Ancient Egyptian Painting Reveals “Strange Touches” Over Time
A new x-ray analysis of a 3,000-year-old painting by Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses II has revealed what archaeologists suspect were “strange touches” applied to the artwork over the years.
Ancient Egypt’s Formal Creative Expression
Scientists from France’s National Center for Scientific Research say ancient Egypt did not know the word “art”, adding that the civilization may have been “too formal” in its creative expression, including the work of artists in funerary churches.
Scientific Analysis of Ancient Egyptian Painting
Archaeologists have pointed out that the scientific analysis of ancient Egyptian painting in the past has mainly been carried out in museums, while the painted surfaces preserved in churches and funerary temples have remained “somewhat far” from careful study.
X-rays showhidden secrets in ancient Egyptian necropolis paintings https://t.co/81fNtKwDsE
— Live Science (@LiveScience) July 12, 2023
Portable X-Ray Scanner Reveals Hidden Details
With the help of a new type of portable x-ray scanner, scientists were able to study the stelae at the site of Ramesses II (c. 1279 BC – 1213 BC) in the tomb of Nakhtamun, a priest in charge of the daily preparation of altars during the reign of pharaoh.
And in the remains of the city of Luxor in Egypt, scientists have found new details in the paintings of “Mena”, which is believed to be responsible for the agricultural production of the ancient city.
Ancient Artists’ Artistic Liberties
A study published in the journal PLoS One on Wednesday, July 12 shows that the “touch-up” marks made on these paintings over time suggest that this appears to be an artistic liberties taken by ancient artists.
Scientists have studied the painting of Pharaoh Ramesses II in the tomb of Nakhtamun near Thebes (now Luxor), which shows that the pharaoh has a light beard on his face, and in front of his face is a figure whose features are poorly distinguishable.
This led earlier scholars to suggest that the painting refers to the pharaoh’s grief due to the death of his father, Pharaoh Seti I (reigned from about 1294 BC to 1279 BC), but new scans of the image say the opposite.
Using a portable version of X-ray fluorescence imaging (XRF), a technique that uses X-rays to determine the chemical composition of an object, the team scanned the Ramesses II stele and other artwork from the tomb, revealing details that were not visible. naked eye.
Hidden Reworked Details
The team explained that the headdress, necklace and scepter in Ramesses II’s depiction appear to have been “significantly reworked” despite remaining invisible to the naked eye.
They were also able to find another subtle anomaly in the painting discussed in detail earlier because it shows a rare but accurate depiction of a pharaoh with a growing beard.
While Ramesses II’s chin beard is seen in this image as a visual symbol of the sadness hypothetically associated with the death of his father and his ascension to the throne, close examination reveals that the man in front of him in the painting is the god Ptah and not his late father. Networks I.
The new analysis of the painting also revealed Ramesses’ prominent Adam’s apple, a detail that archaeologists say is “interesting because it never appeared in ancient Egyptian art.”
And in our tomb, they say, they changed the position and color of the hand. The new x-ray analysis showed that the pigments used to depict skin color were different from those first used in these paintings.
However, scholars note that the purpose of these “minor changes” remains unclear, but they suspected that ancient artists, at the request of their authorized persons, may have made some of these changes.
Ancient Artists’ Personal Touches
Instead, archaeologists have suggested that artists, on their own initiative, may have added “personal touches” to traditional forms as their view of works changed.
New Insights through Non-Destructive Analysis
The results highlight the new insights that archaeologists can gain by using such portable instruments for non-destructive chemical analysis and in situ imaging.
The study showed that chemical analysis carried out by scientists on site, combined with 3D digital reconstructions of the works, could allow the restoration of the original forms.
Dynamic and Complex Ancient Egyptian Art
The new study also shows that ancient Egyptian pharaonic art and the conditions in which it was created may have been more dynamic and complex than previously thought.
Future Research and Discoveries
In future research, the team hopes to analyze more paintings at the site to find new signs of the craftsmanship and intellectual personality of ancient Egyptian scribes and artists.
Source: Independent
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