Dance For Hathor: Reproducing the Tomb of the Dancers

Object Type: Wall painting

Materials: Limestone, plaster, pigment

Date: c. 1630 - 1540 BC

Period: 17th Dynasty, Second Intermediate Period

Findspot: Tomb of the Dancers, Dra Abu el-Naga, Thebes

Dimensions: 137.2 x 145 cm in frame

Current Location: Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

Accession Number: AN1958.145

Print Reference: DP119 – Dance For Hathor

Purchase Print

The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford holds a striking fragment of wall painting from the so-called Tomb of the Dancers, discovered at Dra Abu el‑Naga, part of the Theban necropolis in Egypt.

Dating to Dynasty 17, during the Second Intermediate Period (c. 1630–1550 BC), the scene depicts a group of women mid-dance, arms raised, fingers snapping in rhythm. It likely formed part of a festival or ceremonial performance honouring Hathor, the goddess of music, dance, joy, and fertility.

Fragment of wall painting from the Tomb of the Dancers © Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

In ancient Egyptian culture, dance was far more than entertainment. It held deep ritual, social, and symbolic meaning. Performances by professional ensembles, made up of singers (ḥsı͗t), musicians (ḥnı͗t or ḥnwt), and dancers (ḥbw), were an essential part of elite banquets, temple rituals, and funerary ceremonies. Wealthy households, including royal harems, often trained women in the musical arts, while male musicians commonly played instruments such as harps, lyres, and lutes during performances.

The 17th Dynasty was a period of political division but artistic continuity. Centred at Thebes, it bridged the more formal traditions of the Middle Kingdom with the expressive, flourishing styles of the New Kingdom that followed. Artistic output in this era, especially in tomb decoration, maintained many traditional motifs while subtly shifting in execution. Scenes could appear more provincial or simplified, but they retained a sense of ritual importance, especially in depictions of music and dance.

The dancers in this tomb fragment are shown in fluid, energetic poses, captured mid-motion with a sense of rhythm rarely seen in earlier periods. These depictions weren’t merely decorative: they reflected the Egyptians’ belief in dance as a sacred act, capable of invoking divine favour and aiding the soul’s journey into the afterlife. Performers, often women, frequently acted as priestesses of Hathor, their movements part of the ceremonial language of rebirth and protection.