Origin: Egypt
Circa: 2494 BC to 2345 BC
Dimensions: 18.875" (47.9cm) high x 41.375" (105.1cm) wide
Collection: Egyptian
Style: 5th Dynasty
Medium: Limestone
This magnificent relief panel is a fragment of the lower register of a much larger composition that once decorated the wall of a funerary temple at Saqqara of Abusir. On the left, a man uses both hands to grasp the leg of a gazelle and hold it upright while his comrade carves into the joint with a butchering knife. On the right, another man holds erect the leg of an ox while his comrade also cuts into it with his knife. The two butchers carry blade sharpeners in their knotted apron ends, alerting us to their expertise. The scenes are framed by hieroglyphic text carved in low relief. The vertical inscriptions refer to the grasping of the animal, and the horizontal, to the carving of the animal. Considering that this work decorated the wall of a tomb, the scene likely refers to the ceremonial sacrifice of animals in order to honor the deceased. Seemingly, this work functioned as instructions in the proper etiquette for performing such rituals. Animal sacrificing is certainly one of mankind’s earliest forms of sacred offerings, whether to invoke the good will of the gods or to ensure the deceased a proper passage into the afterlife. This stunning sculptural panel is more than a memorial to the glories of Ancient Egyptian artistry, it is a window looking out into this ancient land, revealing insights into the rituals and ways of life of this fascinating civilization. - (X.0007)