Art as Ritual Engagement is examined through a case study of feminised funerary representation in the repertoire of Watetkhethor, an elite woman interred in the mastaba tomb of her spouse, Mereruka, at Saqqara, c.2345-2181 BCE. The focus is centred upon the functionality of a particular form of gendered imagery in a ritualised, funerary context. The spaces and images in which Watetkhethor is featured alone, or in support of her spouse, indicate something of an elite woman’s expectations of the afterlife at this particular time. Contemporaneous examples as detailed as Watetkhethor’s are rare, and her status may have permitted Watetkhethor’s personal involvement in designing the funerary programme. Her. The arrangements would have been ‘state-of-the-art’, meeting the requirements of a woman identified as the eldest daughter of King Teti, c. 2300-2181 BCE. However, to date, the assumptions of twentieth century anachronisms, attitudes and biases have all but dismissed the rich iconographical programme of specifically feminised arrangements within this shared tomb.
H 276 x W 203 mm
62 pages
24 figures
Published Aug 2023
Archaeopress Access Archaeology
ISBN
Paperback: 9781803275536
Digital: 9781803275543
Contents
Preface
Chapter 1: Introduction
Aims and Objectives
The role of visual culture in ancient Egypt
Contextualising the early 6th Dynasty: An Overview
Security and harsh men?
Archaeological Background: The Tomb of Mereruka
The Funerary Chambers of Watetkhethor
The Research Focus
Rationale: Why this study?
Contextualising terms: Art and Ritual
The Structure of the Study: Chapter Overview
Chapter 2: Literature Review
Early Perspectives
New Perspectives
Chapter 3: Methodology
Panofsky’s Iconological System
Malafouris’s Material Engagement Theory
Chapter 4: Art as Ritual Engagement
Watetkhethor as facilitator
Watetkhethor’s presence in Mereruka’s chambers
Watetkhethor and autonomous funerary cult
The Pillared Hall (B1)
The staircase in the chambers of Watetkhethor (B2)
The Serdab Room, B3, B4
The Burial Chapel, B5
Chapter 5: Study Synthesis
Looking forward: Art as Action, Art as Gendered
The limitations of this study
Directions for future research
Conclusion
Bibliography
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