The hunt in ancient Egypt: an examination and re-evaluation of the primary sources from the Early-Dynastic Period to the New Kingdom

It is a well-known fact that hunting was an integral part of the ancient Egyptian society. From the Early-dynastic period onwards, hunting appears as an important subject in iconographical as well as in textual sources. In Egyptology hunting is often represented as a symbolic act of fighting the forces of evil, manifesting itself in animals. This idea is often applied to many sources in every historical period of Egyptian history, without taking into consideration the occurring changes on how hunting is represented to us in Egypt’s long history. The question is then: how did the concept of hunting and its significance develop from the Early-Dynastic Period to the New Kingdom 20th dynasty, and what are the main problems encountered when studying the development, and significance of hunting in ancient Egypt? In order to answer this question we must analyse the primary sources themselves. Iconographic depictions of hunting appear on royal monuments as well on monuments dedicated to the...Show moreIt is a well-known fact that hunting was an integral part of the ancient Egyptian society. From the Early-dynastic period onwards, hunting appears as an important subject in iconographical as well as in textual sources. In Egyptology hunting is often represented as a symbolic act of fighting the forces of evil, manifesting itself in animals. This idea is often applied to many sources in every historical period of Egyptian history, without taking into consideration the occurring changes on how hunting is represented to us in Egypt’s long history. The question is then: how did the concept of hunting and its significance develop from the Early-Dynastic Period to the New Kingdom 20th dynasty, and what are the main problems encountered when studying the development, and significance of hunting in ancient Egypt? In order to answer this question we must analyse the primary sources themselves. Iconographic depictions of hunting appear on royal monuments as well on monuments dedicated to the elite such as tombs, but also on objects used in daily life. Besides there are also textual sources which tell us about hunt. This great variety in contexts means it is paramount to study these sources in their proper context. This proves that most sources have their own significance in their own context, and that we cannot apply one single interpretation to all sources concerned with hunting. The primary sources indicate that the iconographical representation, and ideological meaning of hunting changed throughout Egyptian history. It is these changes that will be discussed during in this thesis. Different kinds of hunting will be discussed such as fishing, fowling, the hippopotamus hunt, and desert hunt.Show less

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The hunt in ancient Egypt: an examination and re-evaluation of the primary sources from the Early-Dynastic Period to the New Kingdom