Ancient Egyptian animal imagery: The what, the how – and the wow!

Digitaler Vortrag von Dr. Linda Evans (Macquarie University, Sydney) am 9.2.22, 18:30 Uhr:
When we look at ancient Egyptian tomb art, our gaze is often drawn to the depicted human figures as we try to connect with the people who once lived beside the Nile. By comparison, the animals that populate these scenes are often overlooked or at least under-valued, viewed as minor characters in the human dramas that unfold before us. However, if we look more closely at animal imagery, a great deal of information is revealed about the Egyptians, increasing our understanding of their relationship with the natural world, which of course had a significant impact on their culture. In addition to telling us which species were illustrated, a review of tomb scenes shows us how well the Egyptian artists observed animals and strived to represent them as precisely as possible – not only their physical appearance but their extraordinary natural behavior, which is often captured with breathtaking accuracy.