Relief fragment, tomb of Mereri
Description
First Intermediate Period, Dynasty 9, ca. 2100–2030 B.C. Limestone. H. 13.5 × W. 70.2 × D. 6 cm (5 5/16 × 27 5/8 × 2 3/8 in.). From: Tomb of Mereri, Behind Temple of Hathor, Dendera, Northern Upper Egypt, Egypt. Excavation: Egypt Exploration Fund excavations, 1898. Credit: Gift of Egypt Exploration Fund, 1898.
AI image analysis GPT-5.4-nano
Machine-generated from the object's image on Jul 2026. Not curatorial; treat deities, names, and signs below as the model's best reading, not authority.
Weathered limestone relief fragment with incised figures and hieroglyphic-like lines arranged in horizontal bands; no clear complete inscription is preserved.
The image shows a long, horizontally oriented limestone relief fragment broken along several edges. The surface is carved with shallow incisions forming what appear to be parts of Egyptian relief: on the left a stylized hook/feather- or tool-like motif and vertical strokes; toward the center a round element containing a cross-like form (possibly part of a sign or decorative disk) and surrounding diagonal strokes; and across the upper-right portion a dense cluster of short, incised marks resembling hieroglyphic signs or patterning. There are no clearly identifiable deity attributes, human figures, or complete royal cartouches visible in the preserved portions. The fragment reads as part of a tomb relief program, but the specific name 'Mereri' cannot be confirmed from the visible text/signs in this image.
About this record's data
- From the source institution — accession, description, dimensions, and dating are as catalogued by Metropolitan Museum of Art — Egyptian Art (Open Access).
- AI-inferred — the image-analysis panel (deities, names, signs) is machine-generated and may be wrong.
- Approximate location — most map points are plotted at the site centroid, not the exact findspot.
- Inferred links — cross-references marked with a match method other than explicit-source-field were matched by us, not stated by the source.