Fig. 218.
The combination of thet dad uas, and of ankh dad uas, is found in the XIIth dynasty at Benihasan, apparently carved in relief, on the wooden panels of a litter (R.C. xciii.). The same occur similarly carved on the ebony doors of Hatshepsut at Deir el Bahri. The group begins to appear as an architectural design early in the XVIIIth dynasty, and continues down to Roman times, especially on bases of scenes and groups, thus forming a continuous border of good wishes. The hieroglyphs, ankh, dad, and uas, are all found on pendants for necklaces, in the blue glazed pottery of the XVIIIth dynasty, and also combined in one as a ring bezil. And the thet girdle tie of Isis appears repeated as a pattern, probably of pierced woodwork, along the sides of a shrine of Tahutimes III. at Semneh, and on the base of a couch in the birth scene of Amenhotep III. (R.S. xxxviii.). As funeral amulets the thet, dad, and ankh occur commonly, but that branch is outside of the subject of decoration.
219.—Khafra.
220.—Khafra.
Another hieroglyph often appearing as an ornament is the sam, or symbol of union. The origin of it is yet unexplained. It certainly is a column of some kind; it has a well-marked capital and an abacus. The capital is formed much like the palm-leaf capital; and the stem is clearly bound round, and must therefore be composite. This suggests that it might be a column of palm-sticks bound together, with some tops left projecting for ornament. Such might well be more conventionalised at the beginning of Egyptian sculpture in the IVth dynasty than the other kinds of capitals; and the immigrant race came from the region of the palm, while the lotus and papyrus only were reached by them in Egypt itself. The base is a main difficulty to explain. It might be conventionalised clods of earth, with two curled-over side branches of the palm; but it has been so modified that we must await more evidence. In any case the stem is formed of several parts bound together, and hence it was very naturally adopted as a symbol of union. It was further grouped with two plants, the stalks of which were linked around it. It is always supposed that these symbolise northern and southern Egypt, and that the group means the union of all the land. Still it is yet uncertain what plants are intended to be represented, though on the throne of Tahutimes IV. they are clearly lotus and papyrus; but the evidence is too late to be of much value. This group was a favourite decoration from beginning to end of Egyptian history. At the beginning of the XIIth dynasty an addition was made by placing a figure of Hapi or the Nile on each side of the group (Tanis i. I.), each figure holding one of the two plants. As these figures were crowned, one with the sign of south the other of north, they point to the plants being emblems of the south and north also. This group with the figures is found as late as the XXth dynasty (L.D. III. 237). Another design came into fashion during the great foreign wars of the XVIIIth dynasty, representing two captives, one negro, one Syrian, bound back to back against the sam; thus it symbolised not only the union of upper and lower Egypt, but also of the northern and southern races outside of Egypt. Later on, four or even six such racial types are figured as bound together.
INDEX
- Amu dresses, [15]
- Ankh girdle, [117]
- Anthemion, [65], [72]
- Assyrian lotus, [72]
- Barks of gods, [83]
- Basket-work screens, [14], [36], [93]
- Bell capital, [76]
- Bes, god of dance, [115]
- Binding patterns, [103]
- Birds, [87]
- Boat covers, [29], [31]
- Borders, spiral, [40]
- „ lotus, [64]
- Borrowed art, [40]
- Brickwork panelling, [95]
- „ curved courses, [96]
- C-spirals, [34]
- Calf, [87]
- Captives, [84]
- „ bound together, [85], [122]
- „ painted on sandals, [86]
- Cavetto cornice, [98]
- Chain of spirals, [20]
- Chequer patterns, [44]
- Circles, not usual, [47]
- „ not divided by six, [49]
- Classes of ornament, [9]
- Cobra, [107]
- Coils, [20]
- Continuous spirals, [20]
- Convolvulus decoration, [81]
- Cornice, palm, [98]
- Dad columns, [95], [117]
- Daisy, [58]
- Decoration, classes of, [9]
- Decorative instinct of Egyptians, [2]
- Descent of patterns, [5]
- Disc with spots, [60]
- „ and wings, [108]
- Duck, [87]
- Endless spirals, [21]
- Feather patterns, [50]
- „ types of, [51]
- „ belts, [52]
- Fleur-de-lys type, [68]
- Flower ornament, [55]
- Framing of wood, [94]
- Fret patterns, [35]
- „ Greek, [36], [43]
- Garlands, [82]
- Geometrical ornament, [9], [12]
- Girdles ankh and thet, [117]
- Globe and wings, [108]
- Graining of wood, [89]
- Grape pendants, [80]
- Greek fret, [36], [43]
- „ lotus, [72]
- „ architecture, structural, [91]
- Guilloche, [40]
- Hathor head, [114]
- „ capitals, [115]
- Hawk, [87]
- Hexagon pattern, [14]
- Hieroglyphs decorative, [3]
- „ symbolic, [116]
- Hooks, [20]
- Horns, [110]
- Ibex, [87]
- Imitation of wood, [89]
- „ stone, [89]
- Isiemkheb, tent of, [56], [87]
- Kahun, guilloche at, [41]
- Keft dresses, [15]
- Khaker pattern, [100]
- Khufu, [108]
- Lachish, slabs, [100]
- Leatherwork, [56], [59]
- „ rosettes, [57]
- Line decoration, [12]
- „ zigzag, [13]
- Links, [20]
- Lion, [113]
- Lotus patterns, [61]
- „ tied, [62]
- „ capitals, [63]
- „ border, [64]
- „ plant, [66]
- „ friezes, [67]
- „ flower developed, [70]
- „ flower with pendants, [73]
- „ column, [76]
- Maat goddess, [114]
- Maeander, [40]
- Minusinsk art, [7]
- Mykenaean spirals, [38]
- „ borrowed art, [40]
- „ ox head, [59]
- „ disc and spots, [60]
- Natural ornament, [10], [50]
- Network patterns, [46]
- Nile figures, [121]
- Orchomenos, [39]
- Origin of patterns, [5]
- Ornament, classes of, [9]
- Palm capital, [78]
- „ not common, [79]
- „ cornice, [98]
- „ column, [120]
- Palmetto, [65]
- Panelled pattern, [95]
- Papyrus, [61], [75]
- „ cornice, [101]
- Patterns not re-invented, [8]
- Pectorals, [83]
- Perspective, Egyptian, [69]
- Plaiting patterns, [14], [36], [44]
- Ra, creator, preserver and destroyer, [111]
- Roll on buildings, [97], [103]
- Rope borders, [42]
- „ pattern, [92]
- Rosette, [56], [58]
- Rushwork plaiting, [14], [36], [93]
- Sam column, [119]
- Scale pattern really feathers, [52]
- Scarab spirals, [18]
- „ symbolical, [112]
- Scroll pattern, [17]
- Siloam tomb, [100]
- Sloping faces of buildings, [96]
- Spiral or scroll, [17]
- „ origin of, [18]
- „ sole patterns, [24]
- „ earlier on scarabs, [28]
- „ surface decoration, [29]
- „ with lotus, [30]
- „ crossed lines, [31]
- „ quadruple, [31]
- „ quintuple, [34]
- „ developed to fret, [36]
- „ late, [23]
- Subdivisions.
- „ coils, [20], [21], [23], [24], [29], [40]
- „ hooks, [19], [20], [22]
- „ links, [19], [20], [21], [29], [42]
- „ chain, [20], [21]
- „ continuous, [20], [25]
- „ endless, [21], [23]
- „ false links, [26]
- „ lop-sided, [27]
- Spots, not Egyptian, [15], [60]
- Star patterns, [57], [58], [88]
- Stitch patterns, [43], [57]
- Structural ornament, [10], [91]
- Styles, characteristic, [8]
- Symbolic ornament, [11], [106]
- Tell el Amarna, [29], [54], [55], [58], [71], [75], [80], [87], [116]
- Terms for spirals, [20]
- Thet girdle, [117]
- Thistle decoration, [82]
- Torus, origin of, [97]
- Uas sceptre, [117]
- Uraeus, [107]
- V pattern, [55]
- Vine patterns, [79]
- Vulture, [87], [111]
- Wave borders, [41]
- Wavy line, rounded, [16]
- Weaving patterns, [14]
- Wings symbol of protection, [109]
- Wood, imitation of, [89]
- Wooden framing, [94]
- Wreaths, [83]
- Zigzag lines, [13]