Reconsidering the term 'eldest son / eldest daughter' and inheritance in the Old Kingdom

The author tests recent scholarship by Shafik Allam who suggests a new understanding for the term smsw (traditionally: 'eldest'). The presence of more than one 'eldest son/daughter' in the iconography of the Old Kingdom private tombs raises questons for the interpretation of the term, issues of responsibility for the father's funeral and the inheritence. The situation in the tomb of Ibi at Deir el Gebrawi is examined as a case study as are other known tombs with complex family structures.