Introduction: The relationship between humans and animals in the ancient world remains a largely neglected topic. Animals are mentioned infrequently in art and archaeological studies and are often viewed by historians as relatively minor players in the development of ancient cultures. Furthermore, when representations of animals in ancient art and texts are described, assumptions are often made about their cultural significance without reference to, or detailed understanding of, the biology and behaviour of their living models. This is unfortunate as animal-related artefacts undoubtedly reflect their makers’ intimate knowledge of the species they depicted, and potentially also their beliefs about and emotional response to them. If in our analyses of animal artefacts, we disregard the living creatures that motivated such representations, we see only one side of this relationship and therefore miss a valuable opportunity to understand the experiences of our ancient ancestors at a deeper level.
Methodology: Animals are a predominant feature of ancient Egyptian art. I have confirmed the value of reconnecting with the living creatures hidden behind animal artefacts by examining the representation of animal behaviour in Egyptian tomb paintings and reliefs, in which I compare the pose and context of animal figures with zoological information to identify the behaviour depicted. I will illustrate the potential of this approach via the representation of locomotion, sexual, predatory, defensive, and aggressive behaviour expressed by birds, fish, cattle, hyenas, and lions in tomb art from the cemetery sites of Giza and Saqqara.
Main Results: An ethological analysis has shown that the meaning of Egyptian animal imagery is often revealed unambiguously by considering species-specific behaviour. It has also illuminated both the detailed biological knowledge of the Egyptian people and the ways in which they used this information in their physical and metaphysical interactions with animals.
Principal Conclusions and Implications for the Field: Through the process of evaluating the zoological significance of animal art, the past comes alive, allowing for a more accurate and objective evaluation of the human-animal relationship in the ancient world.