KHNUMHOTEP & NIANKHKHNUM (2400 bce)
Khnumhotep and Niankhkhnum were ancient royal servants who shared the title Overseer of the Manicurists in the Palace of King Niuserre. The two men are depicted on their joint tomb in one of the most intimate poses allowed by Egyptian artistic conventions: face to face, with their noses touching. Niankhkhnum means "joined to life" and Khnumhotep means "joined to 'the blessed state of the dead'". together their names mean "joined in life and death. They are believed to be the first recorded same-sex couple in human history.