Deceased receives New Year Gifts in Theban Private Tombs

Archaeological research reveals that depictions of deceased individuals receiving New Year gifts are predominantly found in private tombs from the New Kingdom period within the Theban necropolis, particularly in areas like Sheikh Abd el-Qurna and El-Khokha. These scenes, which vary in their representation—showcasing gifts from the deceased and their spouse, family members, or a single person—suggest a possible link between the tomb owners' roles in royal worship or temple economies and their status within ancient Theban society. The study analyzes these scenes to infer the social significance of the deceased, using categorizations by Porter and Moss as a foundation while introducing novel numerical labeling for detailed comparison. Findings indicate that such representations were largely confined to the New Kingdom era, with no evidence of similar depictions in earlier periods.

Ebied, .. A. (2014). Deceased receives New Year Gifts in Theban Private Tombs. The Conference Book of the General Union of Arab Archeologists, 17(17), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.21608/cguaa.2014.44333