Image Gallery
General Horemheb & Wife
Unfinished limestone sculpture of Horemheb and his wife from the tomb of Horemheb at Saqqara, Egypt, 18th Dynasty, probably the reign of Ay, c. 1327-1323 BCE.
The sculpture bears no inscription, and when it was acquired by the British Museum in 1839, its provenance was unknown. The couple's identity remained a mystery until 1976 when a missing fragment of their entwined hands was discovered at Saqqara (ancient Memphis) in the tomb complex of General Horemheb. The statue thus represents the commander-in-chief and presumably his first wife, Amenia. The fragment remains in Egypt, but the exhibit incorporates a cast. The pleated garments, elaborate wigs, and the Horemheb's sandals all signal high status and contemporary fashion. Horemheb commanded Egypt's armed forces under Tutankhamun and acted as the boy king's regent. Tutankhamun died young without a heir. The throne passed briefly to Ay, a much older relative, and then to Horemheb, despite his non-royal descent. He was never buried in his tomb at Saqqara, where the statue had been intended as a focus for his mortuary cult. Following tradition, Horemheb now began preparing a royal tomb at Thebes, in the Valley of the Kings.
The British Museum, London.
Questions & Answers
When did Tutankhamun rule Egypt?
- Tutankhamun ruled Egypt between c. 1336 and c. 1327 BCE.
What did Tutankhamun do during his reign?
- Tutankhamun began the process of dismantling his father's monotheistic belief system and returning Egypt to the polytheistic practices of the past. He died before he could finish this work, and it was accomplished by Horemheb, who then erased Tutankhamun's name and claimed the credit for himself.
Why is Tutankhamun so famous?
- Tutankhamun is famous because of the discovery of his nearly intact tomb in 1922, which was world news, and because of the "curse of the mummy" that became popularized in 1923 and was associated with the opening of the tomb.
Is there any basis in fact for the "curse of Tutankhamun"?
- No. The "curse of Tutankhamun" was based on a misinterpretation of an inscription found in the tomb and then the death of Howard Carter's patron, Lord Carnarvon in 1923. Carter knew there was no curse but allowed the story to circulate because it scared people away from the tomb so he could work in peace and also caused those who had illegally taken or purchased ancient Egyptian artifacts to return them, hoping to distance themselves from the "curse".
