• Udjahorresnet the Persian: Being an Essay on the Archaeology of Identity

    Author(s):
    Henry Colburn (see profile)
    Date:
    2020
    Group(s):
    Ancient Greece & Rome, Ancient Near East, Classical archaeology
    Subject(s):
    Archaeology, Egypt, History, Ancient, Iran, Identity (Psychology)
    Item Type:
    Article
    Tag(s):
    Udjahorresnet, Achaemenid, Late Period Egypt, Ancient Egypt, Persia, Identity
    Permanent URL:
    http://dx.doi.org/10.17613/9y4j-ce83
    Abstract:
    This essay is an examination of Udjahorresnet’s Persian identity. Best known from the inscription on his naophorous statue now in the Vatican, Udjahorresnet was a high-ranking courtier in Egypt under the Saite pharaohs Amasis and Psamtik III, and subsequently under the Persian kings Cambyses and Darius. While his statue’s form, function and inscription make it clear that he was an Egyptian, certain representational features of the statue indicate that he had a Persian identity as well. These features include the statue’s garment, which evokes the Persian “court robe” depicted at Persepolis and elsewhere, and the lion-headed bracelets on his wrists, which are examples of a well-known class of Achaemenid jewelry. The court robe, which derives from Elamite tradition, is a key visual marker of the idealized “Persian man,” a central aspect of Achaemenid royal ideology, and the lion bracelet, which draws on various material culture traditions from Iran, is a symbol of imperial unity. Udjahorresnet’s decision to include these features on his statue thus suggests that he constructed a Persian identity for himself.
    Metadata:
    xml
    Published as:
    Journal article     Show details
    Pub. Date:
    2020
    Journal:
    Journal of Ancient Egyptian Interconnections
    Volume:
    26
    Page Range:
    59 - 74
    ISSN:
    1944-2815
    Status:
    Published
    Last Updated:
    3 years ago
    License:
    All Rights Reserved

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