The Stela of Djedherbes as a Cultural Document of Its Time

Abstract

The contribution at hand analyses the visual display of the stela of Djedherbes, which was excavated at Saqqara in 1994. Found in a secondary context, it is currently the only private funerary stela of known stratigraphic context which combines Egyptian and Persian elements. The two scenic registers on the care of the mummy and the continuing social and physical care of the deceased visualise the owner’s affinity to both cultural traditions. In this respect, the stela is a typical funerary monument of a person of mixed parentage in Late Period Egypt. In addition, the iconographic details echo various cultural traditions in the Eastern Mediterranean area of connectivity. Whether this cultural multivalency is due to the wishes of the owner or the designer of the stela cannot be ascertained. In any case, it provides important insights into the craftsmen’s versatility and training in 5^th and 4^th c. B.C. Egypt and beyond.