Peshedu was a 'Servant In the Place of Truth', Deir el-Medina, during
the Ramesside Period. His tomb, which is situated high on the hillside
above the village, commands spectacular views from its entrance. It
has only recently been opened to the public after restoration. |
The decoration of the tomb, like the other artisan's tombs, is painted
on a yellow ochre background with bright and lively scenes from the
'Book of the Dead'. Like the other tombs it has a vaulted ceiling.
From the court outside the tomb, a passage leads down to the burial
chamber. On either side of the passage walls the Anubis jackal squats
on a shrine with the flail between his hind paws.
Inside the burial chamber on the entrance wall, the lintel shows a
huge portrayal of Ptah-Sokar as a flying falcon on a barque adored by
Peshedu. His son Menna is also shown worshipping a series of deities
appearing on the left-hand wall.
Working clockwise around the tomb, the left-hand entrance wall (east)
depicts three rows of Peshedu's parents and other relatives. A tiny
scene of the sycamore goddess is shown in the top corner.
The northern wall portrays Peshedu and his wife Nedjemtebehdet with
two small children. Nedjemtebehdet is dressed in her finery, with a
long wig divided into curly tresses, large earrings and a perfume cone
on her head. They are worshipping Horus as a hawk. The next scene
shows an Anubis-priest tending a mummified Peshedu on a couch. Scenes
on either side of the end wall (west) represent the deceased and his
wife and daughter in a boat on the 'Abydos Pilgrimage', to which all
men aspired at death either in actuality or symbolically. The vaulted
ceiling shows a procession of gods including Osiris, Isis, Nut, Nu,
Nephthys, Geb, Anubis and Wapwawet, with texts from the 'Litany of
Re'.
The western end wall depicts a famous scene of Osiris seated before a
mountain and Horus in the form of a falcon. In the curve of the
ceiling a large personified Udjet-eye supports a burning torch, while
Peshedu kneels below.
The northern wall continues with the deceased and a small daughter
worshipping Re-Horakhty, Atum, Khepri, Ptah and a dressed Djed-pillar,
while the vaulted ceiling above shows a procession of seated gods,
including Osiris, Thoth, Hathor, Re-Horakhty and Neith, Selkis, Anubis
and Wepwawet.
Finally, another famous scene from this tomb is on the right-hand
entrance wall (east) in which Peshedu crouches by a pool beneath a
palm tree laden with dates. It is interesting that the decoration of
the private Ramesside tombs abandons the scenes of daily life seen in
earlier tombs for a more formal depiction of the deceased and his
family adoring various gods of the funerary books. In these later
tombs Anubis is much more in evidence than Osiris. |
