Introduction
Obtaining historical knowledge is essential in the contemporary world. As some philosophers might say, researching history provides the people with the required directions which they should follow. Reaching success is only possible if one’s actions match evolution’s tendencies. There are several ways to study history, which include reading history books and examining historical resources. One of the ways to examine historical resources is through museum exhibitions. Museum exhibits can be considered primary sources for studying history in terms of culture and events, especially if combined with a preliminary study of the chosen subject. This paper addresses the Egyptian exhibit in the metropolitan museum of arts in New York, and specifically the statue of Demedji and Hennutsen, and relates it to the subject of Egyptian history.
Historical Overview
Systematic and in-depth examination of the history of ancient Egypt started in the nineteenth century. Until that time the only assistance for historians was the biblical facts and the writings of Greek and Latin authors, who did not have the possibility to use the Egyptian written documentation rather than using the oral traditions of a foreign nation in their works.
The history of ancient Egypt is accepted to be divided into periods, the Old, the Middle, and the New. Another period that can be outlined is 3050-2715 B.C. the ruling time of the first and the second dynasties, which can be called the early period, which preceded the Old kingdom. The system of government in Egypt witnessed many epochs which followed the dynasties of the rulings of families. Historically the dynasties were enumerated, thus there were the first, second, and etc. As the statue in the museum was considered to be dedicated to the fifth dynasty, an overview of that epoch also should be outlined.
The fifth dynasty despite maintaining prosperity in general and especially in foreign trade and military incursions into Asia witnessed some decline that was shown in the decrease in the royal authority.
The Exhibit
The exhibit itself represents a statue of Demedji and Hennutsen, shown as a sitting man and a woman standing next to him. Accordingly, the statue represents a man and his wife. The faces are shown with typical expressions to Egyptian statues and the bodies are proportioned. From the fact of having a statue, it could be assumed that the man is well known. The statue is typical for non-royal sculptures. Demedji was an overseer of the desert, pharaoh’s hunters, and regal herdsmen.
These duties imply military functions. Hennutsen- the royal acquaintance was the priestess of the goddesses Hathor and Neith. It is known that this statue was committed y Ti, their son. This information became known from the Abusir papyri which also implied the suggested date of this statue.
The Connection
In observing the sculpture it can be shown how the history can be written by combining primary sources with historical elements to obtain the required knowledge. The founding of the statue itself was combined with Abusir papyri in which the name of Ti – the son of Demedji and Hennutsen and the overseer of Marshes could be mentioned gave more detailed information about the statue and its origin on one hand and the history of the epoch that it was created on the other hand. Egyptian art was chosen as it is one of the most ancient, thus the theme of the exhibition was completely dedicated to the traces of that civilization. Accordingly, despite the choice of one sculpture, the whole exhibition was a structure in a way that the various distinctions between different epochs could be spotted, and subsequently the differences between royal and non-royal sculptures. The exhibition, in general, showed much interest from the visitors which was definitely directed toward the Egyptian Art sector. The sculpture was in good shape and no parts were missing. Additionally, the first thing that was noticed is the drastically different proportions between Demedji and Hennutsen which were rather like a man and his daughter than his wife. There are no direct implications of a specific time period that the sculpture can fit too, however when comparing different sculptures some minor changes can be noticed.
Conclusion
In general, the exhibition brought the level of interaction to a degree where almost literally you can touch history. Where the books and the researches can be boring, the combination of visual contact can compensate with the realism that makes certain information logical and in order. The Egyptian Art in that sector is definitely amongst the best as it has many sculptures that are scattered around the world and bring millions of people different purposes, either to study, watch, or research. It is a useful as well as a joyful activity to observe history from a perspective in which a person can be as close as possible to a sculpture dated 2400 B.C. and if not for that historical evidence the historians would have had to be content with biblical evidence and Greek writings only in researching this civilization.
Works Cited
“Works of Art: Egyptian Art”. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 2008. Web.
Kreis, Steven. “Egyptian Civilization: The History Guide”. 2006. Web.