DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.18905#0063
THE PAPYRUS OF THE ROYAL MOTHER NETCHEMET.
45
written during the period of the rule of the priest-
kings of the confraternity of the god Amen-Ra
at Thebes, during the XXIst dynasty, about
b.c. i ooo, and lt would be natural to identify this
“ royal mother” with Netchemet, the wife of Her-
Heru-sa-Amen, the “ first prophet ’ of Amen.
But the papyrus of this queen is already known to
exist,1 and in the vignettes with which it is illus-
tratecl we see her praying and making offerings
sicle by side with Her-Heru-sa-Amen, the first
priest of Amen,2 who is known to have been her
husband. Although her full titles3 were “ chief
“ great lady of the ladies of the college of Amen-
“ Ra, the king of the gods, royal mother of the
“ lord of the two lands, Netchemet,” she is never
called “ royal wife,” and it would seem that
her rank was not equal to that of the queens of the
Middle Empire. The “ lord of the two lands ”
must be Piankhi, the famous priest-king. It
seems then that Netchemet, the wife of Her-
Heru-sa-Amen, and Netchemet, the daughter of
the “mighty bull ” and the lady Hurere, were
two distinct queens. We may notice, at the same
time, that the words “ mighty bull” ka
ne^tk form part of the “ banner ” name of Her-
Heru-sa-Amen ; if this king is referred to under
these words, then the queen for whom our papyrus
was written was his daughter by Hurere. Whether
this be so or not matters little in assignmg a date
1 One part of it is in the possession of H.R. H. the Prince of
Wales, K.G., another is in the Louvre, and a third is in the
Museum at Munich. See Maspero, Les Momies Royales de Ddir
el-bahari, p. 512 ; Wiedemann, Aeg. Geschic/ite, p. 530 ; and Naville,
Einleitung, p. 109.
2 Compare the phrase <=> A ^ A fl vww\ _[j
JM
I A n 1 /vw^\a A
& I
O
O
Q
AA/AAA I
3 They are taken from her coffin, which is fully described by
Maspero, op. cit., p. 569, and read, 1 Q ^ ! /WWV\ |1 |f'''
1 r 1 O <2>- 0^1 1 MAW
hert iirt qemat en
Amen-Ra suten neteru suteu mut en neb taui Net'emet.
4 Compare Champollion, Moimments de /Egypte et de la Nubie,
Tonie ii., p. 224
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to our papyrus, for tliere is no doubt that it was
made for a royal lady who, according to the
generally received chronology, lived betvveen b.c.
1000 and b.c. 900.
I he papyrus is inscribed with the following
Chapters of the Book of the Dead :—CXLVIII.,
CXXV. (Introduction and Negative Confession),
the “ Chapter of Bringingthe Crown of Triumph,”
CXXIX., CI., CXXXIX., and Ib. I ranscnpts
of the hieratic texts into hieroglyphic characters
are given on pp. 54-60, and the following are
renderings of them.
PLATE I.
Vignette : The deceased queen Netchemet
standing, with her hands raisecl in adoration,
before the gods Amen-Ra-I Ieru-khuti 0 TG
and “ Osiris, dweller in Amentet, the great gocl,
“ the lorcl of the Tuat (underworld),”
"] { = ®. The queen has on her heacl a high
tiara, with a central cone, ancl a featherwork heacl-
clress, which falls over her shoulders ; rouncl her
neck is a deep collar and on her wrists are
bracelets. She wears a tight-fitting garment
reaching to her feet. Her titles are :—
— = CC50 ~ v 1
nebt taiu Net'emel inaat'xeni sat suten
Lady of the two lands, Netchemet, triumphant, daughter of the royal
V §- sa u ^
niut Hurere su/en mut nzest ka neyt nebt
mother Hurere. Royal mother, daughtcr of the bull mighty, lady
ta Net'anct mest en Hurere madtyeru
of the two lands, Netchemet, daughter of Hurere, triumphant
1 ii
%/r neter aa
before the great god.
The gocl Amen-Ra-Heru-khuti has upon his
heacl a clisk encircled by a snake ; he holds in his
right hand the symbol of life, and in his left a
sceptre. Osiris is depicted in mummy form ; on
his head is the Atef crown, and in his hands he
holcls the flail, the crook, and sceptre, emblems of
rule, sovereignty, and dominion. On his breast
is a pectoral inscribed with the name Osiris
Text: [C HAPTER CXLVIII.] (i) TlIE
Book of tite PIidden Ti-iings whicpi are in
THE TuAT (uNDERWORLd) ; OF MAKING STRONG
N
45
written during the period of the rule of the priest-
kings of the confraternity of the god Amen-Ra
at Thebes, during the XXIst dynasty, about
b.c. i ooo, and lt would be natural to identify this
“ royal mother” with Netchemet, the wife of Her-
Heru-sa-Amen, the “ first prophet ’ of Amen.
But the papyrus of this queen is already known to
exist,1 and in the vignettes with which it is illus-
tratecl we see her praying and making offerings
sicle by side with Her-Heru-sa-Amen, the first
priest of Amen,2 who is known to have been her
husband. Although her full titles3 were “ chief
“ great lady of the ladies of the college of Amen-
“ Ra, the king of the gods, royal mother of the
“ lord of the two lands, Netchemet,” she is never
called “ royal wife,” and it would seem that
her rank was not equal to that of the queens of the
Middle Empire. The “ lord of the two lands ”
must be Piankhi, the famous priest-king. It
seems then that Netchemet, the wife of Her-
Heru-sa-Amen, and Netchemet, the daughter of
the “mighty bull ” and the lady Hurere, were
two distinct queens. We may notice, at the same
time, that the words “ mighty bull” ka
ne^tk form part of the “ banner ” name of Her-
Heru-sa-Amen ; if this king is referred to under
these words, then the queen for whom our papyrus
was written was his daughter by Hurere. Whether
this be so or not matters little in assignmg a date
1 One part of it is in the possession of H.R. H. the Prince of
Wales, K.G., another is in the Louvre, and a third is in the
Museum at Munich. See Maspero, Les Momies Royales de Ddir
el-bahari, p. 512 ; Wiedemann, Aeg. Geschic/ite, p. 530 ; and Naville,
Einleitung, p. 109.
2 Compare the phrase <=> A ^ A fl vww\ _[j
JM
I A n 1 /vw^\a A
& I
O
O
Q
AA/AAA I
3 They are taken from her coffin, which is fully described by
Maspero, op. cit., p. 569, and read, 1 Q ^ ! /WWV\ |1 |f'''
1 r 1 O <2>- 0^1 1 MAW
hert iirt qemat en
Amen-Ra suten neteru suteu mut en neb taui Net'emet.
4 Compare Champollion, Moimments de /Egypte et de la Nubie,
Tonie ii., p. 224
$3
CJ]
D
1 ,
4
11:
a
AAAAAA
|
I I AWAA !
V J
o
[
1
AAAAAA
O 1
; [^]
to our papyrus, for tliere is no doubt that it was
made for a royal lady who, according to the
generally received chronology, lived betvveen b.c.
1000 and b.c. 900.
I he papyrus is inscribed with the following
Chapters of the Book of the Dead :—CXLVIII.,
CXXV. (Introduction and Negative Confession),
the “ Chapter of Bringingthe Crown of Triumph,”
CXXIX., CI., CXXXIX., and Ib. I ranscnpts
of the hieratic texts into hieroglyphic characters
are given on pp. 54-60, and the following are
renderings of them.
PLATE I.
Vignette : The deceased queen Netchemet
standing, with her hands raisecl in adoration,
before the gods Amen-Ra-I Ieru-khuti 0 TG
and “ Osiris, dweller in Amentet, the great gocl,
“ the lorcl of the Tuat (underworld),”
"] { = ®. The queen has on her heacl a high
tiara, with a central cone, ancl a featherwork heacl-
clress, which falls over her shoulders ; rouncl her
neck is a deep collar and on her wrists are
bracelets. She wears a tight-fitting garment
reaching to her feet. Her titles are :—
— = CC50 ~ v 1
nebt taiu Net'emel inaat'xeni sat suten
Lady of the two lands, Netchemet, triumphant, daughter of the royal
V §- sa u ^
niut Hurere su/en mut nzest ka neyt nebt
mother Hurere. Royal mother, daughtcr of the bull mighty, lady
ta Net'anct mest en Hurere madtyeru
of the two lands, Netchemet, daughter of Hurere, triumphant
1 ii
%/r neter aa
before the great god.
The gocl Amen-Ra-Heru-khuti has upon his
heacl a clisk encircled by a snake ; he holds in his
right hand the symbol of life, and in his left a
sceptre. Osiris is depicted in mummy form ; on
his head is the Atef crown, and in his hands he
holcls the flail, the crook, and sceptre, emblems of
rule, sovereignty, and dominion. On his breast
is a pectoral inscribed with the name Osiris
Text: [C HAPTER CXLVIII.] (i) TlIE
Book of tite PIidden Ti-iings whicpi are in
THE TuAT (uNDERWORLd) ; OF MAKING STRONG
N