Statue of Meryrahashetef, c. 2345-2181 B.C.

Sir Flinders Petrie discovered this human head of a man, resting upon a head rest in Sidmant el-Gebel within the Tomb of Meryrahashetef (?).

Petrie identified the mummy as the Old Kingdom, “Keeper of the Palace Garden” and “Lector Priest”, Meryrahashetef of the 6th Dynasty.

Ebony striding figure of Meryrahashetef. British Museum EA55722 — Ebony striding figure of Meryrahashetef.

Statue of Meryrahashetef. British Museum, EA55722 — Statue of Meryrahashetef. British Museum

A wooden statue of Meryrahashetef, which has been carved from a single piece of ebony. He held the тιтle of “Sole Companion”, “Keeper of the Palace Garden” and “Lector Priest”.

Found in his tomb at Sidmant, Faiyum. Ebony wood, H 58.1 cm. Old Kingdom, 6th Dynasty, ca. 2345-2278 BC. British Museum, EA55722

The head (EA55725) is definitely a male, believed to date from the Old Kingdom, and little flesh or linen survives, leaving just a skeletal skull.

The head currently resides in the British Museum collection (not on display) (EA55725), along with the calcite headrest belonging to Meryrahashetef (EA55724), and an astonishingly crafted ebony statue carved from just one piece of wood with a sycamore fig wood base (EA55722), both of which were found within the Tomb of Meryrahashetef.

Headrest of Meryrahashetef (BM EA55724), which Flinders Petrie said the head was found upon. — Calcite (Egyptian alabaster) headrest, which Flinders Petrie said the head was found upon.

The headrest is in the shape of two human hands with carefully delineated fingers outstretched to support the curved neck rest. They emerge from the top of a column which appears to take the form of two arms but at its lower end has turned into two ankles whose two undetailed feet stand at an angle of 180 degrees along the length of the elongated oval base.

The name and тιтles of the owner, which are incised across the neck rest, down parts of the supporting column and along one edge of the base are filled with blue paste.