Lacklustre offering plates? Symbolic food consumption, ritual and representations in ancient Egyptian funerary culture

This paper will analyze a seemingly lacklustre object which nevertheless materializes a wide array of concepts inherent to the funerary beliefs of the ancient Egyptians: the miniature offering plate or dish CC308.004 (Fig. 11.1). This particular miniature pottery vessel is one of a number of objects from the Egyptian collection at Cyfarthfa Castle Museums and Art Gallery, Merthyr Tydfil, Wales.2