By Jacqueline Engel
This panel, carved in bas relief, comes from the mortuary temple of Userkaf (2494-2487, first ruler of the 5th Dynasty), which is at Saqqara.
It shows a flock of birds and a butterfly(not in the picture) in a papyrus thicket.
A pied kingfisher hovers above, waiting for fish to appear, while a hoopoe, scared ibis, night heron and a purple gallinule balance the papyrus umbels.
Egyptian Museum Caïro.
LA CIVILTA' EGIZIA 