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Collections / Ricerca / Feeding in Ancient Egypt

Relief with a scene of work in the fields from tomb of Horemheb

Relief from the tomb of Horemheb with work scene in the afterlife fields

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The relief decorated one of the three chapels in the tomb of Horemheb. As dictated by Chapter 110 of the Book of the Dead, Horemheb is depicted here working in the fields of the hereafter in order to gain eternal life. The top scene, of which only the lower section remains, shows the tribute of the deceased to the funerary gods. In the two middle registers Horemheb receives offerings from his own image, steers several oxen trampling ears of cereal to separate the grain from the bran, and pushes a plough drawn by oxen. Below, he is again seated at a table laden with food and receives the gift of several bundles of flax from three farmers. The uraeus, carved on his forehead, attests to his cult as the last king of the 18th dynasty.

Provenance: Saqqara: tomb of Horemheb. Palagi Collection
Datation: 18th dynasty: reign of Tutankhamen (1332–1323 BC)
Material: Limestone
Dimensions: H. cm. 73; le. cm. 116
Bibliography: G. Martin, The Memphite Tomb of Horemheb, London 1989, n. 117; Il senso dell’arte nell’antico Egitto, Milano 1990, n. 62
Inventory #: EG 1885

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