His Mother, Whom He Loves: The Depiction of Women in the Tombs of their Sons in New Kingdom Egypt
Open Access
- Author:
- Ferguson, Elissa J
- Graduate Program:
- Art History
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- May 01, 2019
- Committee Members:
- Elizabeth J Walters, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor
Elizabeth J Walters, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
Nancy Elizabeth Locke, Committee Member
Amara Leah Solari, Committee Member
Donald B Redford, Outside Member - Keywords:
- ancient Egypt
Mother
Motherhood
tomb art
mortuary literature - Abstract:
- This study is concerned with the wall scenes of non-royal tombs from the Egyptian New Kingdom and the appearance of the tomb owner’s mother within these scenes. Its goal is two-fold: to analyze the role of the mother within the mortuary tradition and to discern how the lived experiences of elite women contributed to their son’s life and benefited his mortuary cult. This project provides the first systematic study of the mother’s appearance in tombs from this period, revealing her to be a flexible figure that helped the tomb owner communicate a complex set of messages. Including her in the wall art recreated the world the deceased enjoyed in life, helped him integrate into the society of the dead, and illustrated his righteous character. By considering her appearance in conjunction with mortuary literature, the previously established belief that women served a significant erotic function in the tomb is also corrected. In its place we see divine maternal forces allowing for rebirth and wife and mother assisting in the transition from death to eternal life amongst the gods and the blessed dead. Studying texts from daily life adds subtlety to the mother’s role in her child’s afterlife and illustrates the evolving nature of the mother’s influence over her children and the importance of her unique accomplishments to her son’s mortuary cult. These tombs preserve and celebrate the unique contributions made by these women, ensuring the survival of their memories and their merit for eternity.