Statue of the scribe Senenmut

Senenmut was a prominent official under the female Pharaoh Hatshepsut. His portrait sums up the link between writing and power in ancient Egypt – essential for running the state and speaking to the gods.

Carved in quartzite, a stone reserved for the elite, it was made for the Temple of Amun at Karnak. Placed in tombs and temples, such block-like statues offered ideal surfaces for inscribing prayers, and providing biographical information.

The inscription in front invokes Amun-Ra, ‘Lord of the Thrones of the Two Lands (i.e. Upper and Lower Egypt), Chief of All the Gods’.