Amenemhat I, known to have been born in the south of Egypt, may have served as vizier to King Mentuhotep IV. In this position, he may have been responsible for expeditions to the quarries of the Wadi Hammamat before he ascended the throne. Early in his reign, he moved the capital from Thebes to a new city, Itj-tawy, just south of Memphis. In order to ensure the stability of his new dynasty, he also appears to have established a coregency with his son, Senwosret I, ten years before his demise. This block was found in the foundations of his mortuary temple at Lisht, the royal cemetery of the new capital. It was reused from an earlier building that stood either at the same site or somewhere else in the area of Itj-tawy (Lisht).
In the relief, King Amenemhat I is shown celebrating his thirty-year jubilee (Heb Sed). He is flanked by the gods Anubis with a jackal head (in front) and Horus with a falcon head (behind), both of whom offer him the ankh, or symbol of life. At the left of the block stands the vulture goddess Nekhbet of Upper Egypt and on the right the cobra goddess Wadjet of Lower Egypt. The king wears a tightly curled wig with the uraeus on his brow and the false beard of kingship. He carries the flail and a ceremonial instrument. The low-relief carving is delicate, but many details are only indicated by beautifully preserved paint.
