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Tomb of Menna TT69 in the Valley of the Nobles Luxor Thebes


The measurement of the grain.



Here the wheat, processed to the right, is measured and recorded by an amazing number of scribes, eight in total, three standing on the left, the others on the right, one sitting on top of a pile of grain and the other four depicted behind the pile. All of these scribes are dressed as Menna in his shelter, a shoulder-length wig and clothed in a semi-transparent robe with short-sleeves, under which is a kilt, folded across at the front, although the front of the kilt isn't obvious on the scribes located on the right. All hold their scribal materials, which were probably stored in the chest shown at the top of the scene. Only one of the scribes has suffered damage, the one at top right.

At the centre are two piles of wheat, the one on the right being distinctly larger than the other, large and solid enough for one scribe to sit on top of it. Four men, all stooping side-by-side, wearing a skullcap and a white loincloth, fill measuring containers. What they do with them, once measured, is anybody's guess.

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