page_title: Khnumhotep and Niankhkhnum
section_title: The Tomb
hierarchical_section_title: Khnumhotep and Niankhkhnum / The Tomb
caption_attribution_description: English: Egyptian, wrestling scene on east wall, tomb of Baqt at Beni Hasan. Necropolis in use 11th and 12th Dynasties (ca. 2000 BCE). Upper left portion of a nineteenth century line draft reproducing original mural in tomb, which was a polychrome of red human figures within Egyptian-style horizontal registers, showing successive moments of a wrestling match between two people, whose skin tones, white and black in the draft, were two shades of the red used on the tomb wall. See p. 47 (tomb 15) &amp; Plate V in Percy Newberry, Beni Hasan Part II, Archaeological Survey of Egypt, F. Griffith Ed., Egypt Exploration Society, London, 1893; downloadable pdf copy from University of Heidelberg at Heidelberg Digital Library http://digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/diglit/newberry1893bd2
context_page_description: Khnumhotep and Niankhkhnum were ancient Egyptian royal servants. They shared the title of Overseer of the Manicurists in the Palace of King Nyuserre Ini, sixth pharaoh of the Fifth Dynasty, reigning during the second half of the 25th century BC. They were buried together at Saqqara and are listed as "royal confidants" in their joint tomb. They are notable for their unusual depiction in Egyptian records, often interpreted as the first recorded same-sex couple, a claim that has met considerable debate.
context_section_description: The tomb of Khnumhotep and Niankhkhnum was discovered by Egyptologist Ahmed Moussa in the necropolis at Saqqara, Egypt in 1964, during the excavation of the causeway for the pyramid of King Unas. It is the only tomb in the necropolis where men are displayed embracing and holding hands. In addition, the men's chosen names (both theophorics to the creator-god Khnum) form a linguistic reference to their closeness: Niankhkhnum means "life belongs to Khnum" and Khnumhotep means "Khnum is satisfied;" 
  The precise king and regnal date of this tomb are unknown; style places it in the latter 5th Dynasty under Nyuserre or Menkauhor. No human remains were discovered inside. It is believed the tomb was built in stages, first a sequence of two chambers cut into the limestone of a low escarpment in the northern area of Saqqara, then a surface-built mastaba structure added to mate with the earlier construction. This would have occurred as the two intended occupants gained resources.
  In a banquet scene, Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep are entertained by dancers, clappers, musicians and singers; in another, they oversee their funeral preparations. In the most striking portrayal, the two embrace, noses touching, in the most intimate pose allowed by canonical Egyptian art, surrounded by what would appear to be their heirs.
caption: Two wrestlers, tomb of Baqet III at Beni Hasan, 11th Dynasty (ca. 2000 BC), Egypt. The hieroglyphic text above the figures is a standard votive formula to the god Osiris, ultimately on behalf of the tomb owner.[17]:47, Pl. V
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