Eros in Egypt David O'Connor Archaeology Odyssey, September-October, 2001 e moderns tend to believe that ancient Egyptian art contains little that is overtly se!"al# Egyptian painting seems to lac$ the strong sens"al %"alities o& m"ch classical art and its descendant, the richly te!t"red art o& the enaissance# (his impression is mista$en, ho)ever# *n paintings and relie&s in Egyptian temples and tombs, the se!"ality is o&ten only s"ggested+as )hen a h"sband and )i&e are depicted sitting dem"rely side by side+be&itting the digni&ied s"rro"ndings# *n the lo) art o& papyr"s scroll-painting, on the other hand, Egyptian artists created e!plicitly erotic images# n&ort"nately, only one o& these scrolls has s"rvived# (he most erotically graphic+some )o"ld say pornographic+)or$ o& Egyptian art is the so-called ("rin Erotic .apyr"s /.apyr"s 001, no) in the Egyptian "se"m in ("rin, *taly# *taly# .ainted in the amesside a messide period /1232-104 5#C#E#, the severely damaged papyr"s has not been treated )ell by time and the elements#/ 1 *t consists o& a contin"o"s series o& vignettes dra)n on a papyr"s scroll abo"t 6# &eet long and 10 inches high# (he &irst third o& the scroll /reading &rom right to le&t sho)s animals and birds carrying o"t vario"s h"man tas$s# (he (he rest consists o& e!plicit depictions o& se!"al acts# (he erotic section o& the ("rin papyr"s comprises 12 s"ccessive vignettes# *n each vignette a grotes%"ely aro"sed, "n$empt man has se!"al relations )ith an attractive yo"ng )oman# (he )oman, )hile virt"ally na$ed, is decidedly more elegant than her partner# (he (he se!"al positions are varied and e!tremely vivid# One vignette goes so &ar as to place the )oman in a chariot )ith the man standing on the gro"nd behind it /and her, creating an especially improbable scene# So graphic are these images that a recent commentator, the S)iss Egyptologist 7oseph Omlin, &elt compelled to resort to 8atin to describe the activities involved#
9et the vignettes' artistic merit is high, indicating that the papyr"s had an elite o)ner and a"dience# (he dra&tsmanship is o& good %"ality, and the 12 erotic vignettes are care&"lly designed+both as an entire str"ct"re and as separate scenes# (he central scene o& the erotic vignettes, "nli$e the others, is hori:ontal# *t consists o& a )oman lying above a bed, reaching do)n belo) the bed to embrace a man# (his centerpiece separates e%"al amo"nts o& space to the le&t and right, )ith &ive vignettes to the right and si! to the le&t# (he vignettes themselves are gro"ped into three sets o& three scenes and one set o& t)o scenes /vignettes 1 and 2# *n the three-scene &ormat, a dominant central vignette o& especially graphic character is &lan$ed on either side by vignettes given a slightly less prominent treatment# (hese gro"pings )ere probably meant to con&orm to the )ay in )hich a papyr"s scroll is read+by "nrolling one end and rolling "p the other
end, e!posing only a portion at a time# ;ie)ing each gro"p o& scenes, then, )o"ld be li$e t"rning the pages o& a large boo$# (he ("rin Erotic .apyr"s is obvio"sly a satire on h"man manners and desires, as the animal vignettes on the &irst third o& the papyr"s s"ggest# Another papyr"s &rom the amesside period, the so-called Satirical .apyr"s, no) in the 5ritish "se"m, sho)s animals per&orming activities o&ten represented in the high art o& Egyptian tombs< a lion, &or e!ample, is sho)n m"mmi&ying a corpse# (he Satirical .apyr"s appears to be a parody o& high themes in lo) style# (he graphic, v"lgar ("rin papyr"s papyr"s probably also po$es &"n at the "pper classes# (he erotic vignettes, * believe, )ere appreciated as ironic commentary on the love poetry en=oyed by the amesside elite#/ 2 (hese poems "se sens"o"sly and erotically charged imagery to celebrate emotional and se!"al relationships bet)een bea"ti&"l yo"ng elite )omen and their handsome male peers# *n one s"ch poem /translated by ichael >o!, a yo"ng yo"ng )oman tells her lover? y heart desires to go do)n to bathe mysel& be&ore yo", (hat * may sho) yo" my bea"ty in a t"nic o& the &inest royal linen### *'ll go do)n to the )ater )ith yo", and come o"t to yo" carrying a red &ish, )hich is ="st right in my &ingers# *'ll set it be&ore yo", )hile loo$ing "pon yo"r bea"ty# bea"ty# O my hero, my brother @a term o& endearment, Come, loo$ "pon meB meB *n the satire o& the ("rin Erotic .apyr"s, the voracio"s male lovers are seedy and v"lgar, and the )omen )ho service them, )hile not o& the highest elite, are rendered as yo"ng and attractive# (he s"ggestion o& elegance in the )omen adds to the am"sing, ironic, yet pornographic e!citement that )as evo$ed by the papyr"s's scenes# (he ("rin Erotic .apyr"s, then, presents a $ind o& &ran$, earthy abelaisian satire o& h"man acts+not "nli$e )hat )e &ind in other instances o& lo) comedy, s"ch as Sha$espeare's clo)n scenes# S"ch e!plicitness, ho)ever, )as not deemed appropriate &or the dignity o& temples and tombs# Some Egyptologists have s"ggested that to maintain decor"m, a $ind o& vis"al code )as commonly "sed in high Egyptian art to e!press se!"al or erotic messages# As the >rench scholar .hillipe Derchain s"ggests, a mandra$e berry might be a sign o& vol"pt"o"s sens"ality, sens"ality, or a d"c$ling held bet)een a )oman's )oman's breasts might designate her &"nction as a se!"al se !"al partner# (o (o Derchain, the e!tremely common scene in mort"ary art o& h"sband and )i&e sitting soberly ne!t to each other in the presence o& their &amily symboli:es their se!"al "nion as a reality even a&ter death# / *t is also possible that se!"al )ordplay is rendered vis"ally in &ormal Egyptian art# >or e!ample, the )ord to shoot can mean, depending on its hieroglyphic determinative or ideogram, to shoot an arro) or to e=ac"late# e=a c"late# A scene sho)ing yo"ng .haraoh ("tan$ham"n ("tan$ham"n /1-124 5#C#E# shooting arro)s at distant birds in the presence o&
his attractive )i&e might )ell have been read by Egyptians as a symbolic depiction o& their se!"al "nion#/F "nion#/F Altho"gh Egyptologists disagree, sometimes vehemently, )hether there is erotic encodement in Egyptian art,/ art,/ there can be no do"bt that se!"al themes are indeed represented in &ormal tombs and temples# Se!"ality co"ld not be ignored beca"se o& its importance in Egyptian myths and belie&s abo"t the a&terli&e# Creation itsel& co"ld be described in se!"al terms /the creator, being alone, mast"rbates to generate other gods, and deities had se!"al relations )ith each other#/ other#/ Altho"gh some Egyptian inscriptions pio"sly note that lovema$ing is replaced by apotheosis in the a&terli&e, more o&ten Egyptians loo$ed &or)ard to res"ming se!"al activity in the )orld to come# *& they co"ldn't do a)ay )ith se!"al themes, the Egyptians' strong sense o& decor"m/4 decor"m/4 re%"ired that the erotic activities o& deities or the deceased be depicted in restrained and mod"lated &orms# & orms# A &ertility god li$e in )as sho)n &ran$ly as ithyphallic, beca"se that )as )hat he )as, a prod"cer o& seed# ore typical o& the treatment o& se!"ality in high art, ho)ever, are the renderings o& the "nion bet)een the god Osiris and his sister-consort *sis# (he depiction o& the cop"lation o& Osiris and *sis )as appropriate in &ormal conte!ts beca"se it )as s"ch a cr"cial episode in a myth o& great signi&icance &or Egyptians# Osiris is m"rdered and dismembered by his envio"s brother Seth# Osiris's sisters, Gepthys and *sis /the latter also his )i&e, reassemble Osiris's m"tilated body in order to m"mmi&y it+tho"gh in some versions o& the myth they need to b"ild an arti&icial penis, beca"se a Gile carp ate the original# A&ter m"mmi&ying Osiris, *sis is able to revive his se!"al potency and become pregnant# She then gives birth to Hor"s, )ho )ho de&eats Seth, becomes the r"ler o& the living, and per&orms c"lt rit"als &or Osiris# Go) &"lly e&&ective again, Osiris becomes r"ler o& the dead in the a&terli&e# (hese events had several meanings &or Egyptians# Osiris symboli:ed the &orces o& regeneration, )hich enabled the s"n god, the so"rce o& all li&e, to rene) himsel& day a&ter day# Osiris and Hor"s also provided the paradigm &or the orderly s"ccession o& Egyptian $ings+as )ell as &or the per&ormance o& mort"ary c"lt rit"als by sons on behal& o& their deceased, tho"gh hope&"lly revitali:ed, &athers#/6 &athers#/6 (he co"pling o& Osiris and *sis is sho)n in a n"mber o& temples &rom the Ge) Iingdom /10-1040 5#C#E# and later#/3 later#/ 3 All o& these depictions &ollo) a standard &ormat that ma$es the se!"ality e!plicit and yet maintains Egyptian decor"m# Osiris is sho)n in h"man &orm< despite his evident aro"sal, he lies inert# (he problem, ho)ever, )as ho) to depict *sis, )ho has the active role o& aro"sing Osiris and having interco"rse )ith him? (o depict her in h"man &orm )o"ld be a dist"rbing intr"sion "pon the dignity o& the gods# (he Egyptian artistic sol"tion )as brilliant? *sis &l"tters over the inert Osiris in the &orm o& a small bird, descending to achieve impregnation and th"s to conceive Hor"s# (his may seem grotes%"e to "s, b"t it enriched the scene symbolically )hile moderating /b"t not concealing its se!"al character# hy a birdJ *sis and Gepthys are o&ten identi&ied as $ites, in connection )ith their roles as mo"rners# *n anthropoid depictions, moreover, Gepthys and *sis are sometimes sho)n )ith )ings, )hich they beat over Osiris to &an him )ith li&e-giving air# *sis's bird &orm is especially
appropriate beca"se Hor"s, the royal son she is abo"t to conceive, is o&ten represented as a &alcon+a close relative o& the $ite# Egyptian artists co"ld also depict se!"al relations bet)een h"mans and anthropomorphi:ed deities )itho"t transgressing tra nsgressing the bo"nds o& modesty# According According to Egyptian royal mythology, mythology, either a $ing's h"man mother /a %"een is impregnated by a god or his h"man h"man &ather /a $ing impregnates a goddess# (he &"t"re $ing is born, n"rsed and proclaimed legitimate by the divine divine parent< then, )hen he comes o& age, he accedes to the cro)n#/10 cro)n#/ 10 (hese themes are depicted in the temple o& K"een Hatsheps"t /1F46-1F6 5#C#E# at Deir el 5ahari, as )ell as in the temple o& Amenhotep *** /130-1 5#C#E# at 8"!or# (he dramatis personae are ar e the god Am"n-a and the h"man %"eens )ho bore Hatsheps"t and Amenhotep Amenhotep ***# Altho"gh Altho"gh in both depictions, depictions, )hich are almost identical to one another, se!"al interco"rse is only s"ggested, not act"ally depicted# atters are e!plicit in the accompanying te!ts? (he god gets into the %"een's bed and, ta$ing the &orm o& her h"sband, "nites )ith her se!"ally# 5oth 5oth %"eens recogni:e the god Am"n-a, ho)ever, and they are delighted to be s o honored# A n"mber o& pictorial devices are "sed to so&ten the se!"al dimension o& the episode# (he bed, the act"al locale o& the se!"al "nion, is present, b"t the god and the %"een are physically separated &rom it? ()o goddesses seated on the bed hoist the co"ple above it# *n one case, the god and %"een sit on a long, hori:ontal hieroglyph &or heaven, a device emphasi:ing the transcendental aspect o& their "nion# Gonetheless, it is clear )hat the god and %"een are "p to# (hey (hey directly &ace one another, an "n"s"al arrangement &or a seated co"ple in Egyptian art, s"ggesting the imminence o& an embrace# >"rthermore, their legs overlap /b"t do not intert)ine, s"ggesting the interco"rse that is to &ollo) and res"lt in the birth o& the $ing# *n both depictions, Am"n-a ma$es a common gest"re+repeated again and again in temple relie&s+o& holding the li&e hieroglyph to the %"een's nostrils, endo)ing her )ith li&e# At Deir el 5ahari, Am"n-a per&orms a more "n"s"al gest"re? Got only does he p"t the li&e hieroglyph to the %"een's nose b"t he passes hieroglyphs representing li&e and dominion or overlordship to the %"een at )aist level# (his latter symbol probably re&ers to the royal li&e trans&erred to the %"een by the god in the act o& cop"lation# Another treatment o& the conception, birth and n"rsing o& a &"t"re $ing occ"rs on the so"th )all o& a small chapel erected &or a c"lt o& Iing Gebhepetre ent"hotep /2006-134 5#C#E# o& the 11th Dynasty#/ 11 11 (he chapel stood near the goddess Hathor's temple at Dendera, so she is the divine partner involved# Her h"man partner is a $ing# Here, decor"m is observed to s"ch an e!tent that neither neither the se!"al interco"rse o& the co"ple c o"ple nor the act"al birth o& the &"t"re & "t"re $ing is depicted# 9et 9et each is clearly, i& only implicitly, present# On the right, Hathor sha$es a sistr"m, a symbol o& se!"al aro"sal in the temple c"lt, be&ore a $ing )ho a)aits her )hile seated on a bed# On the le&t, Hathor dandles an in&ant $ing )ith the assistance o& a n"rse, an episode indicating that the birth o& the
&"t"re $ing has ta$en place# (h"s the episodes o& interco"rse and birth are to be read as occ"rring bet)een the scenes o& se!"al &oreplay and a&ter-birth s"c$ling, even i& they are not act"ally depicted#/12 depicted#/ 12 >or the ancient Egyptians, se! clearly mattered, and not only as the means o& propagating the species# Egyptian men e!pected to res"me res"me se!"al activity a&ter death+believing that thro"gh interco"rse )ith a &emale partner /typically, a )i&e in the a&terli&e, the deceased co"ld procreate a re="venated, reborn version o& themselves#/1 themselves#/1 e )o"ld )o"ld there&ore e!pect to &ind n"mero"s depictions o& se!"ality in Egyptian mort"ary art# (he &act is, ho)ever, they are relatively rare, and even the most e!plicit depictions, as at Deir el 5ahari and 8"!or, are greatly s"bd"ed &or modesty's sa$e# 9et there are a &e) scenes in tomb chapels that do indeed seem /i& the codes are interpreted correctly to re&er to se!"ality, opening "p the possibility that se!"al depictions are more common than is generally tho"ght# (he most &amo"s o& these scenes is in the Sa%%ara tomb chapel o& erer"$a, the vi:ier o& Iing (ety /20-26 5#C#E# o& the th Dynasty#/ 1F 1F Some scholars believe it represents the prel"de to se!"al "nion bet)een erer"$a and his )i&e, &or the sheer pleas"re o& engaging in se! and &or the p"rpose o& his rebirth in the a&terli&e#/1 a&terli&e#/1 (he intimate, rela!ed co"ple sit on a large and prominent bed# (his is similar to, tho"gh earlier than, the scenes &rom Deir el 5ahari and 8"!or in )hich Am"n-a is sho)n above a bed )ith the %"een# As in the royal scenes, erer"$a and his )i&e directly &ace one another# (he erer"$a scene also recalls the prel"de to se!"al "nion depicted in Gebhepetre's chapel# "ch as Hathor sha$es a sistr"m in order to aro"se her h"man partner &or interco"rse, erer"$a's )i&e plays a harp &or her h"sband, perhaps to accompany a love song# (here is a &inal indicator o& imminent interco"rse, one that is rarely mentioned even by commentators )ho thin$ that the scene re&ers to interco"rse and the deceased's rebirth#/1 rebirth#/1 Over his le&t sho"lder, erer"$a holds a large &ly )his$ made o& three &o! s$ins tied together# (he )his$ &orms the hieroglyph &or /rebirth or to be /reborn# (his is almost certainly not accidental< it s"ggests that the scene represents the prel"de to the se!"al "nion necessary &or erer"$a's rebirth# So the Egyptians )eren't sti&&, straight-laced p"ritans# (hey created a genre o& e!tremely graphic, erotic images, &e) o& )hich s"rvive today< and they represented se!"al scenes, i& sometimes in coded &orm, in their temples and tombs# *& these scenes tend to be restrained and modest, )e probably sho"ldn't be s"rprised# As anthropologist Ernestine >riedl observes, ordinarily ordinarily,, r"n-o&-the-mill, everyday se! relations in virt"ally all h"man societies are hidden, cond"cted a)ay &rom the ga:e o& all b"t the participants#/14 participants#/ 14 (he Egyptians simply e!tended this principle to m"ch o& their art# 1 (he only comprehensive p"blication o& ("rin .apyr"s 001 is 7oseph Omlin, Der Omlin, Der Papyrus 55001 und seine Satirisch-erotischen Zeichnungen und und Inschriften, Inschriften , /("rin?
>ratelli .o::o-(orino, .o::o-(orino, n#d## elated to the vignettes o& this papyr"s are n"mero"s e!plicitly erotic ostraca and &ig"rines< see 8isa anniche, Sexual Life in Ancient Egypt /Ge) 9or$? 9or$? Iegan .a"l *nternational, 1364# /5ac$ / 5ac$ 2 >or translations and disc"ssion o& these love poems, ichael >o!, he Song of Songs and Ancient Egyptian Lo!e Songs /adison? Songs /adison? niv# o& isconsin, 136< 7ohn >oster, "y#ns >oster, "y#ns Prayers$ and Songs% An Anthology Anthology of Ancient Egyptian Lyric Lyric Poetry /Atlanta? Poetry /Atlanta? Scholars .ress, 133, pp# 12-1 /a selection# / 5ac$ K"otations and materials in this paragraph &rom .hilippe Derchain, Symbols and etaphors in 8iterat"re and epresentations o& .rivate 8i&e, in &oyal in &oyal Anthropological Anthropological Institute 'e(sletter 1 1 /134 pp# -10# / 5ac$ F Derchain, Symbols and etaphors, pp# 3-10# /5ac$ / 5ac$ >or a &orce&"lly )orded disc"ssion, see arianne Eaton-Ira"ss and Erhart Lrae&e, he S#all )olden Shrine fro# the o#* of utan+ha#un /O!&ord? Lri&&ith *nstit"te, 136, Chapter # /5ac$ / 5ac$ >or the se!"al aspects o& creation acco"nts, see 8ana (roy, Patterns (roy, Patterns of ,ueenship in Ancient Egyptian yth and "istory /ppsala, "istory /ppsala, 136, 12-2< &or divine &amilies, Dimitri ee$s and Christine >arvard-ee$s, Daily >arvard-ee$s, Daily Life of the Egyptian )ods, )ods, /*thaca, G9? Cornell niv# niv# .ress, 133, pp# -4< on the se!"ality o& deities, ee$s and >arvard-ee$s Daily >arvard-ee$s Daily Life of the Egyptian )ods, / 5ac$ )ods, pp# -3# /5ac$ 4 On this sense o& decor"m, a ma=or &actor in Egyptian art and other aspects o& c"lt"re, see 7ohn 5aines, Society, orality orality and eligio"s .ractice .ractice in 5yron Sha&er, ed#, &eligion ed#, &eligion in Ancient Egypt /*thaca, /*thaca, G9? Cornell niv# .ress, 1331, pp# 14-1F# /5ac$ / 5ac$ 6 On myths and belie&s associated )ith Osiris, Osiris , see (roy, (roy, Patterns of ,ueenship, ,ueenship, pp# 2-F< Stephan K"ir$e, Ancient K"ir$e, Ancient Egyptian &eligion /8ondon? &eligion /8ondon? 5ritish "se"m .ress, 1332, Ch# 2# /5ac$ / 5ac$ 3 A typical e!ample o& the scene in %"estion is ill"strated in anniche, Sexual Life in Ancient Egypt , p# 6 />ig# 1# /5ac$ / 5ac$ 10 On the /hal&- divine birth o& $ings, see David Silverman, (he Gat"re o& Egyptian Iingship, in David O'Connor and David Silverman eds#, Ancient Egyptian .ingship, .ingship, /8eiden? 5rill, 133, pp# 3-41# (he depictions o& the divine birth cycle at 8"!or and Deir el 5ahari are disc"ssed and depicted in Hellm"t 5r"nner, Die 5r"nner, Die )e*urt des )ott+/nigs /iesbaden? )ott+/nigs /iesbaden? Otto Harrasso)it:, 13F# /5ac$ / 5ac$ 11 8abib Habachi, Iing Gebhepetre ent"hotep? His on"ments, .lace in History, History, etc#, in itteilungen in itteilungen der Deutschen Archologischen Archologischen Instituts A*teilung .airo 13 .airo 13 /13, pp# 13-26# / 5ac$ 12 David O'Connor, he Dendereh hapel of 'e*hepetre entuhotep% a 'e( Perspecti!e, Perspecti!e, in Anthony 8eahy and 7ohn (ait eds#, St"dies on Ancient Egypt in
Honor o& H#S# Smith /8ondon Egypt E!ploration Society, 1333 pp# 21-220# /5ac$ 1 See (roy, Patterns (roy, Patterns of ,ueenship, ,ueenship, pp# 20-2# Ho) ancient Egyptian )omen "nder)ent s"ch a process is a more di&&ic"lt iss"e, disc"ssed recently by Ann oth, >ather Earth, other S$y? Ancient Egyptian 5elie&s Abo"t Conception and >ertility, in Alison a"tman ed#, Ieading ed#, Ieading the 2ody &epresentations &epresentations and &e#ains in the Archaeological &ecord /.hiladelphia? /.hiladelphia? niv# o& .ennsylvania .ress, 2000, pp# 136-133# /5ac$ / 5ac$ 1F (he scene o& erer"$a and his )i&e is conveniently reprod"ced in 7ohn 5aines and 7aromir ale$, Atlas ale$, Atlas of Ancient Egypt /Ge) /Ge) 9or$ 9or$ >acts on >ile ."blications, 1366 p# 20# >or a very similar, s imilar, contemporary scene see Ayl)ard 5lac$man and ichael Apted, he &oc+ o#*s of eir , part , Egypt E!ploration Society, 8ondon, 13, .late M8;# See also, &or related iss"es, David O'Connor, Se!"ality, Stat"ary and the A&terli&e< Scenes in the (omb-chapel (omb-chapel o& .epyan$h /Heny the 5lac$ in .eter Der an"elian /ed# and ita >reed /s"pervisor, Studies in "onor of 3illia# .elly Si#pson ;ol# Si#pson ;ol# 2 /"se"m o& >ine Arts, 5oston, 133, pp# 21-# /5ac$ 1 ost recently, see Hart)ig Altenm"ller, )e*urtsschrein und )e*urtshaus, )e*urtshaus , in Der an"elian and >reed, Studies, Studies, ;ol# *, p# 0# / 5ac$ 1 So &ar as * $no), noted only by Eri$ Horn"ng, as cited in H# 5"chberger,Sexualitat 5"chberger,Sexualitat und "arfenspiel 'oti4en 4ur sexuellen .onnotation der altgyptischen I+onographie in )/ttinger is4ellen is4ellen /136, p# 16# / 5ac$ 14 Ernestine >riedl, Se! the *nvisible, in A#erican in A#erican Anthropologist Anthropologist 3 3 /133F, p# 6# /5ac$ /5ac$
