The Offering Stela of Neskhons is a remarkable example of 21st Dynasty funerary art, dating to approximately 965 BC. This painted wooden stela depicts Neskhons, the wife of the High Priest of Amun, Pinedjem II, presenting offerings to the god Osiris. The scene symbolises her desire to gain Osiris’ protection and secure a favourable place in the afterlife.

Funerary stelae served as symbolic gateways between the realms of the living and the dead. These artefacts were designed to facilitate communication with the gods, ensuring the deceased's safe passage and ongoing protection in the afterlife. Often placed in tomb chapels or other sacred spaces, they provided a focal point for family members or priests to recite prayers and perform rituals, actions believed to sustain and strengthen the deceased’s presence in the afterlife.

Neskhons’ stela depicts a richly laden offering table with bread, birds, meat, and flowers, essential provisions for her ka (spiritual essence). These offerings symbolised the nourishment she required in the afterlife and reinforced the belief that sustenance could be perpetually supplied, either through physical offerings made by her family or symbolically through the stela’s imagery.

Translation
Seven vertical columns of hieroglyphs above the scene identify the god as Osiris with epithets and Neskhons as:
“The Osiris the great head of the first troupe of Amun-Ra king of the gods, the god's servant of Khnum lord of the First Cataract, king's son of Kush, overseer of the southern hill-lands, god's servant of the Lady of Offerings of Serudet, head of noblewomen Neskhons, true of voice.”