OC 004 · Tomb model · Africa
Model granary with scribes
- Number on this site
- OC 004
- What it is
- Tomb model
- Made
- About 1981 to 1975 BC
- Period
- Middle Kingdom, Dynasty 12, early reign of Amenemhat I
- Material
- Wood, plaster, paint, linen, grain
- Size
- 74.9 cm long
- Found
- In a hidden room of Meketre’s tomb at Thebes, dug by the Met in 1920. Thebes (Luxor)
- Now held by
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
- Museum number
- 20.3.11
Workers carry sacks of grain into the store while scribes sit in a room of their own, writing down what comes in and goes out. Grain was food, and someone had to keep count.1
Where it sits in human time
Made about 4,000 years ago. On this strip, each step to the right is ten times closer to today.
Seen in
- The gift of the river · Ancient Egypt
Filed under
Sources for this page
Every number on this page comes from one of these. How we check.
Last reviewed 12 November 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Model of a Granary with Scribes, from the tomb of Meketre, Thebes. Dynasty 12, reign of Amenemhat I, ca. 1981–1975 BC. Collection record 545281, Open Access (CC0). www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/545281Used for: Meketre’s models: their date and where they were found. Checked 12 November 2026.