DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.51705#0036
24
REPORT ON THE BONES FOUND IN THE SARCOPHAGUS OF PA-RA'MESSU (TOMB 5)
declared heir, had taken for his personal cartouche
the name that Ramesses II wanted after his death.
Deciding to take his elder brother’s name, his
instinct, from what we know of him, would be to
cut out the cartouches of the heir. Here we may
see the restraining influence of the friends of the
late prince whom Ramesses II, so early in his reign,
would not risk offending. The conversion of the
cartouche into a laudatory phrase by the addition
of a word like nakht or senb would have been
almost as bad, and the party of the prince would
have been even more incensed at his cartouche
being used to praise the younger heir, who probably
hated him. It seems, then, within the bounds of
possibility, that the epithet Neb Weben was added
with an ambiguous intent, perhaps conferred post-
humously, ostensibly as a title of honour and
meaning “Lord of Brilliance,” Ramesses II trusting
to posterity to read it as Ramesses (II) is the Lord
of Brilliance. This may be far-fetched, but we can
suggest no other solution of the facts. If we are
right, it was a subtle move, well in keeping morally
with what we know of the character of Ramesses IL
We are unable to comment on the reason why
Pa-Ra'messu was buried here at Gurob, as we have
not sufficient data as to the burials of the XVIII th—
XIX th dynasty princes, to say if it is unusual.
Gurob possibly lay near his personal estates.
41. The history of the sarcophagus may be
traced in the succession of alterations. Prof. Petrie
is of opinion that first it was engraved for the king’s
son Pa Ra'messu mdkheru, without cartouche. The
lid was finished and all of the body except one panel.
Then, either on his becoming co-regent, or on his
accession, in the remaining panel the name was
put in a cartouche with Neb Weben, not over an
erasure. On the other parts the mdkheru was
erased, and Neb Weben substituted. On the lid there
was space enough to add, down each side of the
middle band, a fresh column with the name in a car-
touche and Neb Weben. On Ramesses II succeeding,
he adopted his brother’s cartouche, which enabled
him to appropriate any monuments already erected;
he denied to him burial with the kings, and erased
all trace of him.
Mr. A. H. Rowe has suggested that the title Neb
Weben might possibly be read Neb Henmemut, a
title of Osiris (Budge, The Gods of the Egyp-
tians, I. 159, II. 154).
REPORT ON THE BONES FOUND IN
THE SARCOPHAGUS OF PA-RA'MESSU
(TOMB 5)
BY PROF. G. ELLIOT SMITH
42. The collection consists of a series of frag-
ments of the leg- and arm-bones and vertebrae of
an adult man who was probably under thirty
years of age. The bones of the left leg (upper
end of femur, astragalus and os calcis) are so
much slenderer and less robust than the corre-
sponding fragments of the right leg, as to raise the
question whether they could have belonged to the
same individual. In view of the fact that the two
series are complementary the one of the other,
the explanation may be found in some physical dis-
ability which interfered with the full use of the
left leg. On the front of the neck of the left femur
there is evidence of some inflammatory trouble
which may have been one of the factors in
restricting the use of the limb, although it is
too slight and recent to be the main factor.
The leg bones are completely ossified, and the man
was at least 26 years old : but the persistence of
furrows along the epiphyseal lines suggests that
the process of fusion had only recently been
completed. Hence I have suggested an age of less
than 30 years.
The most interesting fragment consists of the
broken remains of a mass consisting of six
thoracic vertebrae (and parts of the corresponding
ribs) firmly ankylosed together. The bones are so
damaged, both by disease and by injuries suffered
after death, as to make it impossible to identify
the vertebrae with certainty: but the six vertebrae
that are fused probably represent the series from
the 4 th to the 9 th of the thoracic part of the
vertebral column. As the result of tubercular
disease (in all probability) the bodies of the
middle vertebrae of the series have collapsed, so
that the spinal canal in the region of the lower
three is bent at right angles to the canal in the
upper three. Hence there must bave been a very
pronounced degree of “hunched back”. This
spinal deformity may possibly be associated with
the difference in the robustness of the right and
left legs, to which reference has already been made.
G. E. S.
REPORT ON THE BONES FOUND IN THE SARCOPHAGUS OF PA-RA'MESSU (TOMB 5)
declared heir, had taken for his personal cartouche
the name that Ramesses II wanted after his death.
Deciding to take his elder brother’s name, his
instinct, from what we know of him, would be to
cut out the cartouches of the heir. Here we may
see the restraining influence of the friends of the
late prince whom Ramesses II, so early in his reign,
would not risk offending. The conversion of the
cartouche into a laudatory phrase by the addition
of a word like nakht or senb would have been
almost as bad, and the party of the prince would
have been even more incensed at his cartouche
being used to praise the younger heir, who probably
hated him. It seems, then, within the bounds of
possibility, that the epithet Neb Weben was added
with an ambiguous intent, perhaps conferred post-
humously, ostensibly as a title of honour and
meaning “Lord of Brilliance,” Ramesses II trusting
to posterity to read it as Ramesses (II) is the Lord
of Brilliance. This may be far-fetched, but we can
suggest no other solution of the facts. If we are
right, it was a subtle move, well in keeping morally
with what we know of the character of Ramesses IL
We are unable to comment on the reason why
Pa-Ra'messu was buried here at Gurob, as we have
not sufficient data as to the burials of the XVIII th—
XIX th dynasty princes, to say if it is unusual.
Gurob possibly lay near his personal estates.
41. The history of the sarcophagus may be
traced in the succession of alterations. Prof. Petrie
is of opinion that first it was engraved for the king’s
son Pa Ra'messu mdkheru, without cartouche. The
lid was finished and all of the body except one panel.
Then, either on his becoming co-regent, or on his
accession, in the remaining panel the name was
put in a cartouche with Neb Weben, not over an
erasure. On the other parts the mdkheru was
erased, and Neb Weben substituted. On the lid there
was space enough to add, down each side of the
middle band, a fresh column with the name in a car-
touche and Neb Weben. On Ramesses II succeeding,
he adopted his brother’s cartouche, which enabled
him to appropriate any monuments already erected;
he denied to him burial with the kings, and erased
all trace of him.
Mr. A. H. Rowe has suggested that the title Neb
Weben might possibly be read Neb Henmemut, a
title of Osiris (Budge, The Gods of the Egyp-
tians, I. 159, II. 154).
REPORT ON THE BONES FOUND IN
THE SARCOPHAGUS OF PA-RA'MESSU
(TOMB 5)
BY PROF. G. ELLIOT SMITH
42. The collection consists of a series of frag-
ments of the leg- and arm-bones and vertebrae of
an adult man who was probably under thirty
years of age. The bones of the left leg (upper
end of femur, astragalus and os calcis) are so
much slenderer and less robust than the corre-
sponding fragments of the right leg, as to raise the
question whether they could have belonged to the
same individual. In view of the fact that the two
series are complementary the one of the other,
the explanation may be found in some physical dis-
ability which interfered with the full use of the
left leg. On the front of the neck of the left femur
there is evidence of some inflammatory trouble
which may have been one of the factors in
restricting the use of the limb, although it is
too slight and recent to be the main factor.
The leg bones are completely ossified, and the man
was at least 26 years old : but the persistence of
furrows along the epiphyseal lines suggests that
the process of fusion had only recently been
completed. Hence I have suggested an age of less
than 30 years.
The most interesting fragment consists of the
broken remains of a mass consisting of six
thoracic vertebrae (and parts of the corresponding
ribs) firmly ankylosed together. The bones are so
damaged, both by disease and by injuries suffered
after death, as to make it impossible to identify
the vertebrae with certainty: but the six vertebrae
that are fused probably represent the series from
the 4 th to the 9 th of the thoracic part of the
vertebral column. As the result of tubercular
disease (in all probability) the bodies of the
middle vertebrae of the series have collapsed, so
that the spinal canal in the region of the lower
three is bent at right angles to the canal in the
upper three. Hence there must bave been a very
pronounced degree of “hunched back”. This
spinal deformity may possibly be associated with
the difference in the robustness of the right and
left legs, to which reference has already been made.
G. E. S.