Egyptian, Late period, Dynasty 25–26 (from the Tomb of Mentu-em-hat at Thebes), ca. 680–640 B.C.
Limestone with significant traces of red pigment, 19 1/2 x 29 1/2 in. (49.5 x 74.9 cm)
Gift of William Kelly Simpson, B.A. 1947, M.A. 1948, Ph.D. 1954, in memory of his father the Hon.
Kenneth F. Simpson, B.A. 1917, and grandfather, Nathan Todd Porter, B.A. 1890
The upper register of this shallow relief fragment depicts a funeral procession. Five men, dressed in short kilts and wearing short beards and wigs, move in a line toward the left. In tandem with a partner, each man shoulders a table laden with offerings for the deceased—clothing, jewelry, vessels, furniture, and sculpture. The lower register of the relief preserves the upper portion of a landscape scene, indicated by papyrus plants and bunches of fruit. Within this landscape are two offering booths, each crowned by a frieze of lotus buds and blossoms. This relief fragment once adorned a wall of the Tomb of Mentu-em-hat at Thebes. During his lifetime, Mentu-em-hat served as a prophet of the god Amen and as mayor of Thebes.
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