Oldal 129 [129]
mn hs.wt m stp-s3
3 mrt
s3.n sw nb B.wj
kfw qnj n nb B.wj
Suemniut was a contemporary of Montuiui and just as illustrious in the royal court as his
colleague. Being a native of Neferusi, following the kings to far beyond the borders of the
kingdom, at the end of his active career he might have retired in Thebes, and was buried
in a splendid tomb in the necropolis there. In contrast to Montuiui, however, he did not
leave biographical inscriptions regarding the main stages of his life and advancements in
his career, even so the inscriptions in his tomb provide us with a great deal of information
concerning his situation in society.
The close connection of Suemniut to the king and his honoured status in the royal
court were not only represented by his ranking titles and honorific titles in his tomb but
also presented by the tomb itself. Although, the wall paintings are largely unfinished,**
the quality of the workmanship, the shaping of the tomb and its position in the necrop¬
olis all demonstrate the fortunate position of its owner. The tomb is situated on the
western part of Sheikh Abd el-Qurna, high up on the hill-side, in the neighbourhood
of the tombs of several other prominent personages of his time.“** The plan of the tomb
differs from the usual T-shaped form, as between the courtyard and the transverse hall
another, two-pillared hall was added.“ The decorative programme, which is tradition¬
ally placed on the walls of the transverse hall, is now divided between the two halls.*°
Besides the usual offering and banquet scenes, the two-pillared hall primarily gives place
to scenes representing the official and court life of Suemniut: preparing and bringing
food and drinks, as well as scribes recording produce before the deceased, butchers, men
with trays of bread and food, gifts for Amenhotep II, and at the focal point of the tomb
on the left side of the north-western wall an unfinished scene of Amenhotep II under a
canopy with Suemniut before him. The transverse hall, on the other hand, is mainly
the place of the representation of his daily life: fishing and fowling, receiving products
of the marsh-lands among his family, offering scenes, as well as inspecting vintages and
#3 For the analysis of the painting methods observed on the walls of the tomb of Suemniut, see Bryan,
1995, 14-16; Bryan, 2001, 63-72.
#4 Bryan, 1995, 14-15.
#5 For the architectural description of the tomb, see Kampp, 1996, 350-352.
*° For the decoration of the tomb, see Wreszinski, 1923, 29a-c, 31a-b, 259, 294-297; Porter — Moss, 1960,
187-189.