Inspecting the fields: fragment of wall painting from the tomb
of Nebamun (no. 8)
Thebes, Egypt
18th Dynasty, around 1350 BC
This fragment was part of a larger scene which probably showed
Nebamun watching agricultural activities.
The painting shows a man, probably an official under Nebamun's
supervision, bending over a white boundary marker stone, holding a
stick. The hieroglyphs above his head relates the oath he is
swearing over the stone, saying that it is in the correct
place.
The two chariots at the right show how he and his fellow
officials would travel to the fields. A pair of lively horses pulls
the upper chariot, while the lower one is pulled by onagers (a
species of wild ass), or a perhaps a mule or hinny (a cross between
a horse and a donkey). These animals are rarely represented in
Egyptian art.
The painting fragments from Nebamun's tomb are currently not on
display in the Museum, because they are being conserved and
researched for inclusion in new displays planned to open in
2005.
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)