This is a tomb painting from the tomb of a man named Menna.
The Egyptians believed that the pleasures of life could be made permanent through scenes like this one of Menna hunting in the Nile
marshes. In this painting Menna, the largest figure, is shown twice. He is spear fishing on the right and flinging throwing sticks at
birds on the left. His wife, the second-largest figure, and his daughter and son are with him. By their gestures they assist him and
express their affection. The son on the left is drawing attention with a pointed finger to the two little predators (a cat and an
ichneumon) that are about to steal the birds' eggs. Pointed fingers were a magical gesture for averting evil in ancient Egypt, and the
attack on the nest may well be a reminder of the vulnerability of life.
Overall, scenes of life in the marshes, which were depicted in many New Kingdom tombs, also had a deeper meaning. The Nile
marshes growing out of the fertile mud of the river and the abundant wildlife supported by that environment symbolized rejuvenation
and eternal life.
The figures in Menna's family are ordered within two horizontal rows, or registers, and face toward the center in nearly identical
groups that fit within a triangular shape.
In the Hall of Two Truths, the deceased's heart was weighed against the Shu feather of truth and justice taken from the headdress of
the goddess Ma'at. If the heart was lighter than the feather, they could pass on, but if it were heavier they would be devoured by the
demon Ammut. This scene depicts what occurs after a person has died, according to the ancient Egyptians.
Beginning with the upper left-hand corner, the deceased appears before a panel of 14 judges to make an accounting for his deeds
during life. The ankh, the key of life, appears in the hands of some of the judges.
Next, below, the jackal god Anubis who represents the underworld and mummification leads the deceased before the scale. In his
hand, Anubis holds the ankh.
Anubis then weighs the heart of the deceased (left tray) against the feather of Ma'at, goddess of truth and justice (right tray). In some
drawings, the full goddess Ma'at, not just her feather, is shown seated on the tray. Note that Ma'at's head, crowned by the feather, also
appears atop the fulcrum of the scale. If the heart of the deceased outweighs the feather, then the deceased has a heart which has been
made heavy with evil deeds. In that event, Ammut the god with the crocodile head and hippopotamus legs will devour the heart,
condemning the deceased to oblivion for eternity. But if the feather outweighs the heart, and then the deceased has led a righteous life
and may be presented before Osiris to join the afterlife. Thoth, the ibis-headed god of wisdom stands at the ready to record the
outcome.
Horus, the god with the falcon head, then leads the deceased to Osiris. Note the ankh in Horus' hand. Horus represents the
personification of the Pharaoh during life, and his father Osiris represents the personification of the Pharaoh after death.
Osiris, lord of the underworld, sits on his throne, represented as a mummy. On his head is the white crown of Lower Egypt (the north).
He holds the symbols of Egyptian kingship in his hands: the shepherd's crook to symbolize his role as shepherd of mankind, and the
flail, to represent his ability to separate the wheat from the chaff. Behind him stand his wife Isis and her sister Nephthys. Isis is the one
in red, and Nephthys is the one in green. Together, Osiris, Isis, and Nephthys welcome the deceased to the underworld.
The idea of the afterlife played a central role in Egyptian religion. When humans died, their souls began a difficult journey through the
underworld. This tomb painting of the 1200s B.C. shows Ramses I surrounded by deities in the underworld.
Nobleman Hunting in the Marshes. Tomb painting. Ca. 1,400 BC.
This lively view was painted in the 18th Dynasty on a dry plaster wall in a tomb at Thebes. It demonstrates the remarkable
consistency of ancient Egyptian style. Emphasis continued to be placed on the clarity with which information is conveyed rather than
on realistic representation. As in the Paleolithic paintings, humans -- especially Egyptian nobles -- tend to be rendered more
stylistically, while animals are depicted more naturalistically. Notice the impresive acrobatic feat of the cat sitting on the bending
lotus stems: she catches one bird in her mouth, another with her claws, and a third with her tail. This painting is now displayed in the
British Museum in London.