around her neck. Interpretation varies on who she 

 might be — a sub-adult female, perhaps a servant girl. 

 The little girl she holds looks up at her, saying: "Would 

 you like that ( I ) now go home ?" Even this text has some 

 uncertainty because in Old Egyptian grammar first per- 

 son pronouns were not written. 



Moving down to the third register, the first scene 

 from the left shows a man selling bread and green on- 

 ions (p. 17, top). He says; "See these bread loaves? Six 

 thereof in the basket for two /ie/<at-measures of swt- 

 grain." The grain may be durum wheat. The customer 

 says: "Give something from which I can drink this 



ter, second scene from the left, a fisherman sells whole 

 fish from a basket (opposite). A standing customer of- 

 fers him a jar capped with a seal, contents unknown. 

 He may have just removed it from the empty shopping 

 sack tucked under his arm. The fisherman says: "Give 

 your price for fish." That the merchant is a fisherman 

 seems quite clear, as he wears around his neck a large 

 "U" shaped object. The same object is worn by the 



^l_^Ji-^ -^i*W* 



16 



fishermen and marsh workers in the barbering scenes. 

 In other more elaborately depicted examples, this ob- 

 ject has a tie and is also seen on boats; it resembles 

 closely the hieroglyph J s3, "protection." Yet, it 

 seems not to be an amulet, for it is too big. Rather, it 

 may be a life preserver made of papyrus reed that would 

 help the wearer float should he fall into the river or a 

 canal. In the following scene to the right, a young 

 woman holding a smaller girl by the hand presents a 

 bowl to a merchant (p. 16, lower right). He says: "Give 

 your price for very sweet sycamore figs." The young 

 woman, though wearing no clothing, has an amulet 



(and) I'll be grateful." These snatches ot conversation 

 present some difficulty, for the bread and onion seller 

 has no drinks. Perhaps the customer wants him to get a 

 drink from the tavern shown in another scene. Clearly, 

 after a snack of bread and onions a drink would be desir- 

 able. It should be noted that the round, flat, pita-style 

 bread shown is, with green onions, still a popular snack 

 for rural Egyptians. Beer likewise remains a nationally 



