The Tomb of Amenemhab

Reissue of first publication of a lesser known but important decorated tomb of the Ramesside Period at Thebes.

This volume is a facsimile reissue of the full publication of the tomb identified as that of Amenemhab, a middle ranking priest of Amon. The tomb lies within the lower enclosure of the major cemetery of Elwet Sheikh-Abdel Qurnah in Thebes. It is cut into a perpendicular cliff of limestone and shale and is one of the private, so-called house-like chapel tombs of local dignitaries, mainly dating to the Ramesside Period. The plan is a common form for Theban tombs, comprising a short entranceway leading into a broad hall, an axial passage and a long hall or shrine with a niche and it is oriented northeast to southwest with a maximum length of c. 9.3 m. There are no side chambers or columns. The tomb decoration was first recorded by Sir Robert Mond but not published by him. Although richly furnished with brightly colored paintings and texts much of the decoration was badly degraded and damaged. The burial shaft was not discovered. In this volume, presented here in facsimile, Hassan el-Saady provides a summary description of the tomb itself with a panel by panel description of the inscriptions and paintings, accompanied by photographs and explanatory line drawings. He identifies the owner of the tomb and members of his family and though close dating of the tomb is difficult as no ruling pharaoh is alluded to anywhere within it, close scrutiny of the style, content and arrangement of both the actual tomb and the decoration points to the reign of Ramesses II.