Length = 2.20m. Turning now to face this wall, which is directly opposite the false door of the east wall. As already stated, the left-hand side completes the scene on the right-hand end on the south wall. Here, the decoration is centred around a stela, which in turn is surrounded by several scenes. In spite of the precise plans by Kampp, it is impossible to determine the reason for the breach, which probably goes nowhere. Nowadays, it is blocked by a particularly unsightly window. The wall has been severely damaged by the creation of the breach; in particular the lower part of the stela, which like the false door of the opposite wall, was simply painted and not sculpted. 1) - The central stela On the lower part of the stela, painted witha bright yellow background, has been drawn some red lines, but the text was never inscribed. On the other hand, the arched top (above the yellow area) has been completed. In the top area are two representations, nearly mirror images, either side of the central axis. They show Userhat making offerings to Osiris. The Great God is seated on his usual chair with with cuboid base. Clothed in a white shroud, he wears the atef crown. His green flesh is the colour of the resurgent vegetation and symbol of revivification. On the left he holds the was-sceptre and the ankh, on the right he additionally holds the nekhakha (the flail). The two tables, in front of Osiris, are decorated fully with breads, meats, fruits, and covered with a bouquet of lotus flowers. A man (Userhat? or just 'a man' ?), arms raised, is rather simply represented. He wears a simple white kilt, but without the tunic often found covering it. He has an unusually coloured wig and only a necklace as jewelry. Above the two scenes is a winged sun disc, around which coils two uraeus serpents, being both powerful and protective, of which the swollen throat indicates that it is near to striking whoever would dare to strike a blow at Ra. This represents the Behedeti, designated as: "He of Behedet, Lord of the Sky and the Two Lands". Behedet was the former name of the modern city of Edfu, whose tutelary god was a falcon god and who was later amalgamated with Horus (one of the multiple occurrences of Horus, here as "Avenger-Of-His-Father") who was another falcon god. This winged disk is appropriate to the royal and divine domain, which is why the extremity of its wings do not cover the man, who belongs to the terrestrial sphere. 2) - The small additional scenes Here, at the bottom, can be seen what remains of two registers of escorts, which followed the figure of Amenhotep II on this end of the south wall. Six men bent very low; they hold fans in their hands, as well as a blue and yellow pole from which are suspended several pieces of cloth; some carry quivers of arrows and a case for a bow. At the top, above the two registers, is a matching scene which is the mirror of the one on the right. On the right Porters of offerings head, in groups of two, towards the stela. They are distributed in four scenes. The first is at the top of the left hand side (already mentioned), and on the right in three more superimposed scenes. It is worth noting that they are dressed in the same fashion as those in the arched top of the stela, but without the adorning jewelry (view sb23). All bring a plate charged with various offerings: breads, meats, vegetables and flowers. They also hold in their hands various bouquets, comprised of twining stems of the grapevine, and what seems to be a branch of dates laden with its fruits. Only one line of text has been drawn between the middle and bottom register. It represents an offering formula to Anubis: "Of pure breads for Anubis, who governs the divine pavilion, for the Ka of the royal scribe, representing the Herald, Userhat". In this inscription, the canine which acted as the determinative in the name of Anubis has been hammered out by the Amarnians. By turning to the right, the north wall (western side) is seen. This is dedicated to funerary scenes.
Length = 3.90m. The grand offering by the couple The description, of this western half of the wall, starts immediately to the right on entering the chamber. The first scene is a near mirror image of the one to the left on entering, which has already be described. The pile of offerings placed on mats is again impressive! (view tb081). At the bottom, as on the other part of the wall, four stands (or braziers) each hold a duck, breads, and grapes. Four lettuces (associated with the god Min) separate them. Above, a heterogeneous mixture of meats (joints and heads of ox, haunches and even a whole calf), poultry, breads, vegetables (notably cucumbers), fruits in baskets and bouquets of flowers. The two sub-registers, at the top, contain various shaped vases and vessels: at the bottom are four large vessels, blue or orange bowls, with large openings, of which the contents are tied with a ribbon. All four are decorated, one either side, by a lotus blossom. Above these are nine tall vases, with or without handles, either straight-sided or with globular bodies; five different types in total. They either contain oils, or possibly wine. Userhat is represented in large size dedicating these offerings to Osiris. He also offers two braziers, the bluish flames of each surround a duck and breads. He wears, in addition to his normal jewelry, a pendant at the extremity of which is a medallion reproducing an open lotus flower. The artist chose to preserve a realistic image, and the right arm almost hides the pendant completely. Behind him is his wife, whose image has faded greatly. Clothed in a long tight-fitting dress with only one shoulder strap, she wears a colourful headband, with a ribbon tied towards the back, probably over a wig. Her right hand, stretching down her leg, holds an object which cannot now be identified; her left hand is folded on her chest, enclosing a floral bouquet. In front of Userhat is a small anonymous character (unless the two lines of text above of him originally carried his name) who brings a stand on which is possibly represented shavings of incense wood. The text above Userhat, painted in beautifully coloured hieroglyphs, underwent some mutilations by the followers of Akhenaten, who erased completely or partially columns 2, 4 and 11. Even here, the vandals had tried to remove everything which had a reference to god Amon, leaving in the Osiris passage and Hathor and respecting, of course, the great solar god Ra-Horakhty. In the last column, it is the name of Mut in the name Mutneferet which has been targeted. Originally there was written: "(...) his wife whom he loves, the mistress of house, the beloved of Hathor [Lady of Denderah, Mutneferet, justified]". Family offerings The rest of the wall, up to the west wall, is divided into three registers, a large one at the top and two smaller below. The inscriptions which should have been placed in columns have not been achieved, and here more than anywhere else, the black paint has become pale, to the point where it has nearly disappeared. 1) - Top register Behind Mutneferet, and extending the previous scene in a way, are found three men who advance toward the couple. Wearing simple kilts, without a tunic, as wab-priests without rank, they hold bouquets upright in their hands. The rest of the register, up to the west wall, belongs to a different and autonomous scene. On the left of the three wab-priests, and with his back to them, is a sem-priest, severely hammered out. He purifies the offerings placed on a low table in front of him: fruits, vegetables, breads, and a curious object, in the shape of a double sickle, the nature of which is not known. Under the table, and only just visible, are two large vases. The recipients of the offering are two men seated on low chairs resting on a mat. Note that although the two chairs look as if there is only one, this is ancient Egyptian perspective, they are actually placed side by side. They are dressed identically, on the model of Userhat. Their left hands, folded on the chest, tightly hold a piece of cloth, while their right hands are spread towards the table. Under the chairs is oversized scribe's material. The identity of these people is not specified, but they are probably members of the family, or of colleagues of the civil servant. This total anonymity remains difficult to comprehend, knowing how important the name was in assuring survival in the afterlife to the ancient Egyptian. But it is not exceptional: a lot of other tombs exist where the intervening parties are not named. It is true that it was not their burial, but on the other hand, in the tomb which is being dealt with here, it is the name of the unique son of the couple who is not mentioned, which is even more astonishing. 2) - Middle register This register is very interesting, but it remains difficult interpret, and it would have helped if there had been some text, but none was ever placed here. On the right, two men approach, with flowers in their hands. For lack of place, the representations are intricate in a rare sense, even in Egyptian craftsmanship, since the arm of the second character disappears completely behind that of the one who precedes him. In front of them are five seated women and four standing. The first two are side by side, the second holds her left arm tenderly around her companion's shoulders. The three following (but it could represent the same person represented three times) have a child seated on their knees; two girls are easy to recognise, the third could be a boy. None of these children has a plaited side-lock of youth, neither do they have a finger in their mouth. They are not therefore young children accompanied by the nursemaid who breast-feed them, but more certainly 'governesses' in charge of children. This theme, when it is represented in private Theban tombs, almost always made allusion to a royal child. However, in the present case, the wife of Userhat is not designated as a "royal nurse", a title so important that he would not have failed to mention it. It could therefore refer to governesses who have brought up the children of Userhat and Mutneferet. These nursemaids were well considered in Egyptian society, and often made part of the family. The last person, on the left, is a small servant. 3) - Bottom register This is filled with a long line of servants bringing various offerings. Notice particularly the fourth, who brings, on a leash, a calf; and the one who follows him, who has a goat or a small antelope. The ninth, as a guess, carries a duck.
Length = 4.41m.
Once more viewing the eastern part of the chamber, this time the south wall, it can be seen that a large part of it is totally destroyed. However, a large portion still remains on the right-hand side, to the full height of the wall; with a very useful portion, again to the full height, at the left-hand end, at its junction with the east wall. The wall is divided into three registers, the upper one being by far the larger of the three. This upper register is further divided: the right-hand, first part, retains the full height; behind this it is divided into three sub-registers, the upper one again being the larger of the three. Finally, after the large missing area, the lower two sub-register are combined into one, the upper one being a continuation of the one before the damage. From all of the scenes of the festival painted in tombs, it is not possible to know if they represent the festivities in which the deceased actually participated when alive, or those to which he wishes to be associated after his death. For something as popular as that of the Beautiful Festival of the Valley, it would be risky to say that it represents either one of the two. Here is what was written by the great Egyptologist Jan Assmann: "To have his meal has, at all times, been interpreted as an act of appropriate socialisation to extract the dead from solitude, and to integrate him in a social sphere. [...] In the 18th Dynasty, it is in the circle of his parents and friends that the deceased has the funerary meal [...] (The scenes of banquet) have a more general sense. They emphasise the terrestrial character of the food of the dead and on its goal, which is to unite the deceased with his family. The festival definitely plays a major role in this meeting. As well as the tomb being a sacred place, permitting to establish a contact between the here-and-now and beyond, the festival is a sacred moment which facilitates this contact [...] The "socialisation" of funerary belief is a decisive turn in Egyptian religion. It characterises the New Kingdom (c. 1500 - 1100 B.C.).
Upper register This is further divided into several parts. The main scene, on the right-hand side, occupies the full height of the register, showing a ceremonial offering scene with Userhat and his wife. Beyond this, the register is further divided into three sub-registers, then finally the two lower ones of these are combined. 1) - The main scene Userhat and his wife are seated and look towards the east. They are dressed in their most beautiful attire and a large necklace which spreads on their chest. Userhat also wears around his neck the pendant already seen on the north wall. Mutneferet embraces her spouse tenderly by the shoulder, and if the representation is rather formal, it is not offending. This embrace doesn't translate to a simple mark of affection: Mutneferet must help its husband to regenerate in the beyond. To do this, she must stimulate his sexuality so that he can become "Khamutef", "his mother's bull" and to survive by his own works. What we see here is therefore an element of a symbolic mixture of sexuality and procreation, expressed very modestly as always by the Egyptians. The cones of ointment on top of their beautiful wigs are typical of a festive context. As already seen in the description of other tombs, the exact nature of these cones lends itself to further discussion: are they actual mounds formed from perfumed fat, intended to melt and to flow on the head and the clothes? Or perhaps symbolic representation of perfumes of which the person was annointed? Or purely symbolic, with no actual basis? Under the chair of Mutneferet (view sb42), can be found an Hathoric mirror. It represents an object which has not been chosen at random; Hathor was the great goddess of physical love, and, besides the sistrum, her main instrument of seduction is the mirror, reflection of beauty. Note, under the chair of Userhat, the presence of a very beautiful wicker case containing the scribal materials of the deceased. The three children of the couple pay homage to their father. They stand in front of a beautiful table of offerings, under which can be seen golden vases, pleasantly represented. As officiants, they don't have cone of ointment on their head. The two daughters of the couple stand side by side (view tb083). One of them offers to her parents a goblet of wine, clumsily represented, whilst the other gets ready to tie around their necks a great necklace, of which the open clasp can be seen. The artist represented the interlaced arms in such a way that they produce the Ka sign; because it is for the Kas of the deceased that these offerings are destined, and the text (drawing a2n13) is clear: "For your Ka! Make a happy day in your beautiful place of eternity". In the text, where the two daughters are named, is a strange and unexplained anomaly: Nebettawy is referred to as "his daughter, his beloved" whilst Henutneferet is identified as "their daughter, their beloved". Note that these two girls have been badly damaged by vandalism. It is probably necessary to see here the work of the Copts residing in the tomb: If Henutneferet and Nebettawy were very pleasantly drawn, then to see them in such a way risked them representing a temptation for the monks. Finally, at the rear, is the son with a large composite bouquet in his hands, similar (in colour) to the one already seen at the side of the entrance (view dpd4036). He is separated from his sisters by a pedestal, on which rests a vase. The text above of him continues from where their names are listed: "(Because) you are praised by Amon-Ra who resides in peace in Ab-Akhet (at the time of) his festival of the valley of the west, by your son, whom you love, the wab-priest of Ptah". Ab-Akhet (view tb035) designates the temple of millions of years (improperly named the mortuary) of Amenhotep II. The final column of this text, just to the rear of his head (view bg162), which would have contained his name has either been erased or possibly never completed. 2) - The three sub-registers a - The second offering scene This is located in the upper of the three registers. This time, these are the two daughters of the couple who are honoured. Henutneferet and Nebettawy are seated side by side. Their beauty, in spite of an air of primness, didn't escape the Copts, who mutilated them. Just like the young girl who faces them, who may be the daughter of one of the sisters. She offers them a goblet of wine over the table of offerings, wine coming from the container which she holds in her left hand. The text gives an exhortation to the young women: "For your Kas. Making a happy day.", and their identity: "The royal ornaments of the good god, the beloved Hathor, Nebettawy and Henutneferet", (drawing a2n12). Under the chair, is another small monkey. The animal is nibbling a nut from dum-palm which he has taken from the basket in front of him (view tb036). The large damaged area has removed the other scenes of the same kind, of which a small part remains at the extreme left, where it it meets the west wall. The two recipients for whom the offerings are destined are not identified (view cm5223). Columns for a descriptive text had been created at the top of this section, however these have never been inscribed. b - The musicians The inescapable characters of all Egyptian festivals are the musicians, who are often accompanied by dancers, all of of whom are very often represented in the many tombs. Because, in the temples as in the public religious sphere, music helps towards bringing together of the people of this world and the divine. To create an atmosphere and to sometimes deliver a message, music is needed. Here, four musicians are seated under the daughters of the deceased from the sub-register above, but naturally, their music is intended for the guests of the whole wall. In front of them is a harpist, seated cross-legged. The representation of the harpist is without charm, and his foot appears ridiculously small, but this is always so. The character is slightly pot-bellied, and the eyes seem to have been painted; his fingers pluck unnaturally on the strings of the instrument, a curved harp which rests on a large curved stand. Later, harpist's will be the more often represented as blind, and be also portrayed as the narrator of the laments, dominated by his doubts on the beyond (known under the title of "the harpist's songs"). Behind him, once again partially erased by the Christians (as also with all the female guests), we find three other musicians. The first plays a double oboe, and the two following her clap their hands. The rest of the group is missing in the damaged area. c - The guests The guests are represented under the musicians. Several authors (such as Lise Manniche) put in doubt the nature of the "banquet" represented on the walls of the tombs. It is a strange banquet indeed, where no one eats! It is true that the Egyptians, if they gladly represented the act of drinking, were reluctant to portray the eating of food. Here are seated three women, of which nothing much can be said, except that their status as guests is manifested by the fact that they all stretch out their hands towards the table of offerings, and by the cone of ointment on their magnificent wigs. Behind them, a small handmaid anoints with perfume, from a the small bottle held tightly in her left hand, a guest who is now lost to the damage. d - The combined two lower sub-registers Behind, to the left of the two lower sub-registers, and after the large damaged area, this area has become one sub-register. The point at which this transition occurred is now lost. Here we find male guests who, as usual, are seated on tall stools, whilst the women (shown in front of them, in the lower of the three sub-registers, before the damaged area) remained seated on the floor, on a mat. These men are seated under a grapevine. The grapevine, an Osirian symbol, is appropriate to the idea of regeneration, but is also connected with Hathor, because drunkenness encourages love. More grapevines are found in the middle register of this wall (described below), carried by servants. In front of the seated men, but not necessarily in front of each individual, is a table of offerings. Columns for identification had been created above each of the male guests, however these have never been inscribed. Middle register A long line of porters, carrying offerings, head towards the second group of guests. The end of this long line extends across the damaged area to junction with the east wall (view cm5224). The guests are located under the chair of the deceased and his wife, on the register above. Here, there are only women, they also remain anonymous since the text had not been painted in the columns created for it. Small maidservants take care of the guests, either by presenting a goblet or dish, or by annointing with fragrant oils. All of the ladies have in front of them a large goblet, probably of wine. Although the Egyptian texts dealing with the wisdom of moderation, at the time of the religious festivals, drunkenness was the real goal. On achieving this state, the soul could escape and come closer of the world of the beyond. But Egyptian wine, or beer, didn't contain as much alcohol; also, to reach the desired state of detachment, it was necessary to resort to other means: plants or extracts from plants. The Egyptians were keen on botany, and which included very early the hallucinogenic use (but also hypnotic, or sedative) which was obtainable from some plants, starting with the flower and the seed of the lotus, the mandrake and the poppy. Could this be what was contain other the small containers presented by the maidservants during the banquets? Thus was maximised the chance to "make a happy day", full of promises of a sexual nature and procreation. Bottom register The bottom register can be divided in two distinct parts, although the separation is not very obvious. 1) - The right-hand side There is no helpful or identifying text associated with this register, no areas have even been marked ready for its inclusion. At the right-hand side, a couple are seated in front of a table of offerings. To the left of it stand three people. The first holds a lettuce in his hand and is dressed identically to the five men who stand behind them. He introduces the couple behind him to the seated couple. He holds the hand of the man and the woman, presumably his wife, holds on to her husband's arm. She also holds a lettuce. The husband is dressed like Userhat is dressed as elsewhere in the tomb (view sb35), a short white kilt over which is a long transparent tunic. Here we have two possibilities: where this man could represent Userhat himself, in which case the seated couple, who like everyone else is not named, can only be his parents; else, the seated couple are Userhat and his wife, and in this case, the identity of the couple in front of them remains mysterious. Standing behind the seated couple are three more characters, again two men and a woman. The first, the woman, holds in her hands a bag and a pair of sandals; the men appear to be holding a square bag or basket under their left arm; the last of the two men has almost been destroyed. 2) - The left-hand side
This is a similar scene to the one before it. However this time only one person sits before the offering table, on a folding stool (view tb037), not a comfortable chair as used by the couple in the previous scene. On the opposite side of the table can be seen, resting on mats, various baskets, amphorae, baskets of breads and a duck. The man seated at the table is dressed in a short kilt and wears a broad necklace and wrist bracelets. He holds in his right hand a staff of office. Once again, because of a lack of text, it not certain who this could be, but one could almost certainly assume it be Userhat, but it would seem strange for him to appear without his wife. Behind him stand two men, the latter is a youth, identified by his side-lock, even though he shown to be the same height of the man preceding him. The first holds a lettuce in his right hand and a short staff in his left. The later holds a white bag over his left shoulder and a pair of sandals in his right. He, and the last of the men from the other scene, overlap, as if to indicate that the two scenes occurred at the same time. Because of the area of damage, which occurs at the large pile of offerings, it is impossible to know who or how many people were being introduced to the one seated at the table. This time there are more than five attending the festivity. Eleven have survived to the left of the damage, but there was certainly room for more. There doesn't appear to be enough room for a further offering table, and associated people. The procession is different to the other, being alternately adults and children. The children are shown as the same height as the adults, but their thick side-lock of youth is characteristic. All hold their right hand on the left shoulder as a sign of respect.
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