Stela of Aafenmut 889 BC

Editor: So this is the Stela of Aafenmut, dating back to around 889 BC. It's currently housed here at the Met. It's strikingly colorful and clearly communicates a narrative. What stands out to you? Curator: What captures my attention is how this stela functions as a cultural memory device. Note how the sun disk appears twice. One is rendered at the apex of the lunette which hovers over the entire scene as well as atop the head of Horus, identifiable as a falcon. The solar disk, with its inherent associations with the sun god Ra, thus becomes a signifier of divine power and presence permeating the entire interaction between Aafenmut and the deity. Do you observe this repetition? Editor: Yes, I see it now! It's not just decoration; it’s a symbolic echo. Does that sun disk at the top influence the reading of the other imagery? Curator: Precisely! Its repetition imbues the entire stela with a persistent symbolic resonance of divine authority. In many instances the snake would signify lower realms, with the sun symbolizing the upper one. Together, both are harmonized with respect to life. The continuous negotiation of power, death, and the afterlife are depicted in a range of visual cues. Do you notice how the presented adorns are meticulously presented? What does that suggest to you? Editor: It's all very deliberate, which I hadn’t initially grasped. This isn’t just a scene, but a complex representation of beliefs and power. Curator: Exactly. And understanding these symbols allows us to appreciate how ancient cultures visually encoded their worldviews for posterity. These images truly carried emotional and psychological weight. Editor: I never thought of it that way, as encoded knowledge for the future. Thank you. I am going to be spending much more time thinking about it now.