Statue of the scribe Heti

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Statue of the scribe Heti
Statue of the scribe Heti.JPG
material limestone
Dimensions H. 52.1 cm; W. 37.3 cm; T. 26 cm;
origin Giza , necropolis
time Old Kingdom , 5th Dynasty , around 2300 BC Chr.
place Hildesheim , Roemer and Pelizaeus Museum , PM 2407

The statue of the scribe Heti from the Old Kingdom belongs to the Egyptian collection of the Roemer- und Pelizaeus-Museum Hildesheim (inventory number 2407).

Scribe figures appear for the first time in the 4th dynasty. The type of statues of the writer is well into the 1st millennium BC. Occupied. The statue of the scribe is the ideal image of an administrative officer . The writer was highly regarded because of his intellectual abilities and thus his professional position.

Heti was the head of the clerks in the legal department of the vizier administration.

Site and dating

The statue was found together with other figures in 1914 in his heavily destroyed grave complex on the West Cemetery of Giza and is dated to the late 5th Dynasty around 2300 BC. Dated.

presentation

The statue is 52 cm high and 37.3 cm wide with a depth of 26 cm. It is made of limestone and some of it still has remains of painting.

Heti sits in the classic posture of a scribe with crossed legs on a rectangular base without any inscription. The name and title are known from other statues.

His costume includes the knee-length short apron with a wide belt and a detailed curly wig that covers his ears. Heti has laid a papyrus roll over the entire apron, both ends of which are rolled up. In the raised right hand, which is ready to write, he is holding a separately inserted metal writing implement that has not been preserved. The short neck and the squat upper body form a clear contrast to the broad shoulders and long, delicate limbs. The grave lord exudes an impressive calm, the gaze is directed straight ahead to follow the events in the cult chamber, in which his constant care is guaranteed.

The statue looks lifelike, although the feet have an unusual posture.

literature

  • Arne Eggebrecht , Bettina Schmitz, Matthias Seidel: The Old Empire. Egypt in the age of the pyramids . von Zabern, Mainz 1986, ISBN 978-3-8053-0936-3 .
  • Arne Eggebrecht: The Egyptian Collection / Pelizaeus Museum Hildesheim (= Ancient World. Volume 24, special issue). von Zabern, Mainz 1993, ISBN 978-3-8053-1579-1 .

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