Egyptian sculpture

PROTO-DYNASTIC PERIOD 43

beasts,” with or without a central object, are so common in Mesopotamia that until their earlier date is proved elsewhere, Babylonia and Assyria must be considered the place of their origin. Specially noticeable is the man on the Gebel Araq knife-handle; the motif of the hero with a lion on each side is common in Mesopotamian art and unknown in Egypt except in this one instance. As these examples of symmetrical designs date to the time of the dynastic conquest—the conquerors being foreigners—it is more than probable that the designs were also foreign.

The other examples of relief sculpture at this time are the three great mace-heads, which were found at Hierakonpolis. Two of these are apparently of the time of Narmer, and show the same characteristics as the slate palettesthe careful outlines, the flat surfaces, the incised detail. The great mace-head of the Ashmolean Museum is, however, of an earlier period. The king is represented as either cutting the dyke to let the water into the canals, or actually opening a new canal. Again, the figure of the Scorpion-king is represented as of enormous size compared with the other figures in the scene. In this mace-head there is a definite attempt at modelling, as can be seen in the king’s arms, although a great deal of the detail, as of the legs, is merely incised. The whole piece is so greatly broken that it is impossible to have a complete idea of the scene represented, but by the style of the art I should suggest that it dates to the time of the Bull palette or of the Battlefield.

Few reliefs of the late Proto-dynastic period have survived. The panels from the tomb of Ra-hesy are of wood, and constitute the finest examples of relief sculpture in the whole course of Egyptian art. On each of the five panels Ra-hesy is represented alone, either standing or seated; unlike the later reliefs, there is no attempt at depicting a