As evidence of their socio-political positions, nomarchs in Middle Egypt built impressive tombs at Qau, Asyut, Meir, Deir el-Bersha, and Beni Hasan. These tombs were carved into the limestone cliffs near the provincial capitals, and were designed with an outer court and a rock-cut pillared room from which a shaft led to the burial chamber. Sometimes there is evidence of a series of courts, porticos, and passageways leading from the tomb across the low desert. Many of the scenes in these tombs are in poor condition today, and it is fortunate that copies were made of a number of them in the 19th century. One especially well-known scene from the tomb of Djehuty-hotep at Deir el-Bersha, of a colossal seated statue on a sledge being dragged with ropes by four rows of workmen, was copied by John Gardner Wilkinson on one of his Egyptian sojourns (1821-1856) (Figure 7.10).
Figure 7.10 Scene of moving a large statue from the tomb of Djehuty-hotep, Deir el-Bersha. Source: Somers Clarke and R. Engelback, Ancient Egyptian Construction and Architecture. New York: Dover, 1990, Figure 79. Used by permission of Dover Publications.
At Beni Hasan 39 large rock-cut tombs, only 12 of which were finished with inscriptions, were recorded in the late 19th century by George Fraser and Percy Newberry. They were built in an upper cemetery area by rulers and officials of the oryx nome (16th nome of upper Egypt) in the 11th and 12th Dynasties. Some of the larger tombs contain biographical inscriptions and were painted with scenes of “daily life,” comparable with those found in elite tombs of the later old Kingdom, including depictions of craft activities (weaving, carving, pottery production, etc.); agriculture and food preparation; and hunting, fishing, and fowling. Some of the tombs have scenes of conflict. The tomb of Khnumhotep II contains the well-known scene of a visiting group of nomadic traders, led by a chief named Abisha.
World History
