The Reception of Images in Ancient Egypt

Abstract

Reception theory emerged in the 1960s as an alternative method for interpreting literature which championed shifting the focus of study from the author to the reader. Since then it has been applied in numerous subjects including anthropology and art history. The primary purpose of this thesis is to use reception theory to investigate how ancient Egyptians interacted with and understood art and images. Art in the field of Egyptology is frequently seen as a less crucial aspect to understanding their culture when compared to linguistic or archaeological studies. This thesis presents art as an essential element in understanding what the Egyptians valued, understood, and intended when they created their masterpieces. To provide a broad understanding of the issue this thesis is separated into three chapters. The first is a literature review which provides a comprehensive scholarly background to reception theory and its use in studying ancient Egyptian art history. Though studies have been done in the area of research the lack of focus on larger sites hinders our understanding. The second chapter focuses on private tomb chapels which have been the primary setting for earlier studies. The use of ‘Appeals to the Living,’ tomb scenes, and visitor graffiti are discussed as they reflect the Egyptians reception of the images around them. The third chapter takes the findings of the smaller tomb chapel contexts and seeks to find similar responses to art in the larger public temples. Little has been written on reception of the Egyptians in these large complexes and it proves a useful method for approaching art in a new way. The evidence reveals that reception theory is a viable methodology and should be used throughout Egyptian art history, if not the whole of Egyptology. It appears that the ancient Egyptians did view art as living entities and by studying them through reception theory we can investigate how they interacted and understood the images around them. This thesis refutes the idea that art in ancient Egypt was not understood by all Egyptians nor that its worth is somehow lesser than studies in archaeology or linguistics.