Khu: A Tale of Ancient Egypt (40 page)

Excavations near Mentuhotep’s
mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahari have unearthed the tombs of noblemen and princes, as well as a mass grave of about sixty soldiers who died in battle, an indication that the men were highly respected, and the battles they fought were significant. Included among the graves, at least one tomb was discovered of a particularly revered warrior-prince whose tomb was very close to Mentuhotep’s tomb, and who was buried with weapons and Egyptian soldier clay models. And while Khu’s character in this tale is entirely fictional, having sprung from some obscure region in the imagination of the author, whose own ancestors hail from the ever-mysterious and fascinating land of Egypt, the author would like to believe that the prince in the tomb could well have been someone like our beloved Khu: whose quiet strength, courage, and intriguing gift helped his king to claim a resounding victory.       

King
Nebhepetre Mentuhotep II

Wall relief fragment depicting King Nebhepetre Mentuhotep II with hieroglyphics

t
aken from his mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahari

Eleventh Dynasty, c. 2020 BC

painted
limestone

King
Nebhepetre Mentuhotep II

Massive s
eated statue of the king found in his mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahari

Eleventh Dynasty, c. 2020 BC

painted
sandstone

(
face and body were painted black after Anubis, god of the dead)