Cleopatra

This slab of limestone came from the tomb of an Egyptian man named Amenemhet. He lived around the year 1800 B.C., nearly 4,000 years ago.

Amenemhet is shown in the middle, wearing a traditional Egyptian kilt. Pleats are indicated by lines, and the point on the front is a representation of a box pleat, seen from the front and side at the same time. Amenemhet also wears a wide beaded necklace.

His wife, whose name is Hemet (which means "wife"), stands behind him. She wears a tightly-fitting white dress with broad shoulder straps, a necklace, green anklets, and bracelets. She holds a flower to her nose, inhaling its sweet scent.

Amenemhet and Hemet stand in front of a stack of food, which was intended to feed them eternally in the life after death. In front of Amenemhet is a white table stacked with tall yellow loaves of bread. On top of the tall loaves of bread are a haunch of beef, a loaf of white bread, and a bunch of vegetables, perhaps leeks.

On the floor, to the right of the table, is a spouted water jar sitting in a basin for the couple to wash their hands before and after eating. To the left are four hieroglyphs which say "funerary meal."

Other offerings stacked on the right side include three tall jars for liquids, parts of a cow, more vegetables, and bread, all of which were staples of the diet in ancient Egypt.

A little figure of a man also named Amenemhet, perhaps their son, offers a choice leg of beef to the tomb owner. Although it looks like he is floating in the air, he is supposed to be behind the offerings. Egyptian artists did not like to overlap figures, so they stacked them one above the other to indicate depth.

The hieroglyphic inscription along the top is a prayer, which ensured that Amenemhet and his wife would have food for eternity. It reads from right to left; "A gift that the king gives; a thousand of bread, beer, oxen and fowl, alabaster, clothing and provisions, and every pure thing upon which the god lives."

These hieroglyphs spell Hemet’s name.

These are the name of her mother, It.

In front of Amenemhet is the name of his father, Ip.

By recording the name and image of the deceased, as well as food offerings, the ancient Egyptians thought that they could immortalize themselves and their provisions for an eternal life after death.



	AMENEMHET: What does this show? This slab of limestone came from the tomb of an Egyptian man named Amenemhet. He lived around the year 1800 B.C., nearly 4,000 years ago. Amenemhet is shown in the middle, wearing a traditional Egyptian kilt. Pleats are indicated by lines, and the point on the front is a representation of a box pleat, seen from the front and side at the same time. Amenemhet also wears a wide beaded necklace. His wife, whose name is Hemet (which means "wife"), stands behind him. She wears a tightly-fitting white dress with broad shoulder straps, a necklace, green anklets, and bracelets. She holds a flower to her nose, inhaling its sweet scent. Amenemhet and Hemet stand in front of a stack of food, which was intended to feed them eternally in the life after death. In front of Amenemhet is a white table stacked with tall yellow loaves of bread. On top of the tall loaves of bread are a haunch of beef, a loaf of white bread, and a bunch of vegetables, perhaps leeks. On the floor, to the right of the table, is a spouted water jar sitting in a basin for the couple to wash their hands before and after eating. To the left are four hieroglyphs which say "funerary meal." Other offerings stacked on the right side include three tall jars for liquids, parts of a cow, more vegetables, and bread, all of which were staples of the diet in ancient Egypt. A little figure of a man also named Amenemhet, perhaps their son, offers a choice leg of beef to the tomb owner. Although it looks like he is floating in the air, he is supposed to be behind the offerings. Egyptian artists did not like to overlap figures, so they stacked them one above the other to indicate depth. The hieroglyphic inscription along the top is a prayer, which ensured that Amenemhet and his wife would have food for eternity. It reads from right to left; "A gift that the king gives; a thousand of bread, beer, oxen and fowl, alabaster, clothing and provisions, and every pure thing upon which the god lives." These hieroglyphs spell Hemet’s name. These are the name of her mother, It. In front of Amenemhet is the name of his father, Ip. By recording the name and image of the deceased, as well as food offerings, the ancient Egyptians thought that they could immortalize themselves and their provisions for an eternal life after death.