During the late Old Kingdom to the end of the Middle Kingdom, there were two principal types of artistic representation in the ancient Egyptian elite tomb: funerary models and wall scenes. The two media exhibit several similarities in design, with both depicting people and animals engaged in activities of everyday life. This has caused scholars to regularly label funerary models duplicates or substitutes of wall scenes, implying that they served the same purpose in the tomb. However, there are several notable differences yet to be acknowledged. This book conducts a detailed comparative analysis of the two artistic media, focusing on representations from the sites of Meir, Deir el-Bersha and Beni Hassan in Middle Egypt. The analysis highlights the distinguishing characteristics of each medium and establishes a more precise understanding of the role of funerary models in the tomb and their relationship to wall scenes.

AUTHOR
Georgia Barker is a researcher at Macquarie University, specialising in funerary art of the ancient Egyptian Old and Middle Kingdoms. She obtained her PhD from the same institution and has worked extensively with museum collections. She has published several articles in peer-reviewed Egyptological journals and presented papers at international conferences.

REVIEWS
‘I would consider this book a major contribution to the field of Egyptology as it presents new research, new material and a unique and comprehensive analysis of material rarely studied, providing new interpretations of the topic. There is no doubt that this research would be of immense value to Egyptologists worldwide. But it could also be of interest to scholars of other early cultures, many of which also include ritual or funerary models in their source material.’ Dr Ann McFarlane, Macquarie University

‘A thoroughly worthwhile piece of research. Interest in Middle Kingdom wooden models has increased tremendously in recent years. I would envisage this work to be in demand worldwide.’ Dr Angela Tooley, Independent Researcher