Nebamun’s cattle, fragment of a scene from the tomb-chapel of
Nebamun
Thebes, Egypt
Late 18th Dynasty, around 1350 BC
This fragment is part of a wall showing
Nebamun inspecting flocks of geese and herds of cattle. Hieroglyphs
describe the scene and record what the farmers say as they squabble
in the queue.
The alternating colours and patterns of cattle
create a superb sense of animal movement. The artists
have left out some of the cattle’s legs to preserve the
clarity of the design. The herdsman is telling the farmer in front
of him in the queue:
'Come on! Get away! Don’t speak in the
presence of the praised one! He detests people talking …. Pass on
in quiet and in order … He knows all affairs, does the scribe and
counter of grain of [Amun], Neb[amun]’.
The name of the god Amun has been hacked out
in this caption where it appears in Nebamun’s name and title.
Shortly after Nebamun died, King Akhenaten (1352–1336 BC) had
Amun’s name erased from monuments as part of his religious
reforms.
M. Hooper, The Tomb of Nebamun
(London, British Museum press, 2007)
R. Parkinson, The painted Tomb-chapel of
Nebamun. (London, British Museum Press, 2008)
A. Middleton and K.
Uprichard, (eds.), The Nebamun Wall Paintings:
Conservation, Scientific Analysis and Display at the British
Museum (London, Archetype, 2008)