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Tomb of Roy (TT255) |
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The most recent tombs to be opened to visitors on the West Bank belong
to Roy and Shuroy and have both been superbly restored. They are
situated close together at Dra 'Abu el-Naga at the northern end of the
Theban necropolis, on the hillside just before the road turns off
towards the King's Valley. Roy was a 'Royal Scribe in the Estates of
Horemheb and of Amun', probably during Horemheb's reign. His wife, who
appears with him in the tomb paintings is named as Nebtawy, or 'Tawy'
for short. |
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Roy's tomb is tiny, consisting of only one small chamber with a niche
and burial shaft. The quality, detail and colour of the paintings,
however, makes up for it's diminutive size. |
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The wall immediately to the left-hand side of the entrance is divided
into four registers. Roy and his wife are seen before a man who is
bringing a calf, and there are scenes of ploughing and pulling flax.
Around the tops of the walls a frieze of Hathor heads, Anubis jackals
and the titles of Roy and his wife can be seen. |
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Further along the wall there are five scenes from the 'Book of Gates'.
A man named Amenopet, who is overseer of the king's granary, stands
before Nefertem and Ma'at with his wife. Roy and his wife are also
shown praising Re-Horakhty and Hathor, then Atum and the Ennead of
nine gods. The deceased couple are led by Horus to a judgement scene
for the wieghing of the heart. They are then shown led by Harsiesi to
Osiris, Isis and Nephthys at the end of the wall. The bottom register
shows the traditional funeral procession with the 'nine friends',
mourners and priests moving towards a pyramid tomb where the mummy is
held by Anubis before the Western Mountain.
On the opposite wall, to the right of the entrance, are three scenes
showing priests and mourners offering to the deceased and banqueting
scenes. Onions seem prominent in these scenes and one of the priests
is seen censing and libating an enormous bundle of onions.
The niche on the end wall (not so well-preserved) contains a stela on
which the barque of Re is adored by baboons. Roy and Nebtawy are
depicted with the text of a hymn to Re. Above the niche was a
double-scene of Horemheb and his queen Mutnodjmet before Osiris and
the deified Amenhotep I and Ahmose-Nefertari before Anubis. At the
sides the deceased and his wife are shown in attitudes of praise with
the Western Goddess in a tree on the left.
The tomb has a beautiful ceiling decorated in a colourful geometric
'textile' design. Roy's burial shaft is in the right-hand corner near
the entrance. A statue of Roy kneeling with a stela, which probably
came originally from the tomb, is now in the Metropolitan Museum, New
York. |
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| Entrance |
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| The tomb of Roy is open from 7.00am to 5.00pm. |
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