Montuemhat was the Fourth Prophet of Amun and served as the mayor of Thebes at the end of the 25th Dynasty and the begining of the 26th. He had three wives (Neshkhinsu, Shepenmut and Wadjerenes) and several sons.

During Montuemnat’s life the 25th Dynasty Pharaoh Tanuatamun attempted to regain Lower Egyptian territories that had been lost to the Assyrians. He marched north and defeated Necho I (who had been placed on the Lower Egyptian throne by the Assyrians). The Assyrian King, Assurbanipal attacked Egypt (about 663 B.C.) and chased Tanuatamun back to Nubia and then looted Thebes. When the Assyrians left, Thebes became an independent political entity that was led by Montuemhat and the God’s Wife, Shepenwepet II (who was a sister of the 25th Dynasty King Taharka).​

His tomb (TT34), which is near the temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahri, is one of the largest burial places built for a nobleman at Thebes. It has more than fifty rooms and is famous for the quality and style of the reliefs on its walls. These carvings have an “archaizing” style which harkens back to the art work from as far back as the Old Kingdom, but contains touches that reflect the art of the 25th and 26th Dynasties. Note, for instance, the unusual portrayal of the scribe in the picture above, which harkens back to Old Kingdom art, but yet the scribe’s seating is shown like nothing in Old Kingdom art. Other examples of archaizing in this tomb include a relief of a woman nursing a child that was copied from TT69, the tomb of Menena.

Several reliefs from this tomb are (like the one pictured above) are in the Brooklyn Museum.

Logo curtesy of Christian Casey – All content Copyright (c) 2020 by ARCE/NY