Funerary scene in the tomb of Qar. VI DynastyPhoto: Hair and Death in Ancient Egypt
The ancient Egyptian expression “Djat Ra“appears in a resurrection scene in the tomb of Qar; according to the inscription the mourner and the embalmer are making the “Djat Ra“. It could be a way of indicating literally the gesture that both were making.
However, the expression “Djat Ra” also meant “feeding” [Wb V, 514] as the gesture of taking the mouth to the food. It could be related to the funerary offerings, which would grant the food for the dead in the Hereafter. But, it could also refer to gesture of the mother taking her breast to her baby’s mouth for nursing him. In fact the mother approaches her hand to her baby’s mouth for moving her breast closer.
Statuette of nursing woman. XII Dynasty. Ancient Egypt. Brooklyn Museum
The woman nursing her baby is a very common icon in Egyptian art. We can find many examples in the private sphere of reliefs and statuettes of nursing women.
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HAIR AND DEATH IN ANCIENT EGYPT 