Relief of a procession of offering bearers from the tomb of Ny-Ank-Nesut

Ancient Egyptians believed in the divine immortality of their pharaohs who were mummified and buried in tombs, such as the Great Pyramid at Giza, which was built during the Old Kingdom, to await resurrection into the afterlife. The burial chambers were lavishly decorated and furnished with essential items the royals would need upon their resurrection.

This carved and painted limestone relief originally decorated a wall in the tomb of Ny-Ank-Nesut, who is believed to have been an important court official, possibly a high priest of Ra (Re). The artist conformed to the classic Egyptian convention for depicting the human form by combining the frontal and profile views of the eight male servants wearing short kilts. The offerings they carry for the departed include loaves of bread, cakes, geese, papyrus leaves, bowls of lotus flowers, a hedgehog in a cage, vessels of beer, and other things that would magically come to life upon Ny-Ank-Nesut's resurrection.