Mastaba Tomb of Perneb

Period: Old Kingdom

Dynasty: Dynasty 5

Reign: reigns of Isesi to Unis

Date: ca. 2381–2323 B.C.

Geography: From Egypt, Memphite Region, Saqqara, Tomb of Perneb, Egyptian Antiquities Service/Quibell excavations

Medium: Limestone, paint

Dimensions: H. 482.2 cm (15 ft. 9 13/16 in.)

Credit Line: Gift of Edward S. Harkness, 1913

Accession Number: 13.183.3

Description

Late in Dynasty 5, the palace administrator Perneb built a tomb at Saqqara, twenty miles south of Giza. The tomb included an underground burial chamber and a limestone building called a mastaba. This contained a decorated offering chapel and a statue chamber, usually called a serdab. The mastaba facade and chapel were purchased from the Egyptian govenment in 1913 and, together with a replica of the statue chamber, were reconstructed at the entrance to the Museum's Egyptian galleries. Inside the chapel, the painted reliefs depict Perneb seated before an offering table receiving food and other goods from relatives and retainers. Actual offerings were placed on the slab set before the false door, through which Perneb's spirit could pass in order to receive sustenance.

Link to a video about the tomb
The Tomb of Perneb at The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Link to a game
The Tomb of Perneb Interactive

Link to the Artist Project
Sarah Sze on the Tomb of Perneb

For more on the tomb chapel of Perneb, see the Curatorial Interpretation below.

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