From the tomb of Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep. Illustration from photograph © 1999 Greg Reeder.
Khnumhotep and Niankhkhnum are considered by many to be the first recorded male couple in history. They shared the title of Overseer of the Manicurists in the Palace of King Niussere during the Fifth Dynasty of Egyptian pharaohs, and are listed as "royal confidantes" in their joint tomb.
The tomb of Khnumhotep and Niankhkhnum was discovered by Egyptologist Ahmed Moussa in 1964, in the necropolis at Saqqara, Egypt. It is the only tomb in the necropolis where men are displayed embracing and holding hands. In addition, the men's names are combined in a linguistic reference to their closeness. In a banquet scene, Niankhkhnum and Khnuhotep are entertained by dancers, clappers, musicians and singers; in another, they oversee their funeral preparations. In the most striking portrayal, the two embrace in the most intimate pose allowed by canonical Egyptian art, surrounded by what would appear to be their heirs.
Some have postulated that the men were brothers, perhaps even twins (the men are shown together and also with their wives and children), but their representation is completely in line with the tomb representations of mixed gender couples usually read by researchers as married. To see Khnumhotep and Niankhkhnum as brothers would imply that these other representations should be read as brother-sister pairings rather than as married couples, as well. While that theory is plausible, it has not been put forward by any expert in the field.
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