Khnumhotep and Niankhkhnum

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From the tomb of Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep. Illustration from photograph © 1999 Greg Reeder.

Khnumhotep and Niankhkhnum were ancient Egyptian royal servants. They shared the title of Overseer of the Manicurists in the Palace of King Niuserre during the Fifth Dynasty of Egyptian pharaohs, circa 2400 B.C., and are listed as "royal confidants" in their joint tomb.^[1] They are speculated to be the first recorded same-sex couple in history.^[2]

The tomb of Khnumhotep and Niankhkhnum was discovered by Egyptologist Ahmed Moussa in the necropolis at Saqqara, Egypt in 1964, during the excavation of the causeway for the pyramid of King Unas.^[3] It is the only tomb in the necropolis where men are displayed embracing and holding hands. In addition, the men's chosen names form a linguistic reference to their closeness:

Niankhkhnum means "joined to life" and Khnumhotep means "joined to 'the blessed state of the dead'" and together the names can be translated as "joined in life and joined in death"^[4]

In a banquet scene, Niankhkhnum and Khnuhotep are entertained by dancers, clappers, musicians and singers; in another, they oversee their funeral preparations. In the most striking portrayal, the two embrace, noses touching, in the most intimate pose allowed by canonical Egyptian art, surrounded by what would appear to be their heirs.

[edit] References

[edit] Sources

• Michael Rice, Who's Who in Ancient Egypt, Routledge 2001, ISBN 0415154480
• Thomas A Dowson, "Archaeologists, Feminists, and Queers: sexual politics in the construction of the past". In, Pamela L. Geller, Miranda K. Stockett, Feminist Anthropology: Past, Present, and Future, pp 89-102. University of Pennsylvania Press 2006, ISBN 0812239407

[edit] Footnotes

1. ^ Rice, op.cit. p.98
2. ^ Dowson, op.cit., pp.96ff.
3. ^ Rice, op.cit., p.98
4. ^ "Khnumhotep and Niankhkhnum," e-Museum, Minnesota State University

[edit] Literature

• A. M. Moussa and H. Altenmüller, Das Grab des Nianchchnum und Chnumhotep, Mainz 1977

[edit] External links

• Gallery and background, egyptology.com
• References and bibliography, egyptology.com
• "Mwah . . . is this the first recorded gay kiss?" The Sunday Times, January 1, 2006
• "Evidence of gay relationships exists as early as 2400 B.C." The Dallas Morning News, July 20, 1998
• "Same-Sex Desire, Conjugal Constructs, and the Tomb of Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep," Greg Reeder, World Archaeology, Vol. 32, No. 2, Queer Archaeologies (Oct., 2000), pp. 193-208

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