Journal Article

A Comparative Study between the Representation of Quails in Ancient Egyptian and Byzantine Art

Halim, Sarah Maher

2022

Overview

Throughout history, man has been fascinated by birds and has been interested in their representation, the interest that continued throughout ancient Egyptian history till nowadays. Birds of various types and sizes were depicted by representing their daily lives, their interactions with one another and their interaction with the man. They appeared on the walls of the temples and tombs due to their religious connotations specified to the ancient Egyptian faith, in addition to their role in forming a linguistic symbol of Egyptian hieroglyphics. Furthermore, they used to represent all their life aspects as well as the nature's components, of which fowl were a vital part of it. Birds' imagery was an obvious feature of Egyptian art, starting from the primitive forms of its representation to the highest level of perfection. Egypt was famed for its various local fowl species, in addition to the migratory ones, due to its location midway along the migratory route of some bird species. This location has resulted in the appearance of many migratory birds on its land, among of which is the Common Quail (Coturnix coturnix) (the focus of the study). The Common Quail is a small plump migratory bird with narrow wings and a striped back. It had a good opportunity to appear in ancient Egyptian art and formed a part of the Egyptian diet, continued in appearance during the Greco-Roman period, and gained a religious symbolic meaning alongside its artistic appearance as it was mentioned in all the Holy Books during the Byzantine period as will be discussed in detail through the research.

• Publisher: المجلس العربي للآثاريين العرب
• Subject: الدلالات الدينية / الرموز الهيروغليفية / طائر السمان / مصر القديمة