Hunting, Fishing, and Water: Fowling Scenes in the Private Theban Tombs of the Eighteenth Dynasty

Fishing, fowling, and hunting were practiced widely by ancient Egyptians in the New Kingdom and were commonly represented in their tombs, as both professions and sports.A nobleman was often shown armed with bow and arrows, accompanied by attendants and by hounds to capture living animals in a netted stockade.

Boomerang fowling was commonly depicted in connection with spear fishing, pursued only by the tomb owner and accompanied by his family and attendants.

Scenes depicting the harpooning of a hippopotamus were always shown as part of a larger composition depicting the tomb owner fishing and fowling.

Fishing as a profession involved the use of large nets, while fowlers used a clap-nets to catch waterfowl.