Grave-board of Nechtefmut

In the period following the New Kingdom, monuments to the dead were no longer built above ground, partly because of the risk of grave robbery. This ousted the stela from its traditional place. From then on, it was erected underground, next to the mummy chest. Since the stela no longer needed to be placed in the open air, it did not have to be made of stone. This wooden stela belonged to Nechtefmut. The priest is offering incense to the god Re-Horachte. The god is seated on a block-shaped throne that stands on a brightly-coloured mat. Behind him is a post symbolising the east, while the post behind the deceased represents the west. Thus, Nechtefmut proceeds from the underworld in the west to the horizon in the east, where he hopes to be reborn like the sun god.