Monday, October 7, 2019

Tomb of Menna TT69 in the Valley of the Nobles Luxor Thebes



Menna stands in a pavilion/shelter constructed of reeds. He overlooks all of the work which takes place in front of him. It should be noted that although his title and name: "Scribe of the Lord of the Two Lands, Menna", located within the shelter, are undamaged, his face has however been destroyed. He wears a shoulder-length wig and is clothed in a semi-transparent robe with short-sleeves, under which he has a kilt which is folded across at the front. In his left hand he holds his staff of office, whilst with the other he holds the usual folded piece of white cloth.
A servant stands, bending slightly forwards, in front of the shelter placing two dark red vessels, possibly containing wine or water for his master to drink. He is represented with a naked upper torso, wearing only a white kilt. His age is emphasised by his grey hair, balding slightly at the front, and his emphasised overweight shown by the bulge of his stomach extending over his belt.


 the treading of the wheat on the threshing floor. The sheaths of wheat are piled in two large heaps, at the centre of which they are crushed by the trampling of four oxen, two red-brown and two white. They are yoked together by a single band which passes around their neck. The man who controls them holds a long stick in his hand. Due to the small amount of space available for the scene, the cattle do not appear to have much room to move. The two men who help him stand on the heaps to either side. Behind him, on the right, his companion holds a rake to push the sheaths progressively on to the treading area. The other man, standing at the other side, who also holds a rake, has his back turned away from the work to watch what is happening else where. This one has black hair with a balding front, whereas the other two have their heads covered by a white scarf tied at the back of the neck. All three men wear a short white kilt.

Tomb of Menna TT69 in the Valley of the Nobles Luxor Thebes

the offerings are presented to Menna by a group of seven officials, probably the owners of the fields, recognisable by their short-sleeved pink (or possibly semi-transparent) shirts, their pointed kilts and short wigs. They stand respectfully in two groups of two and a final group of three. All bend slightly as a sign of submission.
Their offerings , placed in front of Menna, include, from bottom to top, four baskets of fruits on top of which is a green gourd, five ovoid jars, a goblet filled with fruits (the colour now almost lost), three green plants, and at the top three yellow birds and two groups of geese.
Behind the officials can be seen the chariot of Menna, harnessed to a white horse with red markings. The horse has four reigns attached, from which, although not obvious, it may be assumed that there are in fact two horses. The reigns are held by the man standing behind the chariot, wearing a short wig and dressed in a white loincloth, keeping the horse/s under control. The body of the chariot is produced in red with a frame of blue. It is equipped with a quiver to hold arrows or spears.

Tomb of Menna TT69 in the Valley of the Nobles Luxor Thebes

Here is located Menna, seated on a folding stool with the top covered by an animal skin. The seat rests on a reed mat. Above and behind Menna, the text states: "Enjoying himself with the work of the fields, by the great confidant of the Lord of the Two Lands, in [his] wish [……] the eyes of the King in every place, Overseer of the estate [of Amon, Men]na, justified before the great god." Here he carries out his official position with his staff of office in his left hand and a folded piece of cloth in the other. His face and several portions of the text have been destroyed. As usual, he is dressed in a long semi-transparent garment over a short white pleated kilt, with the end of the long sash-belt hanging down the side of the stool. He is adorned with a broad necklace and wrist-bracelets.


Tomb of Menna TT69 in the Valley of the Nobles Luxor Thebes

 men carrying the harvest, is another tree which fills the height of the sub-register. This marks the end of the crop area. A black goatskin hangs from one its branches. At the foot of the tree are seated two men, each on a stool, both wearing a wig and short kilt. The one on the left appears to have fallen asleep with his elbow resting on his knee. The other reclines against the tree, playing a flute. The kilt of the flute player is pleated.
The final scene has been restricted by the available space. Two men spread sheaves of wheat a threshing floor from the large piles on either side of them. The two men, each wearing only a kilt and provided with a long fork, prepare the area for threshing the harvest. They are overlooked by their supervisor, represented with quite a paunch, easily visible above his kilt. He supports himself with a long staff and has the heel of front foot raised, possibly suggesting that he is handicapped.






Tomb of Menna TT69 in the Valley of the Nobles Luxor Thebes




 men doing the harvesting, are two pairs of men carrying two large nets, containing the crop, suspended from a long pole which rests on their shoulders. They walk towards the threshing area which forms the end (right) scene of this sub-register. Each of the men wears only a brief garment. These are very special, with an design looking like feathers (a reminder of the Rishi coffins) and a small flat white front piece with a scalloped lower edge.


Between the two sets of bearers stands a younger person, facing the left-most pair . Due to the paler colour of the skin, this is probably a girl. She wears a long skirt and a head scarf which hides her hair. She holds a small vessel to her chest, probably containing water. Under the net of the left pair, a young boy, totally unclothed, picks up grain which has been dropped. Under the net of the right-hand pair (see image right) are two small girls dressed in a similar way to those in the lower sub-register, one of whom was pulling a thorn from the other's foot. However, these two quarrel with each other and pull at each other's hair. A basket lies on the ground between them, so it would appear that they were also gathering ears of wheat before they started their argument.

Tomb of Menna TT69 in the Valley of the Nobles Luxor Thebes




The group of eight harvesters bend, sickle in and, in order to cut the sheaves of wheat, although the third from the left is busy having a drink of water, the upper part of his image is lost. Facing him stands a woman, indicated by her long skirt and pink upper garment, holding on her shoulder a woven basket. She probably brought to him the water container. In the middle is a young child, clothed in only a slim belt, although what he holds is unknown due to damage. Only the top of the wheat is cut in order to leave the stubble for grazing, which will be the last stage of the harvest.



Above the harvesters are six trees, shown in a smaller scale, giving an effect of perspective, possibly to show the far extent of the field. On the branches of the first two trees, on the left, in front of the larger scale tree, are again visible nests with eggs, whilst a bird can be seen taking flight between the two



. At the foot of the third, from which hang some pods (possibly a carob tree or an acacia), a woman sits on a stool  She holds a child, secured to her chest by a large support consisting of strips of cloth which wrap around her upper torso. The child raises a hand to its mother's hair (or perhaps this is a wet nurse). A bowl full of fruit rests near her feet, but it is difficult to identify this fruit





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Tomb of Menna TT69 in the Valley of the Nobles Luxor Thebes




Menna attends the gathering of the crop. He is represented inside a kiosk, seated on a folding stool, with his feet resting on a small pad. In his left hand he holds his staff of office and in the other he holds a folded piece of cloth.



Facing him is a servant wearing a white kilt, holding the front column of the kiosk with his right hand. In the other he holds a yellow container. Behind him is a tree with its branches laden with fruit. The tree also contains nests which include eggs or chicks. Two large boxes, of different shape, have been placed at the bottom of the tree.
To the right, standing at the other side of the tree, is a scribe (his palette is in his left hand). He is in command of the workers who are occupying the rest of the register, men carry out work in the field, harvesting the crop.

The Mastaba of Ti at Saqqara

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