Tomb of Perneb
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 Entrance leading to the main offering chapel in the Tomb of Perneb, The Met, New York Burial site of Perneb | |
| Location | New York City, New York, United States |
|---|---|
| Type | Tomb |
| History | |
| Material | Limestone |
| Founded | c. 2375 BC |
| Site notes | |
| Discovered | 1907 |
The Tomb of Perneb is a mastaba-style tomb from ancient Egypt, built during the reigns of Djedkare Isesi and Unas (c. 2381 BC to 2323 BC), in the necropolis of Saqqara, north of King Djoser's Step Pyramid and about 30 kilometers south of Giza, Egypt. It was the tomb of Perneb, and from the size and placement of the tomb he might have been a court official or royal family member, who had a role in the robing and crowning of the king.[1]
The tomb was erected during the 5th Dynasty in the Old Kingdom. It was discovered in 1907, purchased from the Egyptian government in 1913 and given to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City by Edward Harkness.[2]
Perneb's name means "my Lord has come forth to me". His tomb was attached to the larger tomb of the vizier Shepsesre, who may have been Perneb's father.
The tomb consists of an underground burial chamber and a limestone mastaba above ground. The mastaba is divided into four rooms, including a decorated main offering chapel and a secondary offering chamber with a separate entrance. The secondary offering chamber is connected to the serdab (Arabic for "cellar"), a closed room containing a statue of Perneb, by a slot through which the smell of incense and chants could pass into the serdab. Perneb's burial shaft was located to the right side of the main offering chamber. The main offering chapel is decorated with a false door and painted reliefs which depict Perneb seated at an offering table where he offers food and other goods.
