The use of bucrania in the architecture of First Dynasty Egypt

Bucrania, or bull skulls, were used as a decorative motif in the architecture of First Dynasty Egypt. There is both archaeological and icongraphic evidence for this - bucrania have been excavated in the mastabas of Saqqara, and there are artefacts from the period with depictions of buildings surmoun...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Dijk-Coombes, Renate M. van 1980- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Interlibrary Loan:Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany)
Published: 2013
In: Journal for semitics
Year: 2013, Volume: 22, Issue: 2, Pages: 449-463
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Parallel Edition:Non-electronic
Description
Summary:Bucrania, or bull skulls, were used as a decorative motif in the architecture of First Dynasty Egypt. There is both archaeological and icongraphic evidence for this - bucrania have been excavated in the mastabas of Saqqara, and there are artefacts from the period with depictions of buildings surmounted by bucrania. Comparative material, such as the bucrania found in situ at the burials of Kerma and the practice of human sacrifice during the Egyptian First Dynasty, can be examined to gain insight into the significance and deeper meaning of the bucrania. This article will study the available evidence in an attempt to answer how and why bucrania were used in the architecture of First Dynasty Egypt.
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal for semitics
Persistent identifiers:HDL: 10520/EJC147422