Browsing by Subject "ostrakon"

Dogs are one of the most popular animal species to appear in ancient Egyptian art. This study examines a particular category of figured ostraca (limestone or pottery sherds with illustrations), those representing domestic dogs. It demonstrates how dogs have been represented in informal art in the Theban area during the New Kingdom (c. 1550–1069 BCE). The aim of the study is to define the iconography of dog representations on figured ostraca. A second aim is to compare dog representations on ostraca to surviving dog motifs in the decoration of Theban private tombs. For this study, 39 drawings of dogs on ostraca have been located in the research literature and in museum and other collections. This corpus of representations can be divided into four categories: hunting dogs (23 images), ‘pet’ dogs (4 images), dog caricatures (3 images) and anthropomorphic dogs doing human activities (9 images). Ancient Egyptian canine deities are not included in this study. The chosen method of study is stylistic analysis, utilising the traditional method of comparative visual analysis combined with the modern theory of iconography. Recurring motifs and ways of representation are identified and compared with other dog ostraca in the same category. These representations are further compared to scenes of hunting and ‘pet’ dogs in early New Kingdom (18th dynasty) Theban private tombs showing similar motifs. The study demonstrates that there exists an established iconography of dogs in New Kingdom Thebes. There are also notable similarities especially in the hunting dog category and partly also in the ‘pet’ category between ostraca and tomb decoration. Caricatures and anthropomorphic representations do not conform to this iconography and are not present in official tomb decoration. In conclusion, various interpretations are suggested for dog representations on ostraca. In the literature, figured ostraca with hunting imagery have been interpreted as exercises in draughtsmanship and rehearsal pieces for tomb art. However, they can also be seen as visual memory pieces, ie. copies of existing hunting scenes in Theban tombs, or as experiments in new forms of expression such as in the rendering of movement. On the other hand, anthropomorphic dog motifs are likely to be amusing parodies or illustrations of oral fables. Some dog ostraca are probably best interpreted as leisurely doodles. As a result, it will be shown how the domestic dog was represented in art during the New Kingdom. This contributes to our understanding of informal art and the relationship between animals and humans in ancient Egyptian culture.