The Theban

Thebes, Egypt

Thebes is the Greek name for a city in Ancient Egypt located about 800 km south of the Mediterranean, on the east bank of the river Nile within the modern city of Luxor. The Theban Necropolis is situated nearby on the west bank of the Nile.-History:...

 tomb TT184

TT184

The Theban tomb TT184 is the burial place of Nefermenu, an ancient Egyptian official, Mayor of Thebes and Royal Scribe during the reign of Ramesses II...

 is the burial place of Nefermenu, an ancient Egyptian official, Mayor of Thebes and Royal Scribe during the reign of Ramesses II

Ramesses II

Ramesses II , referred to as Ramesses the Great, was the third Egyptian pharaoh of the Nineteenth dynasty. He is often regarded as the greatest, most celebrated, and most powerful pharaoh of the Egyptian Empire...

. The tomb is part of the Theban Necropolis

Theban Necropolis

The Theban Necropolis is an area of the west bank of the Nile, opposite Thebes in Egypt. It was used for ritual burials for much of Pharaonic times, especially in the New Kingdom of Egypt.-Mortuary Temples:* Deir el-Bahri** Mortuary temple of Hatshepsut...

 and located on the El-Khokha

El-Khokha

The necropolis of El-Khokha is located on the West Bank at Thebes, Egypt. The necropolis is based around a hill, and has five Old Kingdom tombs and over 50 tombs from the 18th, 19th, and , 20th dynasties as well as some form the first intermediate period and the late period...

 hillock on the west bank of the Nile

Nile

The Nile is a major north-flowing river in North Africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world. It is long. It runs through the ten countries of Sudan, South Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and Egypt.The Nile has two major...

, opposite to Luxor

Luxor

Luxor is a city in Upper Egypt and the capital of Luxor Governorate. The population numbers 487,896 , with an area of approximately . As the site of the Ancient Egyptian city of Thebes, Luxor has frequently been characterized as the "world's greatest open air museum", as the ruins of the temple...

.

The owner

Nefermenu's most commonly used titles are those of royal scribe and mayor, but he also held the following titles: overseer of the granaries of Amun

Amun

Amun, reconstructed Egyptian Yamānu , was a god in Egyptian mythology who in the form of Amun-Ra became the focus of the most complex system of theology in Ancient Egypt...

, steward of Amun, overseer of the granaries of all the gods of Upper and Lower Egypt

Upper and Lower Egypt

Ancient Egypt was divided into two regions, namely Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt. To the north was Lower Egypt where the Nile stretched out with its several branches to form the Nile Delta. To the south was Upper Egypt, stretching to Syene. The two kingdoms of Upper and Lower Egypt were united c....

, steward of the (mortuary) temple of Amenhotep I

Amenhotep I

Amenhotep I was the second Pharaoh of the 18th dynasty of Egypt. His reign is generally dated from 1526 to 1506 BC. He was born to Ahmose I and Ahmose-Nefertari, but had at least two elder brothers, Ahmose-ankh and Ahmose Sapair, and was not expected to inherit the throne...

 in Thebes

Thebes, Egypt

Thebes is the Greek name for a city in Ancient Egypt located about 800 km south of the Mediterranean, on the east bank of the river Nile within the modern city of Luxor. The Theban Necropolis is situated nearby on the west bank of the Nile.-History:...

, overseer of the house of silver and gold, chief taxing master of the lord of the Two Lands, and feast leader of all the gods in Thebes.

Nefermenu's wife Mery(nebu) is depicted in the tomb. She was a songstress of Amun like many other high ranking noble ladies.

The tomb

Fieldwork on TT 184 started in 1995. The excavations were conducted by the Hungarian Archaeological Mission under the direction of Zoltán Fábián.

The hall of the tomb shows the name of Nefermenu and the walls show scenes from the Book of Gates

Book of Gates

The Book of Gates is an Ancient Egyptian funerary text dating from the New Kingdom. It narrates the passage of a newly deceased soul into the next world, corresponding to the journey of the sun though the underworld during the hours of the night. The soul is required to pass though a series of...

. Nefermenu is shown with his wife while they receive offerings. A niche in the hall contains a statue. The inner room shows further scenes from the Book of Gates and several scenes of Nefermenu in the presence of gods including Horus

Horus

Horus is one of the oldest and most significant deities in the Ancient Egyptian religion, who was worshipped from at least the late Predynastic period through to Greco-Roman times. Different forms of Horus are recorded in history and these are treated as distinct gods by Egyptologists...

, Osiris

Osiris

Osiris is an Egyptian god, usually identified as the god of the afterlife, the underworld and the dead. He is classically depicted as a green-skinned man with a pharaoh's beard, partially mummy-wrapped at the legs, wearing a distinctive crown with two large ostrich feathers at either side, and...

, the goddess of the West and Thoth

Thoth

Thoth was considered one of the more important deities of the Egyptian pantheon. In art, he was often depicted as a man with the head of an ibis or a baboon, animals sacred to him. His feminine counterpart was Seshat...

.

External links

• Detailed report on the Theban Tomb 184