King Khufu's Cattle (detail). Reused at Lisht North; Fourth Dynasty, reign of Khufu (ca. 2551–2528 B.C.E.). Limestone; H. 18 1/8 in. (46 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Rogers Fund and Edward S. Harkness Gift, 1922 (22.1.3).

In royal monuments, cattle in a single file usually appear in the context of food offerings intended for the king's funerary cult. Elaborate names are written above the animals on this block. From left to right they can be tentatively translated: "The tribute from Tefrer [a source of lapis lazuli] belonging to Khufu"; "The surrounding territories serve [Khufu]"; and "The surrounding lands act for Khufu." These appellations are similar to the names of estate personifications, and may signify that the oxen represent agricultural entities that contributed meat to the king's funerary cult.