Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Identifier
286
Date
2011
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Major
Art History
Concentration
Egyptian Art and Archaeology
Committee Chair
Mariam Ayad
Committee Member
Todd Richardson
Committee Member
Patricia Podzorski
Abstract
First mentioned in Coffin Texts spells CT 1054 and CT 1166, the "Lake of Fire" motif is first illustrated in spell BD 126 of the Book of the Dead. Commonly depicted as a pool flanked by braziers or baboons in the New Kingdom (c. 1550-1069 B.C.), a new element emerges in the Twenty-first Dynasty (c. 1069-945 B.C.): blackened, outstretched, and limp human figures are depicted inside of the lake in the funerary papyri of Bakenmut and Nestanebtawy. This thesis attempts to contextualize these human figures by examining the relevant iconographic, textual, archaeological, and historical evidence. The inclusion of these figures, which represent the enemies of the gods/king, reflects a desire to eternally annihilate them, while simultaneously providing protection for the deceased from meeting a similar destiny.
Library Comment
Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to the local University of Memphis Electronic Theses & dissertation (ETD) Repository.
Recommended Citation
Boyschou, Melissa, "Destruction by Fire: Interpreting the Lake of Fire Vignette from Two Twenty-First Dynasty Funerary Papyri" (2011). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 218.
https://digitalcommons.memphis.edu/etd/218
Comments
Data is provided by the student.