ABSTRACT
The monuments of ancient Egypt present the image of an unchanging society. The scenes of ‘daily life’, particularly agricultural life, are essentially the same in Old Kingdom mastabas, Middle and New Kingdom rock-cut chapels and the early-Ptolemaic tomb of Petosiris at Tuna el-Gebel. Costumes may change slightly, as may the domesticated animals and birds, and there may be some technological differences, but the image remains essentially the same, with the tomb owner overseeing the work on his estates and scribes assessing the revenues. In some ways this does present a version of Egypt, certainly as the elite wished it to be seen, but all societies do change, even if reluctantly. The problem for us is assessing significant changes over the millennia.
