|
One of the most famous scenes in Ancient
Egyptian art, the Judgment of the Dead, depicts
the jackal-headed god of mummification and
psychopomp Anubis weighing the heart of the
deceased against the feather of Maat, symbolic
of truth. More than a scene of mere mythology,
this subject gives us insight into the role of
weights and measures in Ancient Egypt. A
civilization capable of building the pyramids
obviously possessed a standard system of
measurement. However, beyond monumental
architecture, weights and measures played in
essential role in the visual arts and multiple
aspects of daily life, the most important being
the economy. Ancient Egyptian trader operated
on the barter system, as there was no form of
currency. As such, the ability to calculate the
precise amount of specific commodities was
vital. The main unit of weight was known as a
deben, while each deben was equivalent to ten
kites, a smaller unit specifically used to measure
silver and gold.
This diminutive stone ram likely served as what
must have been the smallest unit in a set of
graduated weights. As such, in resonates with
all the presence of it presumptive larger
counterparts. Revered for its virility and hence its
creative powers, the ram was associated with
several different deities in the Egyptian
pantheon. Khnum, the creator god whose cult
was centered at Elephantine was almost
invariably depicted as a man with a ram's head
and is frequently shown fashioning mankind
from clay on a potter's wheel. Hershef was
another ram-headed divinity. In the Late
Dynastic Period, the Theban god Amun was
sometimes depicted with a ram's head, and his
temple at Karnak is decorated with ram-headed
sphinxes. The iconographical attributes that
distinguish one ram deity from the other are
quite subtle. On smaller works such as this one,
it is impossible to definitively declare which god
is being symbolized. However, it is possible that
this ram, with notched horns characteristic of
Khnum, may represent this creator god.
- (CK.0680)
|
