W927
W927
Painted plaster from the tomb of the workman Khabekhenet and his wife Sahte (Tomb 2 at Deir el-Medina) showing the couple in adoration before Ptah, Ptah-Sokar and Isis and Hathor.
The tomb from which the plaster derives would appear, from the family names, to be Theban Tomb 2 at Deir el-Medina but it is difficult to see where the item fits into the existing relief. Perhaps it is part of a separate private chapel?
Isis holds a lotus flower. Ptah-Sokar was a combination of the creator god Ptah and the hawk god Sokar. Ptah-Sokar is mentioned in various texts including in the Book of the Dead 151a ‘Hail to thee (goodly of countenance), lord of the (two celestial) eyes, whom Ptah-Sokar has put together….’ and Book of the Dead 170 is written ‘ Ptah-Sokar who gives thee a share of his temple ornaments’.
Note that Ptah here has a green face. One of his epithets is ‘Nefer her’. The word ‘nefer’ has implications of freshness and greenness, denoting rebirth, and Ptah is often shown with a green face. In this depiction Ptah-Sokar has a feminine form, perhaps suggesting fertility.
See Davies, B.G. 1999 Who’s Who At Deir El Medina p44-47, etc. for information on the family from TT 2.
Other items from Deir el-Medina in the Egypt Centre
