ARCHAEOLOGY: Extinct Geese Species in Egypt Near Abraham's sojourn there

And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there... Genesis 12:10

 

"The Meidum Geese painting was found in 1871 in a tomb located near the Meidum Pyramid, which was built by the pharaoh Snefru,

The tomb belonged to the pharaoh’s son, the vizier Nefermaat, and the painting itself was supposedly found in a chapel dedicated to Nefermaat’s wife Itet.

As members of the royal family, the pair was granted a large mastaba tomb close to the pyramid of the king and could employ the most sought-after artists of the day to help in its decoration.

The geese were depicted below a scene showing men trapping birds in a clap net and offering them to the tomb’s owner.

While it is not uncommon to find scenes of fowling in the marshes in Old Kingdom tombs, this example is one of the earliest and is notable for the extraordinary quality of the painting.

“The painting, Meidum Geese, has been admired since its discovery

in the 1800s and described as ‘Egypt’s Mona Lisa’,” said Dr. Romilio..

Apparently no-one realized it depicted an unknown species.

“The strange but beautiful bird was quite unlike modern red-breasted geese (Branta ruficollis), with distinct, bold colors and patterns on its body, face, breast, wings and legs.” SciNews