Fodor's Expert Review Mastaba of Kagemni
No visitor to Kagemni’s tomb can ever forget the endearing depiction of a calf drinking its mother’s milk or the bewildering one of an underwater battle between a crocodile and a hippopotamus. Both scenes demonstrate the ancient Egyptians’ astute observations of the animal world. They are also just two of many scenes expertly carved in the limestone tomb belonging to a chief judge and vizier under the 6th-Dynasty ruler, Teti (2345–2333 BC). Others touch upon daily activities such as fishing, dancing, husbandry, and making food offerings to the tomb owner.
This tomb adjoins the Mastaba of Mereruka to the east. Some presume that a single artist or atelier was responsible for decorating the mastabas in this area because certain scenes—the force-feeding of animals, poultry yards, the tomb owner being carried on a chair—recur. But they could also be conventional scenes used to decorate tombs at the time.>
