The Tombs of Senbi and Ukhhotep

Meir is the necropolis of Cusae, the capital of the fourteenth nome [or state] of Upper Egypt. Buried at Meir were the nomarchs Ukhhotep and Senbi, his son and successor. Both men held hereditary positions roughly equivalent to governor.

For a number of reasons, Meir attracted little attention over the years. It was off limits to tourists [because of concerns for their safety], had no roads out to the site, and required total self-sufficiency on the part of visitors as there were no toilets, restaurants, or stairs. Today, Meir has been reopened and a number of rock-cut tombs cleaned and restored, revealing even more evidence of basenjis and the part they played in ancient Egyptian life.

In the scene below [a line drawing as flash photography can damage the badly preserved wall], Senbi stands outside a fenced enclosure, shooting herbivores and carnivores, while his hunting dogs wreak havoc in the melee.

Like his son above, Ukhhotep is also depicted bringing down a variety of wildlife—oryx, jackal, rabbit—not to mention giraffe and deer if he gets lucky with his arrows. Notice that in typical hunt-scene fashion, animals are giving birth in the middle of the carnage so that Ukhhotep will have an endless supply of game to hunt in the afterlife.