The Tomb of Rekhmire

The Tomb of Rekhmire
He was the vizier under Thutmose III and his son, Amenhotep II. It is a traditional 18th Dynasty nobleman’s tomb, comprising a narrow, oblong first chamber and a long corridor opposite the entrace. This corridor rapidly gains in height to the rear of the tomb and runs into the rock.

The Tomb of Rekhmire

 Rekhmire was entrusted with a great many duties. There was nothing, he wrote of himself in an inscription, of which he was ignorant in heaven, on earth or in any part of the underworld. One of the most important scenes in the tomb is to be found on the left- hand wall of the first chamber, near the corner (a). It shows the interior of a court of law in which tax evaders were brought to justice by the vizier himself. The prisoners were led up the central aisle while witnesses waited outside; at the foot of the judgement seat are four mats with rolled papyri. Messengers bow deeply as they enter the presence of Rekhmire.

The Tomb of Rekhmire

Near the centre of the opposite wall (b), Rekhmire performs his dual role of receiving taxes from officials who annually came with their dues and tribute from the vassal princes of Asia and the chiefs of Nubia. The foreign gift-bearers are arranged in five rows: from Punt, Crete, Nubia, Syria, and men, women and children from Kush. The tribute ranges from wild animals and animal skins to chariots, pearls and costly vessels.

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