Tomb Relief with a Ship Scene

Description

Object Label: The incomplete scene at the top of this fragment of a relief from a tomb shows the legs of two butchers and the massive body of the steer they are cutting up to make offerings of meat for the spirit of the tomb owner. In the separate scene below, a sailor climbs the rigging of a billowing sail. Ancient ships traveled up the Nile (that is, south) with sails raised, because the prevailing winds came from the north. When going downstream, the crew lowered the mast and used their oars. Two crew members are partially preserved at the bottom edge. One appears to be waving at the climber and shouting the warning inscribed above him, which reads, “Look out for the rope!” Caption: Tomb Relief with a Ship Scene, ca. 2500–2350 B.C.E.. Limestone, 23 3/4 x 17 5/16 in. (60.3 x 43.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 35.640. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)