User:Nephiliskos/Workshop 3

The term slab stela describes a special type of a (mostly decorated) remembrance stela that was common in Ancient Egypt, especially in early dynastic times. It was an important part of the local mortuary cult. Ancient egyptian slab stelae are the artistic and cultic advancement of the predynastic cylinder seals and the forerunner of the later false doors.

History

The use of slab stelae started during the second half the 2nd dynasty and ceased quickly again during the reign of king (pharaoh) Khufu at the early 4th dynasty. The earliest known examples may date back to the reign of king Peribsen, the latest known examples date back to the reign of king Khafra. As already mentioned, slab stelae replaced the cylinder seals known from predynastic times, then they were extended by the so-called false door. Finally, during the late 4th dynasty, the slab stela was completely replaced by the false door.

The best known archaeologial excavation sites where slab stelas were found, include places such as Helwan, Saqqara and Giza, with Giza being the site with the largest amount of slab stelae: 13 slab stelae originate from there, 8 of them are still intact and 5 of them depict women.

Description

Decoration programm

The most important feature of a slab stela is a so-called Apparition window which contains a relief scene. In this certain scene the deceased (who is, at the same time, the owner of the tomb) is depicted sitting in front of an offering table, a scene today known as Dining table scene (from German "Speisetisch-Szene") and as Offering table scene (from German "Opfertisch-Szene"). Typically, the deceased is shown in a seated posture, the right arm reaches out for the offering table, the left arm is bent up to the sternum. The face is shown in profile, the upper torso is shown frontal, whilst the legs again are depicted in profile. The deceased is dressed in a tight gown, wears a delicate wig (males) or long dreadlocks (females) and a necklace. About the deceased's head (alternatively at his/her forehead) his/her name is written in hieroglyphs. A remarkable feature is the fact, that every slab stela shows the deceased facing to the right (thus, the offering table scene occupies the left half of the apparition window). However, this is the case when a single person is depicted. Later examples, especially those dating back to the end of 3rd dynasty and later, could show a married pair. In this case the husband sits at the left site, facing right, the wife is sitting right, facing left. Some examples show a converse scene. And a very few examples show the man and the woman sitting back-on-back, so they would look away from each other.

Beside the dining table scene the relief consists of a so-called Offering list. Slab stelas of more common peoples were reduced to the table scene and a fixed group of a few objects that were more or less neatly arranged in the right half of the apparition window. Wealthier peoples owned a slab stela with a second, additional list divided into rows and compartments surrounding the apparition window. The compartments, in turn, provide groups of offerings, such as food (meat, bread and vegetables), wine- and milk jars, perfumes and scented ointments, make-up, incense pellets and even clothes and sandals. The earlier examples of offering lists varied strongly in the amount of offering goods, this often depended on the wealth and ranks of the tomb owner. The apparition window on the slab stela of princess Sehener, for example, is vastly extended by a surrounding, second offering list containing neatly sorted compartments, which in turn describe the offering goods. The richness of detail indicate that Sehener obviously was pretty wealthy.

Display

At the beginning, slab stelae were displayed inside the burial chamber of the tombs. They were immersed in a special niche which served as some kind of architrave. Typically, the offering place was erected at the southern wall of the burial chamber. Later, when the entrances of mastabas were preceeded by a offering chapel, the slab stelae were at display close by or atop of the entrance door.

Cultic use

Slab stelae were of great importance to the funerary- and mortuary cult. The bereaved of the tomb owner visited the offering place and its slab stela in attempt to remember the deceased and pray for his/her soul. The tomb inscription of the high official Hesyre (3rd dynasty) reveal that the visitation of the remembrance chapel with the slab stela consisted of a ritually purification (like washing the hands), singing, praying and igniting incense pellets.