Kha

Kha was an ancient Egyptian foreman and official of the Eighteenth Dynasty, active at Deir el-Medina during the reigns of Amenhotep II, Thutmose IV and Amenhotep III. He is also commonly described as an architect, but his attested titles were "chief in the Great Place" and "overseer of works in the Great Place"; as foreman of the royal-necropolis crew, he directed workers engaged in the construction and decoration of royal tombs.

Kha was married to Merit, with whom he had three children, and died during the reign of Amenhotep III at an estimated age of between 50 and 60.

The burial chamber of Kha and Merit was discovered intact in 1906 by the Italian Archaeological Mission led by Ernesto Schiaparelli. Its funerary assemblage comprises more than 460 objects. The grave goods form the most abundant, complete and best-preserved non-royal Egyptian funerary collection yet discovered.

Life and career

Kha died during the reign of Amenhotep III, between the ages of 50 and 60. He was buried wearing a gold-disc shebyu collar, part of the "Gold of Honour" awarded by the king to distinguished officials; other jewellery also remained beneath the wrappings.

Titles and office Royal cubit rod of wood covered with gold leaf, inscribed with the name of Amenhotep II (Suppl. 8647).

Kha is described in inscriptions as "chief in the Great Place" (Egyptian: Hry (m) st aAt) and "overseer of works in the Great Place" (Egyptian: mr kAt st aAt); the "Great Place" referred to the royal necropolis. The first title appears on a wooden statuette, while the second occurs on most objects from his funerary equipment. On a bronze basin (Suppl. 8225), a dedication to his vital essence (Egyptian: ka) calls him "overseer of works". The gilded royal cubit rod bearing the name of Amenhotep II (Suppl. 8647) was a token of the king's appreciation for Kha.

Tomb The burial chamber at the time of its discovery, photographed by Francesco Ballerini in 1906 (C02070).

The burial chamber of Kha and Merit (TT8) was discovered on 15 February 1906 by the Italian Archaeological Mission led by Ernesto Schiaparelli, about 25 m north of the family chapel. A landslide had sealed the entrance in antiquity, protecting the chamber from looting; its funerary assemblage comprises more than 460 objects. It forms the most abundant, complete and best-preserved collection of non-royal Egyptian grave goods yet discovered. In terms of wealth, the tomb is considered the richest non-royal burial of the New Kingdom, second only to that of Tutankhamun.

Kha's body lay within three nested coffins. The outer coffin was shrine-shaped and enclosed two anthropoid coffins, modelled on the human form; the middle coffin had elements covered with stucco and gold leaf, while the inner coffin was fully gilded.

Other evidence Funerary stela of sandstone from the family chapel, acquired by the Museo Egizio in Turin with the Drovetti collection in 1824 (Cat. 1618).

A funerary stele from the chapel of Kha and Merit (Cat. 1618) entered the collections of the Museo Egizio in Turin in 1824 through the purchase of the collection of Bernardino Drovetti. The British Museum currently identifies this Kha as the foreman (Inher)kha, or Inherkhau, associated with TT299. The object, originally from Kha's funerary chapel (TT8), was discovered on 8 February 1923 in the courtyard of TT326, associated with Pashedu, by the French archaeological mission led by Bernard Bruyère.

The Bibliothèque nationale de France holds the Book of the Dead of Merit (inv. 53.2), a funerary papyrus 197 cm long donated by the Duke of Luynes in 1862; its precise findspot is unknown, though Deir el-Medina has been proposed. The papyrus is attributed to Merit because her name occurs more often and precedes Kha's, although it may originally have been prepared for Kha.