Cattle brought for inspection: fragment of wall painting from
the tomb of Nebamun (no. 5)
Thebes, Egypt
18th Dynasty, around 1350 BC
The cattle are shown in two groups in two registers, and a
record is made by scribes. In the upper register the herdsmen bow
down before a scribe who is taking notes or counting the cattle. A
herdsman stands in the middle of the lower register, holding a coil
of rope in one hand, and raises the other. His speech is recorded
in the hieroglyphs above: 'Come on! Get away! Do not speak in the
presence of the praised one! He detests people talking. He does
what is right. He will not ignore any complaint. Pass on in quiet
and in order. He won't take anyone's side. he knows all the
affairs, does the scribe and counter of grain of [Amun], Neb...'.
The section of painting to the left, where the figure of Nebamun
would have been dominant, has not survived.
The cattle are shown in five layers, one behind the other; the
alternating colour of their hides helps to visually separate one
animal from another. Note also the variety of pattern: piebald,
mottled and spotted.
M. Hooper, The Tomb of Nebamun, Cambridge reading (Cambridge University Press, 1997)
T.G.H. James, Egyptian painting and drawing (London, The British Museum Press, 1985)
L. Manniche, Lost tombs: a study of certain (London, Kegan Paul International, 1988)