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The metal sheet figurines from Byblos: evidence of an Egyptian import and adaptation

    Gianluca Miniaci, Camilla Saler

Ägypten und Levante 31, pp. 339-356, 2021/12/28

Internationale Zeitschrift für ägyptische Archäologie und deren Nachbargebiete
International Journal for Egyptian Archaeology and Related Disciplines

doi: 10.1553/AEundL31s339


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doi: 10.1553/AEundL31s339

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doi:10.1553/AEundL31



doi:10.1553/AEundL31s339



doi:10.1553/AEundL31s339

Abstract

This paper considers some peculiar types of figurines found in Byblos, which are cut from a tiny, thin sheet of metal (copper alloy, silver, or gold). They represent human figures, mainly male, in a standing position. These figurines have been documented in various deposits in the acropolis of Byblos and their chronological range spans from 2100 to 1650 BC. Usually presented as a Gublite product, these figurines may actually be part of an Egyptian tradition, directly imported to Byblos and then developed and readapted locally. The evidence for an Egyptian import is provided by a foundation deposit discovered at Deir el- Bahri, in the mortuary complex of Montuhotep II (c. 2020 BC), which presents similar sheet metal figurines, but of clear Egyptian manufacture and conception.

Keywords: Byblos, votive and funerary deposits, sheet metal figurines, Middle Bronze Age, Middle Kingdom, Montuhotep II.