Recently I was involved in a discussion about ‘icons’. Originally the word referred to a wooden carving or a painting of a religious scene. Nowadays the concept of an ‘icon’ has been usurped by modern usage to mean a recognisable image or symbol representing a product or attribute. Computer screens are full of these little graphic representations. Strangely I have also heard people referred to as ‘icons’ of their profession, such as ‘He is an icon of the advertising world’. The word ‘icon’ seems to have replaced ‘doyen’ or even ‘leader’ in today’s vocabulary.

An Example of Iconography, an image of the Eye of Horus; By Flickr user pdxjmorris

‘Iconography’, the study of artistic images or symbols, is a significant aid to our understanding of ancient Egypt. Fortunately for us, the ancient Egyptians were adept at representing events, religious concepts and everyday life in the form of paintings, carvings and sculptures. They used this form of pictorial representation together with a description of the depicted scene written in hieroglyphs in a kind of ‘See Spot Run!’ reader for first-grade Egyptologists. Many of the icons the ancient artists used are readily identifiable, even to the novice student. ‘The Pharaoh makes an offering to the God’ seems to be the title of at least half the icons on the walls of temples and tombs of ancient Egypt. The common ‘Smiting the Enemy’ scene was used for 3,000 years, even when the Pharaoh had not really been involved in any smiting. The artist commissioned by Rameses II to illustrate the Battle of Kadesh showed the King in great ‘smiting’ mode, whereas in the book ‘The Hittites’ by O.R.Gurney the author states, ‘Thus in fact there can be no question the Battle of Kadesh resulted in a decisive victory for the Hittites.’ It is in the use of ‘icons’ to distort the truth that ancient and modern exponents find common ground!

Pharaohs are always depicted in the prime of life, ideally proportioned and virile. The only exception occurs during the Amarna period when there was a short detour into expressionism. Having observed our own leaders, we know that (Arnold Schwartzeneger not withstanding) they are seldom perfect physical specimens of humanity. But few ancient Egyptians ever saw their leaders, so the fiction passed unchallenged. I am sure you have seen ‘TV Infomercials’ for exercise machines that feature well-proportioned gymnasts who clearly have no need of the device!

The ancient Egyptians were particularly inventive when it came to illustrating their gods, but a god of wisdom with the head of an ibis strikes me as bizarre. A bird of little brain that pecks the ground in the hope of finding food is not my idea of an icon to represent Thoth’s divine wisdom. But is that any different from Michelangelo’s depiction of God as an old man with a long white beard. Surely an omnipotent God would do better than that! Can you imagine a pregnant woman being comforted by Taweret, with its hippopotamus head, lion’s legs and crocodile tail? But then the icon for the Control Panel on my computer features a hammer and a chisel!

In our modern frenetic world, icons are time-savers, instant short cuts to complex ideas. This usage parallels that of the ancient Egyptians. Isis, queen of the world carries her throne on her head. Neit the warrior goddess wears crossed arrows or bows. Tying the knot in the papyrus and lotus clearly symbolises the union of the two lands. Once glance is all it takes! Marketing people strive to produce that effect. Instant recognition of a national flag, the golden arch of McDonalds or even a ‘no entry’ sign demonstrates the effective use of the icon.

Egypt’s icons, the instantly recognisable symbols of the modern state, all come from ancient times. The Sphinx, Tutankhamun’s golden mask and the pyramids are all instantly evocative of Egypt’s glorious past. Can our marketing gurus use icons to create this level of product awareness in the world today? I doubt it!  They have a long way to go to reinvent a skill well established in Egypt five thousand years ago.

Anthony Holmes graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand B.Sc. (Eng) in 1964. After a career in the management of various international engineering companies, he retired in 2000. From that time he has concentrated on his hobby of Egyptology with particular interest in the New Kingdom period. He is a member of the Egyptian Exploration Society and The South Africa Egyptian Society and has visited Egypt on several occasions. He is a well respected author whose titles include ‘Tutankhamun-Speak My Name.’

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