Niuserre and the Up-and-Comers.
The new ruler Niuserre, son of Neferirkare, has taken the crown after the passing of his uncle Raneferef. And the times they are a-changing, with an interesting new class of non-blooded officials rising to the highest levels of administration.
By dint of their close friendship and service to the king two manicurists, Ny-ankh-Khnum (“The living one of Khnum”) and Khnum-hotep (“Khnum is satisfied”) rise high in the court. Their identity and relationship remains a matter of debate: are they twin brothers, or male lovers?
But these two are eclipsed by the political rise of Ptah-shepses I, who rises from hairdresser to Vizier – the highest administrative office in the land.
Articles and details about Ny-Ankh-Khnum and Khnum-Hotep:
- Photos of the tomb by Chris Irie and Kairoinfo4u.
- Linda Evans and Alexandra Woods, “Further Evidence that Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep were Twins,” Journal of Egyptian Archaeology (2016).
- Greg Reeder, ‘Queer Egyptologies of Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep‘ (2008).
- Vera Vasiljevic, ‘Embracing his double: Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep’, Studien zur Altägyptischen Kultur 37 (2008).
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Hi Dominic,
in the audio you promised there would be a list of articles on the website, but I don’t see anything here.
I’m wondering about Ny-ankh-Khnum and Khnum-hotep because each hypothesis about their relationship seems to be based on different scenes from their tomb. If the first theory that they were a homosexual couple is correct, the mirroring images can be explained as them having been soul mates (two halves of one soul belonging together). However, how does the second theory of twins deal with images where Khnum-hotep appears to be depicted as the “wife”?
Thanks Sylvie, I have updated the blog post to include the relevant links.