THE TRANSVERSE CHAMBER - continued

THE NORTH WING - continued

The north wall

This wall is divided into two registers of unequal height.
The one at the top is the largest, being approximately three times the height of the lower one. In the top area Userhat, his wife and his mother are portrayed accepting food and drink from the goddess of the sycamore, indicated by the tree on her head. In the one below is the voyage of the deceased to Abydos and his return.
The wall is approximately 17cm wider at its base than at the top. The colours of the three bands, separating the bottom register from the dado, have survived magnificently.
A comparison of the present state of the wall (seen above, right) with the splendid watercolour of Davies, achieved in the 1930s (), shows the deterioration undergone since his time.

Top register

As this scene is in an almost square area it is difficult to think of it as a register. The meeting of the deceased and Nut, the goddess of the sycamore tree, is a very common subject in tombs after the Eighteenth Dynasty and is often beautifully presented, but normally on a small scale, and with the goddess appearing from within the limbs of the tree, she being the female spirit of the tree. Here the artist has portrayed Userhat and his wife and mother on a larger scale than the image of Nut. Also, Userhat and family are surrounded by very colourful detail of a sycamore tree, whilst the area in which Nut stands has been left almost totally blank, even the columns for the inscription, above her head, have not been filled with text.

• The goddess Nut

On the right-hand side of the scene stands Nut. Here she is displayed separated from the sycamore and is shown with the image of a tree on her head, although here it is a somewhat poor representation. The tree which she would normally be shown extending from is shown as the background behind Userhat and the two females. (See the normal portrayal where she extends from the sycamore tree, from Nakhtamon's tomb, TT341, and the which shows more detail. But a better image exists in tomb TT16 of Panehesy : see ) In Userhat's tomb she stands on a platform which is portrayed as a pool of water. She wears a tight fitting cerise red dress, decorated with oblong blue beads, alternating with tiny gold ones. With her left hand she holds a vessel on which are loaves, fruit - grapes, figs, a pomegranate, and a melon - resting on top is a floral bouquet. In her right hand she holds a vase, from which she offers water for Userhat, his wife and mother. Strangely, as if by magic, three streams of water leave it and flow towards the vessels held by the three of them.
The speech of Nut. The empty columns above Nut's head could safely be filled from other sources. "The speech of Nut, the great one, working wonders in her name of the sycamore: ' I have presented you with this cool water that your heart may be thereby refreshed - this water, which comes from your pool in the necropolis on the west of Thebes. You have received small and tasty food in the fruit which springs from my limbs. Your bird-soul sits in my shade and drinks water to its heart's content". This actually comes from tomb of Paser, TT106. It may have been omitted by the artists because it would come better from a dryad goddess (the nymphs of oak trees) than from one in complete human form.

• The 'T'-shaped pond

Positioned between the legs of Nut and Userhat and almost resting on the foot of Nut, is a T-shaped pond. At the top of this stand the souls of Userhat and his wife as a pair of human-headed hawks (Ba birds) with human arms and hands. With their hands they scoop up the water and eat from the vessel of food in front of them (this vessel is now lost through damage, as seen in the photograph to the left, but as can be seen, by comparing the present images with the detail drawing of Davies (see ) the damage caused by a clumsy attempt at carving of the scene. They both also wear broad colourful necklaces.

• Userhat, his wife and mother

Userhat, who isn't in fact named, is well dressed. On his head, around his black hair, he wears a richly decorated band which extends down his back, possibly made from a broad red ribbon elaborated with perhaps a strip of gold-leaf and embroidered with beads. On top of his head is a decorated festal cone. Around his upper chest is a broad colourful beaded collar and hanging round his neck is a talisman, at the end of which is a combination of the symbols of endurance and security. On both arms he wears two bracelets. He is dressed in a long white pleated garment and wears white sandals on his feet.
He receives, in a richly decorated cup, one of the three streams which issue from the vase of the goddess and does not hesitate to take the fruit directly from the tray in her other hand. His wife and mother sit on chairs behind his, with their left hands resting on his shoulder and arm, whilst the cups in their right hands also accept the heavenly draught from Nut. Although Userhat isn't named in this scene, the two women are identified by the text written on their right forearms, which now has almost vanished (see ). They are thus seen to be: " (His) wife, house-mistress and chantress (of Amon), Hatshetsut" and " (His) mother, chantress (of) Amon, Ta-usert". It is unusual to find the mother and wife seated together.
The unusual naturalness of the complexions of the two female's faces adds greatly to the quality of the imagery, Hatshepsut being presented as a deeper colour than the mother. The gradation of the colours of their skin should be noted, produced subtly by the artist.They, like Userhat, wear long white dresses, broad colourful necklaces and bracelets on their arms. On top of their heads they also have a festal cone and around their hair they wear a richly decorated band which extends down their back and under their long hair. Their feet, unlike Userhat's, are naked. Under seats of the two women is a curious round structure which proves to be to be a plant goblet containing fruits and cucumbers (see ). The background behind all three is decorated as a leafy sycamore tree, in which can be seen fruits and birds (sparrows). Above the heads of the wife and mother the artist has portrayed their souls flying as semi-human birds with human heads (see ).
The tree, which serves as canvas background, challenges all description, but still, when viewing the detail, one can distinguish here again, in the middle, are fruits to various stages of maturity and a few swallows (see ).

Bottom register

(See also the .) This sub-scene represents the voyage to and from Abydos, which is undertaken so that the deceased could pay homage to Osiris and make his apology for not being buried at his side. A similar scene is common in tombs, but here it is somewhat strange. The boat is of a strange form, even for a river craft, although the fitting of a mast and sails for its return journey is still observed. The cabin seems to be a combination of an open shelter, under which the statues of Userhat and his wife are conveyed to Abydos, and a large curtained section below which would contain the coffin. Unlike in other tombs there are no towing vessels.
On the left-hand side: the deceased and his wife stand in front of Osiris (see ). It is very logically the outcome of their journey to reach Abydos, where they present themselves in front of the great god of the dead. This one is seated under the large hieroglyphic sign 'pt', the sky. Wearing the Atef crown, the god holds in his hands the crook and flail, but also a was sceptre and a djed pillar.
On the right-hand side of the scene sits Anubis (see ), to whom Userhat and his wife also pay homage. Anubis was the god who supervised the embalming and burial of the deceased and who guided the dead to the underworld. So perhaps here he is portrayed as being at the beginning of the outward journey to Abydos.
Userhat and his wife are identified in all the four instances where they appear, standing in front of the two gods and also in the two craft. Osiris and Anubis are also identified by the text above them. There are two columns of text between the two craft, the left one stating: "For the ka of the chief priest of the royal spirit Akheperkare, Userhat". The five text columns above the craft heading towards Osiris are difficult to read and translate. [Help would be greatly accepted in translating these.]

The east (entry) wall

This north section of the east wall is divided into two registers of equal height. The upper one contains the scene of the purification of Userhat and his appearance before the judgement seat of Osiris. The one below contains the procession of figures heading towards the throne of the god Montu and his consort Merytseger. Userhat's mother, Tausert, was named as being in the service of Montu.

Top register

This register can be divided into four sub-scenes. These are described from left to right.

• The unnamed person

For some strange reason, the artist has placed a priest, wearing a leopard-skin, which has the cartouches of Sethy I (see ), standing at the left hand side. He has his hands raised in front of a beautifully decorated pile of offerings, which are again balanced on four slender stands. He is not identified as Userhat, although the first column, followed by fifteen blank ones, simply states: "adoring Osiris… ruler of the living…". This may have been intended to be Userhat making an offering before he sits, to the right of the offerings, to undergo the purification ritual. Or, perhaps the designer of the register intended it to be a member of his family.

• Userhat's purification

This customary act of purification is performed on Userhat by the eight priests (portrayed in pairs), each holding a vase from which flow streams of water. Userhat kneels on a white pedestal, which could be a slab of alabaster, insulating him from the impurities of the ground. He no longer wears his leopard-skin, because he is now deceased, this time he does however have a festive cone on his wig. With his left hand, he clasps to his chest the heart-amulet, as if he foresaw the future. In the right hand, he holds a kherep-sceptre. The text above his head is that uttered by the priests on either side, "Pure, pure, for the Osiris Userhat, justified and assured of honourable retirement in peace". On both sides the name has been blotted out, and the names of "Akheperkareseneb" (an extended version of the name in the cartouche) and "his son…" inserted on an overlay. It should be noted that Davies thought that he could detect the name of Userhat underneath in both cases. Two cartouches have also been overlaid, the one the left has "Akheperkare" and the one on the right has been left empty, but it is almost certain that it was originally that of Thothmes I.

• His prayer to his judges

Here, Userhat squats in front of three sub-registers, each containing eight seated judges, who, hopefully, will assist Osiris in declaring him innocent. He brings them gifts on a pile in front of him and vessels on sub-registers above his head (see ). The translation of the text seems extremely confusing, because it appears to be spoken to him by Osiris: "Spoken by Osiris for the ka of the chief priest of the royal spirit Akheperkare, Userhat, the justified one. He says, 'Homage to you, lord of eternity and to (?) the princes (?) of endless eternity, that they may grant a happy life in following your ka, and, after old age, a proper burial on the west of Thebes, in the Place of Justice, to the ka of the chief priest, Userhat.' ". The speech is evidence that the "Place of Justice", frequently referred to, includes this part of the necropolis.
Three groups of judges is represented in three structures. Each group is under a kiosk of which the roof coving is surmounted by a frieze of uraei. Their archaic cubic seats of the judges rest on a praid carpet. Each of these judges is clothed in a tightened sheath from where their two hands clutch a was-sceptre. The group at the top includes "Osiris, (head) of the gods of the eastern sky, lords of eternity; of all the gods who rest in the necropolis; and of all the lords of eternity in the presence of Ounnofer" (Ounnefer designates Osiris reconstituted and regenerate after have been cut up). In the second group, one finds "Osiris (master) of the gods of the southern sky, of the gods of the northern sky, of the gods of the sky of the west". Finally the group of the low only names the Four Sons of Horus:"Amseti, master (actually written as "mistress" in error) of eternity, Hapy, Duamutef and Qebehsenuef".

• Osiris the judge

Osiris, who is seated under a more majestic kiosk, sustained by golden columns, on a solid chair. With his green skin, he has a pharaoh's hooked beard, partially mummy-wrapped at the legs, wearing a distinctive white crown with two large ostrich feathers at either side, and holding a symbolic crook and flail, also a 'djed' symbol as a staff. Over his garment he has a large pectoral plate, only drawn in red, showing an anonymous god of high priestly authority in a barque (see ). He is attended by the gods who assist him in his court of justice. They are identified as follows: "Thot, lord of Hermopolis, the just, scribe of the company of gods", who stands in front of Osiris, and "Anubis, foremost in the sacred shrine, in attendance (?) of the great god, lord of eternity, who made heaven and earth". [The title of Anubis is very faint and can hardly be seen on the photo.] Thot wears the combined forms of the full and crescent moon, whose movements his science regulates and records, and carries, instead of a real palette, a badly drawn image of it, hanging from his left hand. Anubis has his green jackal head.

Bottom register

• This is the worship of Montu

Here, receiving gifts is the seated hawk-headed god, Montu, accompanied, standing behind him, by Meretseger, "Mistress of the West and… of the embalmer's house (?) ", portrayed on the right-hand end of the register, under a pavilion structure. (a exists on Osirisnet about the god Montu.) The names of both deities were written in the usual column fashion, but they are now scarcely legible. Note that originally there was another column of text behind Meretseger's crown, ending in .
Montu sits on solid chair of the same design as the one on which Osiris sits in the register above. On his head he has a large red emblem of the sun with a wadjet snake attached. On top of the sun disc, now totally lost, were two feathers; these were smaller than normal and extended over the top of the pavillion structure (see , where even when he drew this they were only just visible). In his right hand he holds the was-sceptre of power and in his left he has an ankh-sign, the sign of life.
Meretseger is here portrayed in human form with a human face, but she is often seen as a cobra with a woman's head or a woman with a cobra's head. On top of her head she wears a crown, with a large sun emblem on top of this. In her right hand she holds an ankh-sign. As a consort of the gods of the dead (her name means "She who loves silence") she enjoyed much honour from the populace of Thebes. Montu, the ancient god of Thebes was ousted by Amon and took refuge in Hermonthis, a few miles to the south, and there held a rival court.
Outside the pavilion structure, Userhat purifies the large pile of offerings by pouring red incense oil on them. He wears a white garment with the leopard-skin of office. His head has no hair and he wears white sandals. He carries his usual title of "the great priest of the royal Ka of Aakheperkare". He is followed by two priests dressed in the same fashion and also with bold heads. They both carry a tall stem of papyrus and a bouquet, they hold the same title as Userhat: the first is Akheperkareseneb and the second Nebmehyt.
These men are followed by three ladies, possibly the wives of these three men, although it could be possible that the latter two only had the function of filling up the space. No relationship to Userhat is given for the appearance of high-priests of the same cult. The one immediately behind is Akheperkareseneb, who has already been seen in the register above. The other priest is Nebmehyt who strangely appears in the bottom sub-register on the opposite wall, replacing Userhat. Nebmehyt's name is entered on an plaster overlay, as is also the royal name in the cartouche. The text identifying the first woman is original: "His (Userhat's) wife, the mistress of the house, Shepsut, favoured of Hathor, lady of heaven and mistress of earth". The next lady is "His wife and the object of his desire"; but, though she looks the part, the artist has omitted her name or it has been blanked out. The last lady is unidentified, the text columns being blank.