ARCE-NC: The Iconographic and Spatial Role of Gate Guardian Demons in Deir el-Medina Tombs by Dr. Jess Johnson

Lecture Information:

Material culture from Deir el-Medina [DeM] contains multiple representations of demons. Yet there exists little study on how demons fit into religion in the settlement. While the broader scholarly definition of demon remains fluid, conceptual ideas include aspects of protection, liminality, and the relationship between location and capability. Gate guardian demons (Book of the Dead [BD] 144-147), in particular, are often cited because of their frequent textual and visual representation in papyri and, notably, Deir el-Medina tombs. These artisans equipped themselves with BD 144-147 in their tombs, including text and wall paintings of the gate guardians, thus prompting questions about the function of the visual representations (wall paintings), the function of gate guardians in the BD, and the location of the scenes within the architectural space of the tomb.

This talk uses materiality theory to study the relationship between text, visual representation, and architecture within the burial chambers in seven DeM tombs, and considers how these factors influence DeM artisans’ visual representation and conceptualization of demons. Through this study, we can better understand patterns of artistic production and preference, and how and why texts and scenes were mapped onto tomb walls.

Speaker Bio:

Jess Johnson is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures department at UC Berkeley. She received her B.A. in Art History from New York University in 2013 and her M.A. in Egyptian Art History and Archaeology and a Graduate Certification in Museum Studies from the University of Memphis in 2016. Her dissertation takes advantage of the commonly overlooked vignettes and tomb wall paintings of the Book of the Dead and the intriguing demonic entities mentioned within it. Jess is also interested in the museological well-being of Egyptian collections. She has over ten years of experience working in museums within university settings, galleries, and auction houses. She hopes to continue both her Egyptological and Museum Studies passions interchangeably through pursuing a career as a Curator.

Photo Credit:

Demon figure from the 19th Dynasty Sennedjem Tomb (TT 1) – Deir el-Medina (Image courtesy of the speaker).

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About Northern California ARCE:

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