Tomb Chapel of Iny

Figure 1 - False Door

     Iny was a nobleman who served at least three Pharaohs: Pepi I, Merenre and Pepi II. The Egyptian Museum in Barcelona has some of the stone elements that made up his tomb chapel (mastaba).

     Figure 1 shows the false door that is so common in Egyptian tombs. This "door" allowed the "Ba" (something like a spirit or soul) come out of the burial chamber and partake in the food offerings that would have been left by the family of the deceased.

Figure 2 - Iny seated at an Offering Table

     Figure 2 shows Iny sitting before an offering table. Scenes like this would magically enable the deceased to eat in the afterlife after his descendants stopped bringing food offerings to the tomb. On the table are some tall loaves of bread. To the right of the offering table are other food substances the deceased expected to consume in the afterlife, while above the offering table is a brief inscription describing the "thousands of offerings" that Iny would be blessed with. Below this scene we see the nobleman's name in the last three signs on the left side of the inscription. The legs with a pot at their top is read "Iny", while the following sign (water) is read "n" and the two reads at the far left are read "y". The "n" and the "y" function as what linguists call phonetic compliments in the writing of the tomb owner's name.

Figure 3 - Another scene of Iny at an Offering Table

     Figure 3 once again shows Iny seated before an offering table, but this time with a different wig on (Egyptians usually shaved their heads and wore wigs in public). This photo shows the offering scene a bit more clearly than figure 2 does. Once again the deceased sits before an offering table filled with loaves of bread. Above the table is an inscription telling us that Iny would receive "thousands of bread and beer, oxen and geese, alabaster and cloth" offerings.