Episode 13: What’s Wrong With This Picture?

Ii-wey! On March 7, 1896, the image above appeared in The Illustrated London News captured the moment that French archaeologist Jean-Jacques de Morgan’s (1857-1924) discovered the tomb of Queen Khnemit located at Dahshȗr. Can you spot any problems with this image? 

While the technical skill of the artist is not in question, issues come to light as one starts to decode the elements of the drawing. Here are three troubling themes: 

Let’s start with de Morgan, the discoverer of the queen’s tomb. He stands above the mummy of Khnemit (it appears as though he has his right foot planted in the sarcophagus) with her crown uplifted so all can see his discovery. Everyone’s attention is on him. The Egyptians gaze in wonderment and seem to lean in towards de Morgan as the central figure – a couple of workers are in a repose (laying) position. There is a nostalgic composition reminiscent of the religious Renaissance paintings where a saintly figure is the main focal point and many of the supporting characters lean in towards that central person. In comparison, de Morgan is elevated to the position of the savior, substantiated by the reverence exuded by all who bear witness to the moment. In his chapter “Revising and Revisioning the History of Archaeology: Reflections on Region and Context” (in the book Tracing Archaeology’s Past: The Historiography of Archaeology edited by Andrew L. Christenson), historian C.M. Hinsley articulates it as “a moment of supreme archaeological triumph” (p. 91). By extension, de Morgan also brings forth the lost history of the modern Egyptians.

For the Egyptians in the engraving, the overwhelming majority have simple attire. They are all men and represent the struggling working class that does not have societal authority of their history. Hinsley remarks the Egyptians as “half understanding the miracle before their eyes” (p. 94). It is as though they are the flock of sheep to a white European male shepherd who leads and controls their legacy from a forgotten (lost) tomb. This image promotes the altruistic position of the Western man. It’s an ideology that is usually represented in mummy stories and films: one person, typically the older man, has dedicated his life to the study of knowledge and has become gatekeeper to the preservation of history of cultures not his own.  

Women are few. Hinsley describes the two European women as “excited and enchanted”, but on closer inspection, the woman on the left seems to contemplative and does not appear to be looking at de Morgan. The woman standing may be looking at de Morgan, but she does not look at all excited. However, their bodies are leaning inward, so their body language conveys anticipation. As with other images of the times, even by Howard Carter’s discover of Tutankhamen’s tomb in 1922, women were positioned “to observe, receive, admire” (p. 94) because archaeology was a male dominated activity and course of study. This is the prevailing hegemonic message one will see in images relating to Egyptian archaeology during the century (and beyond) after Napoleon’s campaign in Egypt. This ideology would be influential in popular culture mediums well into the 20th century. 

Is there truth in the image? Based on images found of de Morgan, the physical appearance is a fair likeness. However, when trying to locate more details about his discovery of the tomb and any images of the artifacts, that has been difficult. A photograph of a similar looking crown to the one above was found in an online search belonging to a daughter of Pharaoh Senusret II (1897-1878 BCE). Khnemit was one of four consorts for the 12^th Dynasty pharaoh. Perhaps Khnemit’s body and artifacts were packed and stored away in a museum somewhere long ago and are just waiting to be rediscovered.

Senebti! 

Image from Fine Art America located here