Useramun

Name	Title	Statues	Origin	Monuments
Useramun Wsr-Jmn (also Amenuser, User, or Woser)	Southern Vizier under Hatshepsut / Thutmosis III, Prophet of Maat, Judge, Noble, Prince, Scribe in the Treasury of Amun, Head of the Secrets of the Palace			TT61 & 131 Sheikh Abd el-Qurna and shrine Nr.17 at Gebel es-Silsila (Silsila-West)
Wife: Tjuju	Mistress of the House (nbt pr)
Patents:
Father: Ahmose (also Amethu, or Aahmes)	Southern Vizier under Hatshepsut / Thutmosis III,			TT83 Sheikh Abd el-Qurna
Mother: Ta-amethu.
Brothers:
Nefer-Weben (also Neferuben)	Priest of Amun, Northern Vizier under Thutmosis III (?)			tomb unknown, mentioned in C14 Sheikh Abd el-Qurna
Amenhotep	Overseer of the Magazine of Amun			TT122 Sheikh Abd el-Qurna
Akheperkare	Priest of Montu
Amenmose (?)	Scribe in the Treasury of Amun
Sisters:
none known
Children:
Sons (totally 5):	Amenemhet (Wab-Priest of Amun), Meri (Prophet of Amun)			no tombs known; some of them listed in shrine Nr.17 at Gebel es-Silsila (Silsila-West)
Daughters (totally 7):	Ahmose, [Amen]emwaskhet, Ahmose, [Amen]emhab, Bakt, Henet, und Sensoneb			no tombs known; listed in shrine Nr.17 at Gebel es-Silsila (Silsila-West)

The first vizier of the family was at the beginning NK his father Ahmose ("often called in inscriptions with his pet name "Amethu") who served as the southern vizier at least until year 5 of the reign of Thutmosis III /Hatshepsut. When he had been appointed to the office is unknown. However, in the year 5 of the reign of Thutmosis III /Hatshepsut Ahmose was already so old that his son Useramun was appointed in addition to the office to support his old father. Most likely, a few years time later Useramun had held the office alone. In view of the obviously high age one may assume that Ahmose has already served as the southern vizier under the predecessors of Thutmosis III /Hatshepsut (Helck, 1958).

The origin of Ahmose is unknown, since in his tomb TT83 he only mentions the name of his mother, Ahhotep. Possibly a familiar relation existed with Tjuro (also Turj), king's son of Kush under Amenhotep I and Thutmosis I, because Tjuro is depicted in the shrine No. 17 in Gebel es-Silsila in the lowest register of the north wall in front of the daughters of Ahmose Amethu (Caminos, 1963).

Two documents report about the appointment of Useramun to support the acting vizier, his father Ahmose, an inscription on the east wall of the transverse hall in his tomb, --> TT131, and supplementing text on a papyrus which is now in Turin (pTurin I; Helck 1955). The inscription in TT131 was not finished, in addition the wall - and thus the inscription - has been partly destroyed by modern rectangular holes. Also the papyrus fragment in Turin shows some gaps, but both documents refer to the same official act and complete each other (Helck, 1955). For example, both texts mention that Useramun has held the office of a "Scribe in the Treasury of Amun" already under Thutmosis I.

According to the data given in the papyrus Turin Useramun was appointed to the as the southern vizier" in; 5. Year, 1 month Axt, 1st day under the king Thutmosis III.". The text reports that at this time the circumcision of Useramun was already 30 years, i.e. if one assumes with Helck (1955) that the circumcision usually took place in the age from 12 to 15 years, then Useramun was between 40 and 45 years old when he was appointed to the office. Independently how long Thutmosis I and II have reigned Useramun was born in the reign of Amenhotep I.

After the death of Hatshepsut Useramun still served as southern vizier under her successor, perhaps until year 28 of Thutmosis III. However, this reference (Urk. IV, 1043) given on a stela from the tomb of his majordomo Amen-em-hat, TT82, which is dated into year 28 may have been added after his death. On his funerary stela Amen-em-hat extolled the administration of his superior (Urk IV, 1043-1048). In year 34 already his nephew Rekhmire was southern vizier.

With his wife, the Mistress of the House, Tjuju, Useramun has had 5 sons and 7 daughters - some of their names had survived in the shrine at Gebel es-Silsila. Obviously, none of his sons had been competent enough to follow him into the office of the southern vizier. Thus, his successor became his nephew Rekhmire, a son of his brother Nefer-Weben (= Neferuben).

Practically, no reports have survived about the life and the activities of the vizier Useramun - and also about those of his father Ahmose. On a Ostrakon, assigned to the construction work of the tomb of Senenmut, several workers are mentioned who were subordinated to different officials, among them a vizier (Hayes, W.C, Ostraka and name of stones from the tomb of Sen-mut (No. 71) RK Thebes, PMMA 15, 1942). With this vizier only Useramun could have been meant.

Furthermore, a few fragments of his funerary "Book of Dead" (Munro, Der Totenbuch-Papyrus des Wsr-Imn, GM 116, 1990, p. 73-95) have survived and a now in the collection of the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh. However, the origin of this funerary papyrus is unknown, Helck (1955) and Hornung (1961) reported that it had been found "next to but outside of TT131", Munro (1990) reported that it came from TT61. Depending on what the authors reported to be the origin of the funerary papyrus they believe that Useramun had been buried in TT131 or in TT61.

Useramun is also mentioned on the stela (Cairo 34016) of Cnj-mcw, tutor of the royal son Wadjmose, which is dated into year 21, 3rd month Prt, day 25 under Thutmosis III. The original text (Urk. IV, 1066) describes the last will of Cnj-mcw and mentions thereby the vizier User. The stela came from the mortuary chapel of Wadjmose located in the western necropolis at Thebes.

In March 2010 an Egyptian team headed by Mansour Boraik, Director of the Supreme Council of Antiquities at Luxor, discovered a false-door stela inscribed in the name of Useramun north-west of Karnak were it has been re-used in Roman structures. Most likely, the stela made of red granite had been removed from one of his tombs T61 or TT131 at Sheikh Abd-el-Qurna (a publication of the inscriptions will appear soon).

According to the information given by the SCA the false-door stela shows several standard-offering formulas (like: " Htp dj nsw ... = A boon which the kings gives and ...") without any unusual variation and the well known titles of a "Mayor of the Town and Vizier".

upper row - from center to left
Htp dj nsw Jmn-Ra nb ns.wt tA.wj
A boon which the king gives and Amun-Re, Lord of the Thrones of the Two Lands
ns.t "Thron = Throne" (Hannig, p. 430)
- Bedeutung (7) nb nsw.t tA.wj Lord of the Thrones of the Two Lands (Amun in Karnak)"
- fits with the following text!

Far right - top down
[Osiris]
nTr aA nb AbDw dj=f pr.t-xrw
the great god, Lord of Abydos, he may give invocation-offerings (consisting of)
t Hnq.t jH.w Apd.w Ss mnx.t p.nTr mrH.t (j)H.t nb.t nfr.t wab.t bread, beer, oxen, fowl, alabaster, clothing, incense, (unguent) oil, (and) all good, pure things
The sign sequence t Hnq.t jH.w Apd.w may be read as determinative of pr.t-xrw only; see: Günther Lapp, Die Opferformel des Alten Reiches, Mainz, 1986, § 155
if F1 should be read as jH.w [not kA.w as proposed by Gardiner, Egyptian Grammar, p. 172]; see: Lapp, §§ 223-224
Ss mnx.t often moved together in the offering formula
n kA n jmj-rA njw.t TA.tj Wsr-Jmn
for the Ka of the mayor and vizier User-Amun
jmj-rA njw.t "Stadtvorsteher = Mayor of the town" (Hannig, p. 57);
there also the form jmj-rA njw.t TA.tj "Mayor of the Town and Vizier"
TA.tj "Vizier" (Hannig, p. 944)
The name Jmn appears to have been damaged / erased (especially on the left side)

Far left - top down
[Amun-Re]
xn.tj Jp.t-sw.t dj=f pr.t-xrw
who is at the head of Karnak, he may give invocation-offerings (consisting of)
xn.tj "an der Spitze (einer Stadt, der Beiden Länder) = at the head (of a town, the Two Lands)" (Hannig, p. 608)
jpt-sw.t "Karnak" (Hannig, p. 1303)
t Hnq.t jH.w Apd.w Ss mnx.t p.nTr mrH.t (j)H.t nb.t nfr.t wab.t
bread, beer, oxen, fowl, alabaster, clothing, incense, (unguent) oil, (and) all good, pure things
n kA n jmj-rA njw.t TA.tj Wsr-Jmn for the Ka of the mayor and vizier User-Amun
below mAa-xrw "justified" damaged?

Right - top down
[Ptah-Sokar]
xn.tj rA-sTA.w dj=f qrs.t nfr.t m smy.t jmnt.t
who is at the head of Rosetau [necropolis], he may give a beautiful burial in the Western desert [necropolis]
qrs.t "Bestattung, Begräbnis = burial" (Hannig, p. 864)
- see also there: qrs.t nfr.t "schönes Begräbnis = a beautiful burial (esp. one's dearest wish)
smy.t "Desert" (Hannig, p. 699)
- see also: smy.t jmnt.t "Necropolis"
m Htp sp 2 xr nTr aA
in peace, in peace with the great god
m Htp sp 2 = m Htp m Htp "in peace, in peace" (Hannig, p. 569)
sp 2 "[to be read twice]" (Hannig, p. 691 - meaning (2) von sp)
n kA n jmj-rA njw.t TA.tj Wsr-Jmn
for the Ka of the mayor and vizier User
thereafter destroyed, most likely mAa-xrw "justified"

Center: scene of the offering-table - to be read from right to left
jrj-pa.t HA.tj-a jmj-rA njw.t Wsr mAa-xrw
hereditary noble and local prince [nomarch], mayor User, justified
jrj-pa.t "Prince Regent" (Hannig, p. 84)
- see also there jrj-pa.t HA.tj-a
"Prince Regent and Count"
HA.tj-a "Count" (Hannig, p. 506)
Hm.t=f nb(.t) pr Twjw mAa.t-xrw
his wife, Mistress of the House Tjuju, justified.

Inner level:
Right - top down
jmAxy xr Jnpw hn.tj sH-nTr jmj-rA njw.t TA.tj Wsr
Revered / honored by Anubis, who is in front of the divine booth, mayor and vizier User
sH-nTr "Gotteshalle (Balsamierhalle des Anubis)" (Hannig, p. 734)
- see the title there:l Jnpw xn.tj sH-nTr "Anubis, der der Gotteshalle vorsteht"

Left - top down
jmAxy xr Jnpw tpj-Dw=f nb tA-Dsr jmj-rA njw.t TA.tj Wsr
Revered / honored by Anubis, who is upon his mountain, Lord of the Necropolis / the Sacred Land, the mayor and vizier User
Dw "Berg = Mountain" (Hannig, p. 999)
- see there on p.1000 the title Jnpw tpj-Dw=f
"Anubis, der auf seinem Berge = Anubis who is on his mountain" Dsr "holy, separated" (Hannig, p. 1015)
- also there tA-Dsr "Holy Land, Necropolis"