Even in its pared-down form, the committee recalls an Egyptian tomb painting.

The female figures in ancient Egyptian tomb paintings have brown skin, painted with umber.

Many of these beliefs were recorded in inscriptions, papyrus scrolls and tomb paintings.

Some tomb paintings show activities that the deceased were involved in when they were alive and wished to carry on doing for eternity.

One Roman tomb painting shows vendors displaying floral garlands for sale.

This ancient brick-making process was documented by Egyptian tomb paintings.

Many early tomb paintings were meant to protect the dead or help their souls get to paradise.

The tomb paintings of the early Christians led to the development of icons.

When they began their study this year, the curators compared the fragments with photographs of similar Egyptian tomb paintings.

The tomb painting, by the way, excavated in 1997, is just a slice of something huge, a panoramic mural some 20 feet long.