9As the kings Are, so are Their people
Since the Old Kingdom, nobles (high-ranking officials) from the king’s entourage and his ministers have been accustomed to being buried near their kings. In Saqqara, we have seen the tombs of high-ranking officials next to the pyramids of Old Kingdom kings, such as the tombs of Kagemni and Mereruka, and other nobles. This tradition continued in the Middle Kingdom, both in West Thebes during the 11th Dynasty and in Fayoum during the 12th Dynasty. This increased during the New Kingdom, and the West Bank of Thebes became filled with the tombs of nobles (ministers, priests, the king’s entourage, and high-ranking military commanders). After King Thutmose I built the first tomb in the Valley of the Kings and after the construction of a city for workers known as Deir el-Medina, the tombs of the nobles began to spread throughout the West Bank of Thebes. Whether around the funerary temples of the kings, near Deir el-Medina, or near the Valley of the Queens. It is noticeable that each noble fills his tomb not only with religious scenes in which he worships the gods or offers sacrifices to the kings in the afterlife, but also fills his tomb with scenes of his work and daily life. These scenes of daily life varied from one tomb to another according to the nature of the owner’s work.
Among the most famous of their tombs and those with the most beautiful scenes are:
The tomb of Rekhmire (vizier of Thutmose III):
Among the most beautiful scenes in his tomb are the banquet scenes and the arrival of the Asians.
e tomb of Nekht, number 52 (storekeeper of King Thutmose IV):
The most important scene is that of the three female musicians.
The tomb of User, number 21 (chief of the king’s reception for Thutmose I):
The most important scene is that of dragging the sarcophagus on a sledge. There are also scenes of animals rarely found, such as rabbits and hyenas.
The tomb of Osarhat, number 51, from the reign of King Seti I:
The most important scene is of him walking with his wife, both in the form of birds with human heads, joining their hands to drink from the lake.
The tomb of Thani, number 154 (cupbearer of King Thutmose III):
Here we find a scene of digging a well.
The tomb of Neferhotep:
The most important scene is that of the lute player.
The tomb of Amenemhat, from the reign of Thutmose III:
We find a scene of playing the harp.
The tomb of Nebamun, from the 18th Dynasty:
A scene of weighing gold.
The tomb of Menna:
With scenes of agriculture.
The tomb of Ramose, number 55 (governor of Thebes):
The most important scenes are inscriptions from two different periods, for the father and son, and it is distinguished by the inclusion of the Atonist art associated with Akhenaten, which shows us the difference between the schools of ancient Egyptian art.
scene of Workers from the Tomb of Rekhmire
Scene of Three Musicians from the Tomb of Nekht
Scene from the Tomb of Osarhat
Offering Scene from the Tomb of Neferhotep:
Scene of Daily Life from the Tomb of Nebamun
Agricultural Life in Ancient Egypt from the Tomb of Menna:
Beautiful Scene from the Tomb of Ramose:
