Like many ancient societies, the Egyptians regarded their homeland as the center of the universe and their civilization as superior to all others. Egypt’s neighbors were perceived as enemies of the divine order and, thus, enemies of Egypt. One of the main roles of the pharaoh was to subdue these nations. This is clearly reflected in the symbolic portraits of the Egyptian king trampling or crushing a foreign enemy – in many cases, a Canaanite. The iconic nature of Egyptian art makes it easy to identify subjects on the basis of their features and attire. Foreigners are typically depicted in official portraits as bound prisoners. In scenes of daily life, however, they are shown as free and autonomous individuals, as, for example, in the tomb painting from Beni-Hasan representing a caravan of Canaanite merchants.