Tomb of Roy
TT255
Roy served as the scribe for the kingdoms of Horemheb and Amon. Like many other Theban nobility at the period, his wife had the rank of Chantress of Amon and went by the name Nebtawy (or Nebettauy), which is sometimes abbreviated to Tawy. However, it might be challenging to determine the identities of certain female characters in the room and their connections to Roy. Imenemipet, Djehutymes (Thutmosis), and Amenemky are among the other male figures with names found in the tomb.
Roy’s own tomb, TT 255, dates from the late 18th and early 19th dynasty. TT 255 is located in the Theban Necropolis’ Dra’ Abu al-Naja neighbourhood on the west bank of Luxor. Roy’s tomb is very modest, with just one little room that has a niche and a burial shaft. Despite its small size, the paintings’ quality, intricacy, and colour more than make up for it. The British Museum’s Hay expeditions started documenting the tomb in 1822, when it was first made public.
It is made up of a single ornamented chamber measuring only 4 by 1.85 metres that is carved out of the rock and has a funerary stela in a niche at the far end. The real burial chamber is reached via a funeral tomb-shaft that extends into the deep (to the right of the entryway).
The tomb faces south-east. The corners are rounded and none of the walls are flat. All of the surfaces have been carved pretty rough. A thin mortar that fills in surface imperfections is used to apply the paints upon.
TT 255 is an interesting specimen among the Tombs of the Nobles
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The ornamentation, which is traditional yet masterfully executed, is a masterpiece. The themes shown are those of a west chamber, although two little walls had been set aside for farm scenes.
One can see that the ornamentation was not finished, especially on one of these walls, both in terms of the inscriptions and the figures.
Beautiful geometric designs cover the ceiling. Polychromic rectangles and tiny flower patterns combine to form the motif. Compared to the height of the average human, the ceiling is short.
The ceiling is entirely decorated in stretched canvas and is divided in two parts by a central yellow band.
There are four registers on the wall directly to the left of the entryway. There are scenes of ploughing and pulling flax, and Roy and his wife are shown standing in front of a man who is carrying a calf. A frieze of Hathor heads, Anubis jackals, and the titles of Roy and his wife may be found around the tops of the walls.
Five scenes from the “Book of Gates” are located further down the wall. Standing in front of Nefertem and Ma’at with his wife is a guy by the name of Amenopet who is in charge of the granary of the monarch. Along with worshipping Re-Horakhty and Hathor, Atum, and the Ennead of Nine Gods, Roy and his wife are also shown.
The couple, in the traditional attitude of the deep respect, are introduced into the room by Horus. ©kairoinfo4u
Horus guides the departed couple to the location of the heart’s weight judgement. Harsiesi then appears to be leading them to Osiris, Isis, and Nephthys at the end of the wall. The bottom register depicts the usual funeral procession, which includes mourners, priests, and the “nine friends” as they make their way to a pyramid tomb where Anubis is holding the body of the deceased in front of the Western Mountain.
Three scenes depicting priests and mourners making offerings to the departed as well as banqueting scenes are displayed on the opposite wall, to the right of the entryway. Onions appear to be a common theme in these pictures, as one of the priests is shown libating and censing a huge bundle of onions.
A stela depicting baboons worshipping the barque of Re is located in the niche on the end wall’s (less well-preserved) wall. The words of a hymn to Re appears with images of Roy and Nebtawy. A double picture depicting Amenhotep I, Ahmose-Nefertari, and Mutnodjmet before Anubis and Horemheb and his queen Mutnodjmet before Osiris was above the niche. The dead and his wife are shown at the sides in praising positions, with the Western Goddess in a tree on the left.
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