Group Statue of Seneb and His Family
Seneb was a dwarf who served as a high-ranking court official in the Old Kingdom of Ancient Egypt, circa 2520 BC. Despite his diminutive size, Seneb was a person of considerable importance and wealth who owned thousands of cattle, held twenty palace and religious titles and was married to a high-ranking priestess of average size with whom he had three children.
Seneb is seated on a rectangular seat together with his wife, Senetites, and his children stand before him. Seneb has short black hair and wears a short white kilt. His wife rests her right hand on her husband’s shoulder and her left hand on his left arm in an affectionate pose.
Senetites, who held the titles of Priestess of Hathor and Neith, wears a black wig that reaches down to her shoulders and a long white tunic. The artist rendered her face with a smile to show the woman’s satisfaction at being depicted with her husband and children. The son and daughter are shown standing in front of their father in the place where the legs should be.
Here, the Egyptian artist succeeded in creating a balanced composition for the figures of the family. His successful career and the lavishness of his burial arrangements are indicative of the acceptance given to dwarfs in ancient Egyptian society, whose texts advocated the acceptance and integration of those with physical and mental disabilities.
Seneb is depicted with his wife and children in a painted sculpture from his tomb, rediscovered in 1926, that is a famous example of Old Kingdom art. It shows him sitting cross-ledge don a block of stone, with his wife embracing him and his children standing below him where the legs of a full-size person would ordinarily have been.
The composition of the scene thus achieves a harmonious symmetry. It depicts Seneb realistically with the facial features and shortened limbs of an individual with achondroplasia,a common form of dwarfism. Paintings and carvings in the tomb give his titles and depict various scenes from his life, such as carrying out inspections of his estate and holding symbols of his office.
Seneb was buried in a mastaba – flat-roofed brick tomb – located in the West Field of the Giza necropolis near modern Cairo, where a large complex of ancient Egyptian royal tombs and mortuary structures was built, including the Great Pyramid. It was rediscovered by the German archaeologist Hermann Junker in 1926. The tomb is situated close to that of another dwarf, Perniankhu, a high-ranking royal courtier who may have been Seneb’s father.
Two of the couple’s children, one boy and one girl, stand below Seneb where the legs of an ordinary person would be. They are depicted nude with their index fingers placed in their mouths and a lack of hair falling on one side of their heads, indicating that they were below the age of puberty, when Egyptian children were given an “adult” haircut.
Seneb and his son are shown with darker skin colouring than his wife and daughter. This was a standard artistic convention used to indicate gender and status, reflecting the fact that high-ranking females would remain indoors and retain a light skin colour while males would gain a darker skin from the hot Egyptian sun.
The names of three children are recorded, thought he third child was not depicted on the sculpture – presumably for reasons of symmetry. They were named after Seneb’s royal masters; his son was called Radjedef-Ankh, his eldest daughter was Awib-Khufu and his younger daughter was Smeret-Radjedef. They are depicted with normal proportions, suggesting that they did not inherit their father’s condition.
The sculpture’s roughly cubical arrangement cleverly ensures that the overall composition retains a harmonious equilibrium. It is lightened by the artist dispensing with a back slab and incorporating negative space into the piece.
By putting the children in the place of Seneb’s legs, the artist adds to the sense of symmetry. He creates the same impression that would have been made by an ordinary seated figure, preserving an appearance of normality without disguising Seneb’s unusual physique. The family’s names and titles are given in inscriptions placed on either side of the children and on the horizontal face of the base.
Seneb’s dwarfism is depicted realistically in the sculpture. It portrays him with a large head but small arms and legs. This possibly indicates that he had achondroplasia, a common form of dwarfism that most severely affects the fastest-growing parts of the body – particularly the femur and humerus, which become short and squat – and stunts the forearms and lower legs.
It also affects the head, producing a relatively large skull with a bulging forehead and often a depressed nasal bridge. An alternative diagnosis is dysmelia – a condition that produces short arms and legs. Seneb’s wife Senites is portrayed far less realistically; her depiction is of a piece with other contemporary portraits of high-ranking Egyptian women.
Seneb’s name means “healthy” – perhaps given by his mother as a wish for survival when he was a baby. Many Egyptians possessed similar names, not to denote an absence of disease, but to convey a positive message of healthiness and vigour.
Dwarfism was not seen as a defect in Ancient Egypt, unlike in many other cultures. Egyptian texts advised the acceptance of those with physical or mental disabilities, and there were even two dwarf gods, Bes and Ptah. A number of dwarfs gained prestigious roles and were given lavish burials in proximity to their royal masters.
Seneb’s Titles
Seneb’s career is documented on his false door and the plinths of his statues, which record twenty titles, including “beloved of the lord [king]”. Among the others are:
“Overseer of Weaving in the Palace”: This title (imy-r sš n pr-ʿȝ) suggests that Seneb had authority over textile production within the royal household, a critical and prestigious role. Weaving was central to palace life, not only for clothing and furnishings, but also for temple offerings and ritual vestments. Overseers of weaving managed teams of artisans, often women, who worked on looms producing fine linen for pharaohs and the gods alike. That Seneb held such a post indicates his trusted position in managing elite material goods.
“Overseer of Dwarfs” / “Overseer of Palace Dwarfs”: These two related titles (imy-r nmw / imy-r nmw n pr-ʿȝ) are among the most well-known. They affirm that dwarfs were not uncommon in the royal court and were sufficiently numerous to warrant supervision. As someone with dwarfism himself, Seneb may have served as a respected advocate and organiser for others like him; assigning duties, managing welfare, and perhaps overseeing ceremonial functions. This was not a minor or symbolic title; it was administrative, practical, and humanely significant.
“Overseer of the Crew of the ks-Boat”: This intriguing title (imy-r sȝ n ḳs) refers to a ceremonial vessel, perhaps a sacred barque used in processions or festivals. The term ks may allude to a cultic ship connected to the royal mortuary cult or the solar god’s journey. As overseer, Seneb would have been responsible for organising its crew, maintenance, and ritual movements, possibly coordinating with priests and boatmen during temple ceremonies or royal funerals. It implies deep involvement in sacred logistics.
“Overseer of the jwhw”: The term jwhw (often transliterated iuḥw) is obscure but likely refers to animal handlers or herders—perhaps those in charge of livestock destined for temple offerings or palace consumption. As such, Seneb’s authority may have extended into the management of agricultural and ritual resources, overseeing staff who maintained animals for food, ritual sacrifice, or royal processions.
“Keeper of the God’s Seal of the Wn-ḥr-bȝw Boat”: This title (ḫrp sḏȝ nṯr n Wn-ḥr-bȝw) is steeped in ritual significance. The Wn-ḥr-bȝw was likely a papyrus bark, symbolic of rebirth and the solar journey, used in festivals and funerary rites, possibly linked to the god Osiris or solar deities. To be keeper of the divine seal was to hold custodianship over sacred authority—a gatekeeper of ritual purity and order. This was not merely administrative; it was sacred trust, placing Seneb within the very heartbeat of temple ritual.
Such an array of titles suggests that he might have started his career as an official in charge of royal linen and possibly also pets, a role in which other dwarfs are known to have served, and subsequently gained higher-ranking posts in charge of royal or cult boats.
Alternatively, he could have been born into a high-ranking family and was given roles appropriate to his birth rank. Seneb also carried out religious rites in his dual role as a priest.
He was titled “Priest of Wadjet”, priest of “the large bull which is at the head of Stpt” and of the bull Mrhw. He participated in the funeral services for kings Khufu, the builder of the Great Pyramid, and his successor Djedefre [Radjedef]. His wife Senetities, a woman of normal stature, was likewise a priestess, serving the goddesses Hator and Neith.
Summary:
Painted limestone statue of the dwarf Seneb & his family
Old Kingdom, 5th Dynasty, c. 2494-2345 B.C.
Now in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo. JE 51280
