This copyist Nebseny – they cast out what was in the belly of Osiris and what was made for the thirst of the mouth of the scribe Nebseny, provided by his god. He will not be hungry, he will not be thirsty. The scribe of the House of Ptah Nebseny – Ha saved him, he removed his hunger so that he is filled, the heart is filled. (O you) who are in charge of the setjet-(baking-) forms, you guardians of the drink, commend the copyist of the House of Ptah [ . . . to] Ra himself. Ra shall commend him to who is in charge of the (food) supplies of this year. They shall seize and give to him barley, emmer and bread. (Book of the Dead of Nb-sny, spell 178; BM EA9900,19) 1 Introduction This paper will analyze a seemingly lacklustre object which nevertheless mate- rializes a wide array of concepts inherent to the funerary beliefs of the ancient Egyptians: the miniature offering plate or dish CC308.004 (Fig. 11.1). This particular miniature pottery vessel is one of a number of objects from the Egyptian collection at Cyfarthfa Castle Museums and Art Gallery, Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. 2 Miniature vessels were used as votive offerings throughout Egyptian phar- aonic history from the earliest times onward. The specific forms chosen for such miniatures seem to reference vessel types typical for the Predynastic and Early Dynastic periods (Allen 2006, 19). The form of these vessels can range from dishes, pots to bottles and jars. Dishes such as CC308.004 were put in tombs (Hayes 1978, 118; Richards 2005, 162, Fig. 75) or formed part of foundation deposits (Weinstein 2001, 559; BM EA64088; MfA 05.62). Like many museum objects which entered collections during the nine- teenth and early twentieth centuries, this object has no firm provenance. Its date of manufacture and its use are unknown ( infra). Nevertheless, the aim of the current study is to discuss the Sitz im Leben (place in life) this object might have had in ancient Egypt. In particular I will explore what it might tell us about the (im)materiality of foodstuffs in ancient Egypt. Specifically, I will examine aspects of symbolic food consumption and ritualistic offering, both of which were important aspects of ancient Egyptian funerary culture. 11 Lacklustre offering plates? Symbolic food consumption, ritual and representations in ancient Egyptian funerary culture Katharina Zinn 15032-0153-1pass-r02.indd 205 16-08-2016 17:50:54