“Unprecedented” funeral statue Ancient Egyptian A person whose name may be Messi was found in Saqqara Necropolis – and this shows that he is standing with what seems to be his tiny wife and even a tiny daughter who holds the Goose.
The measurement of a little more than 40 inches (103 centimeters) of high and cut out of limestone, “the most outstanding figure shown is that a nobleman standing in height with an increased left foot representing youth, vitality and strength,” the researchers wrote in a study published on May 13 in May 13 in May 13 in May 13. Journal of Egyptian archeologyField
Archaeologists discovered a statue in 2021 on the spot SakkaraHuge necropolis, where the ancient Egyptians have buried their dead for millennia. He has no inscriptions, but, based on his design, the statue, according to, is dated to the fifth dynasty (from about 2465 to 2323 BC), the time when Pyramids were built in EgyptField ( The last royal pyramid He was built by King Ahmos I, who ruled from 1550 to 1525 BC. After that, the Egyptian royal families were buried in the valley of kings near the ancient Thebes.)
“I found that the statue is hidden under the sand, and nearby was a false door, an inscription with the name“ Messi ”,” Zahi HavassFormer Minister of Antiquities and the senior author of the newspaper told Live Science in an email. False doors Usually they meet in Egyptian tombs, and the Egyptians believed that the spirit of the deceased could enter and leave the tomb through them. “Messi” may refer to the name of the nobleman.
The statue can symbolize “communication with the family, assuming that they will reunite in the afterlife, as in life,” Havass said. “The scene depicting a daughter with geese reflects everyday life, performing a similar function of the scenes of scenes usually observed on the walls of tombs,” added Havass.
As for the large size of Messi compared to a woman and a girl, The size is often the importance in ancient Hypetic works of artFor example, the owners of the royalties and tombs often showed that they are more than those around them.
“Unrivaled” discovery
“The discovery of this statue has no analogues in the field of Egyptian art,” said Havass, who cooked the study with Sarah AbdoThe head of the department of sculpture, architectural formation and restoration at the University of Benha in Egypt. It stands separately from other famous family statues of the old kingdom, since all the figures are carved in complete three -dimensionality, with the exception of a daughter, who is represented with high relief.
“This amazing artistic choice positions the statue as the only well-known example of a kind of old kingdom,” Havass said, adding that for the Egyptian statue it was unusual to have a three-dimensional representation in combination with a high level of attention.
“Integrating two sculptural traditions into one monument, the artist showed a wonderful spirit of experiments,” Havass said. “Thus, this statue appears as a unique masterpiece of innovation, changing our understanding of the Egyptian art of the Old Kingdom.”
