Short people in ancient Egypt

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Dwarf / pygmy in hieroglyphics
Dwarf hieroglyph.png

Deneg / Daneg / Dag
Dng / Dʾng / Dʾg
dwarf / small person / pygmy
d
n
G
Dwarf hieroglyph.png

Deneg / Daneg / Dag
Dng / Dʾng / Dʾg
dwarf / small person / pygmy

In ancient Egypt, people of short stature were given a special position at the royal court and in public society. Kings and members of the elite enjoyed being able to entertain a small man at court , especially during the early days and the Old Kingdom .

Depictions of small people are rather rare, the earliest examples come from the early dynastic era. The first more precise names and descriptions of small people have come down to us from the time of the Old Kingdom. The most common illustrations and inscriptions about people of short stature have also survived from this period . Small people were entrusted with special offices, professions and tasks. Like normal people, they were able to advance their careers and start their own families at any time . From the New Kingdom onwards , respect and esteem for people of short stature (but also other disabled people) seem to have gradually waned. The first warnings originate from this time, reminding of the former high regard and appreciation for people of short stature and calling for more respect .

Small people were integrated into the religious and cultic belief system of the ancient Egyptians. For example, while Bes himself was a pure dwarf deity, other gods (especially Re and Ptah ) were ascribed at least dwarf forms.

Designations and representations

Grave stele of the court dwarf Ser Inpu ( 1st Dynasty ), place of discovery: Abydos.

The ancient Egyptians had three different names for short people. From the Old Kingdom onwards, depending on the transcription , they used the word Deneg , Daneg or Dag for short , which can be translated as “little man”, “dwarf” or “ pygmy ”. The word could be written out in full, combined with the determinative of a short stature, or expressed only by the determinative itself. There was a male form of writing (Deneg / Dag) and a female form of writing (Deneget / Daget) . Combined with the determinative for “dancer” ( Gardiner symbol A32 ), people of short stature are described as “dance dwarfs ” (Egypt. Deneg ibau ). In combination with the symbol for “clothing” (Gardiner symbol S28 ), however, people of short stature are referred to as “ clothing dwarfs ” (deneg chebes) . From the Middle Kingdom on , the word Nemu appears, which means "grown together" and was used for dwarves in religious , magical and mythological contexts. A third term, Hewa , actually means “driver” or “shepherd”. In relation to dwarfs, on the other hand, it means "the crooked one", which is aimed at the physical shape of short stature.

Short stature was shown mostly with normally proportioned torso and face, but with strongly squat, shortened limbs, which suggests short stature due to achondroplasia or hypochondroplasia . However, there are also depictions of short people with completely normally proportioned limbs, whereby it is open here whether the people depicted were actually members of a certain African ethnic group with a low average size, or whether they were only depicted so small to a) express their lower position ( Meaning size) or b) to make the main motif of the relief stand out more clearly.

The earliest clearly assignable representations of short stature appear on grave steles of the 1st Dynasty . Most of them come from the royal necropolis of Abydos and are now badly damaged or broken. Further representations can be found as burned-in ink inscriptions on clay and alabaster vessels . Furthermore, there are several ivory - and gemstone statuettes that both male and female Midget portray . On all of the surviving images and statuettes, the short people wear fine aprons , wide gold necklaces and stepped wigs , which suggests a special position at court. On the grave steles , the figures hold the Sechem scepter and / or fabric seals , as they were worn by priests of the Old Kingdom. Some female figures representing short stature are shown in a posture that is typical for a standing birth. Other characters have physical features of pregnancy . Such dwarf figures may have been used as votive offerings and talismans to bring happiness to pregnant women and healthy children.

In the Middle Kingdom and during the Amarna period , images of people of short stature became increasingly rare. It is uncertain whether short stature actually occurred less often, or whether its social status had decreased so that short stature no longer enjoyed such an excellent position as in the Old Kingdom and before. The surviving figurative and two-dimensional representations of dwarfs show clear artistic homages to the Old Kingdom, as shown by alabaster figures from the tomb of Tutankhamun ( 18th dynasty ). In texts and private reliefs, designations and images of people of short stature hardly appear at all.

Possible purchase and acquisition

Small children may have been acquired through purchase. Hermann Junker refers to relief inscriptions as well as the work of Jacques Jean Clére and Hans Felix Wolf and cites the Egyptian word Isuu as possible evidence . This translates as “I bought (this)”, from which “buyer” can be derived symbolically. However, it must be left open whether the short stature actually came from human trafficking or whether they were not more likely to “rent” themselves. It was also not uncommon for normal people to negotiate something like a transfer fee in the form of natural produce when changing employer / host or when performing and working outside the home. However, inscriptions also document cases in which short stature occurred within a family and the respective short stature was therefore not for sale or acquired by gift.

Differentiation between short Egyptians and short people of other origins

The Egyptians apparently made a distinction between the stunted natives and the dancers of short stature of African ethnic groups. Hermann Junker suspects that the "dance dwarfs" ethnic groups with a small average size came from today's Sudan or Ethiopia (formerly known as " pygmies "). The latter were employed exclusively for temple dance and for special, acrobatic festival performances. Smaller Egyptians, on the other hand, made professional careers in official and craft areas .

Social position and occupations

Social position

During the Old Kingdom, short Egyptians enjoyed a special social position at court because of their short stature. The ancient Egyptians regarded short stature as a special gift; Discrimination or social exclusion were initially alien to them. In the numerous medical papyri of the Middle and New Kingdom, but also of the later epochs, short stature is neither mentioned nor dealt with. From this, doctors and Egyptologists like John F. Nunn conclude that the ancient Egyptians were apparently aware that short stature was congenital and therefore not medically treatable. Instead, it was interpreted more as a "divine manifestation " and accepted by ancient Egyptian society.

In many cases, people of short stature appear to have been accepted as full members in the families into which they were admitted, because they were entrusted with specific duties and continued to be employed from generation to generation. They also enjoyed high esteem in the king's household; Here, too, they were assigned tasks and positions within the family, for which special official and rank titles were actually necessary. From this it can be concluded that at that time people of short stature enjoyed a high reputation in Egyptian society and were not just a status symbol , even if they could represent such a thing for their host / king. The short stature was reserved for the wealthy elite and the royal court. The elevated social position of short stature is also expressed in the secondary burials of the 1st dynasty. At that time it was customary for the closest confidants and relatives to follow their ruler to his death. The co-buried small stature therefore belonged to the closer family circle and were therefore allowed to lie buried right next to their ruler.

From the reign of King Pepi II ( 6th dynasty ) there is a letter from the ruler to Harchuf , a reading priest , prince and expedition leader on Elephantine . From an expedition from Punt, Harchuf brought a short stature that the young king absolutely wants to see, which is why he instructs Harchuf to do everything possible so that the “dwarf” arrives safely at the residence . He urges Harchuf to hurry and instructs him to keep watch over the short stature so that he does not fall into the water while driving on the Nile . The letter also states that King Pepi is more pleased to see “that dancer” than about “all the beautiful things that are made of Bia and Punt”. Pepi also promises the general that he will amply reward him for his efforts. The letter also mentions that "dwarves" were brought from Punt to Egypt earlier, for example under Bawerdjed during the reign of King Djedkare-Isesi .

Starting a family

Group of statues of the diminutive court official Seneb and his family

The special case of the court official Seneb (late 4th or early 5th dynasty ; Old Kingdom) proves that people of short stature could set up families with normal people and not just marry one another. Seneb was married to the normal-stature princess Senetites and had two daughters ( Auib-en-Chufu and Semeret-Radjedef ) and a son (Ankh-ima-Radjedef) with her . Seneb's case also proves that children of short stature could be born physically healthy. In cases in which short people are designated as custodians of other short people, it is conceivable that they are short family members of the first named, but this must remain open, since typical terms such as "son" and / or "daughter" are missing. In addition, it was not uncommon among artists of the Old Kingdom to depict one and the same person several times, for example when he or she held several offices and professions at the same time.

A similar case is that of the “court and dance dwarf” Per-ni-anchu . A statue of him has also survived, showing him with very similar physical malformations. Per-ni-anchu also had a normal-proportioned torso, normal-sized head, and shortened arms and legs. However, his neck was shortened and one leg was slightly longer than the other. Therefore suspect specialists such Chahira Kozma that Per-ni-Anchu next achondroplasia also, elephantiasis could have suffered. Since his mastaba is very close to Seneb's grave (also in Giza ), Per-ni-anchu may have been the brother or even the father of Seneb. Like Seneb, Per-ni-anchu was married to a woman of normal height.

jobs

In the mastabas of the Old Kingdom, the various professions and offices of people of short stature are represented and described. Since their short stature did not permit heavy physical work, they were employed in professions that required dexterity, skill and creativity. Smaller stature, among other things, was responsible for jewelers , clothing and fabric manufacturers, sandals - or jewelry - and vessel carriers or for walking pets on a leash. They are often shown accompanying and assisting normal servants and offerers during procession or hunting .

The small ones seem to have enjoyed being employed as animal keepers . A total of 22 relief scenes from the Old Kingdom have been preserved to assist them in the care, support and training of pets show. They preferred to take dogs , cats and monkeys out, probably because these animals were particularly easy to tame and did not become dangerous to the small ones too quickly. Only one illustration shows a small man leading a leopard on a leash. It is in the grave of the senior official Nianch-nesut . In a further depiction, in the grave of the high official Nefer , a monkey steals fruit from the carrying basket of one of them and plays with its leash. Further images with dwarfs and small monkeys suggest that the little monkeys, as it were, assisted them: In the grave of the senior official Kaaper , a scene shows a dwarf and his little monkey setting the pace for a flutist and a harp player . People of short stature themselves were often active as musicians and conductors , even if images of stunted people making music are very rare. A unique representation in this regard can be found in the grave of the high official Nikau-Inpu in Giza . The dwarf making music there plays on a harp.

As already mentioned at the beginning, the inscriptions of the Old Kingdom suggest that even people of short stature had the opportunity to make a career and advance in their professions and offices. Titles such as "Overseer of the dwarfs in the house of clothes", "Overseer of the goldsmiths " and "Palace rulers" as well as honorary titles such as "Friend of the King" and "Beloved by his Lord" prove that small people have the same social status how professional opportunities and privileges were granted like normal people. It is unclear whether they were also directly involved in religious and cultic services and rituals or merely performed assisting tasks. The inscriptions and representations associated with celebrations such as the Sed Festival and the Hathor Festival do not allow any more precise conclusions, since the accompanying inscriptions mention the names of the short people, but not their activities during the festival.

Small stature in later epochs

In the New Kingdom and later, the special esteem for small people apparently decreased. They were only rarely shown in a functional context in the exercise of their professions, the representations now served more for amusement or even mockery. The wisdom teachings of the Amenemope ( Papyrus British Museum 10474 ; 19th Dynasty ) explicitly call for people of short stature (but also the blind , cripples and autistic people ) not to tease or blaspheme. Historians and scholars value Amenemope's teachings of wisdom as a public appeal that should be directed against possible impending moral decline within Egyptian society.

Small deities

The god Bes on a relief from the temple complex of Dendera

The people of ancient Egypt worshiped many short deities . The best-known among them is the god Bes , who has been reliably documented from the 12th dynasty and probably originally came from Sudan . Bes was the god of happiness, dance and dreams. But he was also considered the god of birth. He is depicted as a short man with lion ears , crooked legs and a bearded, grumpy face. He usually wears a feather crown on his head, as it was later typical for depictions of Hittites . Bes is one of the few deities in Egypt who were always depicted frontally and thus could hardly be confused with other deities.

From the New Kingdom onwards , people of short stature appear in religious writings that center around the sun god Re . In one of these papyri from the Ludwig Borchardt collection, Re is described as “dwarf of heaven”, “dwarf who is between heaven and earth”, and as “overgrown who is in the middle of heaven”. In Papyrus Salt , a dwarf deity is invoked who is worshiped as the "dwarf of Upper and Lower Egypt". However, the name of this deity is not recorded. In the demotic Leiden papyrus , a diminutive deity is also invoked, which is very likely associated with Re or even identical with it. The deity describes himself as a "noble dwarf who is in the sealed caves". The implied connection to Re comes from the mention of the "sealed caves": Re is also said to hide in "sealed caves" when he is resting.

Labeled scarab pendants date from the New Kingdom and later epochs , on which people of short stature are equated with the deity Chepri (the mythological youth form of Re) and are depicted with a scarab-shaped upper body. The Ptolemaic Papyrus Insinger contains in column 24, lines 8-9 the saying: "The little scarab is big because of its hidden shape, the dwarf is big because of its name!"

Another, albeit quite rare, dwarf deity is Ptah-Pataka ("Ptah, the strong one"), a form of the main god Ptah. Ptah-Pataka is depicted as a small man with a shaved head or with a round cap, as Ptah always wears. Another short form of Ptah was called Ptah-segem-panem ("Ptah, the listener").

Thoth , the god of the moon and time , was also able to appear in a dwarf form: small amulets show the bodies of human dwarfs with the heads of baboons . The short stature of deities should probably clarify their creative and creative aspects as well as the properties as protective deities, since human short stature themselves were mainly active in manual ("creative") and design ("creative") professions.

Known short stature

Well-known people of short stature include Nefer , Hednub and Serinpu , who all worked in the 1st dynasty and found their final resting place in secondary royal burials as a token of appreciation and respect. The remains of short people were also discovered in secondary burials of kings Wadji and Semerchet . However, their names have not been preserved. Nianch-Djedefre , Per-ni-anchu ( 4th dynasty ) and especially Seneb (4th or 5th dynasty) are known from the Old Kingdom . In later epochs, the names of the dwarfs were often not handed down, exceptions are the dwarf Daget-Neith and the short stature Djehu , who lived during the later period .

Literary representation

In the third volume of Thomas Mann's monumental novel - Tetralogy of Joseph and His Brothers , two small people take on important roles. The action of this volume takes place in ancient Egypt and tells the biblical story of Joseph's rise as a servant in the house of Potiphar . In Mann's literature, Potiphar's household includes the "dwarfs" Dûdu and Gottliebchen (full name Se 'ench-W en-nofre-Neteruhotpe-em-per-Amun ), who act as opponents and are opposites to Joseph. While Gottliebchen immediately sympathized with Joseph and urged the caretaker to buy the young slave, Dûdu, Potifar's “clothes attendant” and “head of jewelry boxes”, tried to harass Joseph's rise.

Dûdu is portrayed by Mann as a “fundamentally religious dwarf” with mannered behavior, who is very keen to be married to Zeset (an “extended woman”) and to have normal children with her, Esesi and Ebebi . Gottliebchen, on the other hand, is portrayed as a comical figure with a tame monkey on his shoulder. He has many mock names ("Wesir", "Schepses-Bes" or "Bes-em-Heb") and his face is "childish-old, small-wrinkled, wizened and alraunisch ". Mann found inspiration for the literary portrayal of the short stature in the book Egypt and Egyptian Life in Antiquity by Adolf Erman / Hermann Ranke , a standard work on ancient Egyptian cultural history from 1923. He was also familiar with the statues of Seneb and Bes, including those from History of Egypt by the American Egyptologist James Henry Breasted (published in German in 1936).

literature

  • William R. Dawson: Pygmies and dwarfs in ancient Egypt. In: The Journal of Egyptian Archeology. Vol. 24, No. 2, 1938, ISSN  0075-4234 , pp. 185-189, doi: 10.2307 / 3854789 .
  • Veronique Dasen: Dwarfs in Ancient Egypt and Greece. Clarendon Press et al., Oxford et al. 2013, ISBN 978-0-19-968086-3 .
  • Hans-Werner Fischer-Elfert : “Do not laugh at a blind man and do not mock a dwarf!” On dealing with the disabled in ancient Egypt. In: Max Liedtke (Ed.): Disability as an educational and political challenge. Historical and systematic aspects (= series of publications on the Bavarian School Museum Ichenhausen. Vol. 14.). Klinkhardt, Bad Heilbrunn 1996, ISBN 3-7815-0791-2 , pp. 93-116.
  • Brigitte Goede: Letter from Pepis II to Herchuf, Governor of Elephantine, about a dance dwarf. In: Gabriele Höber-Kamel (Ed.): Elephantine, the gateway to Africa (= Kemet. Vol. 14, Issue 3, 2005, ISSN  0943-5972 ). Kemet-Verlag, Berlin 2005, pp. 23-25.
  • Hermann Junker (Ed.): The Maṣṭaba des' Snb (Seneb) and the surrounding graves (= Gîza. Report on the excavations undertaken by the Academy of Sciences in Vienna at the joint expense of Wilhelm Pelizaeus in the cemetery of the Old Kingdom near the pyramids von Gîza. Vol. 5 = Academy of Sciences. Philosophical-Historical Class. Memoranda. Vol. 71, Abh. 2, ISSN  1012-4861 ). Hölder-Pichler-Tempsky in commission, Vienna et al. 1941, pp. 7–11 ( PDF; 25.7 MB .).
  • Chahira Kozma: Dwarfs in Ancient Egypt. In: American Journal of Medical Genetics. Part A, Vol. 140A, No. 4, 2006, ISSN  0148-7299 , pp. 303-311, doi: 10.1002 / ajmg.a.31068 , digital copy (PDF; 499.55 kB) .
  • John F. Nunn: Ancient Egyptian Medicine . University of Oklahoma Press, Norman 2002, ISBN 0-8061-3504-2 .
  • Alfred Rupp: The dwarf in the Egyptian community. In: Chronique d'Egypte. Vol. 40, No. 80, 1965, ISSN  0009-6067 , pp. 260-309.
  • Karl-Joachim Seyfried : dwarf. In: Wolfgang Helck (Hrsg.): Lexikon der Ägyptologie (LÄ). Volume VI, Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 1986, ISBN 3-447-02663-4 , Sp. 1432-1435.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ C. Kozma: Dwarfs in Ancient Egypt. Hoboken NJ 2006, p. 304.
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g William R. Dawson: Pygmies and dwarfs in ancient Egypt. In: The Journal of Egyptian Archeology. Vol. 24, No. 2, 1938, pp. 185-189.
  3. ^ A b c V. Dasen: Dwarfs in Ancient Egypt and Greece. Oxford et al. 2013, p. 149.
  4. ^ V. Dasen: Dwarfs in Ancient Egypt and Greece. Oxford et al. 2013, pp. 47, 48, 50-51, 62.
  5. ^ WM Flinders Petrie : The Royal Tombs of the First Dynasties. Part 1 (= Memoir of the Egypt Exploration Fund. Volume 18, ISSN  0307-5109 ). Egypt Exploration Fund et al., London et al. 1900, plate XXXII., Object 17 .
  6. ^ V. Dasen: Dwarfs in Ancient Egypt and Greece. Oxford et al. 2013, p. 304.
  7. ^ V. Dasen: Dwarfs in Ancient Egypt and Greece. Oxford et al. 2013, p. 27.
  8. ^ V. Dasen: Dwarfs in Ancient Egypt and Greece. Oxford et al. 2013, p. 30.
  9. ^ V. Dasen: Dwarfs in Ancient Egypt and Greece. Oxford et al. 2013, p. 31.
  10. ↑ a b c d e f g Karl-Joachim Seyfried: Dwarf. In: Wolfgang Helck (Hrsg.): Lexikon der Ägyptologie (LÄ). Volume VI, Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 1986, ISBN 3-447-02663-4 , Sp. 1432-1435.
  11. ^ V. Dasen: Dwarfs in Ancient Egypt and Greece. Oxford et al. 2013, p. 110.
  12. ^ C. Kozma: Dwarfs in Ancient Egypt. Hoboken NJ 2006, p. 304.
  13. ^ V. Dasen: Dwarfs in Ancient Egypt and Greece. Oxford et al. 2013, pp. 134-135.
  14. ↑ a b c d e f V. Dasen: Dwarfs in Ancient Egypt and Greece. Oxford et al. 2013, pp. 121-126.
  15. ↑ a b c d Hermann Junker (Ed.): The Maṣṭaba des' Snb (Seneb) and the surrounding graves. Vienna et al. 1941, pp. 7-11.
  16. ↑ a b c Brigitte Goede: Letter from Pepis II to Herchuf, Governor of Elephantine, because of a dance dwarf. In: Gabriele Höber-Kamel (ed.): Elephantine, the gateway to Africa. Berlin 2005, pp. 23-25.
  17. ^ C. Kozma: Dwarfs in Ancient Egypt. Hoboken NJ 2006, p. 305.
  18. ↑ a b c Hans-Werner Fischer-Elfert : “Do not laugh at a blind man and do not mock a dwarf!” About dealing with the disabled in ancient Egypt. In: Max Liedtke (Ed.): Disability as an educational and political challenge. Historical and systematic aspects. 1996, pp. 93-116, here pp. 113-116.
  19. ↑ John F. Nunn: Ancient Egyptian Medicine . P. 79.
  20. ^ C. Kozma: Dwarfs in Ancient Egypt. Hoboken NJ 2006, p. 305.
  21. ^ C. Kozma: Dwarfs in Ancient Egypt. Hoboken NJ 2006, p. 305.
  22. ^ V. Dasen: Dwarfs in Ancient Egypt and Greece. Oxford et al. 2013, p. 114.
  23. ^ A b V. Dasen: Dwarfs in Ancient Egypt and Greece. Oxford et al. 2013, pp. 124-125.
  24. ^ V. Dasen: Dwarfs in Ancient Egypt and Greece. Oxford et al. 2013, p. 150.
  25. ↑ James Roger Black: The Instruction of Amenemope. A Critical Edition and Commentary Prolegomenon and Prologue. University of Wisconsin, Madison WI 2002, p. 226 f. (Also: Madison WI, University, Dissertation, 2002).
  26. ^ V. Dasen: Dwarfs in Ancient Egypt and Greece. Oxford et al. 2013, pp. 50-51.
  27. ^ C. Kozma: Dwarfs in Ancient Egypt. Hoboken NJ 2006, pp. 308-309.
  28. ^ V. Dasen: Dwarfs in Ancient Egypt and Greece. Oxford et al. 2013, p. 46.
  29. ^ V. Dasen: Dwarfs in Ancient Egypt and Greece. Oxford et al. 2013, p. 47.
  30. ^ V. Dasen: Dwarfs in Ancient Egypt and Greece. Oxford et al. 2013, p. 47.
  31. ^ V. Dasen: Dwarfs in Ancient Egypt and Greece. Oxford et al. 2013, p. 50.
  32. ^ C. Kozma: Dwarfs in Ancient Egypt. Hoboken NJ 2006, p. 309.
  33. ^ V. Dasen: Dwarfs in Ancient Egypt and Greece. Oxford et al. 2013, p. 62.
  34. ^ C. Kozma: Dwarfs in Ancient Egypt. Hoboken NJ 2006, p. 305.
  35. ^ V. Dasen: Dwarfs in Ancient Egypt and Greece. Oxford et al. 2013, pp. 32-33.
  36. ↑ a b Anke-Marie Lohmeier: Dûdu. In: Literature Lexicon online. February 25, 2015, accessed July 3, 2019 .
  37. ↑ a b Anke-Marie Lohmeier: Gottliebchen (Se'ench-Wen-nofre-Neteruhotpe-em-per-Amun; Bes-em-Heb; Schepses-Bes). In: Literature Lexicon online. February 25, 2015, accessed July 3, 2019 .
  38. ↑ a b Thomas Mann: Joseph and his brothers I. Comment . Ed .: Jan Assmann, Dieter Borchmeyer, Stephan Stachorski (=  large commented Frankfurt edition . No. 7.2 ). Fischer, Frankfurt a. M. 2018, ISBN 978-3-10-048329-4 , pp. 181 .
This version was added to the list of articles worth reading on September 11, 2014 .