Tree of Life brooch based on an ancient stone
Knou-Hotep III tomb located in Beni-Hassan (XIIth Dynasty - Sesostris II reign, 1895 before JC) is part of a larger scene of birds capture in the swanps. As all traditional hunting scenes, its purpose is to ensure the deceased eternal fooding, in case living forget to constantly fill its altar.
It was in the Middle empire when Egyptian art acquired more finesse. We can clearly notice, looking to these five birds on an acacia tree, that four of them are represented on the tree branch and the fifth one is in the process of landing on to the branch (wings spread and legs stretched downwards).
Although represented off the net, these birds are meant to be captured by the deceased to self feeding. These five birds are also the symbol of the five most important human life stages : birth, childhood, adolescence, age of union and old age.