Same-sex desire, conjugal construct, and the tomb of Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep (Ancient Egyptian art)

Discovered in 1964, the tomb of the manicurists Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep from the Fifth Dynasty of Old Kingdom Egypt depicts the two men in intimate poses usually reserved for husband and wife. Initial archaeologies suggest ed the two men were close friends, but soon the idea of them as twins was b eing advocated to explain their 'exaggerated affection'. This paper uses re cent research on conjugal figuration during the pictorially innovative Four th, Fifth and Sixth Dynasties and internal evidence from the tomb itself to offer insight into the unique relationship between the two manicurists.