Image is taken from
Saleh, Mohamed/Sourouzian, Hourig:
Die Hauptwerke im Ägyptischen Museum Kairo. Mainz 1986, Nr. 39.
People with short stature enjoyed great respect in Ancient Egypt. They were already depicted in Egyptian art in the predynastic period. The diminutive patron god Bes was primarily responsible for the protection of the house, pregnant women, and newborns. In Ancient Egypt, people with small stature often took on the role of entertainment. The present object, or rather the main character depicted, took a different career path.
Seneb held a high position with numerous titles. Among other things, he was in charge of the royal dresses. He also assumed the priesthood in the mortuary cult of kings Cheops and Djedefre, who lived in the 4th Dynasty (c. 2620-2500 B.C.). Seneb's short stature played no part in his rise to higher administration and society.
The name Seneb ("he who is healthy") is probably a short form. The entire name is present in the grave only once. Since it is unfortunately damaged, the complete form can only be speculated. Assuming a dating to the time of King Khufu (Cheops), Djedefre, and Sahure, Seneb's name could have been "Khufu-Seneb", for example.
The statue group was originally placed in the "serdab" of Seneb's tomb. A serdab is an almost completely closed niche in the wall with two small openings. Through these, the statue of Seneb could see the rites performed in his name.
The design of the statue group shows the beautiful unity of the family. Seneb is depicted in the scribe's posture. It can refer to his administrative activities. His wife Senetites smiles and embraces her husband. This is a typical way of depicting Egyptian statues. Senetites wears a shoulder-length wig with her real hair visible in the fringe. In front of Seneb are two of the three children, naked and with their index fingers to their mouth. The son Anch-ma-Djedefre is depicted with the typical youth curl. It is worn by male children and cut off when they reach puberty. Next to him is his sister Au.t-ib-n-Chufu.
Basics
Inv.-Nr. Egyptian Museum Cairo, JE 51280
Material: Limestone, painted
Dimensions: H. 34 cm, W. 22,5 cm, D. 25 cm
Location: Giza, Mastaba of Seneb
Dating: Old Kingdom, around 2475 B.C.
Mehr Information
Amenta, Alessia/Bongioanni, Alessandro/De Luca, Araldo: Schatzkammern der Welt. Ägyptisches Museum. Stuttgart 2002. S. 81.
Junker, Hermann (Hg.): Die Mastaba des Snb (Seneb) und die umliegenden Gräber (Akademie der Wissenschaft in Wien. Philosophisch-historische Klasse. Denkschriften 71, Band 2). Wien/Leipzig 1941.
Kozma, Chahira: Dwarfs in Ancient Egypt. In: American Journal of Medical Genetics (Teil A, Band 140A, Nr. 4). 2006, S. 303-311.
Malek, Jaromir: Egypt. 4000 years of art. London/New York 2003, S. 57.
Tassinari, J./Sisti, A.: First dwarf represented. Ancient Egypt 2520 B.C. In: Journal of Endocrinological Investigation, Vol. 39. Cham 2016, S. 489.
Woods, Alexandra: A Date for the Tomb of Seneb at Giza. Revisited. In: Woods, Alexandra/Mc Farlane, Ann/Binder, Susanne (Hg.): Egyptian Culture and Society (Supplément aux Annales du Service des Antiquités de l'Égypte, Band 38). Kairo 2010, S. 302-331.
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