Horemkhauef

a hunt, painting in the tomb of Horemkhaef

Horemkhaef was an Ancient Egyptian local official who lived in the Second Intermediate Period. He had the titles first inspector of priests of Horus from Nekhen and overseer of fields. Therefore, he was most likely the main priest at the local temple at Hierakonpolis where Horus was worshipped.

He is known from his tomb at Hierakonpolis. The rock cut tomb is small but is one of the few tombs of the period with a painted decoration in the chapel. In front of the chapel was a courtyard where there was found a stela.^[1] The stela is now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and reports the journey of Horemkhaef to Itjtawy, the Middle Kingdom capital. There he receiced in front of the king a new cult image of Horus and his mother, most likely Isis.

His tomb is small but has a painted decoration. In the tomb is depicted the draughtsman Sedjemnetjeru who was most likely the artist responsible for decorating the chapel.^[2]

References

1. William C. Hayes: Horemkhaeuef of Nekhen and his trip to It-Towe, in Journal of Egyptian Archaeology 33 (1947), 3-11
2. W. V. Davies: The dynastic tombs at Hierakonpolis: the lower group and the artist Sedjemnetjeru, in: W. V. Davies (Hrsg.), Colour and Painting in Ancient Egypt, London 2001, 119-20