Men herding geese from the tomb of NebamunUpper Egypt, ca. 1350BC (18th dynasty)In the British Museu
Men herding geese from the tomb of NebamunUpper Egypt, ca. 1350BC (18th dynasty)In the British Museum (EA37978 image 17) and (EA37978 image 18) The fragmentary top register shows workers standing in front of a gaggle of geese and presenting a basket of eggs to two seated scribes, who record the produce. In the lower register workers come with a flock of geese, and a man presents birds in baskets. Nebamun was a ‘scribe and grain accountant in the granary of divine offerings’ in the Temple of Amun at Karnak. The British Museum’s 11 fragments of paintings from his tomb were discovered by the local agent of Henry Salt in Thebes in 1820. The location of the tomb from which they came is still not known with any certainty, but it is thought to be in the northern part of the necropolis in the area known as Dra Abu el-Naga (from the museum).The inscription above the flock of geese reads: Do not hurry your feet, carrying these geese — until you hear for yourself.You don’t know (if there will be) another chance for what you will say!Said by the man who is herding the gaggle of geese to the man in front of him. This seems to be a sarcastic comment that he should not be too eager, and wait until he is summoned: he must not misuse his opportunity to speak to the master.And one above the man with the basket of birds reads: You too should take your time, take your time! [. ..] You are conducting the Young Troops [of…]Which is a sarcastic reply to the goose herder. The man’s supposed 'Troops’ are the geese.The texts are not quite written in classical Middle Egyptian like the formal texts in the tomb chapel, but they are still very remote from what such workers would actually have spoken.(Translation and curator’s comments from the museum). -- source link
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#ancient egypt#tomb painting#geese#herders#detail#sarcasm