Die Tributszenen des Neuen Reiches.

• Author: Binder, Susanne
• Position: Book review

Die Tributszenen des Neuen Reiches. By SILKE HALIMANN. Agypten und Altes Testament, vol. 66. Wiesbaden: HARRASSOWITZ VERLAG, 2006. Pp. ix + 365, illus.[euro]98 (paper).

As indicated by its title, the focus of this study lies on the analysis and reassessment of the so-called tribute scenes, i.e., the scenes depicting the transmission of foreign goods (inw) that are found on the walls of some private tombs and royal monuments of New Kingdom Egypt. The author's interest is not art-historical but centers on the information content of the scenes. The detailed assessment of the iconography and the captions of 55 scenes aims to evaluate whether "tribute," and accordingly "tribute scene," is an appropriate interpretation and designation for this type of representation.

The "tribute-debate" in Egyptology with its many facets is explored. The numerous modern translations of inw, the ancient Egyptian word used to designate the items associated with non-Egyptian persons, each have different implications for the relationship between the person(s) presenting the inw and the recipient, the Egyptian king or a deity. Is the giving/bringing of goods one-sided or reciprocal? Is there an element of force or obligation in the handing over of inw? What is the degree of subjugation to the Egyptian king? Is inw a designation for tribute (Tribut), trade goods (Handel), a delivery (Lief-erung), a personal gift (personliches Geschenk)? Does it refer to consumer goods (Konsumgut), prestigious objects (Prestigegut), or luxury items (Luxusgut)? Hallmann's contribution lies in compiling all the iconographic data and integrating it with the inscriptional evidence for inw and the "tribute-debate" and relating the observations to a theoretical model developed for the ancient economy.

The book, the author's doctoral dissertation, has five sections: 1) the catalogue of tribute-scenes, 2) the theoretical background and context for the study, 3) the comparative analysis of the scenes in the catalogue, 4) results and conclusions, 5) bibliography and extensive indices.

The catalogue comprises 237 pages of detailed descriptive analysis of the primary sources. Each of the fifty-five scenes is assigned to one of six groups (I-VI) based on the presence or absence of three iconographic elements and their combination: representatives of a foreign people, foreign goods, the recipient in the person of the king or a deity. Within each group the scenes are dealt with in chronological...