Naga-ed-Deir to Thebes to Abydos: The Rise and Spread of the “Couple Standing before Offerings” Pose on FIP and MK Offering Stelae

Jacqueline E. Jay, Eastern Kentucky University

Abstract

The “couple standing before offerings” pose first appeared at Naga-ed-Deir in the First Intermediate Period and gradually rose in popularity at that site. Its appearance at Thebes in the late Eleventh Dynasty coincided with reunification; similarly, it first occurred at Abydos at the beginning of the Twelfth Dynasty, as Amenemhet I was consolidating his control of the north. As the Twelfth Dynasty progressed, however, stelae production became more and more standardized, and the pose ultimately dropped out of use. Thus, as this paper will show, tracing the rise and spread of the “couple standing before offerings” pose enables us to elucidate patterns of communication between artists and workshops at different sites under different political circumstances.