The household of an Egyptian dignitary – the case of Ptahshepses

Abstract

The Old Kingdom tomb images have been frequently studied, especially on the basis of their orientation and content in relation to tomb architecture; and also theoretical and methodical aspects of their interpretation have been scrutinized. This paper aims to focus on the specific sociological perspective of the tomb reliefs, which has not yet been elaborated. The author of this study concentrates on the identified individuals in the tomb of Ptahshepses – a vizier from the time of Nyuserre and husband of his daughter, Khamerernebty. An analysis of the titles given to particular persons portrayed on the walls, as well as an examination of the social hierarchy reflected in the scenes, was undertaken in order to reconstruct the vizieral household/court and to present possible interpretations of its composition. The data from a large corpus of mason’s marks preserved herein, which includes personal names and titles, is also taken into account, enabling to record a more complex and precise image of the society at that time.

Keywords

• Old Kingdom
• Nyuserre
• household
• Ptahshepses
• iconography
• graffito
• title