The Hunger of Saqqara is the name given to an ancient Egyptian sculpture believed to date from the Predynastic period. Little is known about the origins and provenance of this statue, which is today held by Montreal’s Concordia University. Additionally, the subject of the sculpture is still unknown and there has been debate about the authenticity of the artifact.
The Hunger of Saqqara is a limestone sculpture measuring 67 cm (26 inches) and weighing approximately 80 kg (176.37 lbs). The statue is carved from limestone and depicts a pair of seated nude figures. One of the characters is male and the other is usually shown to be a woman holding a child. These characters are notable for their elongated heads and thin, elongated limbs. Traces of pigment on the statue show that it was once painted. Furthermore, there are several ancient inscriptions engraved on the base of the statue, although its language has yet to be determined.
Three perspectives on the famine in Saqqara. (Concordia University/YouTube screenshot)
Modern history of sculpture
The modern history of the Saqqara Famine begins in the 20th century. The statue was owned by Vincent and Olga Diniacopoulos, passionate collectors of ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman antiquities, before the 1950s It is unclear how and where the Diniacopoulos family acquired the statue. Furthermore, despite its name, the relationship between the statue and Saqqara, the vast burial site outside the ancient Egyptian capital of Memphis, remains unknown.
Vincent and Olga Diniacopoulos immigrated to Montreal from France, and the Saqqara Famine was one of the artifacts they brought with them on their journey. During the 1950s, the sculpture was displayed at the family-owned Galerie Ars Classica. After Vincent Diniacopoulos’s death in 1967, much of the collection was packaged and stored by the family in the basement of their home. Saqqara’s starvation was part of this collection and remained hidden for the next several decades.
In 1999, Olga Diniacopoulos asked Concordia University for assistance in managing the family’s collection of antiquities. Part of the fund is used to provide scholarships to students at the university, where Olga’s son Denis is a lecturer. The person responsible for this work was Clarence Epstein, who while researching the collection brought the Hunger of Saqqara back to light. At that time, the statue was broken into pieces.
Create a sense of famine in Saqqara
After reassembling the sculpture, the next step is to understand its meaning. Since the Diniacopoulos family themselves were uncertain about the statue’s origins and history, researchers from around the world reached out. Experts from institutions such as the British Museum, Cambridge University and the Israel Museum have been contacted in the hope of being able to identify the sculpture. Unfortunately, no one can say for sure what it is.
The Saqqara famine is often said to date back to the Predynastic period. Epstein added that the sculpture likely came from a tomb or burial site, and that it was intended to symbolize people conquered by an ancient Egyptian ruler. The physical features of the sculptural figures suggest that they may have been intended to represent the Nubian people. However, others have suggested that the sculpture may have been created around the time the Jews were exiled from Egypt. Some have even suggested that the sculpture may be a modern fake.
Nubian features on Saqqara’s Hunger sculpture. (Concordia University/YouTube screenshot)
The authenticity of the Saqqara Famine has been questioned due to the fact that experts know of nothing else like it. However, it is often assumed that the sculpture is real. For example, experts at Concordia University pointed out that the sculpture was legally licensed for export. Given that this was done during a time when the antique trade was common and poorly monitored, they assumed the sculpture was genuine. Another expert, Swiss art historian Jean-Jacques Fiechter, wrote that the sculpture must be authentic, otherwise Vincent Diniacopoulos, an experienced collector, would not have bought it and shipped it. it arrived in Montreal at great expense.
However, one could argue that even experts make mistakes. In any case, the sculpture remains a mystery and further research has been considered by Concordia University.
