219 Beasts and Beliefs at Beni Hassan: A Preliminary Report LINDA EVANS Abstract A recent feld survey of the elite Middle Kingdom cemetery at Beni Hassan has revealed many un- usual animal motifs, including examples of creatures that are rarely attested in the artistic record and entirely new scenes. Two case studies are presented to illustrate the rich zoological repertoire at the site and its potential to enlighten our understanding of the Egyptians’ intriguing relation- ship with the animal world. These are confrmation of a tame Egyptian mongoose represented in the Eleventh Dynasty tomb of Baqet I (no. 29) and a new image of a pelican in full color in the Eleventh Dynasty tomb of Baqet II (no. 33). A two-year project has commenced at the Middle Kingdom cemetery of Beni Hassan in which the ani- mals represented in elite tombs are to be documented and their signifcance in the lives of the owners evaluated. 1 In particular, the project will explore the symbolic role of animals at the site via consider- ation of the species depicted, local religious practices (e.g., the cult of Pakhet), and the tomb owners’ biographical testimonies. The study forms part of a larger ongoing project by Macquarie University’s Australian Centre for Egyptology under the directorship of Naguib Kanawati, 2 which has the ambitious goal of re-recording and publishing all of the decorated tombs at the site. To date, the tomb of Khnum- hotep II (no. 3) has been completed, 3 while that of Amenemhet (no. 2) has been recorded in full and the publication is now being prepared. The necropolis of Beni Hassan is located c. 25 km south of the modern town of El-Minya, on the east bank of the Nile. The site consists of 39 rock-cut tombs situated in a cliff overlooking the river, which date from the Eleventh to the Twelfth Dynasties; of these, only twelve are decorated. The structures were initially recorded and published by Percy Newberry and his colleagues between 1893 and 1900. 4 Despite a small number of focused studies in the modern era, 5 Newberry’s four original reports remain the standard reference to the site. In July 2015, the images of mammals, birds, reptiles, fsh, amphibians, and invertebrates as well as representations of ‘mythological’ creatures were examined and photographed on-site; tracing of the scenes via digital epigraphy is now underway. In addition to those already recorded in the tombs of Khnumhotep II (no. 3) and Amenemhet (no. 2), animals in the following seven tombs were inspected and all extant fgures logged: Khnumhotep I (no. 14); Baqet III (no. 15); Khety (no. 17); Nakht (no. 21); 1 Funding for the project has been provided by a Macquarie University Research Development Grant (2015–16). 2 Australian Research Council Discovery Project (DP160102223): Measuring Meaning in Egyptian Art: A New Approach to an Intractable Problem (2016–18), with N. Kanawati, L. Evans, A. Woods (Macquarie University) and J. Kamrin (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York). 3 N. Kanawati and L. Evans, Beni Hassan. Vol. 1: The Tomb of Khnumhotep II, ACE Reports 36 (Oxford, 2014). 4 P. Newberry et al., Beni Hasan, 4 Parts (London, 1893–1900). 5 See J. Kamrin, The Cosmos of Khnumhotep II at Beni Hasan (New York, 1999); A. Shedid, Die Felsgräber von Beni Hassan in Mittelägypten (Mainz am Rhein, 1994); N. Kanawati and A. Woods, Beni Hassan. Art and Daily Life in an Egyptian Province (Cairo, 2010). Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt 52 (2016), 219–229 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.5913/jarce.52.2016.a013