Individuals

The ancient Egyptians did not create art for art’s sake. They believed that representation of humans, animals, and natural forms in workable materials (stone, wood, and metals) were imbued magically with the essence of the thing they represented. Therefore, a statue of an individual stood to advance that person in some way in this life or the next. It was a focus of blessings and offerings as well as the deceased’s substitute for eternity. It’s not surprising then to find that these statues were inscribed with glowing accounts of the life and deeds of the person represented. Only people of means who were connected to the vast royal bureaucracy or priesthood could afford such items. Since ancient Egypt was a theocracy, the individual’s relationship to the royal court, especially to the king, however tenuous, was paramount and would be touted on their sculptures. So, when we see such titles as "sole companion [of the king]," we must put it into the context of symbolism.

On his statue, the scribe Amenemhet describes himself as "sturdy manager of the king," "vigilant manager of the god’s wife" (i.e., the queen in a priestly capacity), and "king’s acquaintance." Despite his presentation of himself in Egyptian terms, he was in fact a native of Nubia, the country and sometimes Egyptian territory south of Egypt proper. The inscriptions also tell us he was the son of Lesaw, chief of the land of Tehkhet. Amenemhet belongs to the earliest generation of indigenous Nubians to experience acculturation to Egyptian ways after the southward expansion of the Egyptian Empire during the Eighteenth Dynasty. Statue of a scribe,detail on upper right arm with inscription "the scribe Amenemhat".