Tomb of Perneb

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Tomb of Perneb is the tomb of a court official from ancient Egypt. It was erected during the 5th Dynasty in the Old Kingdom during the reigns of Djedkare Isesi and Unas (ca. 2381 BC to 2323 BC) at in the necropolis of Saqqara, north of Pharaoh Djoser's Step Pyramid and about 30 kilometers south of Giza, Egypt. It was discovered in 1907, purchased from the Egyptian government in 1913 and given to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, New York, United States of America by Edward S. Harkness.

Entrance leading to the main offering chapel in the Tomb of Perneb

Perneb was a court official in the royal household who had a role in the robing and crowning of the king. His name means "my Lord has come forth to me". His tomb was attached to that of the vizier Shepsesre, who may have been Perneb's father. The Tomb of Perneb consists of an underground burial chamber and a limestone mastaba above ground. The mastaba is divided into decorated main offering chapel and a secondary offering chamber with a separate entrance. The secondary offering chamber is connected to the a serdab (Arabic for "cellar"), a closed room containing a statue of Perneb, by a slot through which the smell of incense and chants could pass into the serdab. Perneb's burial shaft was located to the right side of the main offering chamber. The main offering chapel is decorated with a false door and painted reliefs which depict Perneb seated at an offering table where he food and other goods.

In the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Tomb of Perneb is displayed at the entrance to the museum's collection of Egyptian art.