In
The Iconography of Family Members in Egypt’s Elite Tombs of the Old Kingdom,, Jing Wen offers a comprehensive survey of how ancient Egyptians portrayed their family members in the reliefs of an elite tomb. Through the analysis of the depiction of family members, this book investigates familial relations, the funerary cult of the dead, ancestor worship, and relevant texts. It provides a new hypothesis and perspective that would update our understanding of the Egyptian funerary practice and familial ideology. The scenes of family members are not a record of family history but language games of the tomb owner that convey specific meaning to those who enter the chapel despite time and space.
Jing Wen, Ph.D. (2018), University of Pennsylvania, works at the Institute of World History, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. She has published articles and books on Egyptology, including
The Dawn of the Egyptian Civilization (Peking University Press, 2022).
List of Tables, Figures and Charts Abbreviations
Introduction
1
Children of the Tomb Owner 1 The Designations of Children
2 The Titles of Children
3 Stances, Clothing, and Accessories of Children
4 Children as Offering Bearers
5 Rituals Performed by Children
2
Siblings of the Tomb Owner 1 The Designations of Siblings
2 The Titles of Siblings
3 Stances, Clothing, and Accessories of Siblings
4 Siblings as Offering Bearers
5 Siblings in Ritual Scenes
3
Parents and Other Relatives 1 The Designations and Titles of Parents of the Tomb Owner
2 Designations and Titles of Other Relatives
3 Stance of Parents
4 Stance of Other Relatives of the Tomb Owner
5 Conclusion: the Depiction of Family Members
4
Family Groups and the sn-ḏt Problem 1 Family Groups
2 The
sn-ḏt and Its Meaning
3 Conclusion
5
The Role of Family Members in the Funerary Cult 1 Family Members Carrying Offerings
2 Family Members Carrying
stpt-Offerings
3 Textual Evidence for Making Offerings
4 The Role of Family Members as Offering Bearers and Language-Games in Different Contexts
5 Conclusion
Conclusion
Appendix 1 References of Tombs Appendix 2 Designations and Titles of Family Members Appendix 3 Stance of Family Members Appendix 4 Family Groups Appendix 5 Occurrences of Stances Appendix 6 Tombs Containing Specific Stances Bibliography General Index Index of Egyptian Words
All interested in Egyptology especially the Old Kingdom, and anyone concerned with the social history of ancient Egypt.