Fragment of a sculptured statue base depicting an Asiatic prisoner
New Kingdom, Ramesside
Ancient Egyptian artists expressed the might of the pharaoh through a variety of images. One of these is the image of the pharaoh standing or enthroned above the bodies of foreigner captives.
This fragment of a statue base shows the head and shoulder of a Syrian who is characterized by long strands of hair confined by a headband, a beard and mustache, and a fringed mantle embroidered with rosettes. The complete figure lay flat on his belly, his back pressed down by the reed mat on which the king stood. It is likely that captives from four different ethnic groups adorned each of the four corners of the statue base. The Syrian was at the rear corner. The adjacent blank face of the stone continued upward, forming an upright slab (or back pillar) behind the figure of the king.
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