Tomb of Niperpathot

One of the largest tombs at Gabal Al Mawta, the Tomb of Niperpathot or “He who belongs to the house of Thot,” probably dates to the 26th Dynasty, making it one of the oldest in the necropolis.  It is mostly bare with the notable exception of a small burial chamber covered with inscriptions and drawings that appear to have been applied with the same red paint Siwan potters use today.  Depictions of Niperpathot feature the “Prophet of Osiris” in various poses, often worshiping Osiris, who sits on a stool with the cow-headed goddess Hathor beside him.  Shaven headed, and wearing a necklace, a panther’s skin and sandals, the tomb owner offers Osiris six loaves of bread, a gazelle, two geese, four vases of wine and a cucumber.
On the wall to the left of the entrance, Niperpathot holds a whip and ropes whose ends are attached to four calves of different colors: red, white, black and spotted.  It represents the “dragging of the four calves,” a popular harvest ritual depicted on the walls of many Ancient Egyptian tombs beginning in the 18th Dynasty.