A Japanese mission from Waseda University discovered a private tomb in
the Theban necropolis in Luxor, Mahmoud Afifi, the head of the antiquities
ministry's Ancient Egypt Department, said on Tuesday. Written By/ Nevine
El-Aref.
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Photo: Courtesy of Waseda University
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Afifi says that the tomb, located at the El-Khokha area on the west bank
of the Nile, is beautifully decorated and likely dates to the Ramesside period,
based on its style. Early inspection of the tomb suggests that it belonged to a
royal scribe named Khonsu .
Jiro Kondo, the head of the Japanese mission, told Ahram Online that the
tomb was discovered while excavators were cleaning the area to the east of the
forecourt of the tomb of Userhat, a high official under king Amenhotep III. He
added that the team aslso stumbled upon a hole hewn connected to the south wall
of the transverse hall of the previously unknown tomb of Khonsu. The
tomb is built on a T-shape on an east-west axis, with the main entrance, currently
covered in debris, facing the east.
The tomb measures approximately 4.6m in length from the entrance to the
rear wall of the inner chamber, while the transverse hall measures
approximately 5.5 m in width.
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Decoration scene & The scene of the baboons
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Kondo explains that on the north wall of the entrance doorway, a scene
shows the solar boat of the god Ra-Atum being worshipped by four baboons in a
pose of adoration.
On the adjacent wall, hieroglyphic texts are inscribed vertically
describing Khonsu as a “true renowned scribe.” On the southern part of the eastern wall in the
transverse hall, Khonsu and his wife worship the gods Osiris and Isis in a
kiosk, behind which is a depiction of the two ram-headed deity, likely Khnum or
Khnum-Re.
On the upper register of the northern part of the tomb, there are carved
seated figures of Osiris and Isis, though the upper parts of their bodies are
broken. On
the lower register, a portion of the paintings shows the followers of the tomb
owners. "Regretfully,
most of the wall paintings on the western wall of the transverse hall are no
longer there," says Kondo.
Hani Abul Azm, the head of the Central Administration for Upper Egyptian
Antiquities, says that the wall where the hole hewn is found hold vertical
inscriptions at the top.
The name and title of tomb's owner are identified. The frieze pattern
near the ceiling shows a typical khekher-frize of the Ramesside period.
The ceiling decorations are better preserved than the wall paintings,
while more images may be discovered in the inner chamber once the debris is
cleared.
