Pigeons and papyrus at Amarna: the birds of the Green Room revisited

Ancient Egyptian art features many carefully observed depictions of wild animals and birds. A famous example is the late Eighteenth Dynasty (fourteenth-century BC) wall paintings of the Green Room in the North Palace at Amarna, where naturalistic depictions of birds feature prominently. Their taxono...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Antiquity 2023-02, Vol.97 (391), p.104-119
Main Authors: Stimpson, Christopher M., Kemp, Barry J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
14th century
18th century
Anthropological research
Appreciation
Archaeology
Art galleries & museums
Art, Egyptian
Birds
Egyptian art
Egyptian civilization
Excavation
Murals
Ornithology
Portrayals
Public domain
Taphonomy
Taxonomy
Citations: Items that this one cites
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Ancient Egyptian art features many carefully observed depictions of wild animals and birds. A famous example is the late Eighteenth Dynasty (fourteenth-century BC) wall paintings of the Green Room in the North Palace at Amarna, where naturalistic depictions of birds feature prominently. Their taxonomic identity, however, is not resolved in all cases. Here, the authors revisit the facsimiles produced in the 1920s by Nina de Garis Davies. Mindful of previous works, taphonomy and the interplay between naturalistic observation and artistic licence, they employ ornithological resources to conduct a qualitative assessment and propose a parsimonious scheme of identifications, relating the results to long-standing questions concerning ecological and stylistic aspects in the artwork.
ISSN:0003-598X
1745-1744
DOI:10.15184/aqy.2022.159