New Year Gifts: Items of Warfare 1427 BC

Norman de Garis Davies created this watercolor facsimile, "New Year Gifts: Items of Warfare," to document ancient Egyptian tomb decorations. Davies’ work provides insight into the symbolic role of warfare in ancient Egyptian culture. Note the careful rendering of weapons and armor. These aren't just tools of combat, they're items of prestige and status. In ancient Egypt, military strength was closely tied to royal power and divine favor. The gifts depicted here would likely have been presented to the pharaoh as symbols of loyalty and martial prowess. Davies was employed by the Metropolitan Museum of Art to record and preserve ancient Egyptian art. The practice of creating facsimiles was crucial for the study of ancient cultures, especially as original sites faced deterioration or were inaccessible. Historians rely on these kinds of records, alongside archaeological reports and textual analysis, to understand the complex relationship between warfare, power, and representation in ancient Egypt.