Hierakonpolis is best known for its wealth of Predynastic and Early Dynastic material, however the site also has a number of important Dynastic features that have unjustly been overshadowed, neglected and ignored in recent times. In particular is a series of Decorated rock cut tombs of the late Old Kingdom, Second Intermediate period and early and late New Kingdom, tombs that are in many respects unique, and have with few exceptions been consistently misdated and misunderstood. Dating to period under-represented at other site, they are actually of immense historic and art historical importance. Since 1998 we have been conserving these tombs with the assistance of a grant from US AID administered by ARCE-EAP. Four tombs have been the focus of this program, two of which are located in the Burg El Hammam hill at the edge of the Wadi Abu Suffian: 1) the unique painted tomb of the First Prophet of Horus of Nekhen Hormose dating to the late New Kingdom (Ramses XI); and 2) the incised and painted tomb of the Chief of the Stone Masons Djehuty of New Kingdom date (reign of Thutmosis I). In addition there is the tomb of Hormeni, also dating to Thutmosis I. Two further tombs are located behind the Enclosure of Khasekhemwy: 3) the painted mud plaster tomb of the Chief Priest Horemkhawef of Second Intermediate Period Date; and 4) the tomb Itjefy of the late Old Kingdom which was usurped in the Middle Kingdom by the Prince and Sealbearer Ny-ankh-Pepy.

The tomb of Ny-ankh-Pepy was once considered to be a charming example of provincial Old Kingdom art. However recent examination shows it to be a tomb with a far more interesting story. It is actually the tomb of an Old Kingdom official named Itjefy, which was usurped probably in the Middle Kingdom by a man named Ny-ankh Pepy, who extensive repainted it. Only here and there do traces of the original decoration remain. The story doesn't end here though. It would seem the tomb and its unique scenes became quite the tourist attraction in the New Kingdom. Inscription of ancient visitors dot the walls and have the potential to tell us a great deal about how the ancient Egyptians themselves viewed what was even to them a very ancient site.

Horemkhawef
Next to the tomb of Ny-ankh-Pepy is the tomb of Horemkhawef, the chief priest of Horus of Hierakonpolis who, according to his steal now in New York, was summoned by a king of the 13th Dynasty to Lisht to pick up a new cult image of Horus, perhaps the very one found by Quibell, or its replacement. This poor tomb has suffered considerably at the hands of man. Although the decoration was complete when first discovered in 1894, vandalism and neglect have led to loss of much of its lively and many times humorous decoration. But it is not beyond repair. From the debris in the tomb boxes and boxes of fallen plaster were recovered in 1998, and the task of restoring this important and rare Second Intermediate Period tomb is now underway.

For more information see the Nekhen News 1999 and 2000 where you can follow the conservation progress and find out about the artist who painted the tomb.

Djehuty and Hormeni
The tombs of the New Kingdom were carved into a rounded knoll at the edge of the Wadi Abul Suffiian called the Burg el Hammam, or Pigeon Hill. The first person to make use of this location appears to have been Djehuty, the chief of the stone masons and his tomb is heavily carved as befits his status.

Fine inscriptions appear on the facade and within the tomb, including this fine biographical inscription which relates how Djehuty was instructed to build his tomb here by his god, Horus beginning the local tradition that was to continue throughout the New Kingdom. Unfortunately, in 1988 this important and previously undocumented biographical inscription was attacked by crowbar wielding thieves. The horizontal bedding of the sandstone caused the fragments to shatter rather than scale off into salable artifacts, but the culprits were apprehended before further damage was done. Over the past three years we have been collecting the shattered fragments by laboriously sieving and manually sorting all of the debris cleared from this tomb. The fragments have now been reassembled and the inscription restored.

Although the carved inscriptions appear to be its only decoration, intensive cleaning of what looked to be plain white walls has revealed, much to our surprise a great deal of the painted decoration within the tomb. Best preserved among them are scenes of the funerary ritual including a beautiful figure of the goddess of the west with a falcon on her head.

In the neighboring and contemporary tomb of Hormeni we were even more successful in recovering the hidden decoration. Cleaning revealed lovely details of the funerary banquet as well as a stunning portrait of the falcon headed Horus of Hierakonpolis accompanied by the goddess Isis.

The tombs of Djehuty and Hormeni date to the reign of Thutmosis I (both contain cartouches of this king) and are earlier than nearly every rock cut tomb in Luxor where elite rock tombs did not become common until the reign of Thutmosis II/Hatshepsut. Thus this additional information about artistic developments in the New Kingdom is a great boon as well as a delightful surprise.

For more information see the Nekhen News, 1998-2000 where you can follow the reconstruction of the inscription, learn more about Hormeni and see what it takes to record a tomb.

Hormose
Of the handful of decorated tombs at Hierakonpolis, the painted tomb of the First Prophet of Horus of Hierakonpolis, Hormose dating to the reign of the last king of the New Kingdom, Ramses XI, is the most elaborate. This has, however, only recently become clear. Darkened by soot in Coptic times, it was later used as housing by Quibell and Green, but now after three years of conservation its former glory us now evident. This tomb preserves a rare record of private tomb decoration at a time when the production of royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings was about to cease. The very end of the New Kingdom was a time when the country was in political turmoil, and the rebellion in Nubia and loss of the gold mines was causing severe financial difficulties. Therefore it is pretty amazing to find at Hierakonpolis a rare tomb of this period and one, as the conservation progressed, that proved to be of exceedingly high quality.

There are few parallels for Hormose's tomb anywhere, although it was almost certainly painted by artisans brought in from Thebes for the purpose based on the style and variety of pigments used as well as the pureness of the drafting capabilities. For this Hormose may have had his wife's family to thank. In fact, the majority of ancestors shown in the tomb are not from the family of Hormose, but from that of his wife, Henuta'o, and many of them held high positions in the Great Temple of Amun at Karnak.

The tomb is composed of two rooms set in a T-shape typical of Theban tombs. In addition to the necessary religious scenes, the main chamber also depicts in lavish detail the renewal by Ramses XI of the temple of Horus built by Thutmosis III, some 500 years earlier. This refurbishment included new sacred boats for Horus and Isis, gold chests and even a new door. But in this historically important scene Hormose effectively takes the credit for it all by depicting himself (rather than the king) in a beautifully detailed leopard skin robe dedicating these objects.

While the main chamber belongs to Hormose's achievements, the antechamber appears to celebrate those of his wife, Henuta'o, who like all wives of chief priests, was in charge of the musicians within the temple. In the antechamber she has chosen to depict these musicians-- dancing girls and tamborine ladies-- in the act of serenading her as she assumes the remarkable role as the chief goddess of the temple, Isis, and is shown nursing the infant god Horus.

This is the earliest example of the wife of the high priest functioning as chief nurse for the main goddess in the temple. It is a role commensurate with the growing power of women in the religious sphere during the Late Period in Egypt. We hope to learn more about this fundamental process and Henut-ao role in it as more of this important tomb is recorded and studied.

For more information see the Nekhen News 1998-2001 and find out how the artists painted the tomb and spend a day with the artist recording the tomb.

Also see:

Friedman, R. with Amy Maish, Ahmed G. Fahmy, John C. Darnell and Edward D. Johnson, 1999. "Preliminary Report on Field Work at Hierakonpolis 1996-1998", JARCE 36:1-35.

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