Beni Hasan
Beni Hassan · Menat Khufu · Southern Cemetery
Old to Middle Kingdom (2350–1750 BCE; painted peak Twelfth Dynasty)·Ancient Egyptian·🇪🇬 Minya Governorate, Egypt
About
About Beni Hasan
Middle Kingdom tombs of nomarchs 2100–1750 BCE cut in eastern desert cliffs 30 m above Nile, Beni Hasan's 39 tombs 21 decorated crown is four master tombs: Khnumhotep II BH3 (eryx captioned Asiatic caravan 37 with bellows, leader Abisha — 'Aamu' -Semitic migration witness), Amenemhat BH2, Baqet III BH15 and Khety BH17 — finest Middle Kingdom painting with wrestling 219 pairs sequence, hunting desert fauna accuracy, and proto-Doric polygonal columns (lotus-fluted). North cemetery earlier 6th dynasty shaft. French Pollod survey 1960s. Wrestling typology matched Cod. Minutoli.
Why it mattersOnly intact Middle Kingdom nomarch painting corpus including Aamu Asiatic migration scene and earliest wrestling manual proto-Doric columns.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Whether Asiatic 37 is caravan trade or Hyksos precursor
- 02Proto-Doric invention independent of Greece or shared tradition
Theories
- 01Provincial renaissance model (Seidlmayer)
- 02Nomarch autonomy painting ostentation
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- 6th dynasty north cemetery 2350 BCE; 39 rock tombs 2055–1790 BCE; focus 2000–1850 BCE
- Period
- Old to Middle Kingdom (2350–1750 BCE; painted peak Twelfth Dynasty)
- Culture
- Ancient Egyptian
- Builders
- Oryx nome nomarchs (Khnumhotep, Amenemhat families)
- Purpose
- Elite rock-cut tombs demonstrating provincial nomarch power
- Rediscovered
- 1698 Lucas; 1820s Wilkinson copies
- Excavation
- Excavation ongoing
6th dynasty north cemetery 2350 BCE; 39 rock tombs 2055–1790 BCE; focus 2000–1850 BCE
Initial construction
c. 1044 CE
Rediscovery
On the ground
Structures & features
27.9283° N · 30.8758° E · 55 m · 3 mapped features
Tomb BH3 Khnumhotep II
tombPainted hall with 37 Asiatic caravan procession
27.9286° N · 30.8762° ETomb BH15 Baqet III
tombWrestling 219 pairs and desert fauna paintings
27.9285° N · 30.8760° EProto-Doric Columns Terrace
architectureLotus-fluted columns 3 m earliest order
27.9283° N · 30.8758° E
Gallery