DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.49270#0311
224
0. Bates
From the meaning of the word db^, a distinguished Egyptologist has suggested
that the sign itself “may possibly represent a straw cap used in stoppering and seal-
ing wine jars”.99 It is, however, very difficult to see how, if the object were really a
stopper, it could have been applied. Elsewhere the same writer would relate the sign to
“the floats or tassels (?) attached to the harpoon in a scene of hunting the hippopotamus
in the tomb of Mera”.100 I have not, unhappily, any adequate publication of the tomb of
Mera at hand, but must confess that I find it as difficult to conceive of the sign as a harpoon
float as I do to regard it as a stopper. V-shaped floats are shown attached to the ends
of the retrieving lines in a Middle Kingdom representation of a hippopotamus hunt, but
they bear only the most superficial resemblance to the db^ sign. That the latter might
represent a tassel is a conjecture which seems to me even less probable than that it might
depict a harpoon float.
A carefully executed example of this puzzling glyph shows that the object which it
is intended to portray consisted of two bundles of reeds tied together at the top, and
spreading downwards like an inverted V; near their lower ends the two bundles were
connected by a doubled (?) cord.101 In the Old Kingdom several variants of the glyph
appear,102, but essentially they conform to the type seen in the XVIII Dynasty example.
In the light of what has just been said with regard to modern swimming floats, it seems
not impossible that the sign may represent an early form of the Dongola type. If this
were the case, the manner in which the float was adjusted for use is perfectly clear—-
the part where the bundles are tied together was pointed forward, and the line connect-
ing their other ends lay under the belly of the swimmer, or may even, if the cord was
in reality a doubled one, have been passed around the waist. A conveyance derived from
such a support would develop by natural steps into a balsa, and would explain why, in
the Pyramid texts craft of some such sort are referred to as “two shnwy” (in the dual).103
Without devoting more time to the question of the evolution of the Egyptian papyrus
craft, we may now turn to a consideration of the ancient representations of them. It is
a disputed point as to whether or not we may be said to possess, in the small pottery
model boats of the predynastic period (figs. 13, 15-18), representations of prehistoric papy-
rus canoes. The negative answer to this question is supported by G. A. Reisner, who in
his catalogue of the model vessels in the Cairo Museum has touched briefly on this topic.
Reisner objects that “the clay models are usually hollow, with flat-sided ends, while the
99 Griffith, Hieroglyphs, p. 47.
100 Idem, ap. Davies, Ptahhetep and Akhethetep, pt. 1, p. 37.
101 Idem, Hieroglyphs, pl. 3, fig. 23.
102 Davies, op. cit., pl. 17, fig. 391 shows one such variant.
103 Breasted, op. cit., p. 108, n. 2.
0. Bates
From the meaning of the word db^, a distinguished Egyptologist has suggested
that the sign itself “may possibly represent a straw cap used in stoppering and seal-
ing wine jars”.99 It is, however, very difficult to see how, if the object were really a
stopper, it could have been applied. Elsewhere the same writer would relate the sign to
“the floats or tassels (?) attached to the harpoon in a scene of hunting the hippopotamus
in the tomb of Mera”.100 I have not, unhappily, any adequate publication of the tomb of
Mera at hand, but must confess that I find it as difficult to conceive of the sign as a harpoon
float as I do to regard it as a stopper. V-shaped floats are shown attached to the ends
of the retrieving lines in a Middle Kingdom representation of a hippopotamus hunt, but
they bear only the most superficial resemblance to the db^ sign. That the latter might
represent a tassel is a conjecture which seems to me even less probable than that it might
depict a harpoon float.
A carefully executed example of this puzzling glyph shows that the object which it
is intended to portray consisted of two bundles of reeds tied together at the top, and
spreading downwards like an inverted V; near their lower ends the two bundles were
connected by a doubled (?) cord.101 In the Old Kingdom several variants of the glyph
appear,102, but essentially they conform to the type seen in the XVIII Dynasty example.
In the light of what has just been said with regard to modern swimming floats, it seems
not impossible that the sign may represent an early form of the Dongola type. If this
were the case, the manner in which the float was adjusted for use is perfectly clear—-
the part where the bundles are tied together was pointed forward, and the line connect-
ing their other ends lay under the belly of the swimmer, or may even, if the cord was
in reality a doubled one, have been passed around the waist. A conveyance derived from
such a support would develop by natural steps into a balsa, and would explain why, in
the Pyramid texts craft of some such sort are referred to as “two shnwy” (in the dual).103
Without devoting more time to the question of the evolution of the Egyptian papyrus
craft, we may now turn to a consideration of the ancient representations of them. It is
a disputed point as to whether or not we may be said to possess, in the small pottery
model boats of the predynastic period (figs. 13, 15-18), representations of prehistoric papy-
rus canoes. The negative answer to this question is supported by G. A. Reisner, who in
his catalogue of the model vessels in the Cairo Museum has touched briefly on this topic.
Reisner objects that “the clay models are usually hollow, with flat-sided ends, while the
99 Griffith, Hieroglyphs, p. 47.
100 Idem, ap. Davies, Ptahhetep and Akhethetep, pt. 1, p. 37.
101 Idem, Hieroglyphs, pl. 3, fig. 23.
102 Davies, op. cit., pl. 17, fig. 391 shows one such variant.
103 Breasted, op. cit., p. 108, n. 2.