Life and Death in Ancient Egypt: Scenes from Private Tombs in New Kingdom Thebes by

Sigrid Hodel-Hoenes; David Warburton

Review by: Lana Troy
Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 122, No. 1 (Jan. - Mar., 2002), pp. 117-118
Published by: American Oriental Society
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3087675 .
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Reviews of Books
the photographs to be produced only after the joining of the
fragments. This contributes to the merits of this volume. It
makes it easier for the user to follow up the readings of the
scattered fragments. However, the charts of the scripts are also
very useful. This reliable text edition will form the basic edition for some decades to come, and we are awaiting the edition
of the documents excavated in situ from Nahal Hever.
CHRISTA MULLER-KESSLER
UNIVERSITXT JENA

Life and Death in Ancient Egypt: Scenes from Private Tombs

transin New Kingdom Thebes. By SIGRIDHODEL-HOENES;
lated by DAVID WARBURTON.Ithaca: CORNELLUNIVERSITY

PRESS,2000. Pp. xii + 329, illus. $49.95.

The private rock tombs of ancient Thebes comprise an importantcorpus for the study of ancient Egyptian life as well as
of the genius of New Kingdom painting. This work presents
a selection of these tombs with interwoven commentaries on
history, theology, and esthetic theory. Originally appearing in
German as Leben und Tod in alten Agypten (Darmstadt, 1991),
the English version has been expanded and brought up to date
to include the most recent bibliography for the subject. The
authordescribes her audience as "those who wish to learn more
about the Theban private tombs" (p. vii), implying that the
reader is expected to bring some background to the text. This
allows more depth to the presentation than that found in the
tourist guide.
A general introduction (pp. 1-27) is followed by a survey
of eleven tombs, comprising the acknowledged "highlights"
of this corpus. After briefly touching on the theological and
historical context of the tombs, the separately named areas of
the Theban necropolis are described. The layouts of the tombs
are then covered in more detail with informative drawings
facilitating an understanding of the tombs as architectural
structures.
Under the subheading"The Excavation and Decoration of the
Theban Rock Tombs" (pp. 16-22) both the technical and artistic qualities of the tomb are described. The process by which
the tomb was cut is presented, as well as some basics of Egyptian art and the way it was produced. The standardization of
proportions through the use of the grid is included in this discussion. A survey of the pigments employed and the symbolic
system behind the choice of colors is also found. The last section in this chapter, "The Purpose of the Decoration and Contents of the Tomb" (pp. 22-26), deals with the Egyptian view
of the pictorial as a means of preservation. The tomb equip-

117

ment is related to the goal of satisfying earthly needs in the

next life. The introduction concludes with a more detailed discussion of the Book of the Dead as a significant source of the
information required by the Dead to reach the next life safely.
The individual tomb descriptions are presented in number
order, grouped according to the area in which they are found.
This also gives a chronological sequence. The first six tombs
are found in Sheik al-Qurna. Consisting of Nakht (TT 52),
Ramose (TT 55), Userhat (TT 56), Menna (TT 69), Sennefer
(TT 96), and Rekhmire (TT 100), these tombs date from Tuthmosis III (TT 56 and 100) to Amenhotep IV (TT 55). Three
tombs are found in El Khokha: Neferhotep (TT 49), Khereuf
(TT 192), and Samut (TT 409) and chronologically overlap
the youngest from Qurna, with Kheruef dating to Amenhotep
III-IV; Neferhotep, Aye-Horemheb, and Samut to Ramses II.
The two remaining tombs are Ramesside and found in the
necropolis area of the workers' village Deir el Medina: Sennedjem (TT 1) and Inherkha (TT 359), dating to Seti I-Rameses
II and Rameses III-IV respectively.
Each chapter supplies approximately the same basic information. Some biographical information is given for the tomb
owner, and the excavation history of the tomb, including original publication, is outlined. If of special interest, the tomb's
architectureis described. A few lines cover the background to
the dating of the tomb. The chapter presenting the first tomb in
each of the necropolis areas includes an area map where the
relevant tombs are marked. A simple layout plan, keyed with a
scale and orientation,is provided for each of the tombs as well.
The author shows a pedagogic awareness of her audience
as she goes through the tombs describing each scene. Within
the first few lines we meet a definition of the word kheker,
meaning "ornament,"the writing of which is used in the frieze
lining the upper edges of the tomb paintings. Soon comes
an explanation of the sistrum and menat, seen in the paintings. These two rattle instruments were closely associated with
Hathor and constituted part of the equipment of the college
of temple singers, to which the wives of most high officials belonged. It is evident that the author has made an effort to comment on any detail that might prove a stumbling block to the
general reader.
Brief insights into the discussions relating to the historical and/or religious context of the tomb are also provided.
Discussing, e.g., Rekhmire'stomb, the author takes up the relationship between Egypt and Mycenae, prompted by the depictions of Aegean tribute found in that tomb. A selection of
texts from the tombs is also presented. This can entail a simple
translation of the "conversations" recorded above the heads of
the figures in the scenes. More extensive translations are also
found, such as that given of a section from the well-known
autobiographical hymn from the tomb of Samut (TT 409).
The reader is provided with rich illustration, consisting both
of photographs and line drawings, with which to follow the

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118

Journal of the American Oriental Society 122.1 (2002)

descriptions. For example, the description of Menna's tomb is

illustrated with twenty-five photographs. That of Neferhotep,
with only five, has instead been supplied with ample line
drawings from the tomb publication.
This is an unpretentious work, with the author nonetheless
striving to be as comprehensive as possible within the restrictions dictated by her intended audience. She has, to a large
extent, succeeded. Those accustomed to seeing the Theban
tombs depicted in more sophisticated and extensive editions
may, however, be disappointed by the quality of the photographic illustrations. Three private sources have contributed to
the expanded English version. On the whole, this has resulted
in a competent documentation, while lacking a certain professionalism. The occasional lack of focus, clumsy angles, and
the ever-present yellow or red tones where they do not belong
all characterize the private slide collection. The vibrant colors
still preserved in many of these tombs are, unfortunately, only
suggested in this documentation.
That having been said, it is gratifying that the publishers did
not allow this flaw to deter them from publishing this volume.
It is a competent and enthusiastic introduction not only to the
tombs but also to the culture that produced them. Cornell University Press is to be congratulated on including this volume in
their ongoing project of bringing German and French Egyptological works to an English-speaking public.
LANA TROY
UPPSALA UNIVERSITY

King Josiah of Judah: The Lost Messiah of Israel. By MARA. SWEENEY. Oxford:
2001. Pp. Xvi + 350. $60.

VIN

OXFORD

UNIVERSITY

PRESS,

Sweeney's study of King Josiah and the so-called Deuteronomic reform addresses the recent archaeological assessment
of the role of Judah in the Assyrian empire of the late seventh
century, the ferment in redactional criticism of the Deuteronomistic History (DtrH) and Deuteronomy, and reconstructions
of the religious and political history of the late Judean monarchy. To this he adds his own special interest in the prophetic
literature contemporary to the late monarchy and the redactional interpretation of earlier prophecies as they might relate
to the Josianic reform. He states this thesis thus (p. 19):
1. That biblical literature (as outlined above) indeed points to
the historical reality of Josiah's reform as a program that
was designed to unify Israel and Judah around the Jerusalem Temple under Davidic rule.
2. That the DtrH presents an ideologically charged history directed particularlyto the northerntribes of Israel. The DtrH

maintains that, from the time of Joshua on, the northern

tribes were never able to rule themselves according to the
ideal Mosaic model of leadership and only King Josiah represented the properMosaic model of ideal centralized leadership over a united people of Israel.
3. That the book of Deuteronomy represents Josiah's attempt
to revise the system of Israelite law in order to enhance the
religious, economic, and political power of the centralized
state and thereby to unite the people around the Jerusalem
Temple and the house of David.
4. That prophetic literaturewas employed to carry out various
aspects of the reform.
From this study Josiah emerges as one who saw himself as
a king or "messiah" of a united Davidic state which, however,
was short-lived, ending with his early death at the hands of
Necho and political pressures from Egypt and Babylon. Nevertheless he created an ideal of a restored Josianic/Davidic kingdom of Israel centered around the Jerusalem Temple that
survived the Babylonian exile.
Following his understandingof the redaction-criticalmethod
of working back from the final form to earlier layers and from
the latest historical periods to earlier times, Sweeney begins
his analysis (part 1) at the end of 2 Kings and the final redactional layer of DtrH, and then moves to an earlier Josianic
version and a still earlier Hezekiah edition. With these in mind,
he identifies such layers in earlier parts of DtrH and Deuteronomy. This tripartite division of redactional layers is, however, only detailed for 2 Kings 18-25 and is left vague and
confusing for the rest of DtrH. Part 2 then takes up the prophetic literature that is viewed as relevant to Josiah's reign.
While the book covers a wide swath of biblical literature, it is
nevertheless surprising that some important issues get rather
slim or perfunctory treatment. There are two such issues that
are basic to the thesis as a whole (see points 1 and 2 above)
and we will turn our attention to these.
The first issue is whether Josiah attempted in any way to
"reunite"the north with the south and whether DtrH represents
him as doing so. Everything depends upon the description of
a foray by Josiah into the north to destroy the altar at Bethel
and some other high places in the "cities of Samaria" and to
kill a number of priests (2 Kgs 23:15-20). This all-important
but very problematic text gets no detailed discussion or analysis. In it Josiah's action in the north does not look like an attempt at political and religious unification of the two regions.
There is nothing else in DtrH that suggests any effort or desire
by Josiah for such a united kingdom and it is hard to see how
this account of destruction and slaughter would serve as effective propaganda to a northern audience to encourage them to
accept the rule of the house of David. Furthermore,there is
good reason to believe that the whole unit is a later addition,
together with 1 Kings 13 and 2 Kgs 17:24-41 which are also
secondary. They are not part of DtrH but a late polemic against

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