The Art of Ancient Egypt | Publications for Educators | Explore & Learn

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Granary
Thebes, tomb of Meketre, early Dynasty 12, ca. 1985 B.C.
Gessoed and painted wood, l. 29 1/8 in.
Rogers Fund and Edward S. Harkness Gift, 1920
20.3.11

With the exception of the doorkeeper who guards the entrance, all the occupants in the first room of this model are scribes, as indicated by their writing equipment. The scribes on one side write on boards while those on the other write on papyrus scrolls. Each has a palette--a rectangular board with a slot to hold reed brushes and two depressions to hold red and black ink.

The grain was measured as it was brought from the field and again as it was taken away to be made into bread and beer, staples of the Egyptian diet. All transfers of grain would have been recorded by the scribes. Such records allowed administrators to calculate available supplies. Since the Egyptians did not have coinage until Greco-Roman times (after 332 B.C.), grain was also a commodity used for expressing the value of goods. Other such commodities included copper or silver.

In the main part of the granary workers are pouring sacks of grain into large storage bins. Husks of real grain still lie in the bottoms of these bins. Mouse droppings found by the excavators indicate that most of the ancient grain was eaten soon after it was buried.

Notice: activities

Discuss: poses denoting different occupations, why fragile materials such as painted wood and linen are preserved in Egypt (the dry climate)

Compare with: Haremhab as a scribe and Stela of a Middle Kingdom official

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