Five men carrying offerings: fragment of wall painting from the tomb of Nebamun (no. 11)

Thebes, Egypt
18th Dynasty, around 1350 BC

Two of the men carry grain, another a gazelle or antelope, another two rabbits or hares, while the last bears a yoke with grain and a number of unclear items.

One of the purposes of the offering chapel in an ancient Egyptian tomb was as a place where provisions could be left for the spirit of the dead. Offering bearers were an essential element of tomb decoration from the beginning of the Old Kingdom (about 2613-2160 BC).

M. Hooper, The Tomb of Nebamun, Cambridge reading (Cambridge University Press, 1997)

L. Manniche, Lost tombs: a study of certain (London, Kegan Paul International, 1988)