The Tomb of Niankh-khnum and Khnum-hotep - 3 NOTE - All the material of this Album is © of Greg Reeder. His valuable and interesting work can be found at http://www.egyptology.com. The Banquet Perhaps the most elaborate scene in the tomb is here on the southernmost wall of the main rock-cut chamber. Khnumhotep sits on the right clutching a lotus flower while Niankhkhnum sits on the left. Behind him traces of his wife remain though the archaeologists believe she was removed from the scene in ancient times so that the two manicurists were the only guests of honor at the banquet. Below them dancers and musicians entertain. The Embrace It is here in the offering chapel that the most intimate portrayals appear. This scene is at the entrance, between two doorways. The identically attired manicurists are shown embracing, nose to nose. Their children surround them, (this photo is a close-up, more children are represented) but the wives are not represented here. The relationship between the two men is not clear. Egyptologists consider it "problematical." Are they brothers? Could they be twin brothers? Are they close friends or are they lovers ? Are they all of the above? A reasoned argument can be made defending any or all of these positions. The Embrace Between the False Doors On the western wall of the offering chamber are two false doors. The one on the right is for Khnumhotep, the one on the left for Niankhkhnum. It was thru a later intrusive shaft that damaged Niankhkhnum's false door that the Egyptologists made their first entrance into the tomb. These false doors are separated by the scene pictured here of the two men embracing though not as closely as at the entrance. The Eternal Embrace On the eastern wall of the offering chamber, the identical pair are shown in the most intimate embrace possible within the canons of ancient Egyptian art. Niankhkhnum is on the right grasping his companion's right forearm; Khnumhotep, on the left, has his left arm across the other man's back, tightly clasping his shoulder. Again the tips of the men's noses are touching and this time their torsos are so close together that the knots on the belts of their kilts appear to be touching, perhaps even tied together. Here, in the innermost private part of their joint-tomb, the two men stand in an embrace meant to last for eternity.