In the Fragment of Relief from a Tomb Doorway , on the right, there is a wealth of carefully carved detail. Equal attention has been paid to the hairy projections of the rear legs of the dung beetle as to the tomb owner's face. This attentiveness to details from the world of humans, animals, and insects provides glimpses into many levels of ancient Egyptian life. University of Pennsylvania Museum. University of Pennsylvania Museum.
Bureaucrats can be miracle workers.
This Statue of Sitepehu, an Overseer of Priests , left, is the life-sized sculpture of a man enveloped in a cloak that becomes a wall of text that catalogs his virtues. Sitepehu was a superintendent of priests who kept offerings of land, wine, milk and other substances flowing to the temples of the gods. Most of the tombs in Egypt were built for officials whose sculptures were intended to help the person and his name last forever. Bread and beer ensure a long life. Stela of the Royal Purification Priest Sasopedu-Iienhab , right, honors a priest who sits before his table of offerings.