Haremhab as a Scribe of the King

Ancient Egyptian This granodiorite statue shows Haremhab seated cross-legged with a papyrus scroll on his lap, the classic scribe pose. The text on the scroll is a hymn to the god Thoth, patron of writing. When this was made, Haremhab served as royal scribe and general of the army under Tutankhamun. He hadn't yet become pharaoh himself.

By depicting himself as a scribe, Haremhab placed himself among the educated elite, following a tradition over 1,000 years old by his time. Literacy was rare in ancient Egypt and carried enormous prestige. Haremhab later became the last pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty, rising from military general to ruler.

The statue dates to roughly 1336-1323 BCE and was found at the Ptah Temple in Memphis. It stands 113 cm (44.5 inches) tall and is on view in Gallery 121 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.