Tomb BH3

By the Editors of the Madain Project

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The tomb designated as BH3 in Beni Hasan belongs to a member of a powerful family of nomarchs and officials, named Khnumhotep II. The tomb BH3 is one of the most notable of the whole necropolis.

Overview

The tomb is fronted by a columned portico and a small courtyard; the courtyard would have been surrounded by mud-brick walls. The small columned portico is on the west side of the courtyard, directly in front of the tomb entrance. The ceiling of the portico is curved similar to the shape of a segmented barrel. The rock around the doorway leading inside the tomb to the chapel was smoothed and flattened, on which a fourteen line inscription is giving the list of the festal days for the services of funeral offerings, called percheru, along with the name and titles of Khnumhotep II.

Architecture

circa 2000 BCE

Depiction of Aamu (Asiatic) People
What makes this tomb stand out among the 39 large rock-cut tombs at Beni Hasan is the well known scene of the Āāmu group, Asiatic nomadic traders who are sometimes considered Hyksos or at least their forerunners; the group, led by a man called Absha (or Abisha, Abishai), was bringing offerings to the deceased.

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See Also

References

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