The tomb of Khnumhotep and Niankhkhnum was discovered by Egyptologist Ahmed Moussa in the necropolis at Saqqara, Egypt in 1964, during the excavation of the causeway for the pyramid of King Unas.[2]:98 It is the only tomb in the necropolis where men are displayed embracing and holding hands. In addition, the men's chosen names (both theophorics to the creator-god Khnum) form a linguistic reference to their closeness: Niankhkhnum means "life belongs to Khnum" and Khnumhotep means "Khnum is satisfied;"[43] both names honor the god of pottery, responsible for shaping the human body before its birth, as in the midwife episode of Papyrus Westcar, where King Khufu's children are born. Khnum, active in the Elephantine Island region (the first Nile cataract, near modern Aswan), was also associated with the onset of the annual Nile inundation, especially during the early Dynastic period.[44]:153-155 The precise king and regnal date of this tomb are unknown; style places it in the latter 5th Dynasty under Nyuserre or Menkauhor. No human remains were discovered inside.[45]:644 It is believed the tomb was built in stages, first a sequence of two chambers cut into the limestone of a low escarpment in the northern area of Saqqara, then a surface-built mastaba structure added to mate with the earlier construction. This would have occurred as the two intended occupants gained resources. In a banquet scene (treated in a later section), Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep are entertained by dancers, clappers, musicians and singers; in another, they oversee their funeral preparations. In the most striking portrayal, the two embrace, noses touching, in the most intimate pose allowed by canonical Egyptian art, surrounded by what would appear to be their heirs. The superstructure of their tomb "was almost completely destroyed because king Unas built his [tomb] causeway over it. It has been reconstructed using the decorated blocks that were found during excavation, and is now open to the public. The part of the tomb that was put into the rock is well preserved. The quality of the painted reliefs is excellent, especially in the first of the rock cut chambers. The various scenes on the western side of the tomb include fishing and fowling in the marshes, stock breeding, papyrus gathering and fights among the boatmen. Opposite are agricultural scenes and scenes of sculptors and jewellers at work."[8]:88 The Old Kingdom necropolis revolved around the king's pyramid complex[22]:93-95 and its satellite cemeteries, in which queens, princes, and high officials were interred, queens often in small pyramids of their own, others entombed in underground apartments but memorialized above ground by a substantial building for the deceased's offering chapels and grave goods, the mastaba. This rectangular monument is often 60 feet (18m) or more on its long side and 15 feet (5m) high, and erected directly over the burial site. At Giza, these tombs formed a city of the dead, laid out on a grid of streets and avenues,[46]:27–29, Figs. 13–17[35]:148-151 although later in this article, we see that the necropolis was a bustling center of activity for the living. Layout at Saqqara is similar but less regular. Maps of Saqqara and of Abusir, the home of Nysurre's pyramid, are online at Rice University and at Tour Egypt, a brief overview at the latter.[47][48][23] During initial development of the necropolis at Saqqara in the 2nd and 3rd Dynasties, the mastaba, a mud-brick and/or limestone superstructure built on the surface over a shaft leading to the actual burial chamber below ground, had an elaborate niched and fluted façade. This is called the palace serekh design.[49] The 4th Dynasty simplified the mastaba so that those of Khufu's reign at Giza, as well as the 5th Dynasty monuments at Saqqara, have smooth sides;[46] Niankhknum and Khnumhotep's beautifully restored structure encased in stone. The exterior has a batter angle like a fortress, the wall sloped back as it rises, except for the topmost course, which forms a vertical cornice. Unfortunately, the artwork inside did not always fare as well. Some of the blocks were re-used in Unas' causeway and nearly all of them, whether removed from situ or not, suffered moisture and salt damage. Preservation improves in the rock-cut section. Most of the reliefs are legible enough for line drawings to be made of them; allowing their texts and graphical data to come down to us. Forecourt entrance with architrave and pillars We progress inward from the tomb entrance as a visitor would. A two-pillared portico makes up the eastern half of the mastaba's façade. The front is inscribed with Niankhkhnum depicted on the left, Khnumhotep on the right. These two reliefs are virtually identical, only the names being different. Interior of forecourt This space is fairly small. The west side is decorated with a funerary procession for Niankhkhnum and the east side shows a matching funerary procession for Khnumhotep. The uppermost south wall shows the two men seated before an offering table. Niankhkhnum is seated on the right, while Khnumhotep is seated on the left. The table with offerings stretches out between them. Below the offering scene the two men are depicted netting fowl and fishing. On the left, below this lintel, Khnumhotep stands on a papyrus boat, spearing fish in the water that floods the bases of papyrus stalks he drifts among. He is accompanied by his wife Khenut, sons and a daughter. On the right, Niankhkhnum is depicted in a similar manner, aiming his throw stick at the waterfowl although the active arm is now missing from this piece. The birds flush at the disturbance. He is accompanied by his wife Khentkawes, who was a priestess of Hathor, and sons and a daughter as well.[45] Such hunting in its various forms has been a pursuit of the entitled nobility throughout history. Note that the wives are sniffing lotus blossoms as they hang their free arms upon the legs of their husbands. This scene is a composite made by subtracting a doorway which actually stands between the two men's boats in the tomb; done here to save space. However, one might be tempted to read it as if the door weren't there; analogous Egyptian murals exist with no splitting of the scene into two halves, often with the same person performing the fishing and fowling on both boats. The 18th Dynasty Theban tomb of Nakht (TT52) was an instance. Egyptians would understand a convention that the person engaged in the two activities at consecutive times. Here, since two friends are present, they can be imagined doing it together. The families come along for the outing, drawn at much smaller scales to show relative social status. Their names and titles are written beside each.[45]:642 Vestibule At the entrance scenes of baking bread and brewing beer are depicted. Barley is carefully measured out and turned into bread. Some of the bread is mixed with a date beverage and fermented to produce some type of beer. Other scenes include goat herding, ship building, harvesting scenes, sailing, netting of birds, etc. The east wall contains a legal text. Below this text several people are depicted thought to be the family of the two men. At the very bottom ships are shown. The men are shown standing before the main cabin of the ship.[45]
