Scenes Of Tomb Owner’s Offerings to Ancestors in The New Kingdom Private ‎Theban Tombs

Abstract

The New Kingdom private tombs in Thebes contain some scenes that represent the tomb owner presenting offerings to parents, brothers, grandparents, viziers, workers, and other relatives. This research studies the tomb owner offering scenes to his ancestors, as it is known that the tomb owner, as deceased on his tomb, is supposed to be the receiver of offerings from others and not the opposite. This study deals with six scenes in New Kingdom Theban private tombs. Most of these offering scenes were presented by the tomb owner to his grandparents. These scenes will be described and studied with the associated texts. Most of the scenes have been studied in the light of the piety of person towards his dead ancestors. The tomb owner represents himself in the world of the living offers to his relatives in the world of the dead. Thus, this offering was a part of mortuary cult of the dead. Inheritance is a reword for the performance of mortuary cult for the parents. These offerings were a way of communication between the living and the dead. In some cases, the tomb owner performed the so-called cult of "Excellent or spirits of Re"; persons who have supernatural existence and could affect the realm of the Dead.