Model of a Granary with Scribes

Middle Kingdom
ca. 1981–1975 B.C.
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 105
This model of a granary was discovered in a hidden chamber at the side of the passage leading into the rock cut tomb of the royal chief steward Meketre, who began his career under King Nebhepetre Mentuhotep II of Dynasty 11 and continued to serve successive kings into the early years of Dynasty 12.

The four corners of this model granary are peaked in a manner that is sometimes still found in southern Egypt today presumably to offer additional protection against thieves and rodents. The interior is divided into two main sections: the granary proper, where grain was stored, and an accounting area. Keeping track of grain supplies was crucial in an agricultural society, and it is noteworthy that the six men carrying sacks of grain here are outnumbered by nine men taking care of measuring and accounting. Of the four scribes two are using papyrus scrolls, two write on wooden writing boards.

All the accessible rooms in the tomb of Meketre had been robbed and plundered already during Antiquity; but early in 1920 the Museum's excavator, Herbert Winlock, wanted to obtain an accurate floor plan of the tomb's layout for his map of the Eleventh Dynasty necropolis at Thebes and, therefore, had his workmen clean out the accumulated debris. It was during this cleaning operation that the small hidden chamber was discovered, filled with twenty-four almost perfectly preserved models. Eventually, half of these went to the Egyptian Museum, Cairo, and the other half came to the Metropolitan Museum in the partition of finds.

Link to a blog about ancient architectural models
Modeling the World: Ancient Architectural Models Now on View

Link to a blog about scribes in Ancient Egypt
Showing Signs: Hieroglyphs and Palettes in the Stela of Irtisen

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Model of a Granary with Scribes
  • Period: Middle Kingdom
  • Dynasty: Dynasty 12
  • Reign: early reign of Amenemhat I
  • Date: ca. 1981–1975 B.C.
  • Geography: From Egypt, Upper Egypt, Thebes, Southern Asasif, Tomb of Meketre (TT 280, MMA 1101), serdab, MMA excavations, 1920
  • Medium: Wood, plaster, paint, linen, grain
  • Dimensions: L. 74.9 (29 1/2 in); W. 56 cm (22 1/16 in); H. 36.5 (14 3/8 in);
    average height of figures: 20 cm (7 7/8 in.)
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund and Edward S. Harkness Gift, 1920
  • Object Number: 20.3.11
  • Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art

Audio

Cover Image for 803. Kids: Models from the Tomb of Meketre

803. Kids: Models from the Tomb of Meketre

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Imagine that you’re an archaeologist in Egypt and you are standing inside a tomb. The tomb was robbed in ancient times, but you notice a crack between a wall and the floor. Pointing your flashlight inside the hole, you see a little hidden chamber, and it’s full of wonderful wooden models. Now, look around—these are the wooden models! See if you can find the large photograph on the wall this is what it looked like when the museum’s archaeologists actually found the hidden chamber. About half of the models you see there came to this museum, and other half is in a museum in Cairo, Egypt. The models belonged to a wealthy nobleman named Meketre. He lived in about 1980 BC, so these models are over four thousand years old! – and all the paint you see is the original paint. The Egyptians believed that in the afterlife these models would magically become real. So, the nobleman would have everything he needed for the afterlife —lots of boats, a garden, and storehouses and workshops that would produce food for him. Now, look at the low glass cases with the workshops. Can you find the bakery, where the grain was made into bread? What’s happening in the other rooms? And take some time to look at the very tall figure that is displayed separately. Do you see her? She is an offering bearer, holding a duck in her hand and more food stashed in the basket on top of her head. Walk around the case and look at her from all sides – isn’t she beautiful? One more thing - look for the boats in the glass case against the wall. They all had different functions. There are boats for traveling, funerals, sports, and even a kitchen boat!

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