This pdf is a digital offprint of your contribution in

G. Miniaci, M. Betrò & S. Quirke (eds), Company of Images:

Modelling the Imaginary World of Middle Kingdom Egypt (2000-
1500 BC), ISBN 978-90-429-3495-5

The copyright on this publication belongs to Peeters

Publishers.

As author you are licensed to make printed copies of the

pdf or to send the unaltered pdf file to up to 50 relations.
You may not publish this pdf on the World Wide Web –
including websites such as academia.edu and open-access
repositories – until three years after publication. Please
ensure that anyone receiving an offprint from you
observes these rules as well.

If you wish to publish your article immediately on open-

access sites, please contact the publisher with regard to
the payment of the article processing fee.

For queries about offprints, copyright and republication

of your article, please contact the publisher via
peeters@peeters-leuven.be
 ORIENTALIA LOVANIENSIA
ANALECTA
————— 262 —————

COMPANY OF IMAGES

Modelling the Imaginary World

of Middle Kingdom Egypt (2000-1500 BC)
Proceedings of the International Conference
of the EPOCHS Project
held 18th-20th September 2014 at UCL, London

edited by

GIANLUCA MINIACI, MARILINA BETRÒ and STEPHEN QUIRKE

PEETERS
LEUVEN – PARIS – BRISTOL, CT
2017
 CONTENTS

Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii

abbreviations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix

susan J. allen
Decoration and image on Middle Kingdom pottery: can fish dishes
be read? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
ZuZanna bennett
Conceptions of demons in the Middle Kingdom Coffin Texts . . 15
Kamila braulińsKa
Middle Kingdom dog figurines. General remarks . . . . . . 35
richard bussmann
Personal piety: an archaeological response . . . . . . . . 71
sabrina ceruti
The hippopotamus goddess carrying a crocodile on her back: an
iconographical motif distinctive of the late Middle Kingdom . . . 93
roberto a. díaZ hernándeZ
‘Paddle dolls’ – ritual figurines of fertility. . . . . . . . . 125
Gersande eschenbrenner-diemer
From the workshop to the grave: the case of wooden funerary
models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Wolfram GraJetZKi
A zoo en-miniature: the impact of the central government on the rise
and fall of animal/zoomorphic amulets’ production during the First
Intermediate Period and Middle Kingdom . . . . . . . . . 193
renata landGráfová
No imagined worlds, no imagined achievements. Veracity state-
ments in Twelfth Dynasty auto/biographies with military-like topic 213
Gianluca miniaci
Unbroken stories: Middle Kingdom faience figurines in their archae-
ological context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
VI CONTENTS

ellen morris
Middle Kingdom clappers, dancers, birth magic, and the reinvention
of ritual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
rune nyord
‘An image of the owner as he was on earth’. Representation and
ontology in Middle Kingdom funerary images . . . . . . . 337
stePhen QuirKe
Figuring migrations: severing and joining power lines . . . . . 361
mohamed Gamal rashed
The four primeval elements of creation according to the philosophy
of Hermopolis: a new interpretation of their origin . . . . . . 377
lisa K. sabbahy
The Middle Bronze Age Egyptian griffon: whence and whither? . 395
anGela m. J. tooley
Notes on type 1 truncated figurines: the Ramesseum ladies . . . 421
marcella traPani
A deposit of female figurines from Gebelein (Schiaparelli’s cam-
paign in 1910) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 457
Josef WeGner
Raise yourself up: mortuary imagery in the tomb of Woseribre
Seneb-Kay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 479
 ‘Paddle dolls’ – ritual figurines of fertility

roberto a. Díaz HernánDez

Staatliches Museum Ägyptischer Kunst (München)

Abstract. this paper is a reconsideration of the ritual function of the so-called

‘paddle dolls’, which has been a topic of discussion among egyptologists for
some time now – they have been interpreted as toys, ‘concubines of the dead’,
symbols of nursing and pregnancy, fertility statuettes and figurines representing
female dancers of the goddess Hathor. the aim of this paper is to reinforce the
argument, based on archaeological, iconographical and ethnological evidence,
that paddle dolls actually were ritual figurines of fertility.

as is well known, ‘paddle dolls’ are wooden figurines found chiefly upper
and Middle egyptian burials from the late old Kingdom to the thirteenth
dynasty. More particularly, the items preserved in museums today come from
tombs in asasif, Beni Hassan, naga el-deir, rifeh, sheikh farag and thebes.1
though the formal features of paddle dolls vary considerably, the following
general traits can be distinguished (fig. 1):

a) hair strings on the little heads are usually made of tiny beads of black mud;
b) necks are frequently adorned with painted collars;
c) breasts are normally painted over the dresses;
d) arms are thin and simplified;
e) pubic areas are always greatly enlarged and sometimes feature tattoos or images
of animals and deities like ipi-taweret or Bes.

due to the fact that we only know for sure the archaeological context of
these figurines, their function has been a topic of discussion among egyptolo-
gists for some time now. firstly, they were considered to be toys because they
were found in child burials.2 next, Winlock argued that paddle dolls were
“concubines of the dead” to entertain the spirit of the deceased during the eter-
nity.3 Moreover, Barguet suggested that these figurines symbolized the acts of
nursing and of pregnancy for the breasts and the pubic area are well marked.4

1
Morris, JARCE 47, 75.
2
GarstanG, Burial Customs, 152; Petrie, Objects of Daily Use, 59, pl. 51.
3
Winlock, Excavations at Deir el Bahri, 207; Winlock, Rise and Fall, 47.
4
BarGuet, BIFAO 52, 103.
126 roBerto a. díaZ HernándeZ

fig. 1 – front side of the ‘Munich Paddle doll’

(staatliches Museum Ägyptischer Kunst, Äs 431)

in this vein, Bourriau and Pinch held the opinion that paddle dolls were ritual
figurines of fertility because of the discovery of a paddle doll among other
fertility objects in a tomb under gallery 5 in the ramesseum at thebes.5 lastly,
ellen f. Morris has questioned, in a well-founded study on paddle dolls with
comprehensive bibliographical references, the fertility function of the paddle
dolls. this author is rather of the view that paddle dolls are figurines represent-
ing female dancers of the goddess Hathor.6 yet, despite the consistency of her
study, the following archaeological, iconographical and ethnological evidence
suggests that paddle dolls were indeed ritual figurines of fertility:

a) as Bourriau and Pinch pointed out, a paddle doll was found in tomb 5 of
the ramesseum beside a box of papyri including magical spells for protect-
ing mothers from demons around labour, as well as other ritual objects.

5
Bourriau, Pharaohs and Mortals, 126-7. PincH, Votive Offerings to Hathor, 217. see also
the study on fertility figurines in this tomb by angela M. J. tooley in the present volume.
6
Morris, JARCE 47, 103: “The commonly held notion that paddle dolls and their truncated
descendants, should be considered ʻgeneric images that related to the general notion of fertility,
encompassing sexuality, conception and the successful bearing and rearing of childrenʼ must be
reconsidered and their specific social persona acknowledged. These figurines were khener-danc-
ers, whose exuberant, theatric, and ultimately regenerative dances performed for the benefit of
kings and deities could also be harnessed for those that owned them”.
 “Paddle dolls” – ritual figurines of fertility 127

b) Paddle dolls are usually characterized by a marked pubic triangle, as evi-

dence for their fertility function, and sometimes they also feature with fer-
tility motifs such as the fertility deity taweret.
c) Paddle dolls resemble dolls of present day african tribes used as ritual
objects of fertility.

the tomb under ramesseum gallery 5 containing ritual objects and a box of
papyri was discovered by Quibell during his 1895/1896 campaigns for the
egyptian research account. among all the papyri of this box, Papyrus rames-
seum iV deals with rituals of fertility and contains magical spells for having a
happy birth such as (pram. iV C 23f.):

(a) recitation over a figure of a child,

(b) above which a woman (the midwife?) should burn incense (or the like).
(c) if it is good,
(d) (the state of) the newborn will be good.
(e) if it is bad,
(f) (the state of) the newborn will be bad (…).

in this spell, twt n Hrd can mean either “figure for a child” if n is interpreted
as the preposition “for”, or “figure of a child” if n(.i) is understood as direct
genitive’s nisba “of”. in any case, the instructions of this spell for its perfor-
mance refer to the use of figurines or statuettes in fertility rites, which leads us
to believe that paddle dolls could have also been used in similar rituals. in fact,
schott argued that the following inscription on a female statuette with a baby
is evidence for the fertility function of egyptian female figurines:7

D-tw ms.t n sA.t=k sH

one should grant the birth for your daughter seh

in addition to the papyri box, ritual objects were found in tomb 5 of the
ramesseum. according to andrea gnirs, most of these objects have a ritual

7
scHott, JEA 16, 23. More examples of female figurines are discussed by rune nyord in this
volume. for the use of truncated hieroglyphic signs see Miniaci, RdE 61, 113-34.
128 roBerto a. díaZ HernándeZ

fertility function, especially the ivory wands and the female figurines with
truncated legs.8 in fact, ivory wands were used during birth for protecting
mothers and babies from the dangers of childbirth.9 their apotropaic function
is evident in the following inscription on the back of an ivory wand from the
second intermediate Period kept in the staatliches Museum Ägyptischer Kunst
(Äs 2826):

[...] sA Hr sA.t nsw MnT.w-Htp(i)

[…] protection for the daughter of the king Mentju-hetepi

in another ivory wand from the ramesseum it is also remarkable that the
fertility deities ipi-taweret and Bes (aha in old egyptian) are represented
(fig. 2), for both deities are frequently shown in the lower part of the paddle
dolls (fig. 3). regarding the female figurines with truncated legs, they have

fig. 2 – ivory wand from the ramesseum (Manchester university Museum 1799)

8
for that reason, gnirs concludes that the owner of the tomb was a midwife (Gnirs, ÄAT 76,
130, 153-5). However, the box with official documents found also in the tomb argues apparently
against the explanation of gnirs for, as is well known, egyptian women were generally illiterate
(further on this in Díaz HernánDez, Ramesseumspapyrus E, 7). Because of the existence of these
two different groups of objects it was suggested during the conference that in that tomb two dif-
ferent persons were buried: a magician or lector priest and a sorceress or midwife.
9
altenMüller, SAK 13, 26.
 “Paddle dolls” – ritual figurines of fertility 129

also been interpreted as fertility ritual amulets for the protection of mothers
and children.10
Besides the archaeological context of tomb 5 of the ramesseum, some icon-
ographical motifs on the paddle dolls argue in favour of a ritual fertility func-
tion. unfortunately, we still lack any detailed study on the iconography of
paddle dolls, which might help to clarify their function. However, many paddle
dolls share a common motif: the representation of the deities ipi-taweret and
Bes11 (fig. 3), which also appear in ivory wands such as the one from the
ramesseum just mentioned. the frequent representation of ipi-taweret and
Bes in the paddle dolls is a strong evidence for their ritual fertility function
because these deities are usually associated with childbirth rituals.12 Particu-
larly, the common representation of ipi-taweret as a deity with a hippopota-
mus-head, a pregnant belly and a crocodile-back suggests an apotropaic func-
tion of paddle dolls during the performance of childbirth rituals.13

fig. 3 – Back of the ‘Munich Paddle

doll’ (staatliches Museum Ägyptischer
Kunst, Äs 431)

10
Gnirs, ÄAT 76, 138-9; PincH, Votive Offerings to Hathor, 211-21.
11
caPel, Markoe, Mistress, 65.
12
Wilkinson, Gods and Goddesses, 102-3, 185-6.
13
see also the iconographical study of ipi-taweret by sabrina Ceruti in this volume.
130 roBerto a. díaZ HernándeZ

apart from deities ipi-taweret and Bes, animals like lions, dogs, caprids,
crocodiles, monkies and birds or ducks are occasionally represented on paddle
dolls.14 the significance of such representations has to be analyzed in future
studies in detail; for the time being, one can only suggest that some animal
representations could have served as fertility motifs such as the crocodiles (no
doubt allegoric figures of ipi-taweret) and ducks, which can be interpreted as
logograms with the meaning “son(s)” (fig. 4).
lastly, there is an obvious resemblance between egyptian paddle dolls and
african ritual dolls used today by african peoples. as Winlock observed, modern
nubian dolls look very much like egyptian paddle dolls.15 unfortunately, Win-
lock confined himself to an iconographical comparison of both types of dolls
without explaining the function of nubian dolls. nonetheless, it is well known
that wood dolls are used as fertility figurines among african peoples.16 the best
known african fertility doll is the akuaba of the ashanti in ghana, whose elon-
gated shape, swollen bottom and no legs (fig. 5) remind us of egyptian paddle
dolls. among the ashanti it is believed that an akuaba possesses magical forces

fig. 4 – asasif 818. MMa 31.3.43 (front and back) © Metropolitan Museum of art

14
Morris, JARCE 47, 82.
15
Winlock, Excavations at Deir el Bahri, 207, pl. 38. in fact, some tattoos on the paddle dolls
could be due to nubian influence. i thank anna stevens for this remark.
16
roDriGues, koHler, African Ritual Dolls, introduction.
 “Paddle dolls” – ritual figurines of fertility 131

fig. 5 – akuaba (see roDriGues, koHler,

African Ritual Dolls, pl. 2)

for conception instilled in it by a magician or a priest. that is why this kind of

african doll is a typical accessory of ashanti-women until childbirth.17

this evidence leads us to think that egyptian paddle dolls were mainly ritual
fertility figurines which egyptian women used as a kind of amulet for getting
pregnant and having a happy birth, although their use as toys cannot be com-
pletely excluded since children use to play with all kinds of curious objects.
Moreover, due to the fact that one paddle doll was found among the accessories
of a Middle Kingdom (male or female) magician or lector priest, it can be
inferred that egyptian paddle dolls were endowed by magicians or priests with
magical forces for making a woman pregnant, as happens today among the
ashanti in ghana. this cultural similarity suggests the existence of african cus-
toms in egypt before the new Kingdom, even though it is only apparent in
upper egypt, where all archaeological paddle dolls are found. in conclusion,

17
stelziG, Nicht zum Spielen, 3; BofinGer, BofinGer, Puppen aus Afrika, 10.
132 roBerto a. díaZ HernándeZ

magical fertility objects like paddle dolls must have been valuable for egyptian
families because they believed that they would help to secure their offspring. if
an egyptian couple did not succeed in having children, nobody would care about
their funerary cult after death, and therefore their names and their acts would fell
into oblivion. in order to avoid such a tragedy, egyptian women with difficulties
to getting pregnant appealed to priests to perform fertility rituals, where magical
fertility objects like the egyptian paddle dolls were used.

BiBlioGraPHy

altenMüller, H., Die Apotropaia und die Götter Mittelägyptens: Eine typologische und
religionsgeschichtliche Untersuchung der sogenannten ‘Zaubermesser’ des Mit-
tleren Reichs. Vols. i-ii (Phd dissertation: ludwig Maximilians universität, 1965).
altenMüller, H., “ein Zaubermesser des Mittleren reiches”, SAK 13 (1986), 1-27.
BarGuet, P., “l’origine de la signification du contrepoids de collier-Menat”, BIFAO 52
(1953), 103-11.
BofinGer, B., W. BofinGer, Ritus und Spiel: Puppen aus Afrika (steinheim, 2006).
Bourriau, J., Pharaohs and Mortals: Egyptian Art in the Middle Kingdom: Exhibition
organised by the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, 19 April to 26 June, Liverpool
18 July to 4 September 1988 (Cambridge, 1988).
BreasteD, H. J., Egyptian Servant Statues (new york: Bs 13, 1948).
caPel, a.k., g.e. Markoe (eds.), Mistress of the House, Mistress of Heaven: Women
in Ancient Egypt (new york, 1996).
Díaz HernánDez, r.a., Der Ramesseumspapyrus E: Ein Ritualbuch für Bestattungen
aus dem Mittleren Reich (göttingen: BgM 15, 2014).
GarstanG, J., The Burial Customs of Ancient Egypt as illustrated by Tombs of the
Middle Kingdom: Being a Report of Excavations made in the Necropolis of Beni
Hassan during 1902-3-4 (london, 1907).
Gnirs, a.M., “nilpferdstoßzähne und schlangenstäbe: Zu den magischen geräten des
so genannten ramesseumsfundes”, in D. kessler, r. scHulz, M. ullMann,
a. VerBoVsek, s. WiMMer (eds.), Texte – Theben – Tonfragmente: Festschrift für
Günter Burkard (Wiesbaden: Äat 76, 2009), 128-55.
Miniaci, G., “the incomplete Hieroglyphs system at the end of the Middle King-
dom”, RdE 61 (2010), 113-34.
Morris, e.f., “Paddle dolls and Performance”, JARCE 47 (2011), 71-103.
Petrie, W.M.f., Objects of Daily Use: With over 1800 Figures from University Col-
lege, London (london: Bsae 42, 1927).
PincH, G., Votive Offerings to Hathor (oxford, 1993).
roDriGues, G., W. koHler, African Ritual Dolls (Philadelphia, 1974).
scHott, s., “die Bitte um ein Kind auf einer grabfigur des frühen Mittleren reiches”,
JEA 16 (1930), 23.
stelziG, c., Nicht zum Spielen allein…: afrikanische Puppen aus der Sammlung W. +
U. Horstmann (lübeck, 2001).
stelziG, c. (ed.), Ritual oder Spiel? Puppen aus Afrika und Ägypten (Berlin, 2004).
Wilkinson, r.H., The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt (london, 2003).
Winlock, H.e., Excavations at Deir el Bahri, 1911-1931 (new york, 1942).
Winlock, H.e., The Rise and Fall of the Middle Kingdom in Thebes (new york, 1947).