Identifying a Bird Species from the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir El-Bahari
The secretarybird dilemma: identifying a bird species from the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari Abstract: Known from a few representations in Predynastic Egyp- tian art, the secretarybird has otherwise been elusive, in the art of Pharaonic Egypt as well as the scientific discourse on icono- graphic imagery of birds in ancient Egypt. The author’s studies of the animal decoration at the Temple for her doctoral dissertation identified three images of birds belonging most likely to the same species, depicted in the context of the expedition of Hatshepsut shown in the Portico of Punt. The zoological identification of the species as the secretarybird (another possibility is the African harrier-hawk) derives from an in-depth analysis of the bird’s sys- tematics, appearance, distribution and habitat, as well as behavior, which are essential for proper species recognition and instrumen- tal for understanding the rationale behind bringing this particular bird from the “God’s Land”. Iconographic features contesting this identification and suggesting a different species, that is, the African harrier-hawk, are discussed based on a combination of theoretical background, material analysis, on-site interviews with experts and the author’s personal experience with the species. Keywords: African animals, birds in Ancient Egypt, secretarybird, African harrier-hawk, temple of Hatshepsut, Deir el-Bahari, Hat- shepsut Punt expedition, temple decoration A bird depicted in possibly three separate scenes from the Southern Middle Portico of the Temple of Hat- shepsut in Deir el-Bahari, documented in 2012 by the author as part of her extended study of animals in the decoration of this Eighteenth Dynasty sanctuary [Fig.
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