Egyptian sculpture

68 EGYPTIAN SCULPTURE

RELIEFS

The Old Kingdom is not only the finest period for relief sculpture, but a larger number of reliefs of this period have been preserved than of any other. The tomb-chapels at Meydum and Saqqara are the chief source of our knowledge; these range in date from the tombs of the courtiers of Senefru down to the late VIth dynasty. There are also a considerable number of decorated tomb-chapels of the Old Kingdom in other parts of Egypt in which the style is the same, but being carried out by provincial artists has not the fineness of the work characteristic of the royal cemeteries of Meydum and Saqqara. In all places the actual sculptures vary very much in quality according to date. At Meydum, the sculptured tombs are of the late IIIrd and early IVth dynasties, and are of finer workmanship than those at Saqqara. The great mass of sculpture at Saqqara is of the Vth dynasty; the three finest tomb-chapels are the tombs of Ti, of Ptah-hotep and Akhet-hotep, and of another Ptahhotep. The arrangement of the sculptured chambers varies in each. In the last-named tomb there is only one sculptured chapel, and here perhaps the sculpture is finer than in any other tomb at Saqqara, but the subjects are more monotonous. On each side of the chapel the bearers of offerings are walking up towards the inscribed false door; the end of the room opposite the false door is occupied by farm scenes and scenes of bird-catching. The tomb of Ptah-hotep and Akhet-hotep has more variety. Here again the sculpture is fine, although perhaps not so good as in the tomb of the previous Ptah-hotep. The tomb of Ti is the most celebrated, as being the most varied. Here, chamber after chamber is occupied with scenes which are full of interest from the point of view of our knowledge of the daily life,