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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 necropolis 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 traditionally 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.
