Relief with running troops

Old Kingdom

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 103

Two lines of running soldiers wear aprons or kilts and carry sticks, bundled staves, and bows. At the end of each row runs a kilted figure, the one in the lower register carrying what appear to be bundled papyri. Remains of vertical rows of zigzag lines at the upper edge of the block indicate that, as was often the case with troop scenes, a nautical scene was associated, perhaps a royal voyage out to the temple of a god or goddess.

Within the overall organization, the arrangement of the soldiers is highly varied and intricate. Such complexity and layering of overlapping elements mark the relief style of the pharaoh Userkaf. The relief carving itself is fairly flat.

Relief with running troops, Limestone, paint

Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.