Irukaptah was also known as Khenu and held the titles of 'Master
Butcher of the Great House, King's Wab-Priest' and is dated to early
Dynasty V. His tomb can be found as part of the group of rock-cut
tombs on the southern side of the Unas causeway at Saqqara. It is
popularly known as the 'Butcher's Tomb'.
Irukaptah's tomb consists of a north-facing entrance which leads into
an offering chapel with niches containing fourteen large statues and a
false door stela. On the left of the entrance there are two registers
at the top of the wall depicting men making a bed and bringing a chest
and below this, two statue niches. |
The statues continue round on the eastern wall, showing eight more
statues with names and titles of Irukaptah's family members on the
jambs. These are very unusual because the technique of cutting statues
from the rock of the tomb wall is not found elsewhere at Saqqara and
is more characteristic of a few tombs at Giza from this period. The
statues are painted - the colours still brightly preserved, with
red-brown skin and yellow kilts with brightly coloured sashes. All of
the men wear a short black wig, typical of the Old Kingdom Period. The
statue on the end of the row is unfinished. Above the statue niches
the deceased can be seen seated before tables laden with offerings in
various containers. Here also are the important butchering scenes
which give the tomb its name.
The next scenes on the eastern wall depict Irukaptah in a canoe with
his family, fowling with a throw-stick. Other men in smaller boats
take part in the sport of netting birds and fishing. Four registers of
brightly decorated ships (the lower ones damaged) are shown next,
their sails billowing in a good wind - they are probably transport
ships with cabins behind the mast. There are also more preliminary
sketches for statues which have been painted in red ochre but with no
carving begun. Further along the eastern wall there is a deep niche
with remains of a painting of Irukaptah seated above it. The inner
part of the tomb contained five burial shafts which are now filled in
- it is known that at least ten family members were buried here.
On the western wall a false door stela has been cut and nearer the
entrance there are four more rock-cut statues in niches, three male
and one female, but these were left unpainted. An unfinished seated
statue was found in the tomb. |
