THE TRANSVERSE CHAMBER (continued)

THE SOUTH WING (continued)

Continuing the description of the south wing of the first (transverse) chamber, the two remaining walls.

The south (end) wall

The south panel, with a 1.75m width and just over 2m in height, is divided into two registers of unequal height, the lower one being about a third that of the upper. Like the two side walls, of this southern end of the chamber, it is edged with the same borders, top frieze and lower bands.

Both registers have suffered damage, but those of the upper one clearly contain those committed deliberately. His face, his name and all of his titles have been destroyed.

Upper register

This register represents the adoration of Osiris by Menna and his wife. They are followed by two servants portrayed one above the other.

Osiris is portrayed on the right. His flesh is green and he is identified as "Osiris Wennefer, the great god, sovereign ruler, lord of forever, maker of eternity", sits inside a kiosk, with the yellow-ochre background. He wears a wig surmounted with the atef-crown. He wears a white tight-fitting garment and with his free hands he tightly holds the crook and flail. Inside the kiosk, attached to the front upright, is a bouquet, consisting of three umbels of papyrus and lotus blooms which are turned to face him. The stems are secured to the upright by six ties.

An abundant pile of offerings, stand in front of the kiosk, separating Menna and his wife (who offer them) from the recipient, Osiris. Of these offerings, several are on top of a single pillared table. Those on top include a leg, head, and ribs of an ox, birds, fruit, cakes and breads. Whilst below, next to the pillar stand, are three tall vessels.

Menna wears a kilt which folds at the front and a long semi-transparent over-garment. He is decorated with a necklace, armlets and bracelets. His hands are raised in a gesture of worship. The text above him is, as already stated, damaged (removing his name and his titles), also, the last two columns of the text, on the left, have been left empty. The thirteen columns state: "Giving praise to Osiris-Wennefer by the scribe, the overseer of the field-labours [… Menn]a : He says: 'I have come to you; my heart is Maat (truthful) throughout, my breast has no falsehood in it. May you purify my corpse in the Sacred Land and my soul for eternity'. The overseer of the fields of the Lord of the Two Lands, [the overseer of the fields of Amon, Menna], he says: 'I give to you praise, I exalt you, may your beauty grow and flourish, that I may be allowed to rest in the beautiful west, among the favoured ones of your Ka'."

Behind him stands his wife. Her name and titles are inscribed above and behind her, but part of the text has been lost/destroyed. She is designated as "His sister (i.e. wife) , mistress of house, the chantress [of Amon, Henut]tawi, justified by the great god.". By its quality, this text almost looks as if it was added as an after-thought. Dressed in a long transparent dress, which reaches down to her feet and widening appreciably from her waist downwards, it reveals her total body. On her head she has the traditional wig and wears a large earring at the side. The large floral necklace conceals her chest, with her arms decorated with bangles and bracelets. One hand, the left, is held against her chest, tightly holding the sistrum, whilst with the other, which holds a menat-necklace, hangs at her side.

The two men represent at the extreme left of this register, behind Menna's wife, are porters of offerings, represented one above the other. The one at the top wears a wig and a white kilt with a belt, over which he wears a long transparent garment with short-sleeves. In his right hand he holds three umbels of papyrus with long leafy stems, whilst in the other he holds a bunch of two lotus flowers and buds, the stems being wrapped around his hand.
The bottom character wears the same wig but only wears short kilt, with no over-garment. He carries a small portable altar which is decorated with lotuses, which hang from the base, the umbels of which face the ground. On top of the alter is a whitish substance arranged in a heap.

Lower register

In this smaller register, eight offering bearers walk towards two pedestals piled with provisions. These men carry lotus blossoms, fowl, a calf, a jar, and possibly vessels of food. They approach two tall pedestals laden with provisions: fowl, meat, breads, vegetables, and fruits. On the floor next to them are two large vessels on the left (probably wine jars) and tall pointed cones of incense, on bowls, to the right. Three of the bearers have been badly damaged.
Indicated by the red flames rising from the top of the two alters, these appear to be burnt offerings. On the right-hand side, a man seems to be attending the process by aid of a small dish or spoon which he holds in his hands. Such things were used to pour incense on burnt offerings. Opposite him, the first of the men who bring the offerings places a haunch of meat on the top of the pile on the left altar.
It should be noted that the five men on the right have the shaven skull or perhaps their hair is hidden by a skullcap. The two on the far left (the two in front of them are damaged) wear a black wig. All of them are dressed in a short, white kilt, tied at the waist by a belt.
The register contains no descriptive text.

The west wall

This south section of the west wall is the same size as the one facing it. Like the facing wall, it is edged with the same borders, top frieze and lower bands.

The scenes which originally occupied this wall are almost lost and what does still exist is in a very poor state. From what remains, it is evident that the overall display had been of a typical banquet, displayed on two registers, each with the seated couple of Menna and his wife seated on the left, further sub-divided in front of the couple. Very few colour photographs exist, however, the one hundred year old b/w one does provide a great deal of detail, but it is obvious that even that long ago this wall was in only a slightly better state than today, but some pieces which existed then have been lost (see from the right-hand side). The colour photographs available are of the south end (the best preserved) and a few partial scenes from mainly the top register.

Upper register

Seated on the left are Menna and his wife. Only detail of her chair has survived, being of plain wood with a back-rest and legs in the shape of those of an animal and resting on a reed mat. Her face has definitely been deliberately damaged, although the front of his is now lost with the large area of the scene in front. Above her is the only surviving text on this wall, which identifies her as: "His wife, mistress of the house, Henuttawy". She holds her husband's right arm in a gesture of affection, her left arm first passing behind him. She wears a tight-fitting white dress, a black wig edged at the bottom with fine plaits, a floral headband with a lotus at the front and a fragrance cone on her head. As in other scenes, she wears a large necklace, armbands and bracelets. Under her seat can be seen the scribe's palette and the bag protruding from a tall narrow box with a blue, red and yellow checker design. This probably contains the scribe's other instruments. These items are probably Menna's, though it is not impossible that they belong to Henuttawy.
Very little can be said about Menna, other than he wears his usual shirt, a black wig and a broad necklace.

The area in front of the couple is divided into two sub-registers. In the first (upper) register are still visible several seated characters. Here, the ones on the left face in the same direction as Menna, but those on the right face him. Standing in front of some of them are servants bringing drinks. In one of the still existing images from the left, four men sit on two different seat designs, either with normal legs or else with crossed legs (see ), these alternate in design, as does the fact that the men alternately either wear a short-sleeved shirt or no shirt at all. Each of these men wear a cone of perfumed ointment of their hear heads. The first of these four (on the right) drinks from the vessel held in the hand of the person presenting it who is standing in front of him, of whom very little remains except his hand and part of his rear shoulder. Behind this first man, another guest turns his head to smell the perfume of a lotus flower which his companion holds to his nostrils. The surviving fourth man holds a lotus, with a long stem, to his own nose. At the far right, details exist of a couple in the lower sub-register facing in the opposite direct (see of 1914 and now), the person at the bottom of the image belongs to the bottom register of this wall.

Lower register

Here again the couple are seated facing right. There is no identifying text, but there is little doubt that it is Menna and his wife. This time only the face of Menna has been damaged, that of his wife remains intact. Both chairs are visible and are black. Menna has a short black wig, surmounted by the cone of grease. He is wearing his usual garments, adorned with a large multicoloured necklace, arm-bands and bracelets. He holds his left hand across his chest, grasping the stem of a lotus, with the blossom held to his nostrils. His wife, seated behind him, is dressed a little different to how she appears in the image above, with pleats visible at the level of her chest, and with a slightly different necklace. Here she again embraces her husband, but this time her left hand can be seen resting on his shoulder.
Dark red lines for two text columns were produced in front of his face, but no inscription has been added. No text had been produced for his wife. This time, under her chair, is placed her own necessary of toiletry, composed of a yellow mirror with a black handle and a container with a narrow neck and a flat lip. From the vase emerges the end of the stiletto which would aid in applying the makeup.

This lower register, directly in front of them, has not been sub-divided, although it is possible that the middle area may have been, however, very little now remains of most of the lower register. Directly in front of them stand several people, facing them (see ), there is no colour image available. The nearest one, now almost lost, holds a bouquet of flowers towards his face.