#horemheb

Honouring of Horemheb with the “Gold of Honour” (nbw n ḥswt), c. 1333–1319 B.C.

▫ This finely carved limestone relief once adorned the tomb chapel of Horemheb, at a time when he was still a general serving under Tutankhamun. It records a moment of high ceremonial theatre: Horemheb’s huldiging, or formal honouring, for military and diplomatic success.

At the centre, attendants place heavy gold collars around Horemheb’s neck. This is the celebrated “Gold of Honour” (nbw n ḥswt); not a casual gift, but Ancient Egypt’s highest royal reward for loyal service. Such collars, often fashioned from rows of gold beads or crescent-shaped plaques, proclaimed royal favour as visibly as a modern medal. To wear them was to be publicly marked as a man close to the king.

Intriguingly, the royal uraeus cobra on Horemheb’s brow (the unmistakable sign of kingship) was added later, after he himself ascended the throne. The relief thus bridges two lives; the decorated general and the future pharaoh.

From the Tomb of Horemheb at Saqqara. Now at the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden. H.III.PPPP

The Honouring of Horemheb The work is based on a bas-relief. "This finely carved limestone relief once adorned the tomb chapel of Horemheb, at a time when he was still a general serving under Tutankhamun. It records a moment of high ceremonial theatre, showcasing Horemheb’s huldiging, or formal honouring, for military and diplomatic success. At the centre, attendants place heavy gold collars around Horemheb’s neck. This is the celebrated “Gold of Honour” (nbw n ḥswt); not a casual gift, but Ancient Egypt’s highest royal reward for loyal service. Such collars, often fashioned from rows of gold beads or crescent-shaped plaques, proclaimed royal favour as visibly as a modern medal. To wear them was to be publicly marked as a man close to the king. Intriguingly, the royal uraeus cobra on Horemheb’s brow (the unmistakable sign of kingship) was added later, after he himself ascended the throne. The relief thus bridges two live; the decorated general and the future pharaoh. The blocks to which this relief belongs were dispersed among museums in the 19th century, their original positions forgotten. Only in 1975 did excavations at Saqqara relocate Horemheb’s tomb, allowing scholars to reunite surviving blocks and restore the monument’s story. Casts of many fragments now stand once more in their original places, returning honour, rather fittingly, to the man who once received Egypt’s gold." I love Horemheb very much and have long wanted to draw something for him. He is one of the greatest people to emulate.

Images of the plan of the KV57 tomb belonging to Horemheb, made from a three-dimensional model.

Have you ever heard the darkest story from Tutankhamun’s reign? A priest whose ambition crushed loyalty… A man who ruled from the shadows — Ay, the high priest who seized the throne when the Boy King died.

A ruthless rise to power. A legacy erased by Horemheb, the military commander who refused to let Ay rewrite Egypt’s destiny.

This is not just history… It’s a real political thriller straight out of ancient Egypt.

Amarna

Amarna est le nom arabe moderne du site de l'ancienne ville égyptienne d'Akhetaton, capitale du pays sous le règne d'Akhenaton (1353-1336 av. J.-C.). Le site est officiellement connu sous le nom de Tell el-Amarna, ainsi nommé en l'honneur de la tribu des Beni Amran qui vivait dans la région au moment de sa découverte.