Measuring meaning in Egyptian art: A new approach to an intractable problem

该项目旨在对埃及墓葬艺术的意义产生新的见解。墓葬壁画是关于古埃及人生活的主要信息来源，但这种艺术的最初目的是什么？先前的假说提出了一系列的个人、社会或宗教功能，但这个问题仍然没有解决。该项目旨在打破这一僵局，通过对贝尼哈桑中王国遗址壁画进行创新的视觉和统计分析，来测试迄今为止最全面理论的有效性。研究结果有望使我们对埃及艺术的理解更加清晰，从而对其作为历史文献的用途进行客观评估。

This project aims to produce new insights into the meaning of Eqyptian tomb art. Tomb paintings are a primary source of information about ancient Egyptian life, but what was the original purpose of this art? Previous hypotheses have proposed a range of personal, social or religious functions, but the question remains unresolved. The project aims to break through this impasse by testing the validity of the most comprehensive theory to date via an innovative visual and statistical analysis of wall paintings at the Middle Kingdom site of Beni Hassan. The results are expected to bring greater clarity to our understanding of Egyptian art, and so allow an objective evaluation of its use as a historical document.