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Egyptian Artifacts

Clay Donkey

This little π“ˆ–π“†“π“‹΄π“…© clay π“Šͺπ“ˆ–π“‹΄π“ˆ‡ donkey π“ƒ˜π“Ί is easy to miss in the display cabinets of the galleries at the MET, but he is just so cute!Β 

Clay Donkey

This piece was is very rudimentary but I love how it shows a different level of ancient Egyptian artistry. There are four little sticks in the donkey π“ƒ˜π“Ί which are used to hold the little clay π“Šͺπ“ˆ–π“‹΄π“ˆ‡ balls which are probably representing sacks of grain π“ˆŽπ“„Ώπ“…±π“Έπ“¦. This little π“ˆ–π“†“π“‹΄π“…© clay π“Šͺπ“ˆ–π“‹΄π“ˆ‡ donkey π“ƒ˜π“Ί was actually found by Howard Carter when he was excavating near Hatshepsut’s π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ temple!  

While horses 𓋴𓋴𓅓𓏏𓃗π“ͺ weren’t introduced into Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š– until the Second Intermediate Period (around 1600 B.C.E.), donkeys π“ƒ˜π“ƒ˜π“ƒ˜ seem to have been in Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š– since around 4500 B.C.E. (based on bone evidence). However, the first artistic representation of a donkey π“†„π“…±π“ƒ˜ is from a palette dated to 3100 B.C.E., which is around the end of the Predynastic Period and the start of the Archaic Period (1st and 2nd Dynasties). 

Another distinction between donkeys π“ƒ˜π“ƒ˜π“ƒ˜ and horses 𓋴𓋴𓅓𓏏𓃗π“ͺ in ancient Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š– were that donkeys π“ƒ˜π“ͺ were used mainly for work and for hauling goods/materials in carts (as seen in this clay π“Šͺπ“ˆ–π“‹΄π“ˆ‡ representation) while horses 𓋴𓋴𓅓𓏏𓃗π“ͺ were only used for pulling chariots π“…¨π“‚‹π“‚‹π“π“Œπ“¦ and were reserved solely for the military and pharaohs 𓉐𓉻π“₯. 

This piece is dated to the Second Intermediate Period – Early New Kingdom (13th-18th Dynasties, 1991–1450 B.C.E.). 

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost.Β 

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