Hunt in early Egypt

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Fragment of the hunters palette depicting hunters in traditional outfits.

The hunt was one of the most important cultural , economic and social events in the predynastic and early days of Egypt .

Hunters and hunting equipment

Armament

Hunter with a bow and arrow (detail of the Hunter palette)

The typical armament of the early Egyptian hunters included throwing wood , double-bladed ax , spear , dagger , bow and arrow , pear-headed clubs and even lassos . While throwing wood, spear, bow and lasso can be counted as long-range weapons, club, ax and dagger were only good as close combat weapons . Frequently used materials for the weapons are acacia wood , animal bones, ivory , flint , breccia , reed fibers and copper . Arrows were often equipped with bird feathers on their shafts in order to move the aerodynamic pressure point behind the center of gravity and thus improve the flight characteristics. Fishing nets and harpoons were also used for marine hunting.

Furnishing

The clothing and equipment of the early Egyptian hunters consisted of a leather or linen apron and leather belts . Sandals as foot protection were well known, but were apparently considered a luxury item reserved for kings and high nobles . This is illustrated by the depiction of a sandal wearer on the Narmer palette . In general, hunters and warriors are always shown barefoot . Whether shields were known and in use is controversial, since shields would probably have been more of a hindrance than useful in a mere hunt. On the other hand, close combat with larger animals is pictured so that shields would have provided the necessary protection. In the representations in question, however, some researchers see food bags that were carried along.

prey

Killed lion (detail of the hunter palette)
Fish and reptiles
see main article Fish in Ancient Egypt

The capture of fish included species such as mullet , tilapia , Anguilla , Nilhecht , catfish and Nilkarpfen . Reptiles, especially crocodiles , were also captured. It is controversial whether lizards were also included, but this can be assumed due to the frequency of their representation.

Birds

Among the vielbejagten bird species included Strauss , teal , pintail , red-breasted goose , white-headed duck , purple gallinule , partridges , quails , pigeons , cranes and pelicans .

Wild

Typical small game that was hunted included only hares . For big game in hunting repertoire included: lions , panthers , cheetahs , elephants , hippos , rhinos , oryx , Bubalisantilope , Dorkasgazellen , Capricorn , wild pigs , giraffes , wild asses , Dama gazelles and even hyenas . Reliefs from the Old Kingdom suggest that the latter were not only trained but also sacrificed to the gods , on which hyenas are noodled .

Economic factor

own use

The captured animals were primarily used to provide meat and eggs . They were also rich and sought-after suppliers of animal skins , bones , ivory , animal teeth (for jewelry and tools), hides , bird feathers and animal fat . The meat was immediately consumed or cured , or dried or smoked . Animal hides and skins were processed into clothing and weapon parts or used as lying and covering mats. Bird feathers were mainly used for decoration or for arrows.

Barter

In addition to their own use, the yield from the hunt was also used for barter with neighboring empires such as Mesopotamia , Syria (today's Israel ) and the Levant . Furs and ivory were particularly popular with trading partners, but also captured animals, which were then exchanged for precious scented oils , precious woods such as cypress and Lebanon cedar, and gemstones such as turquoise and amethyst . The large amount of foreign goods found in the graves of early dynastic rulers and servants testifies to the considerable success and profit that grew out of the bartering.

Cultural history

Hunting and fishing can be traced back to the early Neolithic along the Nile Valley and is understood as one of the social foundations for settling down and the founding of early Egyptian high culture . Finds of fish and mammal bones allow conclusions to be drawn about a very varied menu, which, however, was clearly dependent on the seasonal rhythm of nature, in particular the annual flooding of the Nile , just like the flora and fauna. Most of the hunted animals had to migrate deeper into the Nile Valley during the dry season in order not to die of thirst. It is understandable, then, that the Nile was almost sacred to the people of the pre- and early dynastics, as it offered them food. However, hunting has always had a religious and cultic significance for the early Egyptians. In the course of the early epochs, the hippopotamus and lion hunts in particular advanced to cultic events that belonged exclusively to the royal elite . Artifacts such as the two-dog palette and the hunter palette , but also many artfully decorated objects made of ivory and gemstones, testify to the cultic and social significance that hunting had.

literature

  • David Wengrow: The archeology of early Egypt: social transformations in North-East Africa, 10,000 to 2,650 BC . Cambridge 2006, ISBN 978-0-521-83586-2 .
  • Toby Wilkinson: Early Dynastic Egypt . Routledge, London 1999, ISBN 978-0-415-26011-4 , pp. 27 & 298.
  • Béatrix Midant-Reynes: The prehistory of Egypt from the first Egyptians to the first pharaohs . Blackwell, London / New York 2000, ISBN 978-0-631-21787-9 , pp. 92, 118 and 254.
  • Wolfgang Helck : Economic history of ancient Egypt in the 3rd and 2nd millennium BC 1st volume, Brill, Leiden 1975, ISBN 978-90-04-04269-8 , pp. 12-16.
  • Michael Johannes van Elsbergen: Fishing in ancient Egypt: Investigations into the depictions of fishing in the graves of the 4th to 6th Dynasty . Achet, Berlin 1997, ISBN 978-3-9803730-4-3 , pp. 240 & 284.
  • Whitney Davis: Masking the Blow: The Scene of Representation in Late Prehistoric Egyptian Art. Berkeley, Oxford ( Los Angeles ) 1992, ISBN 978-0-520-07488-0 , pp. 93-119-
  • Nicolas-Christophe Grimal: A history of ancient Egypt . Blackwell, London 1996, ISBN 978-0-631-19396-8 , p. 39.