Inherkhau

Inherkhau and son Kenna

Inherkhau and son Kenna

This colourful fragment comes from the tomb of the foreman Inherkhau (TT359), at Deir el-Medina. Inherkhau held the title, “Foreman of the Lord of the Two Lands in the Place of Truth“, and worked under the reigns of king Ramesses III and Ramesses IV. The piece shows Inherkhau alongside his son Kenna. Kenna is noticed...

Re in the form of a cat slays the snake Apep

Re in the form of a cat slays Apep

Under a sacred sycamore, the Great Cat of Heliopolis, one of the forms taken by Re called Miw-aa or the great cat, slays the evil serpent Apep (or Apophis), god of the underworld and symbol of the forces of chaos. Section of vignette of chapter 17 of the book of the dead. Apep is sometimes...

Two lions of the god Aker

Two lions of the god Aker

Aker appears as a pair of twin lions, one named Duaj (meaning “yesterday”) and the other Sefer (meaning “tomorrow”). Aker was thus often titled “He who’s looking forward and behind”. Lions were widespread in prehistoric times and still present in the Nile Valley in the late Pharaonic history. The lion was an important element in...

Tomb painting of Inherkhau worshiping the serpent god Sata

Inherkhau worshiping the serpent god Sata

Tomb painting of Inherkhau worshiping the serpent god Sata, son of the earth and guardian of the underworld. Snakes were dominantly present in ancient Egyptian mythology. They played a double role, benevolent and malevolent. They could be evoked for curing, protecting and healing but at the very same time cursing and inflicting danger. Sata belonged...