Nubian dancing girl

A wall painting of a Nubian dancing girl appears in the procession of tribute for king Thutmose IV (Tomb of Horemheb, TT78).

This scene is depicted within the Tomb of Horemheb, not the later king with the same name, but an Official of King Thutmose IV. Horemheb held many titles, including; “Great Confidant of the Lord of the Two Lands”.

Within his tomb, Horemheb oversees the procession of tribute from foreigners to Egypt, which includes both Nubians and Asiatics providing a parade of tribute and adoration before the throne of Egypt.

The Princes of Kush are also depicted within the tomb, with an unfortunate propagandist title of “The wicked princes of Kush, from the vile country of Kush”, such titles were a common Egyptian sentiment towards foreigners or those lands they colonised and fought with.

However, despite this, Egyptians paid close attention to customs and traditions of the people they depicted, and thus this dancing scene of both men and women (only a female is depicted within this picture), has great detail, such as traditional costume including; hairstyle – three tufts of hair, a large earring, and beaded necklace and loincloth.

The Asiatics were often depicted as men with long hair, bearded, wearing traditional clothing of intricate patterns, sometimes even providing tributes of animals from their geographic region, even bears from Syria have been depicted by the Egyptians in parade as far back as the Old Kingdom.