DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.1118#0506
856
INSCRIPTIONS ON 'SWORD TABLETS'
Royal
officer's
name on
'Sword
Tablet'.
Tablet
referring
to the
store of
50 swords.
Illustrative specimens of these tablets are given in Fig. 888. Thouo-1
the sword itself does not come within the part preserved of Fig. 838%
ancl^', found with the others, it will be seen that the inscriptions fit on t
those of the completed examples. That of g, which must be taken also
to supply the full form of/, f] fy] A 7, is of interest from the fact that it begins
with the ' throne and sceptre', and may therefore be regarded as repre-
senting the name or title of a royal officer. The initial group of c, ^l ff) 1
corresponds with a similar group on a tablet from the East-West Corridor
Deposit,1 almost certainly to be interpreted as a man's name. The terminal
sign I indeed is, as has been shown,2 specially characteristic of masculine
names.
On the other hand, we must clearly recognize in the group -F V in
large characters at the beginning (Fig. 838, a), a regular formula of addition,
observable, as already noted, on a series of tablets.:! This indication
indeed, besides appearing before the ' banner' sign followed by numbers,
is also-seen as here in large characters in the initial space of a tablet pre-
ceding three lines of lower sign-groups referring to separate reckonings. It
is to be noted, moreover, that while in other specimens where the numbers
are given, these are confined to units—2 or 3—the tablet Fig. 838 a refers
to a comparatively large store of fifty swords.
Sword-
types on
Tablets-
occasion-
al ' leaf-
shaped '
outline.
Types of Swords represented on Tablets.
The sword-forms presented by the tablets of this Deposit fall into two
main classes, as shown in the generalized reproductions in Fig. 839, a and B.
The earliest type is clearly to be found in Fig. 839, a i, which is simply an
elongated version of the old triangular, square-headed dagger-form of the
Hieroglyphic series,4 closely parallel with the Egyptian sign. The square-
headed form itself answers to that of some of the earlier sword-types. 1 he
variant version, Fig.- S39, a 2, is due to the natural desire to depict a largei
and more attenuated blade, to indicate a sword, in fact, rather than a dagger-
In two varieties of Type is, on the other hand, the blades of which
show a certain relation to a 2, are distinguished by double semicirculai
projections at the base which may reasonably be regarded as due to tne
reflection of the late Palatial ' cruciform' sword. We may regard is I, where
the hilt is clearly developed, as including an attempt to indicate its plate-
1 No. 1435 in my hand-list.
1 See above, p. 714..
See above, p. 693, and Fig- l>'!'-
See Scripta Miiioa, i, p. 186, No. r4-
INSCRIPTIONS ON 'SWORD TABLETS'
Royal
officer's
name on
'Sword
Tablet'.
Tablet
referring
to the
store of
50 swords.
Illustrative specimens of these tablets are given in Fig. 888. Thouo-1
the sword itself does not come within the part preserved of Fig. 838%
ancl^', found with the others, it will be seen that the inscriptions fit on t
those of the completed examples. That of g, which must be taken also
to supply the full form of/, f] fy] A 7, is of interest from the fact that it begins
with the ' throne and sceptre', and may therefore be regarded as repre-
senting the name or title of a royal officer. The initial group of c, ^l ff) 1
corresponds with a similar group on a tablet from the East-West Corridor
Deposit,1 almost certainly to be interpreted as a man's name. The terminal
sign I indeed is, as has been shown,2 specially characteristic of masculine
names.
On the other hand, we must clearly recognize in the group -F V in
large characters at the beginning (Fig. 838, a), a regular formula of addition,
observable, as already noted, on a series of tablets.:! This indication
indeed, besides appearing before the ' banner' sign followed by numbers,
is also-seen as here in large characters in the initial space of a tablet pre-
ceding three lines of lower sign-groups referring to separate reckonings. It
is to be noted, moreover, that while in other specimens where the numbers
are given, these are confined to units—2 or 3—the tablet Fig. 838 a refers
to a comparatively large store of fifty swords.
Sword-
types on
Tablets-
occasion-
al ' leaf-
shaped '
outline.
Types of Swords represented on Tablets.
The sword-forms presented by the tablets of this Deposit fall into two
main classes, as shown in the generalized reproductions in Fig. 839, a and B.
The earliest type is clearly to be found in Fig. 839, a i, which is simply an
elongated version of the old triangular, square-headed dagger-form of the
Hieroglyphic series,4 closely parallel with the Egyptian sign. The square-
headed form itself answers to that of some of the earlier sword-types. 1 he
variant version, Fig.- S39, a 2, is due to the natural desire to depict a largei
and more attenuated blade, to indicate a sword, in fact, rather than a dagger-
In two varieties of Type is, on the other hand, the blades of which
show a certain relation to a 2, are distinguished by double semicirculai
projections at the base which may reasonably be regarded as due to tne
reflection of the late Palatial ' cruciform' sword. We may regard is I, where
the hilt is clearly developed, as including an attempt to indicate its plate-
1 No. 1435 in my hand-list.
1 See above, p. 714..
See above, p. 693, and Fig- l>'!'-
See Scripta Miiioa, i, p. 186, No. r4-