Bilder im Wandel: Die Kunst der Ramessidischen Privatgraber.

• Author: Teeter, Emily

Bilder im Wandel: Die Kunst der Ramessidischen Privatgraber. By EVA HOFMANN. Theben, vol. 17. Mainz: VERLAG PHILIPP VON ZABERN, 2004, Pp. ix + 217, illus. [euro]86.

One of the glories of ancient Egyptian civilization is the incredible ability of its artists. One can only marvel at their output and at their technique. A large number of finely decorated tombs were produced in the Ramesside Period (Dynasties 19-20. ca. 1293-1070 B.C.), with the greatest concentration in western Thebes. This city was the theocratic and cultural center of the country for more than five hundred years, and as a result, the tombs there were decorated by the most accomplished artists. Appropriately, since this volume is in the series "Theben," the majority of the tombs under discussion are located in that region. What is not apparent from the title, and a valuable feature of the work, is the discussion of contemporary tombs at Saqqara in the north and in provincial areas such as the Baharia oasis, Hierakonpolis, el Kab, Aswan, and Aniba in Nubia. Also not apparent from the title is that the text addresses decorated tombs of the post-Amarna Dynasty 18 (just prior to the Ramesside age) when there was considerable innovation and testing of new styles and themes.

The text is divided into two sections: a survey of the development of artistic style (s), and an analysis of these artistic styles. It begins with a detailed stylistic survey of Theban tombs divided into those that span the end of the Amarna period to the end of Dynasty 18 and Dynasty 19 and tombs of Dynasty 20. Tombs are assigned dates according to what is known about the tomb owner's career (and often much is known), by a representation of a king or a reference to his name, and in many cases, on much more subjective stylistic features. Of the thirty-four Dynasty 19 tombs studied, fourteen are assigned to that time period according to their style. And of the twenty-two from the following dynasty, nearly half (twelve) are dated stylistically. Hofmann clearly states what aspects of the paintings suggest a particular date. For example, in tombs of Dynasty 19, men's skin tends to be red-brown, while in the following dynasty, it is lighter, almost beige. Although some general trends can be discerned, doing a diachronic study of tombs employing samples that are not firmly dated creates some methodological difficulties.

The text is followed by two appendixes. The first is devoted to work methods. This section of the...