Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean (18.2006(2008))

TELL EL-FARKHA

EGYPT

of the right hand to their lips, the left hand
resting on the knee. Similar figures are
known from other sites, too (Belova,
Sherkowa 2002: Fig. 38), including some
true masterpieces of art - the stone figures
from Abydos (Needier 1984: 347) and the
figure from the Kofler-Truniger collection
(Schlogl 1978: 28). The latter, in par-
ticular, is comparable artistically to the
finds from Tell el-Farkha (I.E.1-2).
None of the fantastic creatures or cobra-
uraeus figures from Tell el-Farkha (I.F.6-9)
find counterparts among hitherto
discovered objects of the minor arts. The
figure of a falcon-headed feline (?) (I.G.l),
by far the most interesting in this group,
has yet to be fully interpreted. Griffins
with a lion's or panther's body, bird's head
and wings appear among late Predynastic
reliefs from the Main Deposit in
Hierakonpolis (Cialowicz 1999: Fig. 189)
and recently on a dagger handle from grave
U-127 (Dreyer 1999: 209). It is similarly
difficult to assess how closely the small
figure of a woman-faced snake (I.G.2) is
connected with the goddess Wadjet. The
interpretation is additionally handicapped
by the decorated base: can it be a neb-
basket? Cobras-uraeuses are a characteristic
element of Pharaonic crowns since the
reign of Den and there is little doubt that
they drew upon Lower Egypt's guardian of
a divine king. Meanwhile, the cobras from
Tell el-Farkha (earlier than Den's reign)
were probably attached to something and
were part of a bigger whole (royal crowns,
sculptures depicting rulers?), as suggested
by the holes in their tail ends.
Animal figures (lions, dogs, scorpions,
fish, falcons) are known mostly from
Hierakonpolis, although they are present
also on other sites, i.e., Abydos,
Elephantine, Saqqara and Tell Ibrahim
Awad, and a significant, but unpro-
venanced and hence not well dated group

comes from various museum collections.
They were made of various materials: clay,
faience, bone and stone. The details and
workmanship differ from the Tell el-
Farkha figures (I.F.1-12), but it seems
likely that the craftsman's goal was
depicting a certain species rather than
a standardized rendering of stylistic
features. Moreover, this diversity is
excellent proof that the art of the period
was neither monotonous nor schematic.
Elephantine has yielded two models of
sickle-like papyrus boats, one of stone and
the other of faience (Dreyer 1986: 121-
122). Models of boats made of faience and
ivory are known also from Tell Ibrahim
Awad (Belova, Sherkova 2002: 172, Figs
41, 50). Most of the illustrated examples
from this site are papyrus boats, but at
least one had a high stern and prow, like
the Tell el-Farkha pieces (I.H.8-9),
indicating that both types were present
among votive objects from Pre- and Early
Dynastic Egypt.
Granary models from Elephantine, one
of faience, the other of bone (Dreyer 1986:
122) are somewhat similar in shape and
size to the object found in Tell el-Farkha
(I.H.17). Similar game-pieces are also
known from Tell Ibrahim Awad (Belova,
Sherkova 2002: Fig. 11). Two miniature
models of vessels in faience and stone have
been recorded at Elephantine, as well as
game-pieces, mostly of conical form, made
of the same materials (Dreyer 1986:
123fL-)- The Elephantine deposit also
included numerous beads of different
shape, mainly of faience but also of gold
and carnelian (Dreyer 1986: 129ff·)·
Similarly in Tell el-Farkha, many beads of
semi-precious stones were recovered from
the same place as the deposit.
Hitherto discovered deposits of a similar
nature are not dated precisely, containing as
a rule objects later than the Proto- and Early

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