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An Iconographical Study of the Sema Tawy Motif in Ancient Egypt, and its use in Southwest Asia from ca. 3000 BCE – 400 CE
Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2026.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2026
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| _version_ | 1867613935671181312 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Meyer, Marlene Anchen |
| author2 | Van Dijk-Coombes, Renate Marian |
| author_browse | Meyer, Marlene Anchen Van Dijk-Coombes, Renate Marian |
| author_facet | Van Dijk-Coombes, Renate Marian Meyer, Marlene Anchen |
| author_sort | Meyer, Marlene Anchen |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2026. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/136239 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:44:03.396Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| publishDateRange | 2026 |
| publishDateSort | 2026 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/136239 An Iconographical Study of the Sema Tawy Motif in Ancient Egypt, and its use in Southwest Asia from ca. 3000 BCE – 400 CE Meyer, Marlene Anchen Van Dijk-Coombes, Renate Marian Cornelius, Izak Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Ancient Studies. Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2026. Meyer, M. A. 2026. An Iconographical Study of the Sema Tawy Motif in Ancient Egypt, and its use in Southwest Asia from ca. 3000 BCE – 400 CE. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/7fdf04b8-6594-4d3d-a9d5-618bbd1139dc This study traces the development of the sema tawy motif in Egypt and Southwest Asia from ca. 3000 BCE to 400 CE. The sema tawy motif is defined as an upright central element with a defined base, flanked by plants and/or figures that interact with the central element to convey the convergence of two parts at the centre. From this definition two distinct styles were identified: the Egyptian style, with a sema-sign as the central element, and the international style, with a volute tree as the central element. The sema tawy motif was identified on 285 objects from an Egyptian context and 15 objects from a Southwest Asian context, including statuary, wall and altar decoration, funerary equipment, and interactive objects. Although the sema tawy motif originated as separate hieroglyphs, it was quickly depicted as a combined motif used in a variety of contexts. In Egypt, it was depicted on thrones, used as a podium, pedestal, or an offering stand, inscribed on amulets, depicted as the offering, and used as a decorative motif. It was associated with the pharaoh, deities, and the queen, but also used by the private sphere. The private sphere introduced the sema tawy motif into the decorative program of Southwest Asia and can only be regarded as a decorative motif. After periods of instability in Egypt the need for maaat grew and so did the meaning of the sema tawy motif. It began as a symbol of unification in the Early Dynastic Period to a symbol of power over Upper and Lower Egypt in the Old and Middle Kingdom. The New Kingdom emphasised the sema tawy motif as a symbol of power over the four cardinal directions and the Late Period expressed that the desire for a unified Egypt was in the hands of the gods. Doctoral 2026-04-29T06:58:57Z 2026-04-29T06:58:57Z 2026-03 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/136239 en Stellenbosch University 1119 pages application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Meyer, Marlene Anchen An Iconographical Study of the Sema Tawy Motif in Ancient Egypt, and its use in Southwest Asia from ca. 3000 BCE – 400 CE |
| title | An Iconographical Study of the Sema Tawy Motif in Ancient Egypt, and its use in Southwest Asia from ca. 3000 BCE – 400 CE |
| title_full | An Iconographical Study of the Sema Tawy Motif in Ancient Egypt, and its use in Southwest Asia from ca. 3000 BCE – 400 CE |
| title_fullStr | An Iconographical Study of the Sema Tawy Motif in Ancient Egypt, and its use in Southwest Asia from ca. 3000 BCE – 400 CE |
| title_full_unstemmed | An Iconographical Study of the Sema Tawy Motif in Ancient Egypt, and its use in Southwest Asia from ca. 3000 BCE – 400 CE |
| title_short | An Iconographical Study of the Sema Tawy Motif in Ancient Egypt, and its use in Southwest Asia from ca. 3000 BCE – 400 CE |
| title_sort | iconographical study of the sema tawy motif in ancient egypt and its use in southwest asia from ca 3000 bce 400 ce |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/136239 |
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