The Tekenu and Ancient Egyptian Funerary Ritual

The tekenu is one of the more enigmatic figures in ancient Egyptian funerary imagery, appearing in tomb scenes from the Old Kingdom into the Saite period. Glennise West brings the evidence together systematically, asking what the tekenu represented, what role it played in funerary ritual and how its different visual forms might relate to one another.

West identifies four types of tekenu and builds a catalogue of their appearances, studying the figures within the surrounding tomb scenes rather than treating them as isolated symbols. Two Theban tombs, TT 20 and TT 100, receive closer attention, while the discussion reaches into possible origins and the Opening of the Mouth ritual. The questions remain open, and the argument rests on the images and their contexts, not on a claim that the mystery has been settled.