at Shatt el-Rigal
Ancient Egypt|July / August 2020
Maria Nilsson and John Ward return to Shatt el-Rigal, located to the north of Gebel el-Silsila, for a close-up of the famous colossal scene of Mentuhotep II, but with special focus on its extraordinary rock art context that has never before been published in its entirety. The lead role will be played by a chieftain – a possible predecessor to the early rulers of Upper Egypt.
Maria Nilsson and John Ward
A PREDYNASTIC CHIEFTAIN? - The rock art context of the Mentuhotep II panel at Shatt  el-Rigal

In 1888, Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie published some preliminary results of his research journey into Upper Egypt, including a summary of epigraphic documents recorded during a day’s visit to Wadi Shatt el-Rigal. The valley was already known for its many rock inscriptions, as seen by Harris, Eisenlohr, Mariette, Sayce, and of course Lepsius. Strangely, Petrie arrived, and began his description of the wadi from its central part (not its upper end as stated), walking eastwards, and reaching the main, renowned Mentuhotep II panel at the mouth of Shatt el-Rigal as the final destination. In his words, the panel is described as “the principal object in the valley, occupying the most prominent place, on a flat face of rock just at the mouth, is the large tablet of Mentuhotep and Antef [now known as Intef] (No. 489), which is raised some distance from the ground (illustrated centre-left in a plate from Petrie’s report). It is cut in fine low relief, with well-wrought details […]”. Further down the pages, he uses the panel as conclusive proof that “Antef succeeded Mentuhotep, and worshipped him, as did also the chancellor Khati [Khety] […]”.

In addition to the records of dynastic iconography and rock inscriptions, Petrie mentions a “vast number of figures of animals”, which “in most cases [are] wholly distinct, and of a different age. These figures have never received any attention hitherto, and their number deters one from copying or even cataloguing them”. Since then, the panel has been documented in more detail by Legrain, and subsequently by Caminos and his students. Nevertheless, a comprehensive record of the entire panel (see a modern facsimile, above) remains unpublished.

Denne historien er fra July / August 2020-utgaven av Ancient Egypt.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra July / August 2020-utgaven av Ancient Egypt.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA ANCIENT EGYPTSe alt
INSIDE THE STEP PYRAMID OF DJOSER
Ancient Egypt

INSIDE THE STEP PYRAMID OF DJOSER

Sean McLachlan explores the recently reopened interior of this iconic Third Dynasty Saqqara monument.

time-read
2 mins  |
July/ August 2021
PER MESUT: for younger readers
Ancient Egypt

PER MESUT: for younger readers

She Who Loves Silence

time-read
4 mins  |
July/ August 2021
Highlights of the Manchester Museum 29: An Offering by Queen Tiye for her Husband
Ancient Egypt

Highlights of the Manchester Museum 29: An Offering by Queen Tiye for her Husband

Campbell Price describes an offering table with a touching significance.

time-read
2 mins  |
July/ August 2021
Highlights Of The Manchester Museum 28: Busts Of Jesse And Marianne Haworth
Ancient Egypt

Highlights Of The Manchester Museum 28: Busts Of Jesse And Marianne Haworth

Campbell Price describes the significance of two statue busts on display in the Museum.

time-read
2 mins  |
May / June 2021
TAKABUTI, the Belfast Mummy
Ancient Egypt

TAKABUTI, the Belfast Mummy

Rosalie David and Eileen Murphy explain how scientific examination of the ‘Belfast Mummy’ is revealing much new information about her life and times.

time-read
9 mins  |
May / June 2021
Lost Golden City
Ancient Egypt

Lost Golden City

An Egyptian Mission searching for the mortuary temple of Tutankhamun has discovered a settlement – “The Dazzling of Aten” – described as the largest city ever found in Egypt (see above). Finds bearing the cartouches of Amenhotep III (see opposite, top) date the settlement to his reign, c. 1390-1352 BC – making it about 3400 years old.

time-read
2 mins  |
May / June 2021
Jerusalem's Survival, Sennacharib's Departure and the Kushite Role in 701 BCE: An Examination of Henry Aubin's Rescue of Jerusalem
Ancient Egypt

Jerusalem's Survival, Sennacharib's Departure and the Kushite Role in 701 BCE: An Examination of Henry Aubin's Rescue of Jerusalem

BOOK REVIEWS

time-read
2 mins  |
May / June 2021
Golden Mummies of Egypt: Interpreting Identities from the Graeco-Roman Period by Campbell Price
Ancient Egypt

Golden Mummies of Egypt: Interpreting Identities from the Graeco-Roman Period by Campbell Price

BOOK REVIEWS

time-read
2 mins  |
May / June 2021
Old And New Kingdom Discoveries At Saqqara
Ancient Egypt

Old And New Kingdom Discoveries At Saqqara

An Egyptian team working on a Sixth Dynasty pyramid complex near the Teti pyramid at Saqqara has made a series of important discoveries.

time-read
1 min  |
March / April 2021
Map Of Egypt
Ancient Egypt

Map Of Egypt

What’s in a name? It is easy for us to forget that the names we associate with the pyramids – such as the Meidum Pyramid, the Bent Pyramid or the Black Pyramid – would have been meaningless to their builders.

time-read
3 mins  |
March / April 2021