Much of what we know about how the ancient Egyptians perceived death, their burial customs, practices, and religious beliefs comes from high-status Egyptian mummies and their incredible, elaborate tombs. However, we understand far less about the daily lives of the general population of Egypt – particularly where women are concerned. While mummies can be crucial sources of information, the linens they are wrapped in can hinder analysis of the skeletons. New technology, such as CT analysis, can allow examination without the use of invasive and unethical methods such as unwrapping, but this is expensive and time-consuming. Analysis of the skeletons and tombs of the common population of ancient Egypt can provide a more valuable and reliable source of information into gender identity and labour divisions within Egyptian society.
Representations of Women
Ancient Egyptian tomb art can reveal much about the identity of women within Egyptian society. In some tomb scenes, women are less visually prominent, shown far smaller than their husbands, positioned on their husband’s inferior left side, or sat at his feet, although this was not a standard. However tomb art also venerates them and their role within a balanced society, and depicts women in all aspects of daily life, suggesting they formed a fundamental part of Egyptian society. Women tend to fields and gardens, prepare food and produce, make clothing, and weave linen. Despite this, there are certain roles that women are rarely seen performing in mortuary art – primarily building or construction tasks.
Above & below: Brickmakers and sculptors depicted in scenes from the Tomb of Rekhmira. Women are never depicted carrying out such construction jobs – but does this reflect reality? Image: facsimile paintings by Nina de Garis Davies, MMA
Tomb art served to depict an idealised version of life to ensure eternal happiness, rather than a realistic portrait of daily life. For example, many women are depicted in their youth, regardless of their age at death. This may have been meant to ensure women looked this way for all of eternity. It is important to remember, too, that most contemporary sources of information come from ancient Egyptian men. Only a small minority of people were literate, and the role of scribe was limited to men of high social status. Artists responsible for painting tomb art and mortuary scenes were likewise men of a slightly higher status within society, and tomb art was normally commissioned by the male tomb-owner. Archaeologists must therefore question the representation of women within funerary monuments and tomb art. Do these images accurately reflect real life? What are we missing about the identity of women within society?
Pagans and folklore