Davies, Norman de Garis; Davies, Norman de Garis [Hrsg.]: The Mastaba of Ptahhetep and Akhethetep at Saqqareh (Band 2): The Mastaba. The sculptures of akhethetep (London, 1901)

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19

CHAPTEE III.

DISCUSSIONS AND NOTES.

The Lists of the Estates.

33. Tliis tomb, which contains a burial of
father and son, and a record, in some respects
unique, of family estates under two generations,
might be expected to afford very valuable
Information on many points of tenure and
inheritance. Upon examination, however, it
yields little but disappointment in this respect.
Growing knowledge may make its data more
fruitful, but present conclusions from them are
rather of a negative character. Even the
relationship of the two occupants of the tomb
remains a matter of opinion.

34. Three estate-lists are given in the

tomb: one in the chapel of Ptahhetep (Bam.,

Pls. xxxiv., xxxv.1), another in the chapel of

Akhethetep (Pls. xv., xvi.), and a third in the

corridor (Pls. iv., x. and xi.).2 The two latter

give the estates of Akhethetep with slight

Variation. In the chapel they are set in regulär

order. On the south half of the B. wall the

five estates of the south, or Upper Egypt, are

recorded; on the N. of the doorway are the

twelve estates of Lower Egypt.3 The estates

ränge from above the Faiyüm to the coast,

following the western brauch of the Nile, and

are in such evident order that the apparent

deviations from strict sequence must be due

1 See also notes on these plates, Part I., pp. 40-42.

2 Quoted as P, N, S, and C ; N and S being the lists of
North and South estates in the chapel of Akhethetep.

3 A thirteenth figure has the nome-sign attached, but no
name.

to our imperfect knowledge of the limits of the
nomes and the position of the estates in them.
The scribe, too, would be more likely to follow
in thought a convenient itinerary than to keep
strictly to the order of the political divisions.
Starting at the border between Upper and
Lower Egypt, he proceeds to the most southern
estate, and then returns, nome by nome, to the
extreme north.

The corridor list differs from that of the

chapel both in order and contents. Following

roughly the order of Ptahhetep's list, the

southern estates are first mentioned, but those

of Lower Egypt are commenced from the

extreme north, and the list works southward

in an irregulär way. Three southern estates,

which for some reason were omitted at the

commencement, are inserted at the end, and the

list closes in the borderland between Upper and

Lower Egypt, as it began. There are four dis-

crepancies in the two lists. The last name but

one in the corridor (C 16) appears to be a mistake

for S 5, but the Substitution of the cartouche of

Horakau (C 15) for that of Menkauhor (S 2)

seems correct (cf. Mar., Mast, p. 353). C 3

and 5 (nome VI.), which replace N 4 and 5

(nome III.), seem to have belonged to Ptahhetep

(P 11 and 15 ?) and to be genuine names.

Perhaps there was some reason for restricting the

list of family estates to seventeen or eighteen.

(Ptahhetep has eighteen engravednames; another

Ptahhetep 4 two lists of seventeen each.)

1 Mar., Mast., D 62 ; called henceforward Ptahhetep I.

c 2