Monkey in a Palm Tree

Painted upon a modest shard of limestone (known as an ostracon) this whimsical yet charming sketch from the New Kingdom (c. 1550–1069 B.C.) captures a lively monkey mid-climb as it scales the familiar forked trunk of a doum-palm tree.

Measuring just 11 by 9.7 centimetres, the piece, though small, radiates the playful curiosity and natural elegance so often celebrated in Ancient Egyptian art. Monkeys, particularly the cercopithecus and baboon species, were known to the Ancient Egyptians, and baboons in particular held sacred significance, associated with the god Thoth, patron of wisdom and the moon.

These creatures were not merely observed in nature but were also gifted as exotic tribute animals to the pharaoh, often arriving from lands to the south such as Punt or Nubia. They became status symbols and courtly pets, amusing and clever, sometimes trained to mimic human tasks. Their likeness frequently graced the decorative arts, appearing on pottery, jewellery, and wall paintings; as symbols of playfulness, intelligence, and, in the case of baboons, cosmic order.

In this humble ostracon, likely a practice piece or a moment of artistic leisure, we see the blend of realism and light-hearted observation so typical of the Ancient Egyptian artist’s hand. The doum palm itself, a sacred and sustaining tree, serves as the perfect perch for the monkey, uniting the themes of nature, exoticism, and daily life in a single charming vignette. Once in the collection of Major R. G. Gayer-Anderson, it now stands as a quiet testament to the Egyptians’ affection for the natural world and their ability to find joy (and perhaps a little divine mirth) even in a scrap of limestone.

Doum Palm (dom palm)

The doum palm (also spelled dom palm), known botanically as Hyphaene thebaica, held a notable place in the visual and material culture of Ancient Egypt. Native to Egypt and much of the Nile Valley, this distinctive palm (easily recognised by its forked trunk and fan-like leaves) was not only a source of food and materials but also a powerful symbol in Ancient Egyptian art and religious thought.

In Ancient Egyptian depictions, the doum palm can often be identified in tomb paintings, temple reliefs, and offering scenes. Artists rendered its bifurcated trunk with elegance, capturing the tree’s unusual spli, something that set it apart from the more columnar date palm. Its fruit, reddish-brown and oval-shaped, was both edible and sacred. The doum fruit was commonly included in funerary offerings and has been found in tombs, including that of Tutankhamun, symbolising nourishment for the afterlife. The fruit’s tough outer layer and sweet, fibrous interior made it an ideal food for both the living and the divine.

The symbolic role of the doum palm was intertwined with ideas of renewal, fertility, and eternal life. Trees in general had sacred associations in Ancient Egyptian cosmology, thought to link the earth and the heavens, and the doum, with its resilience and abundance, was particularly linked with longevity. It may also have evoked the Ished tree, the mythical tree upon which the gods inscribed the names of just rulers to secure their place in eternity.

Its wood was valued for its strength and used to make items such as headrests, household objects, and even coffin elements. The tree’s aesthetic appeal also made it a motif in jewellery, amulets, and temple decoration.

The doum palm appears frequently in scenes of the Field of Reeds, the Ancient Egyptian concept of the ultimate Heavenly realm, where it lines the banks of celestial waterways; a serene landscape that mirrors the idealised Nile Valley. In these paradisiacal vignettes, the tree affirms the afterlife’s abundance and eternal beauty. The doum palm, therefore, was never merely decorative. It embodied the cycle of life and rebirth, sustained the living, honoured the dead, and framed the divine. Its enduring presence in both sacred and domestic contexts makes it one of the most evocative botanical symbols in the Ancient Egyptian world.