Hola egiptomaniacos, os dejo este artículo.
Did Unemployed Minoan Artists Land Jobs in Ancient Egypt?
Owenjarus
One of the most perplexing mysteries that Egyptologists and Aegean experts are
tackling is that of the frescoes ofTell el Da.ba, also known as Avaris.
This site was used as the capital of the Hyksos, at a time when they ruled
much of Egypt, from 1640 – 1530 BC. It is on the Nile Delta and would have
provided access to the Sinai, Levant and southern Egypt.
The site appears to have been abandoned for a time after the Hyksos were
driven out. However, by the end of the 18th dynasty (when the Egyptians were
back in control of their land), the site was in use and sported with three – yes
three – large palaces. They were ringed by an enclosure wall. The whole complex
was about 5.5 hectares in size.Now here’s the mystery –
Two of those palaces were decorated, for a very short period of time, with
Minoan frescoes. These include drawings of bull-leaping scenes – which are well
known from the Palace of Knossos in Crete.
Site excavator Manfred Bietak published a book in 2007 that
discussed these frescoes and compared them with the more famous scenes at the
Palace of Knossos.
There is no question that the frescoes at Tell el-Dab'a are Aegean
influenced, and it seems likely that the artists are from Crete. Dating them is
tricky but from the stratigraphy and pottery they seem to date to around the
time of Thutmosis III.
What are They Doing in Egypt?
It’s an important question - but one that is difficult to decisively answer.
Bietak said in his book that the paintings may symbolize the marriage of a
Minoan princess into the Egyptian royal family.
“Ancient Near Eastern history is full of examples which prove that
matchmaking was an important instrument of Egyptian and Near Eastern foreign
politics,” he said, citing the well-known Amarna letters.
Another idea, which Bietak brings up, is that the frescoes may have been
painted for the purpose of a state visit of Minoan leaders to Egypt. This is
backed up by excavation which reveals that the paintings appear to have fallen
off the walls after a short period of time – possibly only a few years.
These ideas certainly have quite a ring to them - a royal marriage with
special painters? An ancient international summit? It sounds like the stuff of
legend.
Now there’s a new idea emerging – one that is decidedly lacking in romance.
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