General Horemheb & Wife

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Illustration

Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin
by
published on 18 July 2016
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General Horemheb & Wife Download Full Size Image

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.

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About the Author

Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin
Associate Professor of Neurology and lover of the Cradle of Civilization, Mesopotamia. I'm very interested in Mesopotamian history and always try to take photos of archaeological sites and artifacts in museums, both in Iraq and around the world.

Cite This Work

APA Style

Amin, O. S. M. (2016, July 18). General Horemheb & Wife. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/image/5325/general-horemheb--wife/

Chicago Style

Amin, Osama Shukir Muhammed. "General Horemheb & Wife." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified July 18, 2016. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/5325/general-horemheb--wife/.

MLA Style

Amin, Osama Shukir Muhammed. "General Horemheb & Wife." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 18 Jul 2016. Web. 21 Dec 2024.

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